forkcast tracks

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

"Audacity of Huge"

Simian Mobile Disco
"Audacity of Huge"

[Wichita]

6

Huge? It's got that pair of English guys who did "Hustler" and "I Believe"-- whose old band did the song their loucher peers Justice turned into a transatlantic model for late-2000s house-as-rock hedonism. Huge? It's got that guy with the lusty shaman quaver from Yeasayer. Huge? It's got that Chemical Brothers. You know it's got that Barack Obama. It's got that "grape Kool-Aid-filled swimming pool," with bass-line pool furniture and pitch-tweaked choral Marco Polo, all under a lofty laserarium sky. Huge.

In short, new Simian Mobile Disco single "Audacity of Huge"-- from upcoming album Temporary Pleasure, the follow-up to 2007's small-scale smash Attack Decay Sustain Release-- is a limber, name-dropping, ear-catching body-mover, sleek and uncluttered and populist. Just to seal the deal, one of the most crossover-friendly electronic dance groups works with Chris Keating, singer for one of Brooklyn's more popular hippie art-rock groups. I can see "Audacity of Huge" being... well, pretty big. So why can't I get that into it?

— Marc Hogan

"Kobe Bryant"

Lil Wayne
"Kobe Bryant"

[Self-Released]

5

Lil Wayne's forays into sports journalism are a lot like his forays into rock music: sure, get excited that OMG IT'S LIL WAYNE DOING IT!!!, but the truth is, he's really fucking bad at both. Fortunately, "Kobe Bryant" works from his position of strength-- as a fan, not as an X-and-O analyst. Even in these times, it's the sort of track we hardly get anymore, working for five entertaining minutes around a central athletic metaphor, and hot off the presses just in time for the Finals (he even offers condolences to LeBron James). Seriously, where was State Property when the Phillies needed them in October?

Still, I don't totally buy it: it's easy to admire Kobe's game as an aficionado, but his methodical, joyless pursuit of dominance stands in stark contrast with whatever it is Wayne does. Simply put, a more FreeDarko player deserves Wayne's plaudits, and you can't tell me that, up to and including a love of illegal substances, BET celebrities, legal troubles, and terrible tattoos, Wayne didn't have a million reasons to pull for the Nuggets instead. Decent track, some nice punchlines, and hell, it's great to hear Wayne rapping without Auto-Tune and sounding excited about it, but demerits for a) robbing us of the Chris Andersen mixtape we all deserve; and b) Wayne not going the whole nine to commemorate Kobe's stillborn rap career with a Tyra Banks hook.

— Ian Cohen

"Halcyon Days"

So Cow
"Halcyon Days"

[Tic Tac Totally]

7

Filled with crazy hormones and just criminal moments of embarrassment, there's no more awkward phase of life than the pre-teen years. Even the formerly popular kids will tell you that. But as bad as you think you may have had it, believe me, the shy guy had it even worse. Irish indie-pop tunesmith Brian Kelly, who goes by the quirky handle So Cow, was one of those guys. Over a catchy surf-punk arrangement of whining guitars and crispy snare hits, Kelly packs a full school term's worth of dread and clumsiness into two minutes of crystalline pop in "Halcyon Days" (the tongue-in-cheek title tells you all you need to know), a song included in a recent self-titled singles collection. For those of us who saw our peers easing into pre-adulthood and wanted simply to play Sega Genesis in sweatpants, his lyrics are almost painfully prescient. "Had a cigarette, I got sick. Met a girl and escaped quick," he deadpans. Pinpointing the scary realization that childhood is officially over, Kelly wonders if he'll ever mature, singing, "Knew one day I'd have to grow up, but I doubt it's in my make-up." The fact that some of us in our twenties and thirties still wrestle with the same question makes it even more potent.


