Music

13 July 2021 – No Tomorrow by Orson

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If it had been possible to bet on bands being successful I would have bet on Orson when their first album came out. Obviously, in hindsight, there are a lot of red flags – bad hats, grown men singing about not having school tomorrow, but I really thought that was a great album. The fact that half of the band have gone on to be very successful songwriters and producers is not surprising in the least, although the fact that they’ve worked with people like Lil Peep and Charlie XCX feels a little confusing. In terms of picking a favourite song by Orson , it’s a bit of a toss up between “No Tomorrow” and “Bright Idea”. I really like all of the album, but picking a non single track from an album by a band that are considered to be a two hit wonder seems like an intentionally hot take. Operating on the basis that we could all die at anytime and I might not have time to write about two Orson songs, I’m picking “No Tomorrow” as my song of the day choice.I like “No Tomorrow” largely because it’s a cool guitar song . The lead singer has a great voice. It also has the goofy elements:

“And tomorrow there’s no school
So lets go drink some more Red Bull
And not get home ’till about 6 o’clock”

but there’s something about that that appeals to me. I like the complaints about Orson. It’s an undeniably bad couple of lines. To me, this song is the embodiment of the problems of successful first albums. Bands have all their lives to write their first album. That means they have the time to get it right, and I really think Orson did, but it also means they’re stuck singing songs about being teenagers into their twenties and beyond. I love having such a perfect example of it.

You can listen to “No Tomorrow” by Orson here.

13 July 2021 – No Tomorrow by Orson

08 July 2021 – Angel by Pharrell

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Xtravision in Ashbourne had a box of discounted CDs that I used to trawl through. We used to do laps of the town and it was a regular stop throughout my middle teenage years. When I was about 17, I bought Pharrell’s “In My Mind” album. I think it cost me €6 from the Xtravision bargain bin. It was in a blank case with no album booklet.

It was a pivotal album in my musical brain development. I think I knew that it wasn’t a perfect album. Pharrell’s lyrics were often lame or a bit jarring. It was so strange because it’s an incredible piece of production and he obviously understands what sounds cool at a scientific level, but it was very much a transition for him from the producer or featuring artist to being the leading man.

There’s a couple of songs that I love on the album but my favourite has always been “Angel”. I think it’s in part because it’s kind of a sing/rap crossover from Pharrell. The other thing I love is the level of nonsense in the lyrics.

“She got an ass like loaf of bread
Make you want a slice
But she’s the girl, you take her home to mother
But she dont want ya bread
Brother, ya betta think twice (twice)
See, you can see the heat I will be her butter”

I love the idea that he said that and it got past a full team of people. Madness.

It kinda makes sense that the album would have mad shit on it because Pharrell was just on top of the world as a producer. You can hear it in “Angel”. The beats are classic Neptunes beats. The falsetto singing from Pharrell and the harmonies are incredible. The piano verse is super punchy. I think when you can do all that you’re allowed write nonsense lyrics.

You can listen to “Angel” by Pharrell here.

08 July 2021 – Angel by Pharrell

07 July 2021 – Drunk in the Morning by Lukas Graham

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I’m very bummed out by the football. I’m generally a fan of anyone but England but this was a particularly tough one. I think if it had gone to penalties it would have been fine if England had won. If Sterling had scored that first half chance I would have been happy enough to accept it. That winning goal was very lame though. It’s actually fucked up my night. I liked the Danes and I like Denmark as a country. So I wanted to pick one of my favourite Danish songs.

“Drunk in the Morning” is another one of our road trip songs. Lukas Graham is a bit of an odd boy in a very Danish way. They generally speak perfect English but then say some mad things. “Drunk in the Morning” is a perfect example. It’s a wonderful song. The main riff is on the piano with some nice flourishes added by some horns. It’s meshed together with a more hip hop beat. Lukas Graham has an absolutely incredible voice. It’s effortless and because he seems kinda scummy it’s surprising when you hear the voice come out of him. Maybe he’s not that scummy anymore. He’s probably got about 2 billion streams on Spotify so I’m sure he’s doing alright.

