― Tronid K (tronidk), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 06:07 (seventeen years ago) link
The lyrics on this album are often really painfully generic (to be fair, they're not singing or writing words in their native tongue), but there are so many incredibly rich melodies on this album. Still, it's quintessential indie, which means it's not going to be terribly ILM-friendly. Not as bad as the average Belle & Sebastian mimic; not as good as something similarly Nordic like Herman Dune, which is a bit more adventurous.
But "The Chills," "Paris 2004," "Amsterdam," "Up Against the Wall," "Young Folks," and "Let's Call it Off" are jam packed with hooks - the verses are as catchy as the choruses, which is one of the things I love about the New Pornographers. From a purely pop perspective, they are incredibly talented. Hearing the Concretes-singer verses on "Young Folks," you wonder how they would do writing songs for other people, too.
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 09:47 (seventeen years ago) link
― Storefront Church (688), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 09:53 (seventeen years ago) link
― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 10:09 (seventeen years ago) link
― lex pretend (lex pretend), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 10:14 (seventeen years ago) link
― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 10:21 (seventeen years ago) link
― lex pretend (lex pretend), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 10:23 (seventeen years ago) link
on the other hand that might just be me wanting everything to sound like mort garson
― Storefront Church (688), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 10:28 (seventeen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 10:58 (seventeen years ago) link
true.
― groovemaan (groove nihilist), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 14:42 (seventeen years ago) link
I think you're off course calling them a Belle & Sebastian mimic... doubt the band even like B&S. The lyrics are simple, not generic -- "Objects of My Affection"!!!
And yeah I was totally wearing a white hood when I fell in love with this album. The fuck?
― marc h. (marc h.), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 15:19 (seventeen years ago) link
― marc h. (marc h.), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 15:20 (seventeen years ago) link
Because of the whistling? I love the production on the drums and bass.
I wasn't calling them a B&S mimic, per se - but the surface stuff (sensitive euro peeps) is significant enough; I've seen them mentioned side-by-side in several reviews.
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 15:30 (seventeen years ago) link
― marc h. (marc h.), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 15:43 (seventeen years ago) link
http://gorillavsbear.blogspot.com/2007/01/young-folks-on-conan.html
- and I must admit it's pretty weak. I like the shtick alright, but I can't abide a PRE-RECORDED WHISTLE TRACK. And Concretes-lady is awfully shaky. Bongos Jackson back there is good, and I still love the muted bass, but I picture this song exploding with melancholic young love (tm), and this felt like it was first-song-without-being-drunk-yet karaoke or something.
Still, I love the album.
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 15:57 (seventeen years ago) link
― Kate Silver (Kate Silver), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 18:29 (seventeen years ago) link
This is a great example of a song ruined by poor editing. If they would have shaved it down to 2.40 or 3.10 instead of 4+ minutes it would be perfect. They should have either cut the last minute or introduced another strong theme. I always turn it off after three minutes.
There are worse desires to be had...
― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 18:42 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 18:44 (seventeen years ago) link
http://www.aversion.com/bands/reviews.cfm?f_id=2957
The best part is when, after declaring the band worthless and making no mention of the fact there was a Writer's Block before Almost Gold, the author then pulls the ol' "their old stuff was better" shtick.
― marc h. (marc h.), Thursday, 1 February 2007 14:52 (seventeen years ago) link
Since when the fuck are the Shins "immediate?"
― call all destroyer (Sean Braudis), Thursday, 1 February 2007 15:14 (seventeen years ago) link
― call all destroyer (Sean Braudis), Thursday, 1 February 2007 15:15 (seventeen years ago) link
18!
― a nuclear-powered carrot (braveclub), Thursday, 1 February 2007 15:16 (seventeen years ago) link
― strom (strom), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 18:43 (seventeen years ago) link
― Maltodextrin (Maltodextrin), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 19:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― Maltodextrin (Maltodextrin), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 19:30 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 19:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― strom (strom), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 00:18 (seventeen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtQunmFhuNE
― The Stan-Reckoner (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 25 April 2015 12:11 (nine years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-rekmZcrsg
― The Stan-Reckoner (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 25 April 2015 12:21 (nine years ago) link
Might be my most extreme example of endless advertising use of a song ruining the entire album and band for me permanently. Loved this album when it came out - incredibly packed with hooks; reminded me of Herman Dune, who I loved. No desire to ever hear a note from them again. I'm sure they don't mind - they had to make a fortune licensing that tune.
― Your Ribs are My Ladder, Sunday, 26 April 2015 22:00 (nine years ago) link
Haven't (and may not ever) revisit the album, but I heard this song a few weeks ago and it's still a rush
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrCOmvHEns8
― Evan R, Monday, 27 April 2015 13:54 (nine years ago) link
And the question iswas I more alivethen than I am now?I happily have to disagreeI laugh more often nowI cry more often nowI am more me
It's perhaps sorta typical non-native English lyrics, but that might just make them speak even more to me. It's a great chorus.
― Frederik B, Monday, 27 April 2015 14:18 (nine years ago) link
"I laugh more often nowI cry more often nowI am more me"
damn, i remember seeing this quoted somewhere years ago and figured it was whitman or something. you're telling me this is a fuckin PB&J lyric?
― soyrev, Monday, 27 April 2015 14:41 (nine years ago) link
Thought of 2011's Gimme Some as 60s Kinks in a motorik zone, approximately...good fun, anyway.
― dow, Monday, 27 April 2015 15:05 (nine years ago) link