Audio Overflow is written entirely by Cale. Cale will gladly listen to your music and review it for you, but not without prior solicitation. To get in contact with Cale, send him an email: audiooverflow (at) gmail (dot) com.
Please understand that Audio Overflow is a "part time" blog, and Cale may never get a chance to mention your music. That's a risk you're gonna have to take. Hint: your chances are better if your music is good. Read around the blog and discover what Cale likes. If you think your music is similar...send it in!
So now that we all know that Of Montreal's next album, Skeletal Lamping, is due out on October 7th, it's time to start getting excited. Being the eager fanboy that I am, I'll do my part by listing the Top 40 Of Montreal Songs over the next 8 weeks! Yes, eight whole weeks. Not a good time to swing by the ol' Audio Overflow if you're not an Of Montreal fan, but hey, I'm too pumped up to care! Hope you enjoy!
#40: "Nicki Lighthouse" from the album, Horse and Elephant Eatery (No Elephants Allowed) (2000) - This was one of the first songs by Of Montreal that I ever heard. It drew me in with its nonsensical lyrics about "the strangest girl that's ever been" who has a bad habit of eating her dinner on her ceiling and wallpapering the floor. But what really did it for me is the song's sing-along coda of "I'm a big fan/ Nicki Lighthouse/ You know that I am!" It's a fun song to pull you out of whatever sort of funk you may be in, as most good Of Montreal songs do.
#39: "Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl" from the album, Cherry Peel (1997) - Of Montreal's first album is kind of a mixed bag. There are some true gems, and others that just don't do it for me at all. This song is one of the better tracks from that album. It really help set the whimsical, carefree tone that many of their later albums would take and was one of the first times that listeners had reason to question Kevin Barnes' sexuality.
#38: "Let's Go For a Walk" from the album, Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse (2001) - "Let's Go For a Walk" is not nearly as wonderful by itself as it is in the context of the album that it is on. Coquelicot tells the story of a fairy-like creature of the same name who falls asleep and goes on many adventures with imaginary characters. This song wraps up the album beautifully as a heartbreaking goodbye to all of her friends that she has made. It is one of the most beautiful songs that Kevin Barnes has ever written. The instrumentation is simply gorgeous, and the minimal lyrics are welcomed over his usual SAT word-filled verses.
#37: "Rose Robert" from the album, Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse (2001) - Another one from Of Montreal's 2001 concept album, this song tells the story of Rose Robert, a strange character with whom the narrator loves to cross-dress and "gurgle and squeak" rather than speak. It's a zany song, even for this album (which mostly sounds like drug-induced circus music). Despite the claims of some that it's far too silly, there's actually a lot of cool guitar stuff going on in the right speaker, not to mention a beautiful piano solo and attractive vocal melody. This is one to sing along to when you're taking a long trip home in the middle of the night. It keeps you awake. Trust me, I know.
#36: "Go Call You Mine" - from the album, Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse (2001) - This one only clocks in at 1:30, and yet it features probably more instruments than any other Of Montreal song. Kevin only sings for the last 30 seconds, leaving the first minute to be filled with one of the best instrumental performances on any Of Montreal album ever. It's a difficult song to describe, so I'll just let you listen to it. I hope you'll agree that it deserves a spot on this list.
Let's talk about high school bands for a moment, shall we? I absolutely loathe high school bands. Their music is simplistic, predictable, and usually falls under the genres of punk, emo, or "screamo." They live to mimic the exact sound of their favorite artists, with visions of rock stardom and groupies in their head. I grew up in an area where nearly everyone had a band in high school. None of them were all that good. One or two have gone on to moderate success. Let me reiterate: I hate high school bands. And it is for that reason that I'm a bit surprised by Mr. Fish, a high school band from Mission, Kansas. The sound on this album, Soft Serve Assault, is really unique, and what does hearken back to other artists, they're typically from decades past.
And that makes listening to Mr. Fish somewhat enjoyable, because I was pleasantly surprised by who their sound is influenced by (Frank Zappa, They Might Be Giants, and other silly, fun acts). The lead-off track, "Hillbilly Death Cry," is in no way impressive. An instrumental rock track, it really does do a great job of showing how limited this band really is at such a young age. But listening to it makes you appreciate the next song that much more. "Redundancy" is a simple song, with what originally seem like rather depressing lyrics. When Kyle Little says of a man, "He got a gun and put a bullet in his mouth," it's a bit shocking. Then when everybody else puts a bullet in their mouth, you start to realize that this might all be a bit tongue in cheek. It's quite the catchy song. The chorus, in particular, has been stuck in my head for days now.