The reason it feels perfectly Danish to me is that despite everything it has going for it, it’s lyrically insane. It sounds like a sweet song but it’s really just a list of red flags from a romantic partner. Imagine you are the “Girl” of the song. Straight of the bat, you were asleep. Your expectations of this guy were already low but they’re sinking further. Oh. It’s actually five in the morning. Of course you were asleep. I was going to try and pick out a list but it’s pretty much all of the lyrics. There’s something wonderfully Danish about that. It’s like the uncanny valley of songs. It’s so close to being a perfect love song that the deviation off course feels colossal. And there’s something wonderful about that.

You can listen to “Drunk in the Morning” here and you should watch the video below. That’s where I first heard of Lukas Graham and what it lacks in polish it makes up for by there being a can of Turbo G in the video.

07 July 2021 – Drunk in the Morning by Lukas Graham

06 July 2021 – Romeo by Basement Jaxx

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When I was a kid, Basement Jaxx were cool in a way that I didn’t understand. I have a pretty clear map for how I got into certain kinds of music in my head. Up until I was about 15, everything was based on things I heard from my parents and pulling the thread from those initial sounds. There was also top 40 type stuff but that was largely liking single songs at a time without following those artists particularly. It seemed like electronic music was this parallel thing that was massive, but I couldn’t fully get my head around. In my mind there were two big electronic music acts when I was a kid. There was Daft Punk, who I thought were characters in a cartoon I’d never seen so that made no sense. And then there was Basement Jaxx. I’d forgotten how many good songs they had – some absolute anthems, but I think my favourite Basement Jaxx song is “Romeo”.

I think the range of sounds in “Romeo” is just incredible. The intro is so atmospheric and peaceful and then there’s this drop into the first verse and everything pops off. The bass is grooving away. There’s synths doing bits all over the place. The vocals are class and have an old disco sound. The video is also amazing. The colour is fantastic and it’s got monkeys.

I think monkeys are brilliant. When I was in South Africa there were monkeys running around. They’re like a cross between rats, pigeons and puppies. I think having monkeys involved will generally be a plus in any music video for me. “Where’s Your Head At?” had monkeys but those monkeys scared me as a child… The “Romeo” monkeys don’t have people’s faces so that probably helped “Romeo” edge out “Where’s Your Head At?” as my favourite Basement Jaxx song.

You can listen to “Romeo” by Basement Jaxx here.

06 July 2021 – Romeo by Basement Jaxx

05 July 2021 – Take It or Leave It by Great Good Fine Ok

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“Take It or Leave It” is the second song in the last while where the singer is concerned about the idea that someone might “Do me like that”. I think what I like most about this track is there’s a real blue eyed soul sound to the vocals. Maybe a little less of an ego than most blue eyed soul singers, it’s definitely less ostentatious, while staying soulful. The harmonies are quite soft which works well with the 80s style synths. There’s a surprising urgency to the song if you listen to it with decent speakers that comes from a really busy bassline and some very punchy beats. “Take It or Leave It” feels like moving quickly through pastel coloured clouds in a state of pure contentment. It’s probably this.

You can listen to “Take It or Leave It” by Great Good Fine Ok here.

05 July 2021 – Take It or Leave It by Great Good Fine Ok

02 July 2021 – Rocket Girl by Lemaitre featuring Betty Who

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You can listen to “Rocket Girl” by Lemaitre featuring Betty Who here.

I haven’t written a song of the day since Tuesday. I went for a walk with a friend who had some fantastic news on Wednesday and I just forgot until I was going to bed and by that time I was tired. Then last night I just had a terrible headache. So I’ve been distracted by feeling great and feeling terrible. I felt bad on Wednesday night about not writing anything. This has been a cool project so far and I’ve had a pretty good streak going of writing every week day. I didn’t feel anything on Thursday because my head was absolutely banging.

For the most part, this week I’ve been listening to the songs that came from the “Ojai” song radio that I mentioned the other day. I think the best thing I heard was “Rocket Girl” by Lemaitre featuring Betty Who. I think I like it so much because it reminds me of a bunch of other songs. It reminds me of the abrupt distorted sound of Childish Gambino’s “Heartbeat”. There’s something else there that I can’t place that it reminds me of. I’d love to hear what anyone else thinks it reminds them of. It might help me figure it out. I think reminding me of other songs is a good thing in this case because it’s all stuff I like.

I’ve always liked Betty Who’s voice. I like that she sings pop songs but still sounds kinda Australian. The lyrics are quite neat. There’s pop culture references without going overboard or reaching too hard for them. It’s a cool funky song. I’d imagine there’s plenty of anime montages put to it and it’s hard to blame anyone because it’s pretty kick ass.

