February 28th 2008 01:20 pm
The Daily Random 10, part 5
- Lucky Soul - Baby I’m Broke. 5 stars. I’ve talked about this song here before, and I need to change my opinion (and update all those pages). Ali Howard’s voice is just killer in a sad, slow way that I love. The only knock on the song is the mixed metaphor in it, I’m not sure how someone who’s comparing herself to a dead car can then throw her head back and howl at the moon. I get around this by ignoring it and experiencing the song in a very Colbertian (added to the dictionary) gut related fashion.
- Little Brazil - Never Leave You. 3 stars. Ryan recommended this album to me based on their resemblance to the Smoking Popes, which is undeniably true. Most of the time, though, they are Popes-lite, mostly because Landen Hedges melds his vocals into the audio mix a lot more than Josh Caterer, to the detriment of Little Brazil. This song is typical of Little Brazil, I like it, but the liking is sort of generic and my interest trails off near the end.
- Low - On The Edge Of. 4 stars. This is what Neil Young if he had a more typical (i.e. good) singing voice and got over himself.
- Scott Walker - Never Again. 2 stars. This is totally not what I think of when someone talks about Scott Walker. It’s kind of interesting, but also kind of actively grating.
- Martina Sorbara - It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. 3 stars. This is where I want a special “Christmas” category for ratings, as it’s a perfectly decent Christmas-time song, but I don’t want to hear it other than then. It’s a bit boozy and breezy. Thanks for giving me comments and smart playlists, iTunes.
- Ben Folds - Give Judy My Notice. 3 stars. Kind of a adult (read: mature) version of “Self Esteem,” but I’m down with the passive-aggressive way he’s giving Judy his notice. It sounds like he’s writing a bunch of stuff down, and handing the note to a mutual friend. Not cool, you could at least mail it yourself. Musically, it’s typical solo Ben Folds.
- Pearl Jam - Present Tense. 3 stars. I always like Pearl Jam when Vedder takes a step back into the band and casts his vast Edderness about less. This one’s a little too obviously Eddie to make it really work for me and it being a live cut doesn’t help matters.
- Porcupine Tree - Russia on Ice. 2 stars. Porcupine Tree sometimes does some really good stuff, but this track isn’t interesting enough to bear the weight of my expectations for a 13 minute song. Off you go!
- K’s Choice - Me Happy. 3 stars. I can’t figure out this song. I know she’s singing that sex is good, and necessary for her to be happy, but the he said, she said anecdote arguments don’t link up with the chorus in any way I understand. Maybe it’s that happiness, sex and love aren’t all intertwined.
- Tocotronic - Freiburg. 3 stars. I’ve listened to this three times now in an attempt to get anything useful to say, and I’ve completely failed. Generic grunge rock from Germany. Acceptable but not noteworthy for an American audience.
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