One of my favorite bands, the Sacramento-based Deftones, released their sixth full-length album, Diamond Eyes, on May 4. In light of this, I am going back, re-listening to, and analyzing their previous albums, along with the new disc, in order to gain a perspective of the band’s past and their future.
It’s clear from the start of Saturday Night Wrist that Deftones read the writing on the wall. Their previous effort was a commercial flop and certainly not a fan favorite. And while the disc wasn’t a disaster by any spark of the imagination, it definitely was hit-or-miss compared to the rest of the band’s catalog. Chalk it up to growing pains; on SNW, the group clearly has their shit together.
Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.
60. tUnE-yArDs – Sunlight
Simple, repetitive, and one-note at first, but the tracks then grows with an excellent chorus and layers of bass and guitar after the listener gets used to the unique drum pattern. As we continue listening, more layers of sound surface, including what sound like sampled background vocals. The song builds to an final explosive chorus that, by this time, you should be able to sing along with. An unusual, but powerful, demonstration of progression in pop, “Sunlight” is a treat every time.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
260. The Teenagers – Homecoming
All of my guy friends find this song pretty hilarious, yet every girl I’ve ever played it for is repulsed by its lyrics. Think of “Summer Nights” on Grease, but with a techno beat and the word “cunt” in the chorus. You know what? I’ll just let the lyrics speak for themselves.
Chorus:
Guy: I fucked my American cunt
Girl: I loved my English romance
Guy: It was dirty, a dream came true, just like I like it, she’s got nice tits
Girl: It was perfect, a dream came true, just like a song by Blink 182
And like Grease, it’s a singalong. Hilarious, right? Maybe? Ladies?
Raw like sushi, indeed. Let us not forget the one-hit talent that was Neneh. Her lone hit “Buffalo Stance” peaked at #3 in the USA back in 1989, but she’s had more international success in recent years. And that song is still banging, even after twenty years. So don’t get fresh with her.
Watch the video to see where modern-day indie divas find their image. You’re welcome, MIA.
This weekend I visited my family in my hometown of Gruver, Texas, a small town with a Dairy Queen, a gas station, my high school alma mater, and many cows. So needless to say, I was bored out of my mind. Luckily my parents have satellite television. I stumbled onto VH1 Classic, always a treat while at home, and caught some old school videos, concerts, interviews, and one pretty awesome special on Steely Dan’s Aja album.
But the best thing on VH1 Classic, by far, is their two-hour 3AM homage to the old MTV staple 120 Minutes. In the block, they play old alt videos from (mostly) the 80’s, though an occasional 90’s video crept up in the playlist. After the jump is a sampling of pretty excellent retro videos I saw while suffering from sleep deprivation and waiting for the next Skinemax movie to come on.
