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..and continues…

jamie on December 6th, 2005

March:
#1 The Subways - Oh Yeah
Listening just now to these three tracks together, I noticed the extreme similarity between the Maximo Park song, and Oh Yeah from the Subways. Both convey the same frantic pop experience, shouting verses at you over pounding drum tracks, but the Subways add a touch Maximo Park couldn’t- Charlotte Cooper’s vocals exchanging blows with Billy Lunn. The two voices a perfect compliment to each other. This song is a real emotional rocker, conveying the effects of every drop of adreneline produced by the band.

#2 MIA - Galang
MIA’s album Arular was released in May this year, but her single Galang was getting regular spins in the UK as early as December 2004 (I couldn’t find a US version until March). Critics were instantly wild for it, and for once, I agreed. There’s something refreshing in the breaking rhythms of MIA’s Sri Lanken-infused low-fi electronica. Galang is full of bleepie goodness, and mashes grime and ragga beats with surpising effectiveness.

#3 Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure
Maximo Park seem to have been passed over in the US in favor of more stable sellers like Franz Ferdinand or the Killers, but Appky Some Pressure kicks the crap outta both of them. They may have arrived to the ball a moment too late for the first dance, but their Mercury Prize nomination proves that they’re going be around for a while. I almost put Graffitti on the list, simply for its lyrical line: “I’ll do graffiti and you’ll sing to me in French”…aw, how romantic, seriously, they make it sound romantic- and that’s par tof the strength of this band. Apply Some Pressure is more of a straight-forward rock song, shaking the floor with pounding drums and guitars with seemingly one dynamic level- loud.

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The list continues…

jamie on December 6th, 2005

February:
#1 Missy Higgins - Scar
#2 Missy Higgins - Ten Days
I have been absolutely in love with Missy Higgins all year. Scar is a brilliant piece of songwriting, and Higgins’ voice has quality to it that makes it easy to relate. Co-writing credits also go to Better Than Ezra’s Kevin Griffin, who’s heart-on-your sleeve and 4-chord simplicity really shows through on Scar (the two wrote four of the songs from Higgins’ album together, with Missy’s songwriting style shining through most of them). Ten Days is probably the second most radio-ready track from her debut album The Sound Of White. While these are two of my favorite tracks on the album (I would put the whole album on the list if there was room), they really only show off one side of a singer/songwriter that has several sides to her music. Scar and Ten Days dispaly a brighter, pop feel, while other times Missy Higgins sounds more like a broody, dark Tori Amos, and sometime her music alludes to a more playful side. On he co-writing experiences, I found a quote from The Sunday Herald Sun website (Australia):
“It’s such a personal thing co-writing with someone because I take my music so personally…It’s like ‘one, two three - go’ and then dropping your pants.”

#3 Ben Folds - Landed
Ben Folds can sometimes be hit-or-miss wiht me, but Landed was a definite hit in my book. Fold’s album Songs For Silverman is a solid piece of work, with Folds playing nearly everything on the album. Landed is a perfectly poppy single made for radio (and TV too), setting a toe-tapping pace, and mixing melody with well-crafted lyrics.

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