| Thursday, June 21, 2007 |
| MOTW #17: Dirty On Purpose - No Radio |
Alright people, I know you missed me. Vicky and Faye decided that harassing me in regards to the MOTW would get me to post again. Well, it worked, ladies, so great job! :D
This week's artist will be introducing a lot of you to a genre you might not have heard of before: Shoegazer. Now, some people hate categorizing music, but I'm very anal about my collection that currently showcases 123 genres (no joke)! So now you must be wondering (at least some of you): what is shoegazer? Well, this genre of music got its name because the artists would use so many pedals that their eyes focused mostly on the pedals, shoegazing. Aaaah!
The band's name is Dirty On Purpose, and the song is 'No Radio' from their very successful debut, Hallelujah Sirens. How successful? They were nominated for Best Indie Rock album at the Plug Independent Music Awards this year. What do I like about them? First of all, their sound is so volumetric that it in itself is an experience. The near-falsetto voices and the beautiful harmonies do wonders too. And to add to that, the lyrics are perfect for anyone that enjoys driving or riding in cars:
You fell asleep,
You drifted off,
And left me all alone,
No radio,
No radio,
Just dashboard glow...
I don't know about you, but I have moments where I love turning off the music, turning the air low, and just enjoying the sounds of the car. Or when I'm driving with a friend and though there are no words, there's this unspoken bond or acceptance that everything is okay, that in that moment the silence speaks more than words could express. In those moments, it's hard not to appreciate the beauty and simplicity of life, and I love how wonderfully this song expresses that.
The chorus, in addition to the verses, conveys this picture of the journey of life that, though vague, does well to express what life is about. We'll go to new places physically, emotionally, spiritually. There are places we never will visit no matter how much we would want to. We will be of assistance to someone, as will others to us. And some things, we'll just have to loosen our grasp and let go of. Beautiful in its simplicity, like I said.
So there you have it: a new band, a new song, a new genre. I think I did well for my first week back on the job. What do you think?
Dirty On Purpose - No Radio
Full lyrics:
The sun came up,
The sun came up,
And we left home.
You packed your bags,
Said your goodbyes,
We hit the road.
No radio,
No radio,
Just one good friend.
Our eyes collide,
You look away,
You know that this will end.
There are places we've never been before,
There are places we'll never know,
There are times, when you'll need to help someone,
There are times you'll need to let go.
The sun went down,
The sun went down,
We headed home.
You fell asleep,
You drifted off,
And left me all alone.
No radio,
No radio,
Just dashboard glow.
I'll visit you,
I say that now,
But no one knows.
There are places we've never been before,
There are places we'll never know,
There are times, when you'll need to help someone,
There are times you'll need to let go.
Let go...
Labels: mp3 of the week |
posted by Arpit Mehta @ 12:20 AM  
 |
|
| 19 Comments: |
-
First of all, I'll say, "Welcome back, Arpit!" Next time you take an extended holiday from sfeed, you need to get permission. I thought you fell off the face of the earth. :P
Second, the musical choice was interesting. I REALLY enjoyed the instrumentation. I didn't care too much for the vocals, though. Anyway, my opinion doesn't really matter 'cause my musical taste is quite limited.
So overall, I'd give you 8/10 for your first week back on the job. :)
-
Yeah on first listening it doesn't grab me, although like faye, I liked the instrumentation but the vocals weren't "my cup of tea". It's okay though, I'll listen to it a few more times probably.
-
I like the way they added everything in slowly at the beginning. Nice stuff.
123? wow...i didn't think there even were 123 different genres.
-
I have to agree with Faye and Nat. The music was great and the lyrics too, but the vocals I didn't like that much.
But maybe it's the kind of song that grows on you. I'll definitely give it another try.
Good job though!
-
Shoegazing...that's an amazing name!!!! And it makes so much sense!!!!
-
@ Faye - ha! I took permission from the one person I needed to - me... well, and Dr. Phil :D And I can live with 8/10.
@ Nat - what I really like about the vocals is that they remind me of the Beatles a little bit. And I'm seriously tired of the "let's power through the whole song" approach
@ Mukta - yeah, you'd be surprised - I used to have 12 or so, but then Rhapsody came along, and it just changed my entire perspective on genres!
@ Susy - give it a shot - it might grow on ya, it might not!
@ Brittany - heh, glad you like the name of the genre - it's one of my favorite genre names, right up there with Twee and Baroque Pop :D
-
Glad to have you back Arpit! This song reminded me of one of the Beatles' Christmas songs (the melody and vocals anyways). I guess I like it, but like the others said, it will have to grow on me. Thanks for posting!
-
love the artwork, love the album, love the name, love the song, love the VOCALS! (what are you people fussing about?!) vocals sound like a minty mix of win butler, ben gibbard and conor oberst. ahh arpit you are a breath of fresh air. good to have you back.
-
@ Kate - yeup, definitely Beatles-esque
@ Vicki - Did you leave 3 comments and delete the 2 above??
-
yes i did. got a problem with it? huh huh??
:P
and seriously, check your fb. if you make that mistake one more time... i'm poking u.
-
Thanks - I had to go clean up your mess... and what misspelling are you talking about?
-
I really enjoyed that song.
123 genres...and which one contains switchfoot?
-
i knew your ocd self would have to clean my mess. why do you think i left it there?
and if you would ever check your facebook, you would know! actually, you should know by now because you posted a picture on there just a few hours ago... so you should know by now.
-
@ Melissa - Switchfoot falls under Power Pop, and glad you enjoyed the song!
@ Vicky - I saw your comment, and that's why I asked - where did I misspell your name??
-
uh, in the post AND in your previous comment AND on the switchboard.
-
D'oh... Vicky/Vicki - tom-a-toes/tom-aa-toes :D
-
whoaaaa! I loved the song!!! thanks
-
Aha! A genre I recognize (he-he). ;D
I think the reason why most commenters didn't appreciate the vocals is, it's supposed to be unintelligible...? if we were to compare it with the shoegazing in the 80's, pre-Brit pop, that is. :D
Thanks for sharing, Arpit! I always look forward to hearing something new. :D
-
anyone that will be in the Chicago area for August 16th should definately check out Dirty On Purpose-- its free too!
http://chicago.going.com/invite-6289
|
| |
| << Home |
| |
|
|
|
First of all, I'll say, "Welcome back, Arpit!" Next time you take an extended holiday from sfeed, you need to get permission. I thought you fell off the face of the earth. :P
Second, the musical choice was interesting. I REALLY enjoyed the instrumentation. I didn't care too much for the vocals, though. Anyway, my opinion doesn't really matter 'cause my musical taste is quite limited.
So overall, I'd give you 8/10 for your first week back on the job. :)