Saturday, November 1, 2014

Vol. 5 Episode 47



It looks like Weekend will be starting to record for a new album. They have a December recording session set up.

If you haven’t seen it yet you should stop what you are doing and check out the new video for I Won’t Let You Down from OK Go.

James Hoare got together with another friend to create a third group called Ultimate Painting. They have put out an album on a small record company called Trouble In Mind. I don’t know much more than that.

Cream bassist Jack Bruce has died at 71. "A great musician," says band-mate Eric Clapton.

Here we go...



This album started over at Pledge Music. This company is similar to Kickstarter with the exception that you get all of the money raised even if the goal is not made. This still gives the artists something to get the project going even if they don’t meet the goal. OK Go did make their goal and I got my copy of the album recently as well. I opted for the vinyl copy signed by the band. The album is a double LP with one record pressed in translucent green and the other in translucent blue. The group signed the front cover of the album and each member signed over their picture on the album. As a member of their Pledge campaign I also got a special remix of The Writing’s On The Wall by the drummer of the group.  The album over all is just as smashing and harsh as the previous album, Of The Blue Color of The Sky, but not as in your face. It is still dancy but not as hard core. If the previous album turned away any fans they will come back with this one.

So far there have only been two singles released with this album. The first single from the album is called The Writing’s On The Wall. Vocalist, Damian Kulash, said that the song was written around "that moment in a relationship when you realize it’s coming to an end and that it’s inevitable", where there is the "feeling of having something coalesce and fall apart, like chaos and order". He said the song is written to be "melancholic and jubilant at the same time". I had this to say about the track in Vol. 5 Episode 22, “The song smacks of early 80s sounds from Joy Division/New Order (Yes, I know that Joy Division never really made it past the 70s but posthumous tracks were released in the 80s).  The song is bass guitar lead with the guitars and synth adding to the songs background. The vocals are almost on the same level as the bass, just a little bit above the bass. This is a really great track that pays homage to a couple of my favorite bands. I can’t wait to get my hands on this album.”

The second single from the album is called I Won’t Let You Down. This track is so much fun. I talked about this track when the EP Upside Out was released. I wrote about it in Vol. 5 Episode 35. Here is what I had to say about the track, “I hear The Jackson 5 all over this track. It is a great style that I am happy that they brought back. I like the strings from the disco era combined with the muted guitar sounds and added synth parts to make it current. All of these things combined with all of the members of the band singing in the song like The Jackson 5 did on their big hits. It all works so well and makes me happy listening to the song.”

As with all OK Go Songs You have to check out the videos. They are on the links for the song titles. The rest of the album as just as good so go get it!
 
OK Go – Of The Blue Color Of The  Sky (Extra Nice Edition) database access music
The music that you get access to through the OK Go Database is the digital album Twelve Remixes of Four Songs and the contest winners through the five weeks of remixes of White Knuckles, which equals an additional 13 remixes of the song.

The official release of Twelve Remixes of For Songs contains Sixteen tracks but four of those are the studio versions of the four songs. Since those four songs are already on Of The Blue Color of The Sky they are not included in the download of this database version. If you really wanted to have them in their right spots you could make copies of them from the album and add them to their right places. The only duplicate track from this Twelve Remixes of Four Songs is the Passion Pit Remix.

The remixes from the contest winners is very interesting. It is a little overwhelming listening to the same song remixed thirteen different ways though.


This is the ninth album from Switchfoot. This album coincides with the release of their surfing/music documentary movie of the same name. The album was released in January of 2014. I didn’t get the album until after I watched the movie for free on Netflix. It struck me and I decided I needed to have the album. This album didn’t go through the normal creation process that the previous album have done. The songs were mostly created during the filming of the movie and were there for given the freedom and space needed to allow the members to create instead of just the lead singer to bring something that the group works on together. This gives the album an new feel and somewhat of a new direction. It is a new feel for the group and gives a deeper emotion to the music I think.

There were three singles released from this album. The first is called Who We Are. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Switchfoot bassist Tim Foreman said, "This song takes me back to when our band was first starting out – driving around California stuffed into a minivan with guitars and drums, ready to take on the world. Armed with nothing but a few songs and a wild hope, we were dumb enough to think that it could work. Maybe that's the only way that the world has ever changed, by people dumb enough to try. So here's to everyone who's young and dumb enough to ignore the crowd and believe in who they are." The song features vocals of Switchfoot members' children. One of the scenes in the Fading West film shows the recording of the song, with vocalist Jon Foreman sitting in the studio on the floor, conducting the children's choir. It is absolutely adorable.

The next single from the album is called Love Alone Is Worth The Fight. This song is a sweet slow opening to the album but at the same time is hard hitting with one of the best messages I have ever seen or heard. The group always claims that they are not specifically a Christian group. But with songs like this it is hard to believe that they don’t have a Christian heart and mind. I have always followed the belief that God wants to love us and for us to in turn love him and our fellow man the same. I always feel horrible when I sit down and think about not only my self and my sin that gets in my way of doing just that but that everyone has the same problem in some way. This is a great song that makes me think about things like this.

The third single from the album is called When We Come Alive. It is a slower song but gives energy and power. The song sings, “We are fire … when we come alive”. It is an empowering song designed to do just that. It is a beautiful song that the world needs. We especially need songs like this for people who are mentally beaten down. I was verbally beaten down but when I look at some of these underground people trafficking problems that we have in this world. the people that get free from them need songs like this and people that can bring them back up and properly integrate them into their societies.

This is a great album with everything that people should hear in music today. Get a copy, it will help you live better.


The album was released in October of 2014. Slumberland records and Fortuna Pop! put this out on DL, CD and LP. The LP was pressed on limited light blue and white vinyl. The sound on this album is slightly different from the second album. I think it comes off simpler but earthy while still keeping the lovely airy female vocals. It is a sweet record that I find hard to listen to. I think I just need more time to get into it. It is a bit difficult for me as I am use to this sound coming with male vocals and a lot less electric guitar. I like it and want to hear it though.

There have been two singles that I am aware of digitally released from the album so far. The first was Bright Eyes. This is a bit of a duet with Elizabeth Morris and Paul Rains, both members of the group. It is not a reference to the band with the same name. It is a sweet romance track that is a lot of fun. I probably would have been into the song when I was in high school or earlier if it were on the radio or what ever.

The next single from the album is called Romance And Adventure. This track reminds me musically of Veronica Falls. The song is about remembering romance and realizing that the relationship is over and the things you did with that person can’t be done anymore with them. It is a sad idea but one must consider that life moves on and you must too.

This is a good album with interesting twists. I wish SLR would put out the singles for this album the way they did for the last album. I may need to hunt them down from Fortuna Pop!

That is all for now...
 

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