Amazing Baby “Smoke Bros”

I’m pretty sure Amazing Baby do not want you to think too much while listening to this song. If they did, they probably would’ve at least spell-checked the word the singer is spelling out in the chorus. But really, why bother when the hook is so catchy and every other line is entirely inscrutable? It’s all surface and sensation, and that doesn’t have to be a problem. It’s sexy without being skeevy; it’s somehow rather smart about being very, very dumb. The song is like a very attractive person who could say anything at all, and you’d just nod along, smiling just to have their attention in the moment.

Buy it from Amazon.

Michael Jackson “The Way You Make Me Feel”

It would be a profound understatement to say that Michael Jackson had a very strange life. In fact, the man led perhaps the single most unlikely and bizarre life of all time, every step of the way entirely removed from what anyone could consider anything like a normal existence. This is a large part of his tragedy, but it is also something that highlights his uncanny gifts as a musician and entertainer: Somehow, despite being so totally estranged from the ordinary, he was capable of evoking and articulating the essence universal emotions, and not just in broad strokes. I am certainly not an expert on Jackson’s love life and would not ever want to be one, but I think it’s fair to assume that the scenario in “The Way You Make Me Feel” probably doesn’t match up with his own experience — the line “I’ll be workin’ from 9 to 5” is a give away — but the man could sell the sentiment of the tune without flaw, nailing the nuances of his character’s infatuation, excitement, and confidence. His musical skill was clearly innate and miraculous, but it would not have meant that much without this incredible gift for interpreting, simplifying, and at times totally abstracting emotional experience into something so potent and primal that it could be instinctively understood across nearly all cultural boundaries. The man probably never felt normal a moment in his life, but it really seems like he understood humanity, or at least enough to synthesize his observations into these brilliant, intuitive performances.

Buy it from Amazon.

Kid Cudi with Kanye West, Common, A-Trak and Lady Gaga “Make Her Say”

Since it is fair to assume that famous rappers do in fact get a lot of groupie action, it is also reasonable to believe that songs like this are in some way non-fictional, and the girls described in the lyrics are actual people, or at least composites of women the rappers have been with. (You know, like in New York Magazine!) So with that in mind, what do you reckon it’s like for these ladies when these sort of sex tunes come out? These guys are probably quite prolific, so is there maybe some doubt in their mind whether they are actually rapping about them? Even if you’ve done something as specific as give head to Kanye West in a college library, how do you know that’s not some fetish of his, and he’s been getting BJs in the stacks of every university on his tour route? If you’re certain that the rapper is talking about you (“YES! I was born in 1988 and Kanye boned me! It has to be me!”), do you tell everyone, or keep it as a more private source of pride? Do you get a little annoyed when Common quotes you in a somewhat unflattering way? Are you bothered by the fact that you get mentioned in a song that loops the best hooks from a Lady Gaga song built around the thinly-veiled phrase “poke her face”? Did you want something more romantic? If you’re the subject of the least-famous rapper’s verse, are you jealous of the chicks who got with the bigger names? So many questions!

Buy it from Amazon.

Fight Like Apes “Tie Me Up With Jackets”

One of my favorite things about MayKay’s lyrics is her perverse penchant for mentioning unlikely food and beverages in her songs, with a particular emphasis on the way they smell. In my experience, odor is rarely evoked in music, and when it is, it’s usually a casual reference to something that smells very good. MayKay, on the other hand, seems interested in grounding emotional moments in unflattering contexts, suggesting that our most romantic experiences and dramatic epiphanies cannot exist in a vacuum devoid of the junk of life. “Tie Me Up With Jackets” is full of meatballs, apple schnapps, odd in-jokes, and disses of obscure bands, but no amount of clutter can obscure the big passionate heart beating at the core of the song. The sentiment comes out all weird, but there’s no mistaking her love and desire.

Buy it from Amazon.

