Zach Bernstein

Zach has an obsessive compulsive need to provide an internal soundtrack for every daily activity, be it brushing his teeth (Royksopp’s “In Space”), taking the subway (the National’s “Fake Empire), or walking around the city at night (Stars’ cover of the Smiths’ “This Charming Man”). He has a shameless tendency to become intensely invested in indie bands right before they hit the mainstream (see: Kings of Leon, Bon Iver, Phoenix) so that he can falsely claim he liked them before they were popular. He spends way too much time browsing artists’ setlist choices and watching YouTube videos from concerts he didn’t attend. His favorite album of all-time is a three-way tie between the Strokes’ Is This It, the Killers’ Hot Fuss, and Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (deep stuff, I know right?) In his opinion, the greatest guilty pleasure song of the past decade is Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (don’t front, you loved that song back in 2001). His lifelong dream is to write and direct a pretentious, moderately indie film with attractive actors about the pitfalls of quarter life crisis (see: Garden State, (500) Days of Summer), purely so that he can select the film’s soundtrack (Klaxons’ “Golden Skans” for the slow-motion club scene, the XX’s “Crystalized” for the post-club bedroom scene). However, regardless of any posing, exaggerating, or musical taste embellishment, at the end of the day, Zach just loves music, in all of its beauty, ugliness, confusion, and romanticism. “So what do you love about music?” “Well, to begin with…everything.” – Russell Hammond, Almost Famous

On Zach’s Turntable: Last Nite / Adele

Posted by Zach Bernstein No Responses »

Feb 072012

Last Nite, Adele
A big thank you to Jack for bringing this cover to my attention. Simply put, if I were forced to name one song as my favorite song of all time, I would probably have to say the Strokes’ 2001 garage-punk gem “Last Nite,” off their marvelous debut Is This It (also probably my favorite album of all time). I was therefore thrilled to discover that the biggest and most talented breakout star of last year, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, had covered the song nearly four years ago for a BBC radio session. Who would have thought that Adele had such great taste in early millennial indie rock? By now, we’ve come to expect big, heart-on-sleeve power ballads and torch songs from the British soul star. “Last Nite” is something different entirely – a bare-bones, no-frills rock and roll song. Adele, however, gives the vocals of bluesy, soulful quality not present in Julian Casablancas’ wonderfully nasal delivery. She sounds completely at home on this cover and her R&B wail fits perfectly into the spots where Casablancas’ throat-lacerating screams used to be. Plus, they keep the chugging guitar and pounding drums of the original. For me, nothing will ever top the original, but Adele’s cover is fun and fresh, with the original sneer behind the song still intact. [via Indieshuffle]

On Zach’s Favorite Songs of 2011 List: #10-1

Posted by Zach Bernstein Comments Off

Jan 042012

And the countdown continues! Here they are, my ten favorite songs of the year! Please don’t judge me too harshly for some of these selections…

10. “The Edge of Glory,” Lady GaGa

RIP Clarence Clemons. Bruce Springsteen’s partner-in-crime had time to lend his orgasmic saxophonic touch to one last song before he passed away, but no one ever would have ever suspected it would be a Lady GaGa song. In some way, however, it seems strangely fitting. “The Edge of Glory,” the closer off Born This Way, carries that classic Springsteen spirit of reaching for one last chance, one final opportunity to better yourself and the situation around you. The Lady just chooses to express that sentiment in an entirely different way – with thunderous synths, furious strings, and one hell of a disco beat. It’s a peak hour anthem for an escapist electro-pop generation, as GaGa imbues his glittery pop with the romanticism of 1970s highway rock and roll. A match made in heaven, or at least a new wave nightclub.

The Edge of Glory, Lady GaGa

9. “Lucky Now,” Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams have reached his commercial highpoint several years ago, but this song, off the otherwise bland Ashes & Fire, proves that one of the past decade’s most prolific singer-songwriters hasn’t completely run out of juice just yet. It’s a sweet and simple song with guitar strumming and a piano background, before opening up with electric guitar in the final verse. It’s the perfect winter song with the lyrics “city of neon with toes that freeze.” It’s that classic alt-country sound that fans have come to expect from Adams. Plus, his vocals prove that he is still one of the best singers at conveying emotion. This time around though, he thankfully exudes all the pain and heartbreak of where he’s been, but complemented with his current complacency and calm. In “Lucky Now,” it proves to be a winning combination.

