After a lengthy hiatus, Grab Bag returns to Dozens Of Donuts. Here, we'll find and react to completely random songs from the depths of music's annals. There's no prerequisites, no regulations self-imposed. Anything can make this list if the site I'm using to discover these songs, RateYourMusic's random release generator, spits them out. This is a great way to discover new music with no attachment to something in your catalogue. Or, a dark reminder that truly horrid music exists in droves.
The positioning is based on the order in which I discovered them. The rating system similar to what DoD already enforces, in that 5 / 10 is average, not bad.
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Stateless | Electropop | 2009
Quite tasteless, eh? Unlike any other genre, Electropop has this grand tendency of being completely irrelevant, and Tenek's 'Submission' is no exemption. It's New Order with a pseudo edge, as sterile production hammers home Dance avenues without actually warranting such pleasures. And the lyrics, how should we say? Rough. About as rough - if we're prolonging the New Order comparisons - to Bernard Sumner around this time. Waiting For The Sirens' Call featured tons of these not-so clever back-and-forths, and in 'Submission's' case, it is not bolstered by moderate vocals. These are putrid. Generic as all hell, the sound of a singer that should've been told no a long time ago.
2.5 / 10
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First | Pop Rock | 1987
Ah, the New Romantic era. An era that causes vomit to spool in the mouth from regurgitation. Needless to say, 80's Pop has never sat well with me. A decade of outlandish excess in every sense of the word. Thankfully, Then Jerico is a tad more subdued than what I've come to expect in the genre, at least with what they've shown on 'The Motive.' Here, we see a bridge to U2-style Pop Rock, despite featuring a heavy abundance of archaic, 80's impassioned sentimentality. While I'm not a fan of the histrionics, the pacing of the six-minute excursion is handled quite well for a run-of-the-mill Pop song. The ending coda and recurring hook drive home lead singer Mark Shaw's doomsday scenario of living alone.
6.5 / 10
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The Wizard | Freakbeat | 1965
How interesting to stumble upon the origins of a soon-to-be famous artist. Marc Bolan, more famously known as the lead singer of T.Rex. 'The Wizard' was his first released single, 1965, and already features fanciful charisma and some polished, psychedelic grit. Unfortunately it's held back by a truncated duration, failing to etch out the two-minute mark. I don't want to call it a glorified demo, as he stuffs a whole lot of Freakbeat content in here, but it still has me wanting more. The lyrics are entrenched in the silly, medieval renaissance that dominated early, offbeat psychedelia, and Bolan's character assumes the role of inquisitive lurker quite well. I can easily see this being an influence to Rocky Horror Picture Show too. I dig it.
7 / 10
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James Taylor | Folk Pop | 1968
As a Massachusetts native, I'm obliged to know of James Taylor's existence. It's basically engraved from birth, even having heard nothing beyond his most popular songs. Certainly not 'Knocking 'Round The Zoo,' which proved early on that Taylor had solid writing chops, given that the seemingly-innocuous song is actually about his time in a psychiatric hospital. It's got this fun, upbeat flourish that - at least to my knowledge - predates many famous songs that would utilize the same technique (see: Outkast's 'Hey Ya!' or Foster The People's 'Pumped Up Kicks' as some popular examples). After a regretful cello opening, 'Knocking Round The Zoo' teases and toys through some jaunty Folk Pop, all while Taylor sparks on about getting pricked with needles and scaring guards with sudden movements. Interesting song, though sonically not very appealing.
6 / 10
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True Confessions | Dance-Pop | 1986
Oof. With a name like Bananarama - one I'm familiar with but unsure as to why (one-hit wonder maybe?) - I was expecting something more fun and jovial. 'Ready Or Not' tries to be, much like every Pop song in existence does, but fails extraordinarily. It's not entirely their fault, as Bananarama were clearly intent on following cliche-ridden 80's trends, which, as stated before, have not aged well due to piss-poor concepts of romance and sterilized production techniques. 'Ready Or Not' encapsulates those ideals, offering nothing original or inventive. Nothing much more than that.
3 / 10
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In Action | Southern Soul | 1966
Is this real? What is that sound, is it a synthesizer of some sort? In a Southern Soul song from the mid 60's? Needles to say, I wasn't expecting this tired, sapped variant of Doo-Wop from The Mad Lads. Fascinating, really. It does sacrifice enjoyability for left field artistry however, so preference for most will likely fall on the former. Case in point, 'Don't Have To Shop Around' isn't very well received, despite the clear boundaries it's pushing. Obviously the styles are vastly different, but the primitive production techniques here don't stray too far from Silver Apples' rudimentary Electronica. Bizarre, lovely, and subdued.
7.5 / 10
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Bxtch Slap | Industrial Techno | 2020
Lots of decades-old artists for this month's Grab Bag, but not Jasmine Infiniti. 2020 Industrial Techno, living on the cusp of bleak futurism. On 'Hott,' one recalls artists like Clark, Amnesia Scanner, and Oscar Mulero. Intent on personifying the endless trudge of capitalism through its dark, steely descent. Factory music, one could call 'Hott.' Though it's meant for dance floors, the austerity really works better as background incisions for browbeaten toilers. Assembly line repetition, fractured only in the stop-gaps between each ensuing component. In term of what it's trying to achieve, Jasmine Infiniti's atmospherics work quite well. Though it's hardly original.
4.5 / 10
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Retribution Gospel Choir | Indie Rock | 2008
I'm struggling to find the necessity of this. Formulaic to a fault, the Hard Rock edge doesn't play well in a decade rife with sentimental Indie Rock. You'd think the two genres would be more closely linked, but Retribution Gospel Choir's 'Destroyer' proves why that isn't the case. Blasé guitars sluggishly churning without motive, apart from being sad, Post-Rock supplicants. Alan Sparhawk's vocals are too plain, a noticeable mishap given the production's sterility. However, his lyrics are quite evocative, finding common ground in the band's name with their destructive reckoning.
3.5 / 10
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Flashback | Indie Pop | 2019
When I see Seoul, the mind immediately envisions K-Pop. Yet here's Lulileela, from the city, sporting a delectable helping of Synthpop. It's all in the pacing, as 'Flashback' takes a more subdued, reminiscent point of view, instead of K-Pop's in-your-face mania. Lulileela's vocals, and the crystal clear production, finds the distinction in the minutiae. 'Flashback' reminds me of The Xx believe it or not, especially the stripped-down tracks helmed by Romy. It's got this nighttime sensuality that works wonders, especially in the chorus, with dripping guitars and Tropical House percussion. Really no criticisms here, as 'Flashback' would be the perfect link for surface-level Indie heads to explore foreign grounds.
8 / 10
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