EPISODE 2: 'How you know you won't like this?'
Song : 'Grip Like A Vice' Artist: The Go! Team
Album: Proof of Youth (2007)
Label: Sub Pop
Kaboom! (Self Indulgent History Minute): The Go! Team’s smash-up sound and 80’s BMX-NESS nostalgia album art explosion served as the original Music Snob Night constitution: “It has to be a mix that SOUNDS like that LOOKS!” Everything from the street-chase guitar samples, mashed in brass, big, dirty, over-saturated beats, to the double-dutch cheerleader MCs are the sort of nearly unmanageable chaos we wanna put on ya roughly every 10 days! This is from their second full length record – (both are consistently excellent, as is the long list of eps and singles!) There was rumoured to be rumour about the next one sometime this year, but it looks like time is running out to turn that mother out for this perfectly American sounding though apparently very UK based collective. Can’t wait!
Song: 'Mars, Arizona' Artist: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Album: Damage (2004)
Label: Mute
I've always been a fan of the Blues Explosion, but didn't really discover this song until a short time ago. It was during a moment of iPod shuffling while walking through the streets of Sydney about this time last year. This song came on and I was overcome with 2 thoughts; A) how incredible this song was, and B) how mad I was with myself for having this on my iPod for so long without ever having listened to it before. The thumping bassline during the chorus is what kills me. Put this jam on through good speakers/headphones and you'll see what I mean.
Song: 'Nothing To Worry About'
Artist: Peter, Bjorn & John
Album: Living Things (2009)
Label: Almost Gold
Loved for many reasons, most of them songs, Peter, Bjorn and John pull out a big bad gun with “Nothing to Worry About”. Engineered in their Swedish laboratory to be an indie-club killing machine with the sort of cool drum-line groove and screaming children’s choir that makes you an instant classic with snobs like us, it is surely the only conceivable beat against which rival Japanese optimist dance groups can settle old business. To clarify, an excerpt from this cast’s production session: Mikey: “That PB&J song is fucking ridiculous. I LOVE it… that song is the jam.” Steve: “Your head will explode when you see the video. Like completely explode. Seeing that video will explode your damn head. Right off. You've been warned. (Your Head = exploded.)” Click with caution.
Song: 'Heartbeat'
Artist: Late Of The Pier
Album: Fantasy Black Channel (2008)
Label: Parlophone
Late Of The Pier were actually introduced to me from my fellow snobcaster and partner in crime, and I was instantly hooked. The entire album is full of feel good tunes that are really easy to just throw on and rock to. The best description I saw online for a review of this disc was that it 'takes a certain kind of mind to make music like this', and that's certainly true in this case. The band claim they aim to 'make music that makes drugs redundant'. Goal achieved.
Song: 'Switched On'
Artist: Islands
Album: Vapours (2009)
Label: Anit/Epitaph
We swore we were gonna play The Unicorns before we played Islands, but the latter of Nick Diamonds (Thorburn)’s Montreal band forced their way ahead in line with the first track on the new record ‘Vapours’. It’s a great record, one of my favorites this fall, full of all of the arrangemental twists and turns that make most of Nick’s projects so sassy and fresh, but still keep the audience locked tight in an indie-bop-along. Also ridiculous: The last record ‘Arm’s Way’ (also the now defunct Unicorns’ catalog examples of which to surely come soon!)
Song: 'Set You On Fire'
Artist: Think About Life
Album: Family (2009)
Label: Alien8 Recordings
Think About Life’s ‘Family’ is at first an almost uncomfortably lovely explosion of unicorn sweatshirts and rainbows of vintage alphabet fridge magnets! Straight up Crayola-Beat! (Anyone…?) Just know that pretty soon after letting the thing play a while there will be people in your house humming these all-together-now choruses all month – believe me, I know! Might as well just keep it playing. I caught up with Think About Life a couple of weeks ago at Babylon for a chance to talk with Graham Van Pelt (band’s producer/guitarist, former school and jam-mate, best known for his work as ‘Miracle Fortress’) about his records: Me: “Graham! I wanted to tell you: Miracle Fortress is seriously the best thing I have ever heard – I swear I’ve had at least 30 people buy that record! In my top 5 – no question! Brilliant! Genius – Just Awesome! Seriously – thank you! It’s amazing!” GVP: [Nods…] “Thanks.” True story – that HAPPENED!