Lucky Now, Ryan Adams

8. “Hurts Like Heaven,” Coldplay

I’m not ashamed to admit my love of Coldplay. People make two primary critiques of their music – their lyrics are trite, meaningless platitudes about love and hope, and they write the same song every time. I’ll concede that both of those claims are completely valid and true; however, in this depressing world, are clichés and positive messages about hope the worst thing? Plus, I like that one song that they write. “Hurts Like Heaven,” the proper opener off this year’s ridiculously titled Mylo Xyloto, is classic Coldplay – spiraling guitars, piano crescendos, soaring vocals, but with a danceable twist. It’s the band’s most unabashed move yet towards straight pop, embracing all the current top 40 trends (listen for the subtle autotune on the verses). The song makes for a perfect introduction into an album that while it may have underperformed commercially, represents their most colorful and uplifting work yet.

Hurts Like Heaven, Coldplay

7. “Till the World Ends,” Britney Spears

Seeing as Ms. Spears can no longer dance the way she used to, it seems that her latest effort, Femme Fatale, was largely devoted to making her audience dance instead. There’s no better example of this than the sensational “Till the World Ends,” the best pop song of the year. In all of its mindless electro-pop glory, it perfectly sums up the partying ethic of the past year – well, the world might be going to crap, but dance anyways. Remember that scene in The Matrix Reloaded where all the people in Zion have a massive rave as the machines are closing in? This is what I picture as the soundtrack for that scene. It’s loud and arena-filling, with Spears’ robotic voice soaring above all the noise. If this song were playing during the apocalypse, which is apparently supposed to come later this year, I wouldn’t entirely mind. It would be a hell of a way to go out.

Till the World Ends, Britney Spears

6. “Otis,” Jay-Z and Kanye West

The best and most extravagant sample of the year, but would you expect anything less from these two titans of hip-hop? Embarrassingly, this song was the first time I was ever truly exposed to Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness.” I know, shameful. Blatant gaps in musical knowledge aside, “Otis” is braggadocious, arrogant fun from this year’s supergroup rap manifesto, Watch The Throne. Who else could get away with starting a song with a minute-long, egregiously expensive sample, purely to show that they can afford it, and then follow that with the claim, “I invented swag”? Otis’ words are reduced to a driving, rhythmic grunt reminiscent of Kanye West’s work for Jay-Z’s “Takeover.” Meanwhile, Jay-Z and Kanye run rampant all over the song, tossing off lyrics about Castro, supermodels, and Jesus, as well as coining the term “luxury rap.” If it didn’t exist before, it certainly does now.

Otis, Jay-Z and Kanye West

5. “Levels,” Avicii

Now this is how you make a dance song. I heard this track more than any other song as parties this fall, and with good reason. 22-year-old Swede Tim Bergling is a dance music wunderkind, and “Levels” pretty much gets everything right. Opening with a frenzy of electronic blips, the track fades out, only to bust wide open after the 1-minute mark with that anthemic hook, a rallying cry for progressive house fans everywhere. Stomping bass and synths carry “Levels” to yet another peak. By the time that grossly unnecessary and incredibly welcome Etta James sample comes in, a la “Something’s Got A Hold On Me,” the listener is in pure ecstasy. There’s really nothing else to say, you just have to hear the song for yourself.

Levels, Avicii

4. “Pumped Up Kicks,” Foster the People

Sometimes, pop music is at its best when it’s subversive. Every once in a while, a song comes along where you actually have to stop and listen to the lyrics, before realizing that you’re horrified by the subject matter. In 2011, that song was Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks,” a happy little surf-pop ditty about a school shooting. Those nasal vocals, maddeningly addictive bass line, and whistling solo (there was a lot of that this year) made for one of the most peculiar hits of the year, and it very well might be impossible for them to ultimately top (one-hit wonder anybody?) Either way, they’ve given us an indelible classic that we’ll still be listening to for years.

