To Fall Is Connected To Try

#FUZZworthy new music right here from Mikhael Paskalev, a Norwegian-Bulgarian dude with an interesting take on the famous game of "I Spy"...well, he borrows a line from it, anyway.

What I love about this song (Other than its catchy lyrics and great video) is the harmonica. It makes this song sound almost mature, in a way. It reminded me of something I'd hear on Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska or Ghost of Tom Joad or maybe even some Bob Dylan. Maybe not quite as meaningful or poignant as those songs, but still with some feeling. 

The song itself is a little under two years old. Much like KONGOS, Bastille and other artists recently in the alternative vein, Paskalev is riding that delayed start in the USA wave, playing music that's actually "old" but still "new" to the states. 

It reminds me of a mix of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, with a hint of Lumineers and maybe just a pinch of Vance Joy. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

What do you think? #FUZZworthy?

So...yeah, kinda let this fall through the cracks, but now's as good a time as any to bring it back...with an older song. Bear with me here.

Radiohead is a band that really polarizes music fans. I have a ton of friends who I trust to point me in the direction of good music and, overall, we share a lot of the same tastes. Those friends all seem to have extreme opinions of Radiohead. They either love this band and think they are the most genius band to pick up instruments, or that they are pretentious, noisey hacks who can't write a good hook to save their lives and gave up on making music for just making background bleeps and blips and calling it music. There is no middle ground. People either fawn over Thom Yorke's falsetto and that odd lazy-eyed grin, or they'll run screaming when they hear his hard-to-interpret lyricism or maybe if they've heard "Fitter, Happier", that's enough to turn them off.

I think the gist of what I'm saying, and my reason for posting this particular song, is that music strikes us in very different ways. Sometimes, it's a scary thing, stepping out and discovering new music. You're never sure where you may end up, and sometimes, you're not going to like it, and you'll find yourself running back to your comfort food, the songs you know and love and feel safe with.

This song is about changing. It's about the end of something (Life, a relationship, a situation, etc) and then the subsequent actions to try to adapt and live with it. The obvious cannibalistic lyrics aside ("Squash his head/put him in the pot; Still there's no point in letting him go to waste"), I think it also speaks to being able to accept that something or someone is gone, and that it's important to catch that mouse, the seed of doubt, and dispose of it. Eat it, conquer it, and you'll move on. "Knives Out" is about being ready.

And you should always be ready. For new adventures, new experiences, new thoughts and ideas that haven't even crossed your mind...and new music. Maybe you hadn't heard that Radiohead song before now. It's from 2001's Amnesiac, which is criminally underrated, mostly because it's all outtakes/filler that didn't make the critically acclaimed Kid A album a year earlier. It's a song that is famous for taking 373 days to record. The guitar progression in this is a nod to Johnny Marr from the Smiths, who was flattered when he heard it. 

I've gotta do a better job of updating this regularly (With new music), but let this be a warning to you: Be ready, no matter what. And adapt. Always look to adapt.

#FUZZworthy 

Many bands these days find themselves victims of revisionist history with their fans. You look at a band like Linkin Park, who can seemingly do a lot wrong with their fans these days. Yes, there are those who still love the band and what they have evolved into, but there are a significant amount of fans who pine for the days of Papercut, In the End and even Somewhere I Belong. Hell, some fans would even take What I've Done over the current installment of LP. 

But, this post isn't about LP. Rather, it's about a band called Kasabian, who are fighting that same battle of evolving or changing, to the chagrin of their long-time fans. 

I'll admit, I am not among those long-time fans. I only know a little about Kasabian, but I know enough to know that they're UK stalwarts that, at the height of their powers, were considered among the chief "competitors" with Muse, Arctic Monkeys and even Radiohead for top live band in all of Europe. This performance of Fire should serve as evidence enough of their live prowess.

The difference between Kasabian then and now seems to be a lack (at least in this song) of guitars, with a little more lean to pop-sensibilities, or, at least, something you can dance to. I would argue that Kasabian has always been one of the few rock bands that you actually COULD dance to, but this seems to be the first time they've actually been aware of it. The song has a great hook, a driving drum beat, and is KILLER live, as seen here.

But, the real question... is this song #FUZZworthy?

As always, hit me with FUZZworthy songs by email at [email protected] or on twitter-dot-com @TDTFerg.

ALBUM REVIEW: Tove Lo - Queen of the Clouds

Wasn't really planning on doing new album reviews here, but there was a recent review of this album that, quite frankly, made me wanna break unsecured objects around me.

Tove Lo...or Swedish Lorde, as she was sold to me. She's written songs for Icona Pop, Cher Lloyd, Victoria Justice and a few other mini-celebs in the pop music and culture world, so, similar to Lady GaGa, she saw an opportunity to sing her own songs and see what happens. She hit some fame last year when "Habits (Stay High)" took off overseas. Soon enough, the song would start getting some play on Alt Nation way back in April this year, and, thanks to a pretty trippy remix from Hippy Sabotage, Habits turned into a monster breakout single for Tove Lo.

The 26-year old transitioned that into her first full-length album, "Queen of the Clouds", which came out earlier today. The review that I read for this album was awfully shallow and superficial for an album that is so emotional and open. Here our young intrepid college reporter was talking about how Habits is "not a bad frat song" which I think kind of belittles the message of the song, which is that getting your heart broken SUCKS and that, sometimes, the pain is so great that any person, be they guy or girl, will do some crazy shit just to get their ex off of his/her mind. 

On an album level, Tove had a interesting theme of what most relationships (At least, the ones that don't end well) feel like. The album is split into three categories: The Sex, The Love, and the Pain. From there, the songs break into the three categories, with the early tracks oozing with lust and those initial feelings of physical attraction in the beginning of any relationship. "Talking Body" is a pretty up front with a chorus that includes "If we're talking body, you've got a perfect one" and "If you love me right, we fuck for life"...a little forward, but okay.

On to part two, The Love, which finds Tove Lo opening up a little more about her fears, her past and where this relationship can go, in her mind. Moments finds her describing how she may not be the prettiest, and she might get a little drunk, but on her good days she is "charming as fuck". Again, aggressive, but we'll allow it. "Got Love" and "Not On Drugs" are two standouts from this part of the album. 

Part three, The Pain, sees our heroine at her most vulnerable, on the tail-end of a relationship that has clearly taken a toll on her psyche and, as we'll see in "Habits", it's also affecting her physically. Tove closes with "This Time Around", a song that reads like the prototypical break-up song, lamenting about broken promises about things being different and how Tove has become numb to some of the feelings and pain the relationship has put her through.

What I really enjoy about this album is Tove's candor and honesty. You don't know her personally (Obviously), but you feel like you can better understand where she's coming from and what she's singing about, because of how she has laid her soul bare. There are a few filler tracks in this album, but, for the most part, Tove's beats and song-writing potential shine through. 

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being Led Zeppelin IV and 1 being NOW That's What I Call Music! Volume 50, I give this a solid 7.5. A great debut for someone who has a lot of potential to grow.

Speaking of potential to grow, I would be remiss if I didn't at least say that I don't like picking on college writers who are honestly just learning to write for newspapers and aren't getting paid to do so. Perhaps the reviewer felt what I felt listening to this album, but couldn't quite express it in the limited space she was afforded? I just hate to see something as vulnerable and open as Tove Lo being compared to "We Dem Boyz" and other assorted "frat songs." She's so much more than that.