Discovery – “So Insane”
“So Insane” isn’t so much a song as it is an exercise—something that would have undoubtedly been shitcanned if it were put out by unknowns instead of by the multi-instrumentalist from Vampire Weekend and the singer from Ra Ra Riot, the duo that make up Discovery, who have enough critical and (apparently) commercial cache to get away with it. It’s almost as if the song were being written as it were being played. It begins simply enough, with a Junior Boys-esque synth-line, but as soon as Ra Ra Riot’s Wes Miles uses the word “discotheque” within the first seven words, the whole thing starts to ride off the rails. Not only has Miles picked up Ezra Koenig’s habit of using antiquated language, but he also ditches the verse’s melody about thirty seconds in. Miles then rolls the phrase “I’m gonna teach you” around in his mouth a couple of times before deciding that “Oh baby you got me going/ So insane I just don’t know what’s/ Going down” is more interesting. That bit of phrasing then becomes the song’s organizing principle. Miles sings it, then the song slows down to half-speed, and he repeats it. The song speeds up again, slows down again, speeds up, slows down. The singer riffs a little. Snaps show up! And then it’s all over. Shit is crazy, right? But here’s the thing: Miles has such an innate knack for melody that each of his vocal choices is pretty compelling. It’s still not a song. But it’ll do.
The Dodos – “Acorn Factory”
The Dodos – “Two Medicines”
The Dodos’ Visiter was one of the best surprises of 2008—a post-Animal Collective album that valued musicianship and songwriting over texture. Rarely has an album been so defined—at least, overtly—by its drummer. In particular, “Fools,” the album’s best song, was built around Logan Kroeber’s West African-influenced polyrhythms and inventiveness. The Phil Ek-produced follow-up to Visiter, Time to Die, recently leaked. If “Acorn Factory” and “Two Medicines” are any indication, Kroeber and vocalist/guitarist Meric Long may be severely misunderstanding their own strengths. While both songs display the kind of exquisite musicianship that made Visiter crackle, the song-writing doesn’t really rise above the current indie-rock median. After a monotone, chanted opening, “Two Medicines” trots out a series of rhythmic changes tied together with some flat vocals. “Acorn Factory” attempts to turn Long’s intricate guitar-work into its rhythmic base, but ends up sounding like an note-packed version of America’s “Ventura Highway.” On both songs, the rote indie vocals detract from the duo’s musicianship. It’d probably be nicer just to hear these dudes play.
jj – “From Africa to Málaga”
Calling music “pleasant” is usually damning it with faint praise, but that’s exactly the descriptor that Swedish group jj seem to be aiming for. “From Africa to Málaga” would thrive nicely as Epcot Center line-waiting music, with its vaguely-African drumming coming of more watered-down culturally than anything Vampire Weekend have ever done. Usually, the group is a bit subversive, sneaking rap slang into their sleepy pop songs like Robyn on some serious Lexapro. But, you know what? They’re still rhyming “ground” with “sound” with “down,” so consider me unimpressed.
Antony & the Johnsons – “Crazy in Love”
You’d be hard-pressed to find a non-fan of Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love.” It’s a song that hits that tiny sweet spot where ubiquity and brilliance overlap on the Venn diagram. But you’d be similarly hard-pressed to find someone to argue that the song succeeds on the strength of its lyrical content, rather than its rich (*pun*) production. Antony & the Johnsons’ orchestral cover of the Beyoncé hit is half revelation, half missed opportunity. Wringing pop trifles for non-existent hidden layers of meaning is nothing new, but, in Antony Hegarty’s hands, “Crazy in Love” is less about texture and momentum, and more about fragility. But then, of course it is. What Antony fails to pick up on in the success of the original, is how it constantly tops itself. The introductory horns from the Chi-Lites’ “Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)” would be enough to carry any song, but Beyoncé builds on them—instead of simply letting them dominate—until there’s nothing left to do but let Jay-Z kill a verse. With Antony, the song is dialed after the first couple of lines of the verse. Once you get a handle on his phrasing, you know exactly where the rest of the version’s going to go. He doesn’t bother letting the chorus raise the stakes. So, what could easily have been a mildly-terrifying depiction of actual love-driven insanity—Antony’s voice could pull that off, easy—becomes more of a mildly-comforting jazz number. Slightly over-enthusiastic in love?
-Martin Brown, 2009
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