14 July 2021 – Act Yr Age by Bluejuice

July 14, 2021 kevinisabastardact yr age, bluejuice, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.comLeave a comment

Bluejuice’s greatest hits, “Retrospectable”, became one of my favourite albums during lockdown last year. I got sucked into watching YouTube clips of Triple J’s Like A Version. It’s a radio segment in Australia that has produced some incredible covers. I love covers. There’s a huge amount of potential to flex by picking something cool to cover and then covering it in an interesting way. Bluejuice had a number of appearances over the years and they always managed to do something fun.

I’m not sure if I consciously moved from YouTube to Spotify or if the various algorithms aligned, but I began listening to Bluejuice’s own music religiously. “Act Yr Age” was the first song that I remember listening to. I like so much about it. I love the hand claps. I think there’s a xylophone in there, some kind of tingly key sounds. I love that. I like that the main riff is on piano. There’s a great energy to it. Jake Stone and Stavros Yiannoukas are like voice soul mates. Their combination of voices is consistently perfect. It’s a fun song and it makes me happy.

You can listen to “Act Yr Age” by Bluejuice here.

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.

12 July 2021: Jack Nicholson (Part 2)

July 12, 2021 kevinisabastardchinatown, jack nicholson, one flew over the cuckoo's nest, the last detailLeave a comment

So I took a weekend off for my birthday accidentally. I hadn’t planned to. I feel like the older I get, the less important I think birthdays are, but then I also feel that I need to make the most of any chance to celebrate. Twenty nice is a weird age. There’s been a couple of jokes about getting close to thirty, but I think worrying about getting older only makes sense when things aren’t working out. My life is pretty sweet and things are really going to plan for me right now. So roll on twenty nine.

While I did take a weekend off, I want to make up for my skipped longer post. The song of the day posts are important but I can afford to miss one from time to time. I think it’s important to get my weekend long posts in. So I’m back to the multipart from two weeks ago, discussing Jack Nicholson. Just as a reminder, I’m looking back at some Jack Nicholson films to see if I can consolidate the respect he seems to get with my own opinion on the performances I have seen.

“The Last Detail” (1973)

“The Last Detail” is an odd film. It’s slapstick and meandering. Jack Nicholson has the more senior role which was different to “Easy Rider” and “Five Easy Pieces”. For some reason this was one of the first older Jack Nicholson films I watched and I wasn’t completely convinced by him. It’s worth a watch but it’s very much the Jack Nicholson I expected based on the way he is now.

“Chinatown” (1974)

“Chinatown” is a tough film to sell to anyone who hasn’t already seen it. Roman Polanski is an admitted child rapist and his work shouldn’t be celebrated as a result, particularly while he is still alive and can make money from it. However, it is a great film. Nicholson is great. He suffers my favourite film injury. It’s a cool story and it might have been good without Nicholson but he definitely adds to it. I’m very conflicted about liking the film, but it is a win for Jack Nicholson at the very least.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975)

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is the very good and very much a Jack Nicholson film. I must admit to only seeing it for the first time recently. I think for a long time I was put off by Jack Nicholson. I just didn’t want to watch it. It’s an odd film. There’s a fairly decent sized red flag in that his character is in prison for statutory rape. I think the character is likeable and is intended to be, so it’s a little unsettling for that to have been his crime and for him to be kind of proud of it. He is very entertaining though and he plays it well. There is something very cat and mouse about the conflict between Nicholson’s McMurphy and Nurse Ratched and it’s probably the blueprint for petty tit for tat battles in film from that point onwards.

I have two more Jack Nicholson films to write about so I’m going to end Part 2 of the look at Jack Nicholson there in order to keep these posts as reasonable sizes.

08 July 2021 – Angel by Pharrell

July 8, 2021 kevinisabastardangel, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, PharrellLeave a comment

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.

07 July 2021 – Drunk in the Morning by Lukas Graham

July 7, 2021August 22, 2021 kevinisabastarddrunk in the morning, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, lukas graham1 Comment

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.

06 July 2021 – Romeo by Basement Jaxx

July 6, 2021July 6, 2021 kevinisabastardbasement jaxx, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, romeoLeave a comment

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.

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

July 5, 2021 kevinisabastardgreat good fine ok, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.com, take or leave itLeave a comment

“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.

04 July 2021 – Coco

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My original plan was to write the next part of my look at Jack Nicholson, but I want to rewatch “The Shining” first and that became complicated because I think it would be interesting to look at “The Shining” and “Dr. Sleep” as well. I spent too long thinking about that idea and not enough time actually watching either film so that hasn’t progressed any further. In the meantime, I watched “Coco”.

“Coco” is a spectacular film. It was my first time watching it and I’m really not sure why. Over the last few years, I haven’t seen a couple of Pixar films. I think it’s to do with cinema times. I generally go to see films at night and I don’t think they schedule as many animated films for that late. Shóna has started working full time now so maybe now that we have our weekends back we’ll be a bit more flexible about when we go to the cinema.

“Coco” looks fantastic. The colours are brilliant and the backgrounds in every scene are wonderfully detailed. At the time, I didn’t feel like the music was great, but now I think that’s probably unfair. Not every animated film can have a soundtrack like “Moana”. I think I just had higher expectations for a film where music was a part of the storyline. I think that’s my only complaint and I think that’s not so much a complaint as a separation between something being really good and something being perfect.

The storyline itself is great fun and I really liked Miguel as the main character. There’s a real goofiness to the humour which I enjoyed. I think there’s some suggestion that the shoe making family is based on an actual family and Pixar haven’t admitted that. It’s important to give credit for ideas, but the family are one of the best details to the film. Their workshop and home has a kind of a compound feel which works really well with the idea that they’re trying to keep music out. There’s a real siege mentality to it. I think the idea of presenting the Day of the Dead to kids is a nice idea. I think it’s a nice relationship with death, focused on celebration and memory. Kids’ films have so many lessons about all kinds of shit that they shape the way people develop so dealing with death is as valuable a lesson as any.

So that was “Coco”. Good times for sure. My mission for this week is to get back to my Jack Nicholson piece and keep up with my songs of the day.

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.

29 June 2021 – Dance Moves by Franc Moody

June 29, 2021 kevinisabastarddance moves, franc moody, kevinisabastard, kevinisabastard.comLeave a comment

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.