Pumped Up Kicks, Foster the People

3. “Helplessness Blues,” Fleet Foxes

Sometimes a song hits you at just the right moment in your life when you can relate to its message perfectly. For me, this song in 2011 was the Fleet Foxes’ “Helplessness Blues,” the title track off their gorgeous sophomore effort. At a moment in my life when I’m trying to figure out what exactly I want to do on this planet, the song’s sentiments about finding one’s purpose in life struck a chord with me. Plus, there’s the spectacular instrumentation. Fleet Foxes put their CSNY and Beach Boys influences on full display with furiously strummed guitars and beautiful vocal harmonies mostly unheard in today’s music world. Plus, frontman Robin Pecknold’s voice sounds positively angelic, truly one of the best voices in rock music today. By the time that time signature-change coda comes in, the song soars. They simply don’t write songs this beautiful anymore.

Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes

2. “Love on Top,” Beyonce

Beyonce’s aptly titled fourth album, 4, didn’t quite take off this year in the way her previous three solo albums have. That’s ironic, considering that it contained some of her most impressive and dynamic work to date. “Love on Top” made a brief blip on the charts after Beyonce performed the song on the VMAs, shortly preceding the very public announcement of her pregnancy. This song deserved way more attention than that. It’s a rare R&B song in 2011 that sounds completely timeless and joyous. Beyonce is clearly over the moon with happiness, and it shows not only in the lyrics, but also in the music. Finger snaps, disco horns, and five dizzying key changes later, it’s the year’s most rapturous love song. As much as people might mock the key changes, it puts Beyonce’s remarkable vocal talents on center stage, right where they belong. A hell of a song.

Love on Top, Beyonce

1. “Holocene,” Bon Iver

I wrote about this song back in August, and the way that I feel about it still stands, except that now I’m declaring it my favorite song of the year. Sometimes it can’t exactly be explained what a song is about, but rather, it’s what the song makes you feel that’s important. Bon Iver knows exactly how to encapsulate feeling and emotion in ethereal pieces of music that aren’t so much songs as they are moods. “Holocene” is a slow-burning combination of acoustic guitar, electronic haze, and Vernon’s disembodied vocals. As his falsettoed croon flows in front and back behind the wall of music, the slowly beating drum hits and repeated refrain of “I can see for miles” seem otherwordly. “Holocene” can stir so many emotions, but for my part, it conjures a mix of pathos, nostalgia, and sadness. It’s the soundtrack to waiting alone on the platform for a train and then staring wordlessly out the window of the train as the city skyline rushes by. It’s the score to rainy Sunday mornings in the house and late nights standing under a streetlamp. It’s the uncertainty of having no idea where you’re going while being utterly unable to remember where you’ve been. It’s the most moving and poetic song of the year.

Holocene, Bon Iver

Happy 2012 everybody! Here’s hoping we have another year of great music ahead of us.

On Zach’s Favorite Songs of 2011 List: #20-11

Posted by Zach Bernstein Comments Off

Dec 312011

Well, it’s that time of year again. Music bloggers and critics invade their internet with their picks for the best tracks of the year. It’s an impossible task because it’s inevitably colored by a heavy dose of subjectivity. Nonetheless, it must be done. Unlike my fellow tablrs, I won’t be doing albums of the year because frankly, I didn’t buy enough albums this year. However, I did download plenty of songs. I’m coming to this a little bit late (December 30th), but now, happily and defensively, I bring you #20 – 11 of my favorite tracks of the year.

20. “Need You Now” – Cut Copy

No, it’s not a Lady Antebellum cover. Australian electronic outfit Cut Copy reached a critical and musical breakthrough this year with their well-reviewed third album Zonoscope, Slow-building album opener “Need You Now” takes their nostalgic, 80’s synth bliss to a whole new level. At six minutes, Cut Copy certainly makes you wait for the drop, but it’s delayed gratification at its best. Shimmering synths, bouncing bass, and nasal new-wave vocals – all the romantic desperation and euphoric release of 1980s pop is there (“I know we’re going crazy, but I need you now). This dancefloor sentiment is perfect for 2011 – the world might be ending, so just grab someone and get lost in the music.