God Help The Girl “Act of the Apostle II”

The Life Pursuit is one of my favorite albums from this decade, and this fact complicates my enjoyment of Stuart Murdoch’s latest project God Help The Girl in two big ways. First, it’s been quite a while since that record came out and my expectations for new Murdoch material is quite high thanks to that album, and so even the best tracks feel disappointing to me, even putting aside the fact that I generally don’t want to hear anyone but him singing his songs. Second, the songs that I enjoy the most on God Help The Girl happen to be reworked versions of numbers from The Life Pursuit, and that makes me feel as though I’m being somehow unfair to the other material. Though I do have mixed feelings about the new take on “Funny Little Frog” — I just don’t think it makes sense for the gender roles to be swapped on that one — I have no reservations about this new take on “Act of the Apostle II.” I enjoy the swing of this new arrangement, and the way Catherine Ireton sings the tune with a subtle balance of wryness and sincerity. Best of all, the new version delivers the kicker at the end of each verse with a sly grace, particularly on the line I enjoy the most: “I don’t think I could stand to be stuck, that’s the way that things were going.”

Buy it from Amazon.

The Vitamin String Quartet “The Bleeding Heart Show”

I’ve heard plenty of Vitamin Records’ string arrangements of well-known songs, and the best of them tend to bring out something in the melody of the piece that was always there, but not quite so evident in the original recording. In the case of this New Pornographers song, the quartet pushes much further into heart string-tugging melancholy than Carl Newman and company, and the result comes off like a sad love theme from some corny movie. That’s not a bad thing, or at least, it’s not if you can appreciate that sort of thing, or have some fun imagining extremely overwrought dramatic scenes that it could accompany.

Buy it from Amazon.

Discovery featuring Angel Deradoorian “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”

I want this beat to snap a lot more that it does, but that’s a minor complaint. The synths in “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” gurgle, throb, and sigh just as they should, and even with more digital manipulation than is totally necessary, Angel Deradoorian’s voice has an airy sweetness akin to late-period Mariah Carey. It’s a cute song too, maybe to the point of being slightly off-putting. If you want to be someone’s boyfriend, this is great. If you want someone to want to be your boyfriend, it might be even better. If neither thing pertains to your life at the moment, you may be inclined to think something like “Will you please stop pouring syrup into my ears?!?,” but fuck that.

Buy it from Amazon.

Teengirl Fantasy “Portofino”

There are a few really nice sounds in this composition, but the one that really gets me is the first keyboard tone you hear. Some of it is the melody of the figure, a lot of it is just the timbre, but it hits this perfect spot in my brain that makes me feel calm, cool, and safe. It’s not exactly soothing, per se — there are other keyboard washes that achieve that effect — but there is a friendly brightness to the sound, and in its tone I recognize something that makes me smile, but I can’t place it. It’s like a pleasant memory I keep forgetting, over and over, forever.

Visit the Teengirl Fantasy MySpace page.

The Gossip “For Keeps”

Beth Ditto has a huge and impressive singing voice, but it seems to have a limited application. She thrives on songs that express some kind of grievance, and allow her to play the part of the strong woman standing up for herself and speaking her mind. Whereas other singers communicate their anxiety, it’s clear that Ditto is trying to obliterate hers though sheer force of will. When she’s in this mode and paired with an inspired arrangement, she is unstoppable and incredibly empowering. “For Keeps” is one of her band’s best songs to date, particularly in the way that it plays up her strengths while pushing into a more sophisticated pop sound that adds a bit of textural nuance and elegantly composed chorus to their established quasi-primal rhythmic aesthetic. It’s sort of mystifying to me that this is not their new album’s first single, but we’ll see what happens down the line.

Buy it from Amazon.

Rachel Taylor Brown “Susan Storm’s Ugly Sister”

Susan Storm is the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four, and her superpower is that she can become, well, an invisible woman. Susan Storm’s Ugly Sister, an invention of songwriter Rachel Taylor Brown, did not need to be bombarded with cosmic radiation to acquire a similar talent — she’s simply found that her homeliness allows her to escape the notice of most everyone. The character is bitter and disturbed, and indulges in revenge fantasies in which she uses her “invisibility” to her advantage in murdering oblivious men. Brown’s arrangement and vocal performance is brilliant, emphasizing her character’s extreme discomfort and ethical conflict, as well as projecting a sort of sullen placidity that is periodically interrupted by tiny outbursts of simultaneous rage, angst and guilt.