"Octopus Ride" is a sillier affair, with Little singing "I wanna ride on the octopus," during the song's chorus. The song has an appropriately "beachy" feel to it; light with syncopating pianos and distant harmonies. Like its predecessor, it's also a very catchy song. It almost makes me want to take a ride on the octopus, but then I remember that I'm deathly afraid of those things. "S.O.L.VE.N.T." is a rambunctious track in which Little shelves singing to do some talking about, what else, solvents. He says, "Want something to make the ladies' knees go weak? Memorize the list of these solvents I speak," just before he goes and lists off a bunch of those solvents. There is a really cool synth that plays in the back throughout the song. It finally comes through with a really awesome solo during the breakdown. This is one of my favorites on the album, for sure.
From here, the album takes a bit of a detour. "American Hands" is a well-made song, with small saxophone flourishes and appropriate crescendos and falls, but Little's melody is nowhere near as impressive as it has been thus far. This seems to be the band's "radio song," the most mainstream-friendly track on the album. It's got a southern rock feel to it, but I'm simply not digging it. On "Venom", guitarist Nathan Goldman takes over on vocals. His voice is on par with Little's, and the song itself is upbeat and catchy for a while. Ultimately it just winds up being far too repetitive for me. Lacking a true chorus really hurts this song, as it just makes you feel like you're listening to the same thing over and over again (which you kind of are). "Gimme Some Rope" is the album's downer, a southern rock/country music whiskey ballad. Little sings "Gimme some rope/ I wanna tie a knot around my brain," and I wish him good luck as I skip ahead to the next track.
That may have seemed mean, but honestly, I just can't get enough of "(I Wanna Get My Ass To) Space," a funky, Zappa-inspired song about the planets and (clearly) Little's unfailing desire to visit all of them (except for Pluto). The song is hilarious in an "LOL" kind of way. He sings, "On earth people might make fun of you/ but in space it doesn't matter 'bout your unfortunate haircut." My favorite part, however, has to be when he yells out "Pluto" while a chorus of shouters holler back, "Hell no!" It is a silly song, to be sure, but it's also an absolute blast to listen to. "Th' Ballad of Salad" is equally as ludicrous, but more in the vein of a 50s ballad doo-wop ballad. Little makes sure to note that "any kind of salad" is his "favorite dish," and even though that makes me think so much less of him, I can't help but adore this track. The album ends with "Superfamous," an upbeat punk song about how the band is going to be...you know. They don't seem to mean it seriously (as is the theme with most of the album), but having no previous knowledge of the band and not knowing them personally really makes this song a whole lot less interesting than it should have been.
Overall, Mr. Fish is a high school band that is brave enough to forge their own path in the music world. You don't see that often, and frankly, I've never seen it at all. Soft Serve Assault isn't the greatest album in the world, but it showcases the band's talent, humor, and charm well enough to make me want to keep an eye out for the band in the future (or, at the very least, add 'em as friends on myspace). In a world where musicians take themselves waaaay too seriously, it's refreshing to hear a group of guys who can just play music, have fun, and not care what others think. If they go the route of most high school bands, they'll be broken up by the time they all get to college. But for what it's worth, I'm really hoping that's not the case.
So there was a whole bunch of hoopla this past week over Radiohead's new music video for "House of Cards." Why? Well, because it was shot entirely without cameras. I'll let that sit with you for a while. There were no cameras used in the "filming" of this "video." I'm not sure how it all works (something about lasers), but the end result is pretty awesome-looking.
So I'm working really hard on this week's review, but I haven't really got enough ears-on time with it yet. Expect it by Thursday. Until then, I thought I'd give everyone a little update as to what is happening at the E3 convention in Los Angeles. As many of you know, this is the huge, yearly video game convention where big titles are announced, demoed, hyped, etc. Being a gamer, myself, and a fan of music games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, I thought I'd let all of you in on the news. Chances are, if you're an avid gamer, you already know this stuff. But if you're living outside of nerdville, here's what's happened so far.