Need You Now, Cut Copy

19. “Hello (Remix)” – Martin Solveig and D-WHY

The dumbest party jam of the year, not that there’s anything wrong with that. French DJ Martin Solveig’s collaboration with Dragonette, “Hello,” the song from those gum commercials, was already inane enough, featuring a stadium stomp beat, clapping, and that manic, lodged-in-your-cerebellum hook. Rising hip-hop artist/DJ D-WHY drops a verse over the original, which is by no means a novel concept, but he plays off the flirtatious vibe of Dragonette’s vocals, complementing them with a hedonistic verse of his own. The resulting interplay between the male and female voices gives the song a sexier and sleazier vibe – perfect proof that stupid is sometimes the best strategy.

Hello (Remix) – D-WHY

18. “Immigrant Song” – Karen O, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross

I can’t think of any song that could have more perfectly scored the trailer and opening sequence for David Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The song was probably chosen mostly on its on its opening line, “come from the land of the ice and snow,” and the film’s setting in Sweden. However, in this electrifying cover, this Led Zeppelin classic comes to embody all of the horror, dread, and noir sexuality of the movie. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs screeches and thrashes like Robert Plant while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross create a bleak, industrial techno soundscape akin to what they created for The Social Network. Normally, I’m not a fan of this kind of music, but this cover is a truly exceptional.

Immigrant Song, Karen O / Trent Reznor / Atticus Ross

17. “Taken For A Fool” – The Strokes

Admittedly, the Strokes long-awaited fourth album, Angles, was a colossal disappointment. However, not all was completely lost – there were still a few great cuts, including the driving “Taken For A Fool.” Frontman Julian Casablancas sings in that nasal, filtered vocal style that made his performance on Is This It so dynamic. The track employs the same brand of whirring, memorable guitar hooks and driving rhythmic force that characterized the early 2000s garage rock renaissance that the band helped to kick off. Even Elvis Costello gave this song his stamp of approval when he performed it with the band at Madison Square Garden earlier this year. One of the year’s best old-school rock cuts.

The Strokes, Taken For A Fool

16. “Eyes Be Closed” – Washed Out

The leadoff track from this year’s chillwave breakthrough, Washed Out’s Within and Without, is heavy on atmospherics and delightfully mellow. With trip-hop beats, shimmering synths, and computerized horns, Greene wails over a sea of new age sounds with seemingly incomprehensible lyrics. But in this case, it’s not really the lyrics that are important, or even the music for that matter – it’s the ambiance. Sure, this might sound a song that could play at a day spa or some Eurochic hotel (I admittedly heard a lot of chillwave music like this last year in my London hotel), but that doesn’t mean it isn’t awesome.

Eyes Be Closed, Washed Out

15. “Midnight City” – M83

Why is it that the French know how to channel our nation’s collective 1980’s John Hughes-soundtrack nostalgia better than we do? All the blogs and critics have been gushing about this song (cough cough Pitchfork), but with good reason. Anthony Gonzales of M83 has truly crafted one of the most epic tracks of the year with this ode to dreams and urban sprawl. Ebbing and flowing, “Midnight City” coasts on glacial, ghostly vocal delivery in the verses before erupting into splendid cacophony on the choruses, featuring falsetto vocals, stadium-filling drums, and a mélange of synths. Plus that awesomely kitchy saxophone solo (more of that later in the countdown). That Victoria’s Secret ad didn’t hurt either.

Midnight City, M83

14. “One and Only” – Adele

Adele Laurie Blue Atkins and her powerhouse sophomore album 21 were by far the biggest musical success story of the year. Like everyone else on the planet, I bought it, but my favorite cut from the LP wasn’t the much-overplayed, albeit phenomenal “Rolling In The Deep” or the torch ballad to end all torch ballads, “Someone Like You.” For me, it was all about “One and Only,” an old-school, gospel throwback. Its chorus shows off the simultaneous grit and tenderness of Adele’s voice, while the instrumentation sounds straight out of Detroit in the late 1960s. Plus, the sentiment – longing and daring for someone just to give you a chance – is something that we can all relate to.

