One of my favorite bands, the Sacramento-based Deftones, are preparing the release of their sixth full-length album, Diamond Eyes, on May 18. In light of this, I am going back, re-listening to, and analyzing their previous albums to gain a perspective of the band’s past while waiting in anticipation of the band’s future.
Adrenaline had given the boys enough clout, along with incessant touring, that by the time Around the Fur came around about two years later, they were receiving minor airplay on radio and MTV. The most prominent tracks from this album are “My Own Summer (Shove It)” and “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away).” Both are signature songs from the group, giving the listener a more polished sheen to the quiet moans and squeals from Chino Moreno backed up by the metal prod of drummer Abe Cunningham and drop-D riffs from Stephen Carpenter.
Overall, that’s what Around the Fur is: a more focused, polished sound from the band, and a step forward in songwriting and structure for the group. It isn’t a total departure from Adrenaline: the same aggressive plod is heard throughout (and at times a little “samey,” but not too much) and the album is definitely loud, but there are shining moments of maturity from the band that, at this point, the world had not heard.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
290. Les Claypool – Iowan Gal
Where do I begin? Les is one of my all-time favorites, and his past decade work will be represented well on this list through his Oysterhead project, solo work, and songs from his main band Primus. Needless to say, I’m a die-hard fan; I first discovered Les and Primus back in 1996 when my cousin Joe brought Pork Soda to my house during a Christmas visit.
Claypool’s solo work is weirder and leans toward jam-band noodling sometimes, but “Iowan Gal” is good ol’ Les, mostly just him and his mighty bass guitar slapping, popping, and showing off. It’s funky, humorous, and a return to form from the great weird one.
Yesterday’s post got me all riled up, and since I love lists, I figured I’d go ahead and start yet another analysis I should have posted months ago – this one won’t take as long. Today is the first post in a ten-part series looking at my personal favorite tracks of last year.
100. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll
I wasn’t a huge fan of It’s Blitz – definitely my least favorite from this group. I saw them at Monolith 2009, and, to say the least, they were disappointing. Turns out I’m not as big a fan of Karen O and her “animated” stage antics as I thought. Pretention is something I can’t get past, no matter how rocking the music behind her is….but since they were playing mostly ballads from their latest effort, that wasn’t the case. All this being said, this track is pretty damn catchy. Karen’s try at Blondie was hit or miss for me, but the highlight of Blitz is three and a half minutes of complete dancing hysteria.
Today I begin a project that will take awhile, and one I should have started a few months ago, near the end of this past decade, like most respectable blogs/zines did: I will be showcasing and analyzing my Top 300 Songs of the 2000s – that is, the top 300 songs of the past decade. I will do so in intervals of ten per post. Let’s do this!
300. Cat Power – He War
I didn’t think much of this song when I first heard it on WOXY FM (then known best as 97X – BAM!) back in, I’m guessing, 2003. It didn’t really have a catchy chorus, and it was incredibly unconventional compared to the rest of the modern rock radio dreck I was listening to at a high school. Then again, 97X opened my eyes to a lot of great music. “He War” really grew on me thanks to heavy rotation and a certain burned CD I blared from my shitty yellow 1978 Ford Fairmont. I don’t really have another favorite Cat Power song; her work has never resonated well with me – but this track has stuck with me throughout the years, and earns a spot as one of the decade’s best.
One of my favorite bands, the Sacramento-based Deftones, are preparing the release of their sixth full-length album, Diamond Eyes, on May 18. In light of this, I am going back, re-listening to, and analyzing their previous albums to gain a perspective of the band’s past while waiting in anticipation of the band’s future.
What can be said about chillwave in its roughly 8-month existence as a subgenre of “indie” rock that hasn’t already been said? The subgenre has been dissected, praised, destroyed, re-praised, mocked, etc. The always tongue-in-cheek, but really not that clever blog Hipster Runoff loves poking fun at Chillwave because it is, in fact, a relevant movement in our current state of music; they’re responsible for the JPEG above. (I would love to delve into how much I dislike the Hipster Runoff blog/radio show/movement, but that is a post for another long day.)
I personally would like to know what’s next for chillwave, if anything. There is a definite sound the subgenre has incorporated and brought to the table; I assume, like most subgenres of rock music, it will die soon. In its wake, however, will come an obviously-influenced new subgenre, incorporating some elements of chillwave with other movements in music today, mainstream or otherwise. Maybe this new subgenre will be more interesting/popular/catchy than chillwave, maybe not. I’m not ready to declare chillwave dead, however. I still think there’s plenty to come, and with artists like Washed Out and Neon Indian receiving an incredible amount of press/praise, I envision the genre growing before burning out.
Many people, however, still don’t know about this exciting new subgenre, which incorporates the now-standard lo-fi aesthetic many indie acts have been using. It also adds the textures of shoegaze, 80’s pop, hip-hop, dreamwave techno, and a lot of sampling. Simple melodies usually carry the songs along in a dreamy fashion; the subgenre has been described as great “summertime music,” however, I don’t feel that is always the case.
As with most research on the Internet, Wikipedia is a good place to start for those interested in discovering this new movement, but I also find this Musical Pairings blog post a concise description of the subgenre. There’s also a pretty nifty mixtape I HIGHLY reccomend downloading to introduce yourself to the sounds of Chillwave, which you’ll discover are varied, yet somewhat intertwined. I would imagine the mixtape would be great for a walk along a beach during a sunset or a drive in the country on a clear night with a full moon.