Buy it from CD Baby.

Jeffrey Lewis “If Life Exists (?)”

This song is essentially a shrug of resignation: There is no logic to our emotions, our intellect is at the mercy of our brain chemistry, and we live moment to unpredictable moment. Nevertheless, it is not wholly negative or even sorta sad. If anything, there is a calm in this song, as though simply admitting that being human is fairly difficult, and that disappointments are frequent and crushing, and that no matter how hard you try you cannot control everything, just takes this huge weight off your back. It’s a relief, and it’s true. It’s easier to be hard on yourself and expect too much than to be calm and relatively free of neuroses, but it’s also less productive. That’s the trade off: Would you rather have the drive to always feel that you need to improve and have it motivate you to actually gradually become a better person, or do you want to be mediocre and content? I know what I choose, but if you read this site regularly, you probably have a sense of just how anxious I can get.

Buy it from Amazon.

Fiona Apple “I Know”

Maybe there is something a bit weird about how one of the most beautiful and unbelievably painful love songs ever written is about David Blaine, but then again, it’s probably for the best that we don’t know anything about the people most songs are written about, right? I reckon the more emotionally wrought the song, the more likely it was written about someone lame, awful, or otherwise unworthy. This is where biography gets in the way of art — even with some specifics relating to stage performance, this is a song written about a very common experience. We never need to think of Blaine when listening to it.

(Edit: Okay, apparently it’s actually for Paul Thomas Anderson, but you know, same difference.)

“I Know” is a song about suffering through patience, and waiting, perhaps in vain, to have your love for someone validated and fully reciprocated. Its sentiment is gut-wrenching, but the lyrics and vocal performance are not particularly melodramatic. There is agony and sadness in nearly every moment, but the thinking is very pragmatic: I’ll help you out of your mess, I’ll support you, I’ll love you, I’ll swallow my pride and deal with my jealousy and stifle my desires, and….well, maybe there’s something good for me on the other side of all that.

It’s the hope that makes the song so devastating, and the way she clings to her faith that it will all be worth it in the end. But she can’t know what will happen, and the doubt drags her deep into melancholy. She feels a bit used, and she struggles to understand why he can’t just be straight with her.

The ending is brutal: “If it gets too late for me to wait for you to find you love me and tell me so, it’s okay, you don’t need to say it…” The title is implied but never uttered, and the song concludes on the equivalent of her casting her head down, and slowly walking off in the opposite direction, crestfallen and totally defeated.

Buy it from Amazon.

The Fiery Furnaces @ Le Poisson Rouge 6/11/2009

Here Comes The Summer / Leaky Tunnel / Chris Michaels / I’m Going Away / The End Is Near / Charmaine Champagne / Cut The Cake / Ray Bouvier / Staring At The Steeple / Even In The Rain / Keep Me In The Dark / Lost At Sea / Cups and Punches / Take Me Round Again / Drive To Dallas / Duplexes Of The Dead / Automatic Husband / Ex-Guru / Worry Worry / Wolf Notes // Single Again

I kept thinking about boxing during this show. The Fiery Furnaces were performing in the round under stark, dramatic lights in a relatively small room, and they played their songs in the leanest, most rhythmically taut ways possible in a guitar/bass/drums arrangement. This was particularly true in the opening trio of oldies, in which the melodies of the songs were foregrounded and unchanged, but the tone of the music was far more menacing and intense than usual. I was initially quite surprised that the performance was entirely focused on guitars given that I’m Going Away is such a piano-centric album, but for the most part, transposing the parts to guitar worked just fine, and in some cases (“Ray Bouvier,” “Even In The Rain”) improved the song in general. The new numbers were played fairly straight for the most part, but the old Friedberger perversity came around in some questionable decisions in playing the two best songs from the new record, “Drive To Dallas” and “Take Me Round Again.” They didn’t mess those tunes up, per se, but you could sense their restlessness with the material.

