14 Foot 1 – “Christ Grenades” [2007]
Math-rock is the new punk.
14 Foot 1’s “Christ Grenades” is a super fun album.
Youthful, catchy, sloppy, life-affirming math for your ears.
These kids were dreaming big, and they actually managed to pull of some pretty rad moments. The songs are kinetic and fun, and there is some electronic / overdubbed ear candy interspersed to spice things up.
These guys still play shows from time to time, and its rumored that a new album is on the way. Stay tuned! STREAM or DOWNLOAD
A Canadian group that has managed to keep me coming back time and time again to their 2009 release "migration". If your thinking this is because these guys play some kind of future bending face melting psych drone alien pop well your wrong. Arietta do almost nothing that you haven't heard before. Sounds like a bad start but consider this.
These guys travel in a highly refined pop / post-hardcore climate that is a seeming distillation of both of these genre's best aspects. Fairly complex without being heavy handed as well as some interesting jagged riffs that have been sanded to perfection. Its this balance that keeps Arietta from sounding like a boring copy of other such bands. Vocals are well sung and lyrics dont become too embarrassingly ridiculous. If your not sold by this description well you should be. This is incredibly well constructed song craft and 85% of these songs are catchy as sin. I'm a super sucker for catchy hooks and memorable chorus's just as much as I fiend for stabs of dark dissonant mayhem, again balance. Always surprised that I don't see these them getting talked up more because they are easily more deserving than half of the groups I hear twirling their guitars around.
I realize now that, by this point, i have not posted half as much Bloc Party as i should have. Though the crew and our readers here at the Swords favor a more mathy steez, and i definitely love the massive amount of awesome music coming from our blog, Bloc Party fits a way more mainstream mold of songcraft. I feel as to issue a challenge to my fellow Sworders, to post or comment current pop music that tickles your fancy. I have a nostalgic love of musicians who make songs that are not only tight and interesting, but also refined in their skills at making a more simplified chord progression unique, and at writing songs that catch you on an emotional level.
I Still Remember is probably the most sentimental example i could use for a starting point though: the lyrics are pure emo pop gold. The verses talk about fleeting moments with a person you are crushing on, and the longing for something more to come of the times you spent with that person. Then the chorus hits, with lines about wishing the signals had been more clear between the two of you. This can all easily be read as simplicity expounded upon, but the song craft lies within its execution. The instrumental layers and catchy melodies really kick my ass, and even though its cheesy, i can rely upon this song to remind me that love can be more a reaction than a feeling in uncertain instances.
it comes at the tail end of a darkly optimistic album that i have loved for many years now. the link is below; more to come.
This is just the song of the day. I got out of work, flipped through my iPod looking for something to listen to while i drove around for a few minutes before going home, and i settled on Starfuckers first, self-titled album. Track one starts things off with a great pop bang; just cool instruments, a nice groove and catchy harmonized vocals. It was a nice drive home.
I've known Starfucker for a few years, from a few singles and random times of remembering their name and finding youtube tracks of theirs. Again, before a recent trip to Newbury Comics, i was checking The Onion AV Club for music reviews and saw their name with a very good grade next to it, so i picked up Reptilians. Its nice electropop with a breezy, summertime dance party feel. They write tight little pop tracks with great vocals and intricate, interesting instrumentation. The first song of theirs that I remember was from their self titled album; the song went on to being used in a car commercial. Must have been pretty silly, being a band called Starfucker and having a big company want to use one of your songs. But who could deny the commercial wonder of this track; its simple beat, lovely vocals and polyrhythmic panned guitars and bass are just so damn smooth and tight.
There is a great variety of stuff on both of their releases; having just gotten into them, that makes it a bit harder to absorb it all, but i have been digging it all. Its very nice stuff. starfucker reptilians