Xbox 360/PS3
Guitar Hero: World Tour - There wasn't a lot of hype surrounding GH:WT, the next installment in the mega-series, what with the huge Rock Band 2 tracklist revealed just a few minutes before Microsoft's Press Conference. What we do know for sure is that World Tour will release with an exclusive R.E.M. track pack, as well as Metallica's forthcoming album as DLC. There was a little mention of being able to import and play your own music, which if implemented correctly, could be HUGE. Otherwise, I'm still not planning on buying this game, as I already have one fake drumset in my house, and I don't see the need to further clutter things with GH:WT's incompatible kit.
Rock Band 2 - This was the biggest music game announcement yesterday. Rock Band 2 will ship with 85 master tracks, including a Chinese Democracy track from Guns 'n' Roses' "upcoming" album. Does this mean that Rock Band 2 will go the route of Duke Nukem Forever and get delayed for, well, ever? Let's hope not. Here's the full track list:
AC/DC: "Let There Be Rock" AFI: "Girl's Gone Grey" Alanis Morissette: "You Oughta Know" Alice in Chains: "Man in the Box" Allman Brothers: "Ramblin' Man" Avenged Sevenfold: "Almost Easy" Bad Company: "Shooting Star" Beastie Boys: "So Whatcha Want" Beck: "E-Pro" Bikini Kill: "Rebel Girl" Billy Idol: "White Wedding Pt. I" Blondie: "One Way or Another" Bob Dylan: "Tangled Up in Blue" Bon Jovi: "Livin' on a Prayer" Cheap Trick: "Hello There" Devo: "Uncontrollable Urge" Dinosaur Jr.: "Feel the Pain" Disturbed: "Down with the Sickness" Dream Theater: "Panic Attack" Duran Duran: "Hungry Like the Wolf" Elvis Costello: "Pump It Up" Fleetwood Mac: "Go Your Own Way" Foo Fighters: "Everlong" Guns N' Roses: "Shackler's Revenge" Interpol: "PDA" Jane's Addiction: "Mountain Song" Jethro Tull: "Aqualung" Jimmy Eat World: "The Middle" Joan Jett: "Bad Reputation" Journey: "Anyway You Want It" Judas Priest: "Painkiller" Kansas: "Carry On Wayward Son" L7: "Pretend We're Dead" Lacuna Coil: "Our Truth" Linkin Park: "One Step Closer" Lit: "My Own Worst Enemy" Lush: "De-Luxe" Mastodon: "Colony of Birchmen" Megadeth: "Peace Sells" Metallica: "Battery" Mighty Mighty Bosstones: "Where'd You Go" Modest Mouse: "Float On" Motorhead: "Ace of Spades" Nirvana: "Drain You" Norman Greenbaum: "Spirit in the Sky" Panic at the Disco: "Nine in the Afternoon" Paramore: "That's What You Get" Pearl Jam: "Alive" Presidents of the USA: "Lump" Rage Against the Machine:"Testify" Ratt: "Round & Round" Red Hot Chili Peppers : "Give It Away" Rise Against: "Give It All" Rush: "The Trees" Silversun Pickups: "Lazy Eye" Smashing Pumpkins: "Today" Social Distortion: "I Was Wrong" Sonic Youth: "Teen Age Riot" Soundgarden: "Spoonman" Squeeze: "Cool for Cats" Steely Dan: "Bodhitsattva" Steve Miller Band: "Rock'n Me" Survivor: "Eye of the Tiger" System of a Down: "Chop Suey" Talking Heads: "Psycho Killer" Tenacious D: "Master Exploder" Testament: "Souls of Black" The Donnas: "New Kid in School" The Go-Go's: "We Got the Beat" The Grateful Dead: "Alabama Getaway" The Guess Who: "American Woman" The Muffs: "Kids in America" The Offspring: "Come Out & Play (Keep 'em Separated)" The Replacements: "Alex Chilton" The Who: "Pinball Wizard"
There are some interesting tracks, to be sure. And even though I'm a little miffed (read: completely and utterly dumbfounded) by the lack of Muse (!!!), I'm really looking forward to tearing into System of a Down, Beck, and effing Mastodon! All downloadable content from Rock Band will be compatible with Rock Band 2, and by the end of the year, there should be 500 songs available to Xbox Live/PSN users. That's pretty impressive.
