Saturday, February 16, 2008

Song(s) of the Week: Radiohead Warns, Mates Dance

This is another little feature I'd like to get us doing regularly, if people are game. Basically I'm hoping to chronicle the Podzillas that terrorize our little musical Tokyos during the course of the week -- songs that get played over and over, for whatever reason, and a little explanation of why they got stuck. I figure this is just one more way for us to keep up on new tunes and what's going on in each other's lives -- and if nothing else, it's a cheap way to build up a killer mixtape.

So here we go -- since this is my little experiment, I'll go first, and I'll start things off with a double bill that parallels the two extremes of my week. First up is "4 Minute Warning" from Radiohead, one of the six tunes on the bonus disc that accompanied their recent in-store release of "In Rainbows." (And before the details police attack, "MK1" and "MK2" don't count as songs, more quirky "Kid A" style electronic meanderings. So shut it.) It's the closer to the bonus disc, and like the caboose of the official release ("Videotape") it's a quiet, moody number that is equal parts beautiful and haunting, just Thom and the piano, for the most part.

This one charted the depths of my week, which was awful from the outset and got progressively worse (until the Mates helped turn it around, that is. More on that in a minute). The music fit the mood of the week, but the lyrics were what got stuck -- Thom's cooing "This is just a nightmare...soon I'm gonna wake up" captured the miasma I was in at work, and the chorus of "This is your warning...four minute warning" somehow conveyed the menace I wanted to despite his virtually whispering the words. Pretty stuff -- give it a listen here:





The second half of this week's soundtrack parallels the uptick things took at the very end of the week, much to my delight (and the stability of my sanity). This one comes from the husband and wife duo from Lawrence, Kansas, Mates of State, and is a peppy little ditty from their 2006 album "Bring it Back," called "Fraud in the 80's." Showcasing a killer synth hook and infectious pop vocals, this one is pure pop happiness that'll have you bopping around whatever room you happen to be listening in at the time. (For me, it was anonymous cube #1324 at work, where despite the severe case of ABH I had come down with -- anywhere but here, baby, anywhere but here -- the Mates helped restore a bit of Bobby's last name and puncture the blah before the weekend.)

Similar to the exuberance of early New Pornos, by the time the "Oh! Oh! Oh!" shouts come near the chorus, you'll be smiling and singing along with them. Simple, yet undeniably winning, you can't argue with the truth of the lyrics -- "You will surely find this...pleasing to your ears..." Indeed. Check it out (and its charming little video) here:

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