2004 – Unsung Sundays https://unsungsundays.com What you should be listening to. Thu, 24 Mar 2016 02:58:11 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.1 Soulwax: Any Minute Now https://unsungsundays.com/album-reviews/soulwax-minute-now/ Sun, 06 Apr 2014 12:01:35 +0000 http://unsungsundays.com/?post_type=album_reviews&p=890 Any Minute Now is a strange mix of electro and alt-rock that would have felt out of place in the post-rock world of 2004, but that same willingness to be different is what makes the record as cool as it is.

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I’ll be the first person to tell you that the mid–2000s were a crazy and weird time for rock music. Soulwax is great evidence of that. This Belgian rock group, headed by two brothers, experiments with blending hard-hitting rock and pop punk-inspired tracks with electronica. Even today, there aren’t many bands like Soulwax — and depending on your position on Any Minute Now, that might be a good thing.

The lead single’s video from the record, E Talking, was banned because it was too explicit in its description of hallucinogenic drug use. Hard-hitting tracks like Any Minute Now and Please… Don’t Be Yourself (which might be the most electronic track on the album) dominate the record.

The band barely lets up, with songs like The Truth Is So Boring being the closest you’ll get to a slow burner. Want to rock out like it’s 2004 all over again? Throw on KracK. Want to get your groove on? Throw on YYY/NNN. This album is a ridiculously strange, epic, genre-bouncing ride.

Ultimately, Any Minute Now feels poorly timed. In 2004, Soulwax was competing for the same attention Radiohead was with Hail to the Thief, and the kids were all more concerned with The Killers and Strokes. That doesn’t mean that Any Minute Now is a bad record, but especially with the highlight of time, it’s an odd duck in the history of music — and for some, it proves that Soulwax were never really aware enough to be hip.

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Phoenix: Alphabetical https://unsungsundays.com/album-reviews/phoenix-alphabetical/ Sun, 27 Oct 2013 12:03:32 +0000 http://unsungsundays.com/?post_type=album_reviews&p=737 A long-forgotten Phoenix record, Alphabetical is a classic that proves the band didn’t come out of nowhere. Every song on this record, as different from Wolfgang Amadeus as they are, is an absolute treat.

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Most people know who Phoenix are. If you’re not, I guarantee you’ve heard their songs from their past couple records. Their most recent album, Bankrupt, was a disappointment for me. But everybody’s heard Wolfgang Amadeus at this point — especially if you like to dance at clubs. But what most people don’t know is that before these guys made stunning electronic pop, they made some great alternative music that’s better than almost all the alternative music you’re hearing on the radio right now.

Listen to Everything Is Everything — its opening lines immediately set the tone for what’s by far the most surprising Phoenix song you’ve ever heard if you’ve only heard their recent work (anything from and since It’s Never Been Like That):

Things are gonna change,
And not for better.
Don’t know what it means to me,
But it’s hopeless, hopeless.

The song is really well-written from a musical standpoint, and utterly refreshing to hear Phoenix doing something like this after getting used to their electronic pop. (Even long-time listeners will appreciate this trip down memory lane.) The whole album just flies by.

Run Run Run is great, and reminds me of some off-the-wall post–2000s alternative rock we used to always hear. I’m An Actor is seriously influenced, believe it or not, by Green Day (and you’ll know exactly what I mean when you hear it).

(You Can’t Blame It On) Anybody hints at what was to come from Phoenix later, as does Holdin’ On Together. And considering it’s the titular track, Alphabetical is surprisingly slow and introspective.

When you’re done listening to the whole album, you’re going to want to listen again. My advice? Just start at the beginning and hit the Repeat All button. Save yourself the trouble in advance.

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Kaki King: Legs to Make Us Longer https://unsungsundays.com/album-reviews/kaki-king-legs-make-us-longer/ Sat, 24 Aug 2013 12:01:37 +0000 http://unsungsundays.com/?post_type=album_reviews&p=677 Kaki King’s a chameleonic guitar player, able to adapt to any style with ease. Rolling Stone’s first female guitar god really shines on Legs to Make Us Longer, a record that shines because of both her guitar playing and her songwriting abilities.

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I’ve been listening to Kaki King since this album came out in 2004. Hard to believe it’s been that long, actually. I’m surprising myself here. Because I’ve been a fan of hers for so long, it was really difficult for me to pick an album of hers to recommend. I believe Legs to Make Us Longer stood out from the rest of her discography.

Kaki King was the first female “guitar god,” as declared by Rolling Stone Magazine, and although her music has since become edgier and vocal-filled, I think Legs to Make Us Longer is still the best demonstration of her pure, unadulterated talent with the guitar. Listen to Playing With Pink Noise — the way she slaps the guitar and plucks the strings is almost unheard of. She’s actually blending multiple different cultural styles, which is an incredible feat for a solo musician.

All that being said, Kaki King isn’t just a great musician. She also writes good music. Her songs are often filled with emotion. Can the Gwot Save Us? is a track that provokes a more complicated emotion than anybody could ever create with only a voice. Neanderthal bounces up and down scales like Kaki King is playing heart strings, and when she smacks the guitar strings to create a resounding kerrang at moments of high tension, I’m right there with her, feeling every bit of it. This is one of the all-time great instrumental albums of the past ten years.

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