Lips (Xbox 360 Exclusive) - Lips is a new singing game from Microsoft Game Studios that really looks and feels like one of those SingStar games that I'm not too fond of. The big difference is that you'll be able to connect your Zune or iPod and play with the songs that you already own, giving you a potentially endless number of songs to play. I'm not sure how this functionality will work though. Will it lower the vocals and turn it into a karaoke machine? Will it detect the vocals of the song and place the notes on the screen and make it into an actual game? Will it do BOTH? No one really knows the answers to this yet, but more will be revealed as the convention moves on, I'm sure. For the time being, it's a pretty interesting title that I'll definitely keep my eye on. Oh, and apparently the mics are motion sensitive (and they light up). Neat!
Wii
Samba de Amigo - This stylized maraca-based rhythm game for the Wii is essentially a re-make of the Dreamcast classic of the same name. That means nothing to me though, as I never played that game and am not entirely convinced that I should. It's all about shaking maracas (or your Wii Remote in this case) to the beat, so if that's your thing, keep an eye out for it. The only development that came about this week is the announcement that the game will support Downloadable Content (which is a first for Wii, to my knowledge). The first track pack will include:
"I Want Candy" - Bow Wow Wow
"Are You Going to be My Girl?" - Jet
"Mambo Mambo" Lou Bega
Umm...well, I'll let those songs do the talking for me. If SEGA was trying to get this game on my radar, that didn't do it.
Wii Music - The big announcement for Wii was the long-awaited Wii Music from Nintendo. In the line of Wii Sports, Wii Fit, and Wii Play, Wii Music is a game designed to get grandma off the couch and into the game. I don't know folks, this one just looks a bit ridiculous to me. Now, I'm all for playing virtual instruments, but holding the Wii Remote like a saxophone and blowing? I'm not that big of dork. Not yet at least. Consider me un-wowed.
Nintendo DS
Guitar Hero: On Tour - Decades - Quite the mouthful, but Nintendo announced today that Activision is already underway on a sequel to the just-released (and *ahem* just-reviewed) Guitar Hero: On Tour. Not much information about this one yet, but apparently song-sharing will be available. I think this means that if a friend has the original, you can share songs from Decades to entice him or her to buy it. Clever.
Rhythm Heaven - This is apparently a sequel to a game released on Game Boy Advance in Japan. But it's coming to America, and reading the description, it seems a lot like Elite Beat Agents. If that's the case, I'm in!
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That's all I've heard so far. Any of these seem like winners to you?
Week six of this crazy endeavor is upon us, people. This week, I've featured an album that is the perfect accompaniment one of the best summer pastimes, the road trip.
The Elected: Sun, Sun Sun
Recommended Activities:Road Trip
Certainly there are albums out there that are better suited as "road trip albums." But The Elected seemed to have had that goal in mind when creating this 2006 album (my #3 of that year, I believe).
The album's first track is titled, "Clouds Parting (8:13am)" and its closer is "At Home (Time Unknown)." The 12 tracks that lie in between are all relatively calming pop/country songs that are perfectly accompanied by the equally calming (or boring, depending on your point of view) landscapes of middle-America. In other words, it is perfect, and perhaps best-suited as a road trip album.
But more than anything, Sun, Sun, Sun, is an album about self-discovery, or even a self-awakening. What begins as a meek, somber album eventually builds into something altogether triumphant and reassuring. In many ways, a road trip can also be about self-discovery, or at the very least a discovery of your country, your history. Personally, there's nothing I'd rather listen to on such a journey than this album.
Key Tracks: 1. "Would You Come With Me?" 2. "Fireflies in a Steel Mill" 3. "Sun, Sun, Sun" 4. "The bank and Trust" 5. "Biggest Star"
Picture it... you're hanging out with a group of people. Suddenly a song comes on the radio. You've never heard it and most of your friends have never heard it... save one. That friend then begins to tell you, in no humble manner, that that band/musicians is the best and his most favorite. It's his favorite and it's so unique, it's never been played on the radio before. In fact, he discovered it... if it wasn't for your high and mighty friend, nobody's ears but his own would have befallen this song. He takes much pride in knowing that he alone liked the band when every one else either wouldn't give them a chance or passed them along for a band/musician with more money, talent, etc... This guy is what I like to refer as "superior annoying guy". He likes to think he's god's gift to anything musical. In most cases, he listens to indie music, but occasionally, he'll "discover" a really good band that no one's ever heard of. Superior annoying guy can be found in almost every group of friends... except the group with multiple superior annoying guys... then he just blends in.
