Walking a Mile with Someone Else's iPod: Playlist #5 - A Chillax Sandwich (Between Two Slices of Headbang)

It's funny how a randomized playlist can work out. Sometimes you get a playlist that plays off of each other (Playlist #1); other times you get a random assortment of songs that have nothing in common (Playlist #2). Today, we have a chillax sandwich, served between two slices of headbang. 

Which would something like this, I guess.

I suppose there is a certain harmony in that. So let's chow down.

Song #1: Circle Takes the Square - Crowquill

Submitted by: Nick Adamson

What he had to say about it: It took me awhile to tell you why I chose "Crowquill," as it has the most profoundly painful lyrics for me. The song begins with "... so let's have ourselves a little poem." The beginning of this poem starts with "Until I lose the urgency to speak..." Um. I'll back up. This song is a personal allegory of my marriage, which through its twists and turns I developed bipolar disorder and was ultimately cheated on in the end. This song reminds me of the dysfunction in which I endured unknowingly to the realization of what was. It's a long-winded story but this song sums it up to a point. I "lost the urgency to speak". I couldn't form sentences for six months at one point. "Gravity doesn't grant me the privilege of failure, my bough never breaks, I don't stumble into anything..." is the unrealistic expectations of the marriage, of me. "...Pleasure's got nothing on the miracle of need." I pushed forward with negativity and want as my fuel. It's very convoluted and I'd love to explain more but yeah. Still working on this, just wanted to let you know I didn't forget.

Circle Takes the Square - Crowquill

First Impressions: This song is going to take a lot of people off guard and most listeners will not get it. Hardcore is a very acquired taste and can often be too easily dismissed. But I think, as a genre, it has its place by representing human emotions that other forms of music cannot: the primal, chaotic, angry, and fearful. Another false assumption when one hears the glottal vocals and dissonant guitars is that little skill is put into writing hardcore music, But the genre often tends to feature the most original experimenting with song structure, instrument technique, and lyrics. And as Nick has shown, this song has managed to capture a pivotal point in his life, and thus it has power.

Over the course of the week: On repeated listenings, I’ve come to appreciate the song’s experimental structure. The lyrics remain the greatest strength of the song. Taken in another context, they might be considered poetry. They appear to be a suicide note, as the lyrics first describe ascending a great height, then an encounter with gravity, and finally a “haiku-detat on sidewalks in white outlined chalk,” but every line is delivered so metaphorically, it is uncertain whether the narrator is being figurative or not.

Fun fact: One legitimately awesome thing about Circle Takes the Square is that they feature a female co-vocalist/bassist. The punk scene has had a long problem with sexism, so it is really cool to see a band that bucks that trend and doesn't try and make a big deal out of it either.

Pairs nicely with: Refused - New Noise

Refused - New Noise

This song is the thesis statement of hardcore punk. It is also incredible. It also predicted the coming rise of of the punk/emo scene that would dominate the early-2000s when the band named their album The Shape of Punk to Come; it was 1996.

It is important to remember what the world was like back in the days of the dictatorship of music labels. If you did not have the right look, the right voice, and the right connections, there was little way to get your music to the masses or to make a career out of your art. As a result, the artists that did make it big tended to have a staleness to them. The internet was still relatively young and had yet to democratize our musical selection. Underground scenes depended largely upon word of mouth and was fueled by the commitment of its listeners. Their loyalty became very intense. As there was no place for them on the airways, this song served as the movement's anthem as the lead singer, Dennis Lyxzén (they are very Swedish) asks "Can I scream?" He then explains why hardcore's strange, abrasive sound was needed:

When the day is over / the doors are locked on us
Money buys the access /and we can't pay the cost
And how can we expect anyone to listen / if we are using the same old voice?
We need new noise / new art for the real people.

Even if you avoid hardcore punk, give this song a listen, if just for its historical relevance. Also, it has a breakdown that's just...awesome.

Song #2: Angus and Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane

Submitted by: McKenzie Butler

What she had to say about it: I don't know if it is less well known..."Big Jet Plane" by Angus and Julia Stone. It's the ultimate love song to me and the music video reminds me of jobs I've had before.

Angus and Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane

First Impressions: This is the antithesis to “Crowquill.” This song is just so relaxed and calming. I love how laid back the vocals are.  The strings are used as an actual instrument, instead as just atmosphere. The drums keep it bouncy enough to prevent the song from becoming too laid back for its own good. I especially enjoy the bridge.