One and Only, Adele

13. “Civilization” – Justice

A few years ago, French DJ duo/electronic music act Justice (I guess there’s a lot of Frenchmen on this list) took the indie world by storm as the heirs apparent to the legacy of Daft Punk. One mega-smash later (“D.A.N.C.E.”), they disappeared just as quickly as they had arrived, only to reemerge four years later with this blistering cut off their sophomore album Audio, Video, Disco. Channeling unlikely influences like Black Sabbath and AC/DC, the men of Justice finally get to be rock stars over a rollicking, industrial electronic chorus, falsetto vocals, and verse structure mimicking “Iron Man.” Rock/rave on.

Civilization, Justice

12. “Shake It Out” – Florence + The Machine

It’s a timeless pop/R&B staple – the ode to letting everything go and dancing the night away. Dozens of artists have done it, but none of them have done it with quite the same degree of whimsy and gothic grandeur as Florence Welch. This triumphant cut, “Shake It Off,” was easily the highlight of her spectacular sophomore album Ceremonials. Over swelling organs, tribal stomp drums and tambourines, and that towering sonic force of a voice, Welch cuts loose. She wails, “It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back, so shake him off!” Not exactly the happiest of sentiments, but that’s what we’ve come to expect from Florence. Joy and pain go hand in hand in her music, as they often do in life in general.

Shake It Out, Florence + The Machine

11. “The Walk” – Mayer Hawthorne

I tried all semester to introduce my roommate, a fellow turntablr writer, to music that he would like (apparently I only listen to “whiny white people” music, you’ll understand after you see my #1 pick). I finally succeeded with this old-school soul throwback off Detroit-bred Hawthorne’s How Do You Do. It’s a classic kiss-off that sounds like it came straight out of Motown, until you hear the NSFW second verse. That being said, it’s hard not to love this track, with its sensual lyrics, vintage horn stabs, and Mayer’s smooth vocal delivery. Like all great break-up pop songs, it manages to be funny, angry, and sad all at the same time. This guy should be much more famous than he is. Hilarious music video too.

The Walk, Mayer Hawthorne

#10 – 1 coming soon! Happy new year everybody!

On Zach’s Turntable: Love On Top / Beyonce

Posted by Zach Bernstein No Responses »

Oct 202011

Love on Top, Beyonce
So this might be a shamelessly mainstream song for an music blog post, but a good song is a good song. Beyonce has been one of the most magnetic, compelling, and flat-out absurdly talented stars of the past decade. Her hits have truly universal appeal. Seriously, find one person who doesn’t like “Crazy in Love.” Her recently released fourth album, the aptly titled 4, hasn’t made quite as big of a splash as her past three efforts. Maybe it’s because the majority of its material is more low-key than the brassiness of her past hits. However, there are some truly great tracks on this album, most notably the old-school throwback “Love On Top.” The song first garnered national attention when she performed it on the VMA’s, only to then reveal her baby bump to the world. It appeared on the iTunes singles chart for about two days afterwards and then plummeted back into obscurity. And what a shame, because this song is one of her all-time best. Riding a classic chord progression and soulful horns, Beyonce delivers some of her smoothest, most soulful vocals to date. The chorus is insanely catchy, and just in case it wasn’t successfully lodged in your head after the first two go-arounds, Beyonce repeats it five times at the end through a truly absurd four key changes. Just when you think she can’t possibly sing any higher, she just keeps going. What a song – filled with loving emotion, soul, and true musical talent. I hope you love this track as much as I do, because I’ve played it about twenty times in past 24 hours.