02 July 2021 – Rocket Girl by Lemaitre featuring Betty Who

29 June 2021 – Dance Moves by Franc Moody

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Franc Moody seem like they’d be a fun band to be in. I’ve seen them a couple of times and they’ve got a great energy. Everyone involved looks like they’re having a great time. They’re another band that I’ve avoided picking a song from for this list for a long time because I just don’t know what song to pick. Their playlist on Spotify, “The Complete Franc Moody”, claims to be “All the joints so far” and it’s incredibly consistent. I am picking “Dance Moves” as my first of what I have no doubt will be many, because I think it’s the most on brand for me. I love to see everyone’s dance moves at all times and I am working on my own dance moves all day everyday.

The bass is fantastic. The singing is soulful. The guitars are clangy. What I like most about “Dance Moves” is the build up and then drop into the chorus. From a dancing perspective, particularly in the long gone days of dance floors, this creates a massive burst of energy. And I know it’s a simple idea, but I like that it’s a song about dancing that really is fun to dance to. They talk about the influence of Jamiroquai and I think you can hear it in the outro in particular where all the instruments have built up to this crescendo and the keyboards in the background give it a real epicness.

Good song. Good lads. Good vibes.

You can listen to “Dance Moves” by Franc Moody here.

29 June 2021 – Dance Moves by Franc Moody

28 June 2021 – Ojai by Young & Sick

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“Ojai” was in my head when I woke up this morning. Specifically the lyrics from the second verse:

“Four more minutes ’till the sunrise, but I’m not ready
Damn you, time
Four more minutes ’till the headache, but I’m not ready
Damn you, wine”

I don’t mind when songs get stuck in my head. I think the problem arises when I’m around other people. Singing the same few lines on repeat is understandably irritating so I try to stop and then it gets annoying when I can’t. So it’s one of the nice things about working from home to have a nice song stuck in my head and getting to ride it out. I managed to listen to it for a bit before letting Spotify run into the song radio which was also very enjoyable, some familiar classics.

I like the piano and vocals intro. It’s very dramatic. Then a subtle beat is added before we drop into the song properly. I like that the lyrics are often repeated with slight variations. There’s a disco influence in the chorus in the turn arounds and link pieces. There’s a lot going on in the song but it works well. It was a fun tune to wake up with.

You can listen to “Ojai” by Young & Sick here. Wait around until the end of the song for a nice little piano outro.

28 June 2021 – Ojai by Young & Sick

25 June 2021 – Don’t Upset The Rhythm by The Noisettes

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Shóna told me that my song of the day should be “Don’t Upset The Rhythm” by The Noisettes. I like the idea because the plan behind these blog posts was that they should just be songs that I like and keep things personal. I love that people would be able to recommend songs that they know I like because they know me.

Shóna said that it had to be my song of the day because it made her think that if I heard it it would make me happy and I’d sing along and make her listen to it in the car. And that’s true. Shingai Shoniwa has a great voice. There’s loads of nice little details to the track. The bass riff is solid. The guitar has a real 00s chugging sound and I’m pretty sure somebody is absolutely laying into a triangle.

Great song choice from Shóna. Definitely a perfect song of the day.

You can listen to “Don’t Upset The Rhythm” by The Noisettes here.

25 June 2021 – Don’t Upset The Rhythm by The Noisettes

24 June 2021 – Low Rider by War

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I’ve always had a soft spot for “Low Rider” by War, but it’s been boosted this week because I watched the official video on Youtube. I think “Low Rider” is probably one of those songs that people like, but don’t really give the credit it deserves. It’s an underrated banger and the singer wears a good cowboy hat in the video. I’m envious of anyone who suits wearing a cowboy hat.

There’s a huge amount going on in terms of percussion. I’ve watched some covers and one guy with a goatee sweat band combo had to use three separate tracks to cover it – a drum kit track, a timbale track and a track exclusively of cowbell. It’s a cool reminder of how much went into 70s funk classics like this. There’s also the bass riff which is pretty iconic. My favourite part is the outro. I love the sound of the singer’s voice for the “Take a little trip” part and then it fades out with the saxophone.

You can listen to “Low Rider” by War here.

24 June 2021 – Low Rider by War