10 Songs on Repeat Right Now
Hey I'm Spencer Ericksen, and these are my
10 Songs on Repeat.
Enjoy.
1) "Tears" by Rush
Rush is a band known for complexity. Neil Peart plays long drum solos, on lots of cymbals and drums.
Some of his drums are electronic, but most are normal DW drums that are fine tuned by a drum tech
who knows how to do that stuff.
Some of his drums are electronic, but most are normal DW drums that are fine tuned by a drum tech
who knows how to do that stuff.
A song by Rush can have melodies that flow over different meters, and sometimes the lyrics are
too sci-fi for casual rock fans. Rush exists in a subcategory of music known as progressive
rock music. The name alone sounds kind of niche, but Rush is a hugely popular band in many
countries. They are very talented trio of musicians.
too sci-fi for casual rock fans. Rush exists in a subcategory of music known as progressive
rock music. The name alone sounds kind of niche, but Rush is a hugely popular band in many
countries. They are very talented trio of musicians.
"Tears" appeals to me largely because of its simplicity. It's a sad song off of their "2112" album.
It's a somewhat bleak and introspective song about wanting to connect with someone else. I
describe it as a sad song, but it doesn't go as far as despair.
It's a somewhat bleak and introspective song about wanting to connect with someone else. I
describe it as a sad song, but it doesn't go as far as despair.
Geddy Lee comes across as puzzled in "Tears", pondering what to do to connect with someone
else. Lots of people can relate to that, myself included. I understand the song "Tears" a little
better than the others on "2112" because it isn't a progressive rock-type song. It's just a pretty
song. The guitar sounds beautiful, and the drums are subdued. The vocal part is front and center.
I love it.
else. Lots of people can relate to that, myself included. I understand the song "Tears" a little
better than the others on "2112" because it isn't a progressive rock-type song. It's just a pretty
song. The guitar sounds beautiful, and the drums are subdued. The vocal part is front and center.
I love it.
2) "Packt Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box" by Radiohead
This song is wild. I read a pretty negative review on allmusic.com about "Amnesiac", but I like that album a lot. I disagree that the songs suffer because of overproduction. The reviewer admitted to liking three of the songs on the album anyway, so I think the review sends a mixed message.
It was 2001 when this song came out. 2001 was a tough year for a lot of folks. I think Radiohead's dark musical themes were reflective of some dark news events that year.
The pinging noises that drive the song are exceptionally catchy! I like the rhythm. The lyrics "after years of waiting nothing came" are bleak in the best way possible.
3) & 4) "Razors Edge" & "Don't Think Twice" by Alfred Hammond Jr.
I wonder what he meant calling his album "Momentary Masters". I suspect it was a subtle jab at pop culture adoring its musicians one moment, and then replacing them the next. With The Strokes, this guy had a lot of success. I don't think that The Strokes are replaceable. But then again, I am not a part of pop culture.
The Strokes were probably the biggest band in America for a time. But Alfred Hammond Jr. didn't quit music after their last album. He formed his own group and got to work. By the way, The Strokes came out with more music, it just took a long time. When I mentioned their last album, I was referring to "80s Comedown Machine". Recently they made a new LP that I was not terribly excited about.
But to return to the main theme here, I enjoy "Razors Edge" and "Don't Think Twice". These two songs are not from his first solo album, but rather his third. I like the dusty sounding quality of the drums in his Bob Dylan cover, "Don't Think Twice". The somewhat screechy guitars have a haunting, tragic quality to them. Alfred Hammond Jr. sang some really expressive vocals, too.
"Razors Edge" is fast and relentless. I don't completely understand the lyrics, but I don't think that they are Hammond Jr.'s focus. The song seems to be more about the message- which is accusatory and frustrated. I may not be hip enough to get lyrics like "I've been known to cheat, you've been seventeen", but I am hip enough to enjoy the song.
5) "Two Against One" by Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi, featuring Jack White
Wow, number five is a mouth full! Danger Mouse is a well known producer, and the album "Rome" was his side project. It was hard choosing a favorite song from "Rome". There are so many that I enjoy. But "Two Against One" is just hard. It's a hard song, even though the melody sounds kind of like a Spaghetti Western.