On Zach’s Turntable: The Walk / Mayer Hawthorne

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Oct 112011

The Walk, Mayer Hawthorne
Hello internet! It’s been a long time since my last post here on the tablr. Way too long. Inexcusably long. No matter though, because I’m back, and bringing you an awesome cut from a hot rising talent. If I played Mayer Hawthorne’s “The Walk” for you without any introduction, you might think it was some long-lost Smokey Robinson cut as performed by a forgotten Motown one-hit wonder. Hawthorne, with this week’s release of his sophomore album How Do You Do, has a vintage sound and is generating some serious praise. Sure, he doesn’t look like Smokey Robinson (white, nerdy, hipster glasses), but his sound is classic R&B. “The Walk” is one of his finest, filled with classic horn stabs, smooth vocals, gospel background singers and harmonies, and instrumental drums (no drum machines here). The lyrical content is nothing particularly novel – just a girl who done him wrong. But the imagery of the song, praising the girl’s physical attributes while denouncing her character flaws, is truly memorable. I’m a sucker for the 21st century soul revival (Adele, Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse RIP), and Hawthorne is just another dose of nostalgic ear candy to fuel my addiction. Enjoy it.

On Zach’s Turntable: If You Want Me To Stay / Red Hot Chili Peppers

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Aug 242011

If You Want Me To Stay, Red Hot Chili Peppers
I was inspired by the recent return of the Red Hot Chili Peppers to write about one of my favorite obscurities of theirs, a cover of Sly and the Family Stone’s “If You Want Me To Stay.” I went through a tremendous Chili Peppers kick in 9th grade upon the release of their double-disc epic Stadium Arcadium. I bought almost every album and was completely obsessed until I hit my indie rock kick in 10th grade, but recently, their increasing press has led me to rediscover their catalog. Coming from their 1985 sophomore effort Freaky Styley, “If You Want Me To Stay” remains remarkably faithful to Sly’s original, largely because at this point in their career, the Peppers hadn’t quite yet transitioned into their trademark blend of funk, rap, and rock, and this is as close as the band ever got to straight funk. Anthony Keidis’ hasn’t quite discovered his voice yet, so he opts for a similar drawl to that of Sly Stone, while the band fleshes out the arrangement with vintage-sounding horns and Flea’s ever-wobbling bass. It’s a tremendously funky number, and one of the band’s most underrated performances. It’s certainly a far cry from the sounds they’re making today, but very much worth a listen.

On Zach’s Turntable: Blue In Green / Miles Davis

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Aug 222011

Blue In Green, Miles Davis
We do a lot of indie music and classic throwbacks on this blog, so I’ll change up the stylistic flow here a little bit with some vintage jazz. Miles Davis’ seminal 1959 album Kind Of Blue defined the concept of modern jazz with its melodic and improvisational experimentation within scales, as opposed to chords, a format that would come to be known as “modal jazz.” Aside from its creative and structural importance, Kind Of Blue, was a gathering of jazz deities of sorts, featuring a sextet with Davis on trumpet, Cannonball Adderley on alto saxophone, John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Jimmy Cobb, and pianists Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans. That’s an all-star team right there, and it shows in the album’s five brilliant compositions. I was first introduced to “Blue In Green” on Bill Evans’ 1959 recording Portrait in Jazz. I absolutely love the recording, and it has long been disputed whether the true authorship of the song lies with Evans or Davis. As much as I love the Evans version, the first time I ever heard the version on Kind Of Blue, Davis’ first sorrowful trumpet blast nearly broke my heart. It’s an achingly beautiful song, with a moving sax solo from Coltrane and Evans’ background piano. Davis’ trumpet soars and dives, echoing the deeply sorrowful mood of the track. It’s certainly the kind of song that evokes an after-hours last call at a bar or in my own vision, a man chasing his lover down the street, but can’t catch up with her before she gets into a cab. This song will undoubtedly evoke a number of different images for different people; how will “Blue In Green” affect you? It’s that kind of song.