The Fiery Furnaces “The End Is Near”

Eleanor kept mentioning how most of the new songs were about ex-boyfriends, and at one point was almost apologizing for that fact, joking that they were now out of ideas. She shouldn’t be so concerned. I love the more obscure and whimsical topics that have come up in past Furnaces releases, but I welcome this more straightforward, emotionally driven material. They’ve done it before, but it’s never been as bittersweet as this, nor as neat and soulful. It was time to shift gears, and they made exactly the right decision — their melodic sensibility is front and center, the preciousness is dialed down considerably.

Pre-order it from Amazon.

Bat For Lashes “Pearl’s Dream”

The past four days have been nothing but darkness and rain, and it’s done a number on my brain. I’m not sure if I was always so sensitive to these sort of things, but I am pretty sure that a lack of sunlight is directly effecting my mood and productivity, and entirely for the worse. There is scientific basis for this, sure, but I still feel horrible admitting to it because I feel like I’m not taking responsibility for myself. Either way, in this negative lazy state, I find that I can’t enjoy a lot of music that I normally love. When I feel like this, so much sound becomes aggravating in and of itself, and what does stick is either so keyed into my emotional state that it is painful to hear, or provides some sort of comfort. Bat For Lashes’ “Pearl’s Dream” falls into the latter category. There is a dark gravity to Natasha Khan’s music, this irresistible pull into a grim yet magical world, and despite the gloominess that pervades her songs, there is something peaceful and calm in it, this noticeable lack of anxiety. If this is what feels right in this moment, it may speak well of me — perhaps I am moving toward this type of grace.

Buy it from Amazon.

Dirty Projectors “Cannibal Resource”

Like many of the greatest album-opening tracks of all time, “Cannibal Resource” has the effect of making the listener feel as though they are passing through a portal and entering a new world. The distinct aesthetic of the band is quickly established, with each element of their style introduced in a way that is more inviting than confrontational. They are not holding anything back, but it is clear that this is meant to be ingratiating and pleasurable. Whereas previous Dirty Projectors music often reveled in its own strangeness, the music on Bitte Orca is matter-of-fact about its quirks and deliberately beautiful. This is incredibly confident art — thoughtful, considered, extremely controlled — but it is not sterile or overworked. Every moment of “Cannibal Resource” is flawless in its execution; every rhythmic shift, harmony, and guitar tone precisely calibrated to evoke color, optimism, and graceful movement. It sounds like a new world opening up around you, or perhaps more accurately, finding a new way of thinking about and seeing the world you already know. Every moment of the song feels like a personal revelation, and the moment when everything around you suddenly seems invested with a wonderful new meaning.

Buy it from Amazon.

Milberg “It Was The End”

This song sounds very good on repeat, as a loop of bittersweet finality without an actual ending. Lisa Milberg’s voice is cool and removed, but she also sounds sweet and empathetic as she sings about a girl who may or may not actually be herself. As nice as her vocal melody may be, this composition is mostly about the track itself, which evokes just the right balance of muted melancholy and faded joy.

Visit Lisa Milberg’s MySpace page.

It Hugs Back “Forgotten Song”

Curl up in a ball. Lie flat on your back, staring at the ceiling. Look out the window. Lean back in your seat. Melt into the couch. Pull up the covers. Listen to that guitar, and the way the arpeggios tangle with the elegance of nature. The notes ring out, perfect in tone, floating in the air long after the sound is gone. Let your mind go, and fall asleep.

Buy it from Amazon.