Over the course of the week: I only watched the video just today and I think it gave the song another feel. The steady palm-muted guitar is paired with a ticking clock and the woman's slow-motion stroll through a virtually abandoned  grocery store. It isn't to suggest the song represents monotony or boredom, rather the desire to be somewhere else.  Out of all the jobs I've had, I worked at Target for the longest time. Often, most of the song or story writing I would do back then would happen at work as I shuffled down aisles, cleaned up spills, or zoned out in the break room. The girl puts her head in the fan and pretends that she is driving out in the sun, instead of standing at the register under bleak fluorescent lighting. So now when the singer offers to "take her for a ride in a big jet plane," I think its fits in more now with this fantasy scenario. He is stuck passing his time here, when he'd rather be somewhere else with her.

But maybe I am overthinking it. The lyrics suggest a love story of the simplest sort:

She said "hello mister, pleased to meet ya"
I wanna hold her, I wanna kiss her
She smelled of daisies, she smelled of daisies
She drive me crazy, she drive me crazy

Many of the most successful love songs tend to uncomplicated in sentiment and there is no better example than The Beatles singing "I Want to Hold Your Hand." This is for the same reason why romances tend to focus on the falling in love stage of a relationship: what came before and what comes after is inevitably complicated, but there is nothing more simple than how one feels when they fall in love.

Woah. What happened there? I just fell down a well of sappiness. Wasn't I just listening to screamo?

Pairs nicely with: Santigold - Disparate Youth

Santigold - Disparate Youth

While I was researching "Big Jet Plane," a website pointed out that it sounded like "Disparate Youth." Sure enough, they share the same chord progression and while Santigold's track has a more energetic groove to it, they are still both rather relaxed in tone. Ever since I heard the two played together, I cannot separate them in my head. I have nothing deeper to say about my selection than that. If I had more free time, it'd be fun to mix the two songs together.

Song #3: Ann Street Soul Stirrers - Sunny

Submitted by: Lynette Harris

What she had to say about it: Another late addition. Ann Street Soul Stirrers recording of Sunny. I love this and many of their other You Tube offerings for many reasons. 1) Ian discovered them and thought to share them with his mom and we love them for background dancing/cooking music, 2) the singer's voice! 3) their sound 4) the humble "studio" they've put together for this recording. They recorded an album a few months ago, but this remains one of my favorites because I heard it first.

Ann Street Soul Stirrers - Sunny

First Impressions: First off, I love seeing these white music nerds play an honest to goodness soul track. It just makes me feel good about people in general, for some reason. Second, this singer has a voice like silk pajamas. Take that as you will. Third, it is as if the playlist is conspiring to bring back the chill to this playlist, because this is nearly as far from hardcore punk as you can get.

Over the course of the week: "Sunny" is a popular track for cover versions, because if you have silk pajamas for a voice, you might as well pair them with the musical equivalent of silk sheets. It was written by Bobby Hebb during devastating circumstances. This song was written immediately after both the assassination of JFK and the murder of Hebb's brother. But you could never tell it from listening to the song. Hebb chose to face the tragedy in his life with sunshine and hope instead of wallowing in sorrow. The feeling is infectious; just visit the song's Wikipedia page to see how many cover versions exist of this song.

I think that enthusiasm has infected the Ann Street Soul Stirrers too. I admire their DIY ambition and obvious talent. Most importantly, they carry the endorsement of Luna Lovegood herself.

Pairs nicely with: The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition

The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition (Live on KEXP)

I do not listen to much soul, so I did not have a similar sounding song to pair with "Sunny" that I had a personal connection to. Yet whenever I see that video of the Ann Street Soul Stirrers performing the song live so excellently, I think of "Sweet Disposition," specifically this performance. The Temper Track nails the performance, especially their lead singer, whose voice goes into my ears like Dr Pepper 10 down my throat: smooth.

I am running out of good similes.

Anyway, I am sure this is a track that Lynette and her family could enjoy as well. This is one of my go to feel-good songs.

Song #4: Switchfoot - Where I Belong

Submitted by Cody Crippen

What he had to say about it: Switchfoot's "where I belong" will play at my funeral. Beautiful song on life and what's after.

Switchfoot - Where I Belong

First Impressions: Oooh, those claps are effective; they’ve pulled me in right away. I can see how this would be an effective funeral song. Its hope of a hereafter with its positive driving beat is the kind of song that can be very comforting, like others I’ve heard at memorial services. Sometimes you don’t need another sad song, but rather an optimistic one.