On Zach’s Turntable: Civilization / Justice

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Aug 192011

Civilization, Justice
Back in 2007, Parisian dance duo Justice, composed of DJs Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay, took the electronic music world by storm to fill dancefloors and the French dance music void sadly left by the relative disappearance of Daft Punk (I’m still waiting for a real fourth album, that Tron soundtrack doesn’t count). Over epic, thundering disco beats like “D.A.N.C.E.,” “Phantom,” and “We Are Your Friends,” they packed arenas and were crowned the new kings of dance music. And then they virtually vanished, like their robotic predecessors before them. Fortunately, they’re poised to come back this year, and in a big way. Their music sports a bold, almost heavy-metal like quality to it, with stadium-filling synths and booming bass. The upcoming album, Audio, Video, Disco, isn’t supposed to drop until October, but for now, you can enjoy the first single, “Civilization,” in case you missed its release earlier in April. “Civilization” opens like a slice of post-apocalyptic nu-metal disco, with winding, grinding guitars and an insistent cymbal beat, reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” Then, once the alternate rhythms kick in, a nasal vocal line joins in and the song only grows in scale. It’s a pounding dance track that somehow transforms itself into a hard rock jam. It will be sure to fill arenas worldwide, and it only increases my anticipation for the new album.

On Zach’s Turntable: There She Goes / The La’s

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Aug 162011

There She Goes, The La’s

The other day, Disney’s 1998 remake of The Parent Trap was on ABC Family. I don’t care how old you are, that is still a great movie. Sure, it’s a little bit depressing now to watch Natasha Richardson (RIP) and to know how much of a trainwreck then-11 year old Lindsay Lohan became, but the film itself is still funny and heartwarming. However, one thing you may not remember about the movie is how phenomenal its soundtrack is. It features some great late 90s throwbacks (OMC’s “How Bizarre,” anyone?) and underrated old-fashioned pop (the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Do You Believe in Magic?”) Whether or not you realize it, that movie is the only reason anyone of our generation knows the lyrics to Nat King Cole’s “L-O-V-E.” Embarrassingly enough, that movie was also the first time I’d ever heard “Here Comes The Sun” (albeit a cover version). However, my favorite track by far from that whole movie is the La’s 1988 chart blip “There She Goes.” To refresh your memory, “There She Goes” plays loud and clear during the scene in which Hallie first arrives in London and sticks her head out the window to see all of the sights. The La’s were a London band and one-hit wonder that were quite ahead of their time. Their jangly, very British sound was about five years too early, both on the jangly front (Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms) and the British part (Oasis, Travis). This song is near perfect – spiraling, clanging guitars, Jagger-esque vocals, and a classic rock and roll lyric confusion story. As proof that no one ever actually listens to the lyrics of a song, this is a great cut about a flighty, unpredictable girl….or heroin (“there she goes, pulsing through my veins). Subtext aside, it’s a wonderful song from a band that just couldn’t get their timing right. Enjoy this in all of its head-bobbing, ear candy glory.

On Zach’s Turntable: Stay Young, Go Dancing / Death Cab For Cutie

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Aug 132011

Stay Young, Go Dancing, Death Cab For Cutie
We’ve written a fair amount this summer here at Turntablr about Death Cab For Cutie’s new album, Codes and Keys. Not without good reason, however, because it boasts some of the best songwriting of their career. Sure, it may not have the elegiac, moody piano epics of Transatlanticism or the shimmering, quarter-life crisis stricken gems of Plans, but that’s mainly because finally, at long last, frontman Ben Gibbard seems to be happy. After marrying actress and She & Him crooner Zooey Deschanel, his songs have bright, sunny guitar solos and some of the most optimistic lyrics of his career. The finest example of this trend on DcFc’s newest effort is the closer, “Stay Young, Go Dancing.” The track consists primarily just of acoustic guitar strumming, with Gibbard’s opening lines of “life is sweet / in the belly of the beast.” Instead of wallowing in his own mortality and futilely battling it, as he might have in earlier releases, Gibbard seems to have embraced a happy acceptance of the passing of time, so long as he gets to spend it with the one he loves. The song’s arrangement is fairly simple, featuring occasionally fluttering strings and Gibbard’s characteristically striking vocal harmonies. It calls to mind summer days with friends, especially with its frequent references to the passing of the seasons. Regardless of what may happen, Gibbard will “stay young and go dancing,” pledging to maintain his optimistic outlook.