Tuwa's Shanty and The Roots Canal

Tuesday, May 23, 2006:

the mix part three

Cyne -- Nothing's Sacred

Mike Williams -- The second hip hop track is loads better. The vocal sample is great, and it has (nu-)soul. A keeper.

Jerimee Bloemeke -- The production sounds like something Kanye would do. I'm not a big fan of rap, but this is not bad. I can't really get into it, though, because it has no chorus.

This is from a disc that got a fairly bad writeup on allmusic; their second disc got a much better review (and I think the second disc probably is more solid all-around).
[Cyne's official site]


Popcanon -- Ballyhoo

Mike Williams -- I think this song is about religion and science. It finds in favour of the latter, which is fine by me, but there are better forums for such a discussion than a song with humorous instrumentation. It sounds like a number from The Producers musical.

Jerimee Bloemeke -- No, no, no. The back-up singers said it so well.

Say, what do we really use from science?
"E=mc²"
Are reason and faith an unholy alliance?
"I don't know and I don't care."

A lot of my family has a sincere love for kitsch--Precious Moments bells, cow-spotted milk jugs, etc.--and I've only just now realized that I probably do too. This is a very nerdy, goofy song.
[Popcanon's official site]



Whoreculture -- Crop Duster

Mike Williams -- Ridiculously entertaining and very Southern rock. This song takes an idea (what it's like to be a cropduster) and solves it. The result is a McSweeney's article set to music by George Thorogood and the Destroyers. If joycore was people having fun for a reason (rather than no reason) it would sound like this.

Footnote: Whoreculture is probably one of the top five band names ever.

Jerimee Bloemeke -- With a name like Whoreculture, how can anyone take you seriously? The music doesn't help either....

I like this song; I think it's a lot of fun. Whoreculture's Join strikes me as more rock-oriented; Boondocked is slower and heavier but equally impressive. I've been unable to find anything more by the band, as they broke up years ago. They don't seem to have a site up.


Lars Din -- Ness City Bank Job (Yer So Sweet)

Mike Williams -- This is singer-songwriter storytelling that manages to be poetic and avoid the literal hectoring that can easily befall a song about Events. The Band were good at this. Bruce Springsteen is good at this when he isn't too busy being awful at this. Lars Din is good at this, and I want to hear more of his stuff.

This is my favourite track on the CD.

Jerimee Bloemeke -- This is soothing. The singer is like an unironic Morrissey at times. And he plays nice acoustic guitar.

[Lars Din's (older) site]
[Lars Din's newer site]: lyrics, tour dates, songs.

The lyrics are in five sections: a series of vignettes, some choice details, activity in the ellipses. Who are these four people? Or are they two? And that valentine--why for her mother?

This song is not the best-sung song you'll hear. Lars is nearing the end of a concert and his voice is tired. He aims high and misses, aims high and misses, aims high and misses ... aims high and nails it, nails it when it counts the most.

It's a quiet number, exhausted--on the ropes, maybe about to give up. And then, out of nowhere: left hook, stars, roofbeams on a tilt. Mat.

Labels: folk rock, hip-hop, indie, pop, rock

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