Post by Koalapupu on Jan 19, 2005 10:04:49 GMT -5
Come now. I know some of you must like this band... Geez, I hope I haven't already started a thread on them before!
They are my obsession. For the second year in a row, I guess. The band of two Johns.
If you've never heard their music, give them a try! I know they have been stigmatized as college rock, which normally means "pretentious stuff especially you wouldn't get", but don't let that fool you! When I saw an interview with the two Johns, they confessed to not being pretentious: their lyrics are most of the time just what they seem to be, without any hidden messages. Also, they have loads of very good, radio friendly poppy songs such as "Another First Kiss" where the singer decides that although he and his girlfriend have ran out of things to say they'll be happy anyway. So even the radio friendly ones don't seem to repeat the old, worn-out love songs a la "baby baby I need you".
But my favorite TMBG is the kind that you listen to first in dismay, then you laugh, and then you love it. Songs from that area are definitely The Sun (is a mass of incadescent gas) which is like a tiny lecture on astronomy; James K. Polk which pays respect to one of the more seldom mentioned presidents of USA and we also learn about his agenda; Robot Parade (Adult version) which paints a picture of the future where "children will work together to build a giant cyborg" to the tune of power chords.
At the moment I've been listening to their new album, Spine, on repeat. It's such a crazy mixture of styles (from 60s pop to lounge and R'n'B mockery) and ideas that I'm wondering how they pull it off each time they come up with a new album!
My favorite line from the whole album is definitely "Taking drugs to help you sleep will only lead to sleep, and sleeping is a gateway drug for being awake". There seems to be other drug references on the album as well, but so far I'm not sure whether the Johns are a) mocking drug usage or b) mocking people who are afraid of the consiquences of marijuana.
Also, I like the song Thunderbird a lot. Hey, it has a reference to the Beach Boys, but it's about a guy who is trying to quit drinking but is finding it very hard. He says he now knows why "it" (I guess a brand of liquer) is called Thunderbird because it always made him spread his thunder wings and fly (and of course, fall in the end). Although this might sound a bit funny at first, in retrospect I think it's a very sad song. But like other lovely bands such as Belle and Sebastian, The Smiths and The Beautiful South among others, this band uses catchy melodies and rhythms to give an impression of an upbeat song -- though the lyrics can be nothing but.
To end my ramble I'll give you a few titles that you can check out to get a better picture of the band. These are of course among my favorites, hehe.
- Ana Ng (a rocky tune I love. "I don't want the world/ I just want your half")
- Birdhouse In Your Soul ("Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet")
- Another First Kiss
- She's an Angel ("When you're following an angel does it mean you have to throw your body off a building?")
- Bangs (about a boy's obsession towards bangs)
- James K. Polk
- They'll Need a Crane (which I mentioned in the obsession thread)
- Istanbul [Not Constantinople] (A twist on the old song)
- Doctor Worm (about a guy who wants his stage name to be Doctor Worm, he plays the drums)
- No! ("No means no")
- Robot Parade
- Thunderbird
Do you like these guys? Anyone seen them live?
They are my obsession. For the second year in a row, I guess. The band of two Johns.
If you've never heard their music, give them a try! I know they have been stigmatized as college rock, which normally means "pretentious stuff especially you wouldn't get", but don't let that fool you! When I saw an interview with the two Johns, they confessed to not being pretentious: their lyrics are most of the time just what they seem to be, without any hidden messages. Also, they have loads of very good, radio friendly poppy songs such as "Another First Kiss" where the singer decides that although he and his girlfriend have ran out of things to say they'll be happy anyway. So even the radio friendly ones don't seem to repeat the old, worn-out love songs a la "baby baby I need you".
But my favorite TMBG is the kind that you listen to first in dismay, then you laugh, and then you love it. Songs from that area are definitely The Sun (is a mass of incadescent gas) which is like a tiny lecture on astronomy; James K. Polk which pays respect to one of the more seldom mentioned presidents of USA and we also learn about his agenda; Robot Parade (Adult version) which paints a picture of the future where "children will work together to build a giant cyborg" to the tune of power chords.
At the moment I've been listening to their new album, Spine, on repeat. It's such a crazy mixture of styles (from 60s pop to lounge and R'n'B mockery) and ideas that I'm wondering how they pull it off each time they come up with a new album!
My favorite line from the whole album is definitely "Taking drugs to help you sleep will only lead to sleep, and sleeping is a gateway drug for being awake". There seems to be other drug references on the album as well, but so far I'm not sure whether the Johns are a) mocking drug usage or b) mocking people who are afraid of the consiquences of marijuana.
Also, I like the song Thunderbird a lot. Hey, it has a reference to the Beach Boys, but it's about a guy who is trying to quit drinking but is finding it very hard. He says he now knows why "it" (I guess a brand of liquer) is called Thunderbird because it always made him spread his thunder wings and fly (and of course, fall in the end). Although this might sound a bit funny at first, in retrospect I think it's a very sad song. But like other lovely bands such as Belle and Sebastian, The Smiths and The Beautiful South among others, this band uses catchy melodies and rhythms to give an impression of an upbeat song -- though the lyrics can be nothing but.
To end my ramble I'll give you a few titles that you can check out to get a better picture of the band. These are of course among my favorites, hehe.
- Ana Ng (a rocky tune I love. "I don't want the world/ I just want your half")
- Birdhouse In Your Soul ("Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet")
- Another First Kiss
- She's an Angel ("When you're following an angel does it mean you have to throw your body off a building?")
- Bangs (about a boy's obsession towards bangs)
- James K. Polk
- They'll Need a Crane (which I mentioned in the obsession thread)
- Istanbul [Not Constantinople] (A twist on the old song)
- Doctor Worm (about a guy who wants his stage name to be Doctor Worm, he plays the drums)
- No! ("No means no")
- Robot Parade
- Thunderbird
Do you like these guys? Anyone seen them live?