Well, some people thankfully grow out of that stage, including yours truly. Yes, I have been in superior annoying guy's shoes, but when I look back, I feel that I can use the excuse that I was young, dumb, naive, immature and out of touch. Most of what I'd "discovered" had been discovered years before I ever came across the song in an unpopular movie that only 10.5 people had ever seen. Looking back now, I'm embarrassed that I ever met my inner superior annoying guy. The music I liked was sometimes unique and sometimes original, but never a discovery. I really feel like the only time you're discovering a musician is if he's a bum under a bridge, you happen to strike up a conversation, he happens to have an instrument in his stash which he begins to play as the earth shattering beauty not only spills over from how well he plays, but also how the angels accompany his majestic voice. You can see how my "discoveries", and probably many of yours pale in comparison. Did Simon Cowell really discover Leona Lewis... or did he simply hear her sing amongst a crowd in a well known club one night where he was the only one who had actual bargaining power to sign her. Now, I'm not saying she's without talent. She in fact has a beautiful voice, but discovery? I think not. More like right place, right time.
Below is a list of musicians and songs which I have personally discovered. They just happened to be so good that eventually people caught on to them and they ended up on the radio... No one else is responsible for the success of these musicians, how popular they are, or how they've been or will be remembered... only me. (wink wink)
Disclaimer: These are from different periods in my life, including pre-teen. Criticize accordingly...
Since the video game juggernaut Rock Band was first announced over a year ago, one of the game's greatest, most intriguing aspects was the ability for users to be able to download whole albums to utilize in the game. Unfortunately, Harmonix and MTV Games have been slow to release these albums so far, and with the release of Rock Band 2 just a few months away, I have to ask, "What gives?" How many albums are available at this moment? Well, you can count them on one hand, if that means anything. So this post is my call for more albums, and 5 in particular that will actually get me excited about this feature of the game (sorry, The Cars just ain't doing it for me). These are the Top 5 Albums That Need to Be on Rock Band!
#5: Incubus: Science
Why?: For as cookie-cutter as Incubus' last album was, one forgets that their major label debut in 1997 was one of a kind and waaaay ahead of its time. For the most part, music on Rock Band is pretty straightforward. S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is anything but, with tracks that will make your head explode from the shear amount of craziness going on. There will be a few hurdles to jump, like how do you get "Magic Medicine," an instrumental song, on Rock Band? But I'll leave that to the powers that be.
Key Tracks: "Redefine," "Vitamin," "A Certain Shade of Green," "Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song)"
#4: The Mars Volta: De-Loused In the Comatorium
Why?: If Harmonix is going to put a crippled version of The Mars Volta on the game (Coheed & Cambria), they might as well put on the real thing as well. The Mars Volta's debut album is still their best yet, and who wouldn't want to play "Eriatarka" on drums? Most importantly, however, this would show all those kids who love that damn C&C song what Prog Rock is supposed to sound like. And who knows, maye they'll realize how gay they've been acting all this time.
Key Tracks: "Inertiatic ESP," "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)," "Eriatarka," "Televators," and "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt."
#3: Queen: Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Why?: A greatest hits album may seem like cheating, but honestly, who would want to play a single Queen album when they could play their greatest hits? This collection has every great song that the band ever made, if you name it, it's probably on here. That's all I have to say. If you have a problem with that, meat me in the back after this post. (EDIT: So I just got finished re-reading this post and saw that I wrote "meat me in the back" which is probably the best euphimism for gay sex ever! Totally accidental, of course, but too good to fix. Enjoy!)
Key Tracks: "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Bicycle Race," "Somebody to Love," "Seven Seas of Rhye," "We Will Rock You"
#2: Radiohead: OK Computer
Why?: Please don't make me explain myself on this one. This is arguably one of the best alternative albums of all time and I don't think you'd find many people who would be willing to argue that point. Really it all boils down to one thing: me getting to play "Paranoid Android." That's it. That's really all I care about. Sure, every song on this album is great and worthy of being on Rock Band, but come on!
Key Tracks: "Paranoid Android," "Karma Police," "Electioneering," "No Surprises," "Lucky"
#1: Eagles: Hotel California
Why?: It's one of the best albums of all time, featuring one of the best songs of all times, which contains one of the best guitar solos of all time. Is that enough of a reason for you? Yeah, I thought it would be. In case you're still a doubter, check out these tracks.
Key Tracks: "Hotel California," "New Kid in Town," "Life in the Fast Lane," and "Victim of Love"
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