Anni Rossi “Venice” (Afton version)

Anni Rossi’s proper debut album Rockwell came out in March, but last fall she released an EP called Afton which includes more than half of the songs on that record. This sort of thing happens all the time, but the difference between the recordings runs contrary to the normal logic of these things, in which the EP is essentially a glorified demo tape, and the LP is a polished, finished product. Whereas the Afton recordings sound full, robust, and feature extremely bold vocal performances, Rockwell is raw, tentative, and comparatively restrained. I cannot imagine why the more timid recordings were privileged, or why Rossi opted to dial back her excesses when they served her so well. The most dramatic difference between takes is “Venice,” which sounds seasick and unhinged on Afton, but limp and stiff on Rockwell. The former highlights everything fascinating and engaging about Rossi as a composer and performer, leading the listener through an eccentric structure that dives from peaks to depths, and showcases her wild emoting. At some points in the song, Rossi sounds positively orgasmic, and in other moments, just flat-out weird — gurgling, hiccuping, shrieking. She may go further out than most people are willing to go, but it’s astonishing, moving, and sexy stuff. Hopefully she’s not abandoning this style permanently — there’s no reason for this woman to hedge her bets.

Buy it from Amazon.

UUVVWWZ “Castle”

Teal Gardner sings most of UUVVWWZ’s debut album in an appealing, if not wholly unique, quirky rock girl style, but on “Castle,” she is a total revelation. As the music floats between moments of dreaminess, turbulence, and catharsis, her performance is similarly mercurial. For the most part, her emoting matches the sound of the band, but her inflections and cadences can be very surprising, so bits that would signify a particular emotion under typical circumstances end up getting twisted somewhat. Sometimes it’s more intense, and at others, dialed down and understated in a way that is slightly at odds with dynamics in the song. This is one of my favorite things: A song that sounds like being inside a person’s moment at a specific moment. I barely even understand what she’s talking about, but I’m riveted.

Buy it from Amazon.

Future of the Left “Chin Music”

Andy Falkous has a way of making bile, bitterness, resentment, and aggravation sound fun. It’s a real gift, and it is ideally paired with his bands’ knack for dynamic, heavy punk rock that hits almost as hard as I wish I could punch the universe in the face on some days. Conveniently, “Chin Music” is actually a song about punching. It churns and it burns and it seethes, and though there are rationalizations, there aren’t any apologies. It’s just GRAAAA and FUCK YOU, and of course, HE HAD IT COMING. Is it good to be so angry? Is it useful to be violent? No. Not at all. But it doesn’t hurt to fantasize sometimes. Falkous gives voice to the macho fantasy, and simulates the feeling of the ideal scenario while puncturing it with clear-headed logic. Very useful.

Buy it from Amazon.

Sonic Youth “Walkin’ Blue”

On a superficial level, “Walkin’ Blue” resembles “Karenology” from Murray Street, but the intensity isn’t really there. Whereas that song had a similarly springy strum and build to release, it also had a bittersweet tone that flipped its moment of catharsis into a moment of powerless confusion and heartbreak. “Walkin’ Blue” is more simple, and not just because it lacks an extended noise coda. For Sonic Youth, this is very post-U2 arena rock — ringing chords, huge sentiment, big chorus. It’s almost deliberately “normal,” but the SY-ness comes across in the color and the texture. The mood of the piece tiptoes back and forth between listlessness and peace, little sighs and big sighs, but the center is Lee Ranaldo’s gentleness and empathy, which is entirely unambiguous. He’s not saying too much, but what comes across is important: I’m here for you, let’s try to make things better, but let’s not get our expectations too high.

Buy it from Amazon.

James Rabbit “These Are Perfect Waves”

Even in spite of some occasional setbacks and ongoing frustrations, I am a pretty lucky person. One of the many ways in which I am fortunate is that I can count myself among the select number of people who can claim to fully love a song in which they are mentioned by name. “These Are Perfect Waves” in some ways comes across like liner notes set to music — I get my shout-out when Tyler starts listing off thank-yous — but it’s more about memory, and being appreciative for every good moment in life, and especially the adventures you share with the people you love. Tyler’s language is wonderfully specific, and emphatic in just the right spots. You listen to him, and it’s hard not to be a bit jealous: I want that fun, I want that excitement. Maybe I already have it, but I want more, more, more, more. The music charges along, moving into an infinite horizon, ready to take on new challenges while keeping in mind everyone and everything that made what you are in the present. It’s like a bus, driving off to the next big fun thing, and when I hear it, I just want to jump on and go for the ride.

Get it for free from Last FM.