Friday Five: 8/24/07

Five Six indie rock songs I can't stop listening to:


5. “Cruel Thing” by The Sharp Things
From the A Moveable Feast LP

Neo-soul (which may or may not be an apt description) is the last thing I’d expect to hear from four white guys from New York, but that’s exactly what you get with “Cruel Thing” I’m not sure what the rest of the album sounds like – I’m guessing more retro-pop – but this song reminds me of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” Yeah, white people are once again raping black people’s music, but that’s been happening for fifty years now… time to get over it. The retro movement in indie rock (and for indie bands that make it to commercial radio) can get tiresome quickly, but there’s no denying the “easy like Sunday morning” vibe that this track gives off.

4. “Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John
From the Writer’s Block LP

This song has already made it to my local “alternative” commercial radio station, so I know I’m late on this one. But humor me by listening to the track, specifically the whistling parts, and tell me you can’t get that melody out of your head the rest of the day. I dare you. I realize catchy doesn’t always = good. But seriously, humor me. “Young Folks” is a beautiful slice of pop music, even if the same can’t be said for the rest of the album it comes from.

3. “Can’t Believe a Single Word” by VHS or BETA
From the forthcoming Bring on the Comets LP

I’ve heard this band called dance-punk, which is okay I guess. I’ve also heard VHS or BETA called nu-new-wave, which I think is a bit closer to describing them. Either way, this single is catchy as hell. And unlike genre mates The Killers and Franz Ferdinand, VHS or BETA sounds like it’s actually having fun making this music. The chorus has a great hook and is rather bouncy. I’m intrigued by the album that’s coming out in September, and I anticipate hearing this song on the radio at some point.

2b. “Down Boy” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
From the IS IS EP

The thing with Yeah Yeah Yeahs in my humble opinion is that their songs are very hit-or-miss. I remember back when I was a college radio DJ we had their debut EP in rotation; the song that was on the playlist was pure noise rock, featuring annoying screeching that tried to be passed off as vocals. That is what I don’t like about the band. “Down Boy” has what I’ve grown to like about YYY: Karen O’s sexy, seductive singing voice (think Amy Lee from Evanescence without the polish) and an ability, much like the White Stripes, to turn minimalist rock into something big. Nick Zinner’s guitar swirls around Karen O’s voice, the drums propel the song just enough, and the occasional keys complement the mood – and maybe I’m fucked up for thinking of this – of being in an S&M dungeon. O’s restrained shrieks put an exclamation on that sentiment.

On a side note, I think Yeah Yeah Yeahs have grown on me in part because my co-worker plays them a lot while we’re performing our mail duties. I still think a lot of the “vocals” are completely unnecessary, but I have come to appreciate the less-is-more approach of the band.

2a. “Girls Like Status” by The Hold Steady
From the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Colon Soundtrack LP

(I just wanted to see how ridiculous that looked when I typed that whole title out, sorry.)

Could The Hold Steady be the next AC/DC? Probably not, but they are one hell of a party band. The difference between The Hold Steady and the AC/DC’s and the frat rock bands is that, despite all the references to getting loaded, Craig Finn’s lyrics humanize it in a vivid way, were as other bands simply glorify it. I know, that actually doesn’t sound like much fun. But listen to this song (and their stellar Boys and Girls in America) and you’ll see the infectious power their music has.

“Girls Like Status” has a pretty good riff, but the lyrics are the true standout here; apparently boys are bored with their girls, and the girls feel the same: “She said she was coming but she mostly made hard, fast noises” and “she said she was cruisin’ but she came in all fast and out of focus in a cool car that was cranking Krokus” are two of the better lines. The joyousness of the music juxtaposed with the despair of the lyrics should get the girls dancing, and the cut-to-the-chase (and mostly true) chorus of “Guys go for looks. Girls go for status.” Should keep the indie-minded frat boy partying until winter break.

“The Underdog” by Spoon
From the Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga LP

The album’s name is terrible, but “The Underdog” is far from it. Quite frankly, the song is a dead ringer for 1970’s-era Billy Joel… not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’d rag on Spoon for aping another artist so gratuitously, but their last single, “I Turn My Camera On” sounds completely different. And from the 30-second clips on iTunes, so does the rest of the Ga Ga… disc.

I think it’s okay to have songs that pay homage to other artists. Imitation is, after all, the sincerest form of flattery. Who better to flatter than a band or singer that kicked ass back in his day? However, it’s completely different when a band is hyped because of that likeness in sound. It’s no secret that I enjoy “typical” song structures (even Tool, with its ridiculous time signature shifts, has some basis in pop music), guitar-bass-drums setups, and vocals that actually sound like singing of some sort. I know indie-rock is supposed to be fresh and different, but the truth is that it really isn’t. When I listen to it, I’m not really looking for something that’s totally original. If that were the case, I would be telling you about Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Deerhoof, Battles, and !!!. But I’m not. I’m telling you about “The Underdog,” a great song that I am completely unashamed of listening to over and over again. Good music is good music no matter the genre, and also no matter what time it sounds like it was made in.