Jack White is always good at self-confidence, but I feel like on "Two Against One" he took it up a notch. I love the lines "anyway, I plan to plan around them. One- I get the feeling that it's two against one..." That's just brilliant.
The song has a morose tone, but I think the musicians meant for it to be fun. It's not a DC Comics movie- you can smile. If you don't want to smile, well you can always smirk.
6) "Come Fly With Me"- Frank Sinatra
This song became my jam while my wife and I were traveling to and from Oahu. Hawaii was tropical and beautiful, just like everyone says. "Come Fly With Me" is an expressive song. Old "Blue Eyes" was a tremendously skilled singer.
I love how fun this song is! Sinatra seems to ignore that flying is not a lot very enjoyable to most people. Maybe he is talking about a private jet, though. In any case, I enjoy the song a lot. As I listen to it, I catch the excitement of travel.
7) "Homecoming Heroes" by The Head and the Heart
This song reminds me of the summer and fall of 2013. That was a hard time for me. I had just come home from being in Peru for two years as a full time missionary for the Mormon religion. Officially, I was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in a place where many hadn't heard of my religion. Being back in Utah was weird because Utah is a place with rich Mormon history since before it was a state.
I had turned myself into a cultural chameleon in Lima, but somehow my own culture had become foreign to me. This song spoke to me when I found it a few weeks ago. I wish I had found it sooner. I think small towns can be fickle- there is only space for one homecoming hero at a time. "There's not a word in my head floating around, you won't pick apart and put down".
"We've put in the time, cast all our lines offshore." I love these lyrics. I love this song!
8) "S.T.A.Y." by Hans Zimmer
I recently watched a video by YouTuber extraordinaire Nerdwriter1, who argued that "Interstellar" is really a sham so far as Christopher Nolan movies go. He said that Hans Zimmer's score turns up to a ten when the plot gets too hammy. Well to that I say "I call shenanigans! I love Interstellar. And it's mailing in from Amazon tomorrow."
This song plays as the astronaut is leaving is former father-in-law (his wife died) and two kids. S.T.A.Y. is spelled in Morse code in the dust. His daughter Murphy reads it to him, and then completely loses it when her father insists on going to space anyway. It's a really tragic moment in the movie, and the score captures that.
This type of a song is called minimalist. The melody is simple, and it slowly stretches and builds into something more as the song develops.
9) "Penthouse Floor" by John Legend featuring Chance the Rapper
This is a great song. I am so happy to have discovered it just before Finals week last month. I love how the song builds tension when Legend sings about "all that bubbly all that wine, oh man look at the times". John Legend has a great singing voice. I enjoy Chance the Rapper's verse so much. He really killed it.
10) "If I Ever Was a Child" by Wilco
This song means a lot to me. It's from their most recent album, which if you include the band name is "Wilco Schmilco". That kind of sounds like part of a mini-series title: "Wilco Schmilco and the Parting of The Seas", or "Wilco Schmilco: When Frat Boys Attack".
Anyway, this song has a short run time, but it chugs along like an old Creedence Clearwater Revival song. I love how Jeff Tweedy asks a tough question. He sings "I cry like a window pane. Can my cold heart change overnight?" Those lyrics have pushed me toward some introspection. I'm not made of stone, but once in a while I wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Oh well. I can do better next time.
Wilco is an incredible band. I am so glad they have a relaxed attitude about album sales. They let Amazon Prime Music pick up so many of their albums. This enables a poor college student like myself to stream and/or download many Wilco songs for a small annual fee to Amazon Prime Membership. They probably didn't make a lot of money from this deal, but I suspect they are more focused on good live shows.
They are way good at playing music. I like three of their albums, come to think of it: "Sky Blue Sky", "Star Wars", and "Schmilco". I don't like every song on "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", but there are some highlights for me. Jeff Tweedy seems like a good guy.
Comments
Post a Comment