I’m mildly obsessed with the video for “Special” by Mew. I know I’m a bit behind the times, I think it came out as a single in 2005, but I just saw it for the first time about a month ago.
The song itself is great; angelic vocals over weird chord progressions in the chorus and the use of triplets so rarely used in pop music make it interesting to listen to. There’s also a smack of (old) Depeche Mode to it that I can’t exactly place.
What initially drew me to this, though, was the video. Shot in black and white, there are few semi-slow motion scenes that are, let’s face it, directly ripping off Radiohead’s video for “Street Spirit”. It still looks cool, so I’m not going to complain. My favorite part of it all is the awesomely awkward dancing of the two actors - one a Twiggy knockoff and the other a professor who probably sleeps with a student or two every semester. Or at least I’d have to assume that’s who they’re supposed to be considering their appearances. The video ends up being compelling because these two kids actually seem like they’ve got something between them.
Right now I have a couple reviews and several features floating in the space between “agreed to be done” and “finished”, so until those come to fruition, here are some tracks to check out:
listen: Jenny Don’t Be Hasty by Paolo Nutini listen: Get Ready (Hot Machete) by Jonezetta listen: Hospital Beds by Cold War Kids listen: Dashboard by Modest Mouse listen: Gettin’ By by The Wandering Sons
Let everyone know what you think in the comments section.
Only a ridiculous title would fully encompass my joy at finally having this back up and working again.
We moved to a new domain name: www.mixtapesheartbreaks.com - and in the process ran into a few snafus. My complete lack of knowledge concerning internet hosting and domain name forwarding led to some problems that were easily fixed once tech support pointed out they were indeed problems in the first place. In other words, there’s a reason I use this push-button publishing set up instead of making a “real” website.
Thank you to everyone who kept checking back, I appreciate it more than I can express.
Since Devon was kind enough to share the mixtape maker with me, I thought I’d post his as well.
A message from Devon: This mix is called “Busy Clippers” (which is a semi-lyric taken from the Morrissey solo track we rock herein). I started out trying to make a little MP3 player thing for my myspace, then figured out that this company actually makes the playlist and flash player movie frame as a sort of extra swf page on their site, which means that you can extract the code and email a direct link. Brilliant! Of course, you can’t download the tracks, which is more legal, but regardless, you can listen to someone else’s awesome DJ slot while you’re online…anyhow, this mix was made for my favorite ex-girlfriend Victoria…and she liked it! So…
Hayward Williams has a talent for taking something you’ve heard a thousand times before and reinventing it into something totally his own. I first caught onto this through his live shows — he doesn’t shy away from covers and for once that’s fine because the songs sound brand new when he puts his spin on them (note: he even manages to top Ryan Adams at his own game when he plays “Come Pick Me Up”).
On Another Sailor’s Dream Williams manages to take the classic country sound and modernize it without losing the original appeal. “Careful Please” is laced with an almost bluegrass twinge, while “Doctors” incorporates piano and brushed snare to create a jazz/country blend.
The album varies from downtempo laments to rousing rockers, “A Song for Lou” and “A Glance Back” being the best of each, respectively.
“A Song For Lou” is a sad, strong ballad incorporating the best use of piano on the album as well as the strongest demonstration of Williams’ voice. This pairing is also quite lovely in the chorus of “Who’s It Gonna Be Today?”. “A Glance Back” utilizes the full band sound not previously heard in Williams’ live shows. The fleshed out version of this is quite successful with the help of guest musicians Dan McMahon and co-producer Peter Mulvey.
Williams closes the record with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road”. It’s extremely stripped down and somewhat reminiscent of The Boss’ recent reworkings of his earlier hits. I do wish, however, that Williams would have stuck to his trifecta of vocals, guitar, and harmonica on this track. The bells are out of place even though it generally fits into the Springsteen sound. As mentioned though, Williams is best when making something his own.
In all, the album is a remarkable piece of American music, drawing on classic sounds while innovating to make something fresh and unique.
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Another Sailor’s Dream drops on 3/6/2007.
You can order this CD, previous releases, get tour dates and listen to “Thunder Road” here.
Usually I hate girl singers. I almost always hate uber-heartfelt, psuedo-folky, acoustic guitar-laden “rock” featuring girl singers.
The mid-nineties were a hard time for me.
When I first popped in Martha Berner’s Ten Tiny Little Pieces EP that’s what I thought I was getting. The title track starts off a bit boring, sounding like most piano-driven singer-songwriter fare. Berner’s voice begins timid and a bit hollow, and I was ready to pop the CD out right there. However, my journalistic obligations forced me to power through, and good things come to those who wait.
Halfway through the first track the song break down into a sweet piano/string/harmonica jam that snapped me to attention and then dropped off to set Berner up for a vocal duet with sparse piano in the background. Though done hundreds of times before, this tack worked well for her as it perfectly showcased her voice which had slowly but surely grown quite strong and lovely (and at times strikingly similar to Natalie Merchant’s).
“Down and Out In San Francisco” and “Wait for Me” both have sunny overtones, the latter having a poppy drive that makes you bounce up and down in your seat. Berner also covers The Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning”. I’m not familiar with the original version (-10 points of street cred for me!) so I can’t compare it, but it’s by far my least favorite on the EP.