— Joe Colly

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

"In System Travel"

Jamie Vex'd
"In System Travel"

[Planet µ]

7

If you've heard their 2005 full-length, De Generate, you probably have a solid idea of what two-man dubstep crew Vex'd specialize in: aggressive bone-snap beats and bass blown out to rave-sized, edifice-tumbling proportions. (If you haven't heard it, just look at those titles: "Thunder", "Crusher Dub", "Fire", "Destruction".) The In System Travel EP, Jamie Vex'd's first major solo outing, does keep that massive pulse going strong-- but keeps it on the B-side, putting the title track front and center as an unexpected low-key detour. Woozy lounge jazz is slowed to a crawl and submersed in atmospherics that make it feel like a soundtrack for underwater sleepwalking, with smothered strings and warped-pitch wordless vocals bobbing like jellyfish. The bass is a foot-dragging presence that threatens to melt and congeal into the gelatinous hum that coats the rest of the track. And the beats, slow as the tempo is, get all their energy from their twitchiness, sparking like synapses and surfacing as needling shards of synthesizer or truncated trap drums. Sounds like hotboxing inside a bathysphere.

— Nate Patrin

"D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"

Jay-Z
"D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"

[Roc-A-Fella/Atlantic]

6

I guess there's a pretty thin line between being a boss and being a dad. In other words, it's one thing to birth hustlas, but it's quite another to care enough to know when to put your foot down. "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" is in large part what one would expect of such a no-bullshit title-- a (somewhat belated) wagging of the God MC's finger, so to speak. But as much as Hov wants us to know that he doesn't "need anyone to smile on this," you don't have to be a diehard to know when the dude's spitting through a grin. Yeah, Jigga's having fun again. And yeah, about 100% of "D.O.A." is classic tough-talk material, a greasy record made even greasier thanks to Kanye and No I.D.'s swag-baiting production (a wonderfully pulpy pastiche of howling sax and scuzzy Detroit guitar squeal). But much like last summer's Blueprint 3 rumored "Jockin' Jay-Z", another gleeful exercise in flexin'-for-the-fun-of-it, "D.O.A." is less defined by the what (ringtone rap, tight jeans) and who (pretty much anyone else in the game) than it is by the cool-control exerted by its maker. Sure, wrists get slapped and fingers are pointed, but I'd be surprised if those responsible for such flagrant "T-Pain'in'" would respond with much more than a sheepish, "Aw, shucks." After all, Jay's mean-muggin' has always stemmed from his unflappable acumen, which frees "D.O.A." up enough to let it operate less as a direct threat and more as a rigorous broomstick thump to the ceiling. Hey, we've had our fun, but now it's back to business. Don't make him come up there.

— Zach Kelly

"Sick Man of Europe"

Cheap Trick
"Sick Man of Europe"

[Cheap Trick]

5

Thanks to the world economy slipping its gears, the title of this tune has some unfortunate topical relevance-- according to everyone's favorite communal encyclopedia, the phrase "sick man of Europe" (or your continent of choice) is used to refer to a country that's having trouble making ends meet. This phrase also happens to be one of the original band names that Cheap Trick played under, which (thankfully) is the more relevant fact to consider here. While "Sick Man of Europe" isn't any sort of official comeback-- it's the lead single from The Latest, the group's fourth album since the original four Tricksters regrouped back in 1997-- it's got enough of a chip on its shoulder to convincingly sound like one. That Robin Zander sings potentially crabby stuff like "This ain't the new/ It's the old generation," and, "we all hail from the British Invasion" is immaterial. What matters most is that he (and the not-so-young dudes behind him) rip through this two-minute tune the way they ripped through hit-and-run barn burners like "He's A Whore" and "Hello There" over three decades ago. It's this boundless energy that almost transforms the song's get-off-my-lawn sentiment into the sort of fist-pumping foot in the ass that never gets old. Almost.

— David Raposa

Monday, June 8, 2009

"Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell (Wallpaper. Remix)"

Das Racist
"Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell (Wallpaper. Remix)"

8
 

It's just a couple of dudes on cell phones trying to meet at a 2-for-1 Yum! Brands franchise-- "I'm at the Pizza Hut," "No, I'm at the Pizza Hut," it pretty much goes on like that-- but somehow it's going to be one of the songs of the summer. Reactions within our staff have ranged from "I'd like to punch these guys in the face" and "this was sent here to destroy my interest in music" to "Harold and Kumar existentialism" (this wasn't me) and "a critique of commercialism/lack of a leisure culture" (um, this was). At its heart though, "Combination"-- especially this superior Wallpaper. remix-- is just a funny, stupid, silly, brainy, knowing song all at once.