Song: 'Bassment Party'
Artist: The Cool Kids
Album: The Bake Sale (2008)
Label: Chocolate Industries/C.A.K.E Recordings
It’s the self proclaimed “new Black version of the Beastie Boys”. Chicago’s Chuck-E and Mike-E will not get down offa dat until they get rich offa rap. You have to love any MC team with beats this slick and rhymes about inviting you to a party where they will be charging you $2 cover charge… at their basement… with a closed bar... It took a long time to choose the cut that would best give you an idea how these guys are making old school new again, and we still might not have – so please – if you’re looking for good times on rooftops like we bringin’ ’88 back – find The Cool Kids – Bake Sale, and keep an eye open for the new one ‘When Fishes Ride Bicycles’ – supposed to be comin’ out soon.
Song: 'Your Arms Around Me'
Artist: Jens Lekman
Album: Night Falls Over Kortedala (2007)
Label: Secretly Canadian
Ok – I absolutely LOVE Jens (‘Yens’) Lekman. Like, how brilliant his music is a personal struggle I have. Every time I hear it I start hyperventilating with the knowledge that I will never be able to communicate with another human being through mere spoken language how perfectly bananas genius his music is! It’s so like hyper ironic while still being so sweet and earnest – like a perfect instantiation of the sort of sophistication that would allow a person to be 100% sincere while 100% self deprecating. Every song on this record sets a musical tone that somehow robs the history of music of all dignity, recycling it for the purposes of Jen’s inscrutably dry lovelorn fall guy wit. I was replaying this record the other day and was amazed that of all of Jens Lekman’s records (I love them all) I could not believe that every single track on Night Falls Over Kortedela was one of my absolute favorites. It’s the album I started with, and I recommend that approach to everyone! Thanks again, Sweden!
Song: 'The Bones Of You'
Artist: Elbow
Album: The Seldom Seen Kid (2008)
Label: Fiction/Geffen
On a personal level Elbow is by far my favourite band the UK has ever produced, a bold statement, I know, but true nonetheless. The Seldom Seen Kid is their fourth major label disc and as their ever-evolving style develops they seem to be more of an understated rather than underwhelming band. This band manages to be both incredibly consistent and perpetually improving with each album. These gentlemen deserve much more praise than they receive, and are sonically far beyond any of their more flashy counterparts & colleagues.
Song: 'In The Morning'
Artist: Junior Boys
Album: So This Is Goodbye (2006)
Label: Domino/KIN
This Hamilton, Ontario duo's 'In the Morning' was a clear choice for a lead single off their 2nd album. This is dancefloor music with unquestionable soul, filled with pure synth-pop oxygen. Put it on, and be prepared to throw down. I also have it on good authority that my fellow snobcaster's own band has indeed opened for the JB's.
Song: 'Far Away'
Artist: Cut Copy
Album: In Ghost Colors (2008)
Label: Modular
Cut Copy's sound has been singled out for its 'positive, up tempo melodies, fusing numerous styles'. Nominated by some in the Best Album of 2008 category, its not hard to see why. As an entire album, this disc is strong from front to back, hands down. Guaranteed to put you in a great mood and a fitting choice for episode 02 of the Snob Cast.
Song: 'We Own The Sky'
Artist: M83
Album: Saturdays=Youth (2008)
Label: EMI
Some people may recognize this song as the incredible opening sequence of Quiksilver's 'Thats It, Thats All' snowboard video, but We Own The Sky has got to be one of the most beautifully picturesque songs I have ever listened to. It makes you envision vast landscapes at sunrise/sunset and provokes this feeling of hopefulness. (...or maybe that's just me) Regardless, this album itself is a very tongue in cheek, vaguely nostalgic feeling of 80's style teenage angst, complete with vintage keyboards and the proof that beautiful vocals can be arranged overtop of synths without the use of autotune.