The song stylings on this EP definitely have a twinge of early- to mid- nineties influence, but Berner’s voice carries her through. If she continues to go in the direction of “Ten Tiny Little Pieces” I’d be pleased.
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You can catch Ms. Berner live on her CD release tour - Ten Tiny Little Pieces EP drops 1/23/07.
You can hear 3/4 of the EP and get tour dates here.
When I reviewed Damien Rice’s 9 I mentioned that Jamie Thraves, the director of Radiohead’s “Just”, was directing the video for “9 Crimes”.
Today I wondered how it turned out. Here is the answer:
It’s…weird. I don’t know if I like it or not. I don’t dislike it, but “Just” is so impressive that I was hoping for something as infuriatingly undefined. Or at least more interesting to watch, like Thraves’ video for “The Scientist” by Coldplay. The video is almost there for me but it’s just lacking that extra something.
Things are starting to take off here at M|H. We are officially registered for SXSW 2007 (yeah!), and have a crop of upcoming reviews and features.
Keep your eyes peeled for the following: Review: Ten Tiny Little Pieces EP by Martha Berner Review: Another Sailor’s Dream by Hayward Williams Review: Don’t Make Me Wait by Locksley Feature: Our First Celebrity Mixtape (I know who’s doing it, do you?)
There are a few more things being lined up, and if they work out things are going to get pretty exciting.
So a month or two ago a few tracks from Fall Out Boy’s upcoming album Infinity on High were leaked. When I heard them, I thought they sounded like crap. Not just because the quality was low and it crackled and popped, but because the songwriting was horrible.
Before you all start getting huffy and puffy, let me set the record straight. I really, really like Fall Out Boy. Take This To Your Grave is still one of my favorite CDs. They were the first band I ever booked for a show. I’m not here to hate on FOB.
However, I do think they’ve taken an…interesting…turn. This morning I saw the video for “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race”. This is one of the tracks I had heard leaked and thought was pretty horrible. Something about the video sold me though. I think it’s because the band (or at least the band via the director) confronts their absolute ridiculousness.
Check out the video, then keep reading:
1. Money, Cash, Hos
- The opening of the video is Pete walking to a killer car surrounded by adoring fans. The last time Pete and I exchanged words he was begging me to score them a loaf of bread and some pb&j. Sadly we had a random blackout and the grocery store shut down as they couldn’t operate their cash registers. No sandwiches for you, Pete. A few months later, they struck it big and the last figures I saw reported they were pulling in over $100,000 per show. Amazing how quickly things can change.
2. Sell Out With Me Oh Yeah, Sell Out With Me Tonight
- This is quite a departure in sound for them, at least when it’s not the chorus. During the hip-hop recording session everyone is rolling their eyes until they get to the chorus (which actually sounds like the FOB we’ve grown to love) and then they clap and appreciate with the best of them. This song is only saved by the chorus and the ridiculously catchy hook of the title.
3. Gossip Folks
- Inclusion of scandal, both fabricated and real, proves to be surprisingly humorous.
4. Preach
- Obvious allusions to their cult-like following are made with the style of Patrick’s vocals during the verses (more of a fire and brimstone speech than singing) and his being backed by a gospel chorus at the cemetery. It’s a tongue-in-cheek stab at their fans’ rabid devotion.
5. It All Seemed So Real
- The end of the video is actually pretty true to how things were for them in 2003. I think they did a good job of recreating the feeling of a FOB show before they struck it big. Patrick and Joe spooning makes me laugh because I’ve seen band boys share too-small sleeping spaces in my dorm room and in hotels. The only part that bugs me is that Pete started wearing eyeliner post-breakout. Or at least he never wore it in the upper Midwest. Meh. Details, details.
So yes. I’ve fallen for this song, at least for now. Maybe I was just really cranky at the first go round. I’m really interested to hear the new album. I’d also like to see them live again, it’s probably been a couple of years now.
Infinity On High drops on 2/6/07.
You can check out their upcoming tour dates here.
Size matters…or at least it does when it comes to bringing cameras to the Metro in Chicago. Though I was told photography was allowed, apparently my 35mm SLR was too big.
So no pictures.
Sorry.
The show was lots of fun, here’s a quick rundown:
AMSTERBAND -We got there a little late due to the camera debacle and having to walk it back to the car. Unfortunately we missed all but their last song, which was a nice little alt-country rocker. I’ve never listened to them before but now I plan on it.
STATE & MADISON -Really, really boring. I couldn’t hum back a single song.
THE HONOUR RECITAL -Yet another band I’ve heard of for some time, but haven’t ever checked out. They were energetic and catchy, but sadly this was their last show so I will not have the opportunity to catch them again. THR: 2002-2007.
LUDO -Now boasting a giant inflatable cherry, they are even more fun to watch. It was one of the better performances of theirs I’ve seen, the Broken Bride and new material sounding best. They are headed off to LA next week to start recording their major label debut for Island Records.
TREATY OF PARIS -A stellar turnout, palpable excitement, and genuine gratitude for their fans capped off the evening for these gentlemen. It was their first time headlining the Metro and they made it count.
Hope you all had fabulous weekends, I’m still down in the Chicago area making the rounds. Back to the grindstone tomorrow.
January 30, 2007 