Where smug hipster hip-hop like "Thou Shalt Always Kill" is all posture and preening, "Combination" retains its inner Cheech and Chong and still seems leagues smarter for it. Sure, it's a one-idea track, but that idea somehow becomes more endearing as it rolls on, and in the end this is the song you'll hear this that you're most likely to immediately turn around and want to share with someone, good or bad. After a dozen listens last week, I'm still siding with good.

MP3:> Das Racist: "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell (Wallpaper. Remix)"

— Scott Plagenhoef

"False Jesii Part 2"

Pissed Jeans
"False Jesii Part 2"

[Sub Pop]

6

Three records in, Pissed Jeans are still fearlessly charting the waters of the crushingly mundane, but things may be looking just a little less harrowing this time. "False Jesii Part 2" is a jolt in tempo with a scrap of melody that the (nonetheless great) Hope for Men could have used once or twice-- if the brightest spot on your album sounds like "I've Still Got You (Ice Cream)", it's a pretty unrelenting listen. But whether they were about scrapbooks or semen, many of the band's songs focused frustration and shame internally; "Jesii", from the forthcoming King of Jeans, turns the disdain outward with equal parts venom and glee, with just a little added heft in production and boneheaded brawn, over which singer Matt Korvette offers a spirited defense of inconsideration and sloth-- our narrator sounding close to being comfortable with his own slovenly self. There's a more conspicuous chorus here (even if the lyrics on said chorus amount to "aughgauaghaugh") and an unwavering power chord riff with little of the incidental noise and wiry runs they've used previously. The bass still shifts and stretches into notes that are in key, but here the feel uncomfortable and "off," as if the ground could be shifting underneath them. Even as the band drags their knuckles a few more inches towards the middle, they maintain their unpredictable feel.

MP3:> Pissed Jeans: "False Jesii Part 2"

— Jason Crock

"Scott Walker's Fault" [ft. Colin Meloy]

The Minus 5
"Scott Walker's Fault" [ft. Colin Meloy]

[Yep Roc]

6

Scott McCaughey's nothing if not subtle. He's not a spotlight name but a buzzing thinker behind Peter Buck, Wilco, last year's woefully missed debut by the Baseball Project, and his own perpetually makeshift Minus 5. Subtlety is probably what Colin Meloy could use more of at this point, having gullied beneath the weight of his increasingly absurd lyrical pretensions with The Hazards of Love this year. Bless McCaughey, then, for scaling Meloy back with his gauzy, studio-bound crew (double whammy considering the very un-low-key subject of the song) on this twangy duel between pedal steel and accordion from M5's upcoming Killingsworth. The call-response vocals take some of the burden off Meloy's ego and ha, the girl gets all the catchy parts. Meloy mumbles a Stipe-ian "Voice under, voice over" chant toward the climax while the Shee Bee Gees cheer, "It's Scott Walker's fault/ And I thank him for us all." Maybe someday a humbled Meloy will sing "Scott McCaughey's Fault".


— Dan Weiss

Friday, June 5, 2009

"Nashville Shores"

Jemina Pearl
"Nashville Shores"

4

Photo by Andrew Kesin

Nashville Shores is a waterpark, or "family recreation destination," located on Percy Priest Lake. Tennessee native Jemina Pearl, formerly of Be Your Own Pet, wrote a song about it. Needless to say this tune won't be featured in any literature or advertisements for the park-- "Broken swings and empty cans/ Is it still a beach with no sand?" Pearl lists her not-so-favorite things about the park (and, by proxy, being a bored teenager stuck with dopey relatives or dopey friends at said park) in a vaguely pissed-off manner, which isn't so different than what she used to do in BYOP. But there's none of the energy or swagger, either musically or vocally, that made Be Your Own Pet so much fun. What Pearl provides here (and on the other two tunes she recently posted on her MySpace page) are raucous and mannered eager-to-please pop songs that don't quite pop or please. Granted, some of the blame could be put on the crap fidelity provided by MySpace's media player-- while BYOP's spastic jams would thrive in these scuzzy conditions, Pearl's new songs require a polish and shine that Tom's technology just can't provide. Unfortunately, a lot of the song's failings are simply because of the song. "Nashville Shores" doesn't really suck; it just kinda sucks.

Stream:> Jemina Pearl: "Nashville Shores"

— David Raposa

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