Over the course of the week: My noticing of claps was not coincidental; Switchfoot made a conscious effort to focus more on percussion and bass for this album, instead of their usual guitar-driven approach. The album, Vice Versus, focuses on polarity of life. In that sense, this last track focuses on the inherent fleetingness of mortality, but contrasts that against eternity.

Reviews for Vice Versus seem to be split down religious lines. Christian sites give it glowing reviews, while non-Christian reviewers see it as mediocre. I will openly admit that the once something has been labeled "Christian Rock," it is hard for me to get interested in it. This is for many reasons: sometimes the genre can be too preachy or stale; at other times it only feels accessible to those who have an identical religious opinion as the singer. Switchfoot dislikes being labeled as Christian Rock, saying: "We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us 'Christian Rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them, and that's not what we're trying to do." Honestly, that makes them more accessible to me. I believe one's personal spirituality is a tremendous motivation for songwriting and it should not become off-limits subject matter.

Pairs nicely with: Thrice - Disarmed

Thrice - Disarmed

I resisted pairing this song at first because I am starting to repeat bands. This is the second time I've recommended Thrice. I've also recommended Bishop Allen twice and my last pairing today will be a repeat as well. Nevertheless, the similarities between "Disarmed" and "Where I Belong" were to great to be ignored. For example, "Where I Belong" came from the album Vice Versus, the album title referring to the give-and-take dynamic of life. "Disarmed" comes from Major/Minor, which represents an identical concept.

In "Disarmed," Dustin Kensrue uses Old Testament imagery to sing about the ultimate defeat of Death. The song reaches a powerful climax after he sings the line, "Now that you have been disarmed, we will pass through unharmed." The song then abandons the sullen, subdued tone that dominated the first half of the song and explodes into a epic, victorious, and joyous conclusion, making it one of my favorite tracks about the hereafter. Considering the heavy religious imagery, perhaps it is no surprise that Kensrue dissolved Thrice after this album to dedicate more time to dedicating his church choir. Oddly, in spite of Kensrue's frequent employment of religious themes in Thrice's music, they largely managed to escape the "Christian Rock" label, while Switchfoot largely did not. I wonder why?

Song #5: Alter Bridge - Farther than the Sun

Submitted by: Nathan Whitaker

What he had to say about it: There is some rock n roll for ya, Mr. Alley.

Alter Bridge - Farther than the Sun

First Impressions:This playlist is a chill sandwich, between two slices of headbang. It’s always amazing to me how effective a mid-tempo drumbeat plus low-end, distorted guitar riffs can be at inducing some sort of primal reaction in me. How can you not but nod your head? Even if the vocals in metal aren’t your thing, how can you resist a good metal breakdown? I just can’t.

Over the course of the week: I came to the inevitable discovery that Alter Bridge is the descendant of that Band-That-Must-Not-Be-Named, featuring 3 of its 4 members.

Cough! CREED Cough!

But don't hold that against them. No, seriously. For all that was wrong with Creed, there is something that cannot be denied: their guitarist, Mark Tremonti, is something of a technical master. You can hear it here in "Farther than the Sun," which, by the way, is tuned in DROP B, a full fifth step lower than your usual guitar tuning. Another point to Tremonti is that it seems that both Creed's first and current break-up are due to his inability to work with Scott Stapp, so another point for Alter Bridge. So let's just take a second to enjoy this song for what it is: pure headbang. If you find yourself over-thinking it, just bang your head harder until it stops.

Pairs nicely with: Coheed and Cambria - No World for Tomorrow

Coheed and Cambria - No World for Tomorrow

You guys read it. Nathan's suggestion of Alter Bridge seems to be some sort of a rock and roll challenge. Well, challenge accepted. Nathan, I see your Alter Bridge and raise you one Coheed. Even the most headbang-resistant people I know (ahem, my wife Abby) cannot resist this track. This is the song where The Heed finally fully embraced their metal sensibilities and Claudio Sanchez decided to show the world how well his vocal lessons had paid off. I have seen the band perform this song live twice now and each time I have felt my the soft tissue of my brain collide with my skull as the music has overtaken me. Play it loud, very loud.

Well, that is it for this week. Our playlist is up to fifty songs now and we have only two more blog entries left! Have you found a new favorite track yet? Let me know!