Saturday, September 11, 2021

Grab Bag - September '21



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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Jack & The Rippers - No Desire
Jack & The Rippers | Punk Rock | 1978

Gets right to the point in no time. The Punk Rock way. Such simple structuring, but with the lyrical content of 'No Desire' the back-and-forth makes sense. However, the real winner here is the chorus. No doubt about it. The levity is palpable. Despite the snarky lyrics, there's a real jovial spirit akin to 90's Pop Rock. Likely due to their location in Switzerland, Jack & The Rippers never achieved success. However, with a name like that and a song like 'No Desire,' it's a shame they never did.

7.5 / 10
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Chet Baker - My Funny Valentine
Chet Baker Sings | Vocal Jazz | 1956

I know Chet Baker by name only. Scratching the surface level uncovered an impenetrable fashion sense, unsetting lyrics, and rather standard Cool Jazz vocals. The 50's too? Baker surely seemed ahead of his time. By all standards, and my tenuous grasp on primitive Jazz, 'My Funny Valentine' does everything right. The lyrics are evocative and loving, in spite of the shaky tone and odd demeanor ("Is your mouth a little weak / When you open it to speak"), and the pleasant, stripped-down production invites comparisons to lounge singers seducing their onlookers into a stupor.

5.5 / 10
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Terje Rypdal - What Comes After
What Comes After | ECM Style Jazz | 1974

Jazz casts a wide net. If it weren't obvious prior, stacking these two Jazz tracks - twenty years apart, one American the other Norwegian, one two minutes the next eleven - will surely do the trick. Terje Rypdal's 'What Comes After' acts as a solid evolution of the art form, transferring itself into idea-laden line unfolding in real time. Is this improvisation? I'm unsure, though with freeform instrumental Jazz it's hard to care about the difference. Likely due to the European origin, 'What Comes After' intrigues in ways American Jazz normally can't. It's spread thin rather than packed tight. More dark than airy. Exterior than in, easily in-tune with the natural environment. Though, at the end of the day, like most experimental Jazz this length (looking at you Sun Ra), it hardly justifies the length.

4 / 10
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L-Wiz - Centurion
Single | Dubstep | 2007

Annnnd in one ear, out the other. This is mid-2000's Dubstep? What a snoozefest. I mean sure, L-Wiz have some mildly intoxicating Purple Sound fogging up the interior of 'Centurion,' but it's hardly substantial enough to offset the lazy percussion and even lazier tribal influence. Manages to overstay its welcome by a solid four minutes as well. This isn't Trance, for it lacks hypnotism, and it features little to no variation throughout. I can't imagine anyone dancing to it, surely not in a club. So who's this for exactly? For reference, Burial's Untrue came out the same year. Yeah. Thank god for Burial.

2 / 10
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Future Islands - A Dream Of You & Me
Singles | Synthpop | 2014

Future islands, a band I'm quite familiar with, having heard a couple of their albums and, of course, their one-hit stunner 'Seasons.' 'A Dream Of You & Me' appears on the same album as that Synthpop smash, managing to follow the same structure and vibe as that effort. Many criticized Singles for redundancy, and now I can see why. Right when that rolling percussion came in, disappointment became real. Sure, it's nice conventional Synthpop, but when there's not a grand build and daring vocal performance, everything else Future Islands does just fizzles under the surface. For a closer to a supposedly-anthemic album, 'A Dream Of You & Me' is quite unremarkable.

4 / 10
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Devo - Gates Of Steel
Freedom Of Choice | New Wave | 1980

Devo! The quirky nonconformists pointing out the absurdity of New Wave by breaching the extremes before anyone else could. Having enjoyed their debut, the surprising lack of replayability meant I never dove further. 'Gates Of Steel' has me second-guessing that, for while it's not instantly catchy, the somewhat serious tone and near-Alternative Rock guitar usage provides that needed Devo spunk. They're a periodic band, one that can only be dealt with in small, concentrated doses. The vocals on 'Gates Of Steel' attest to that, as I was not prepared for that high-pitched pierce. Weirdly enough, it reminds me of Danny Brown and the endurance hurdle needed to overcome appreciating them.

6.5 / 10
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Colouroïd - Nothing
Long Play | Minimal Synth | 2014

This was an exciting conundrum to toy with. Colouroïd's online notoriety seems minimal at best, so even grasping the genre of the Icelandic duo proved troublesome. But then it clicked. Iceland! Those Nordic countries sure do love their Minimal Synth, and that's where we find 'Nothing,' an adorable, metronome-driven bop. Yes, the electronics are rather cheap and contrived, leaning heavily on every rhythm imaginable, but how they're fused between the echoing, distant vocals creates an intoxicating environment that's sure to please. Such primitive, DIY Pop. The best kind.

7.5 / 10
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Accatone - I Miss You
Steady Pace | Deep House | 2012

This one is ludicrously easy to pin down. Production? Yay. Lyrics and vocals? Burn it with fire! While 'I Miss You' isn't original, finding comparisons to a litany of Deep House artists like Theo Parrish, Shinichiro Yokota, and The Field to come extent, the addictive qualities work wonders. It exists between the street and the club, finding a happy medium with wavy synthesizers and layered percussion that builds upon itself. But then, Accatone why. Slathered atop the whole track are ugly vocals that are, somehow, usurped in chutzpah by the lyrics. "I miss you, we never said goodbye / Now I'm sick of missing you." Looped and repeated into your nightmares. Frustrating to say the least.

4.5 / 10
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Schoolyard Heroes - "Dude, Where's My Skin?"
Abominations | Horror Punk | 2007

This definitely has an audience, that I can't deny. And for what it's worth, putting myself in the shoes of a mid-2000's teenage goth freak hellbent on opposing the world, '"Dude, Where's My Skin?"' would have reckless appeal. It's so over the top though, with the name and aesthetic and theatricality, that I'm wondering if Schoolyard Heroes is parodying the scene? Even a little bit. It reeks of Panic At The Disco, My Chemical Romance, even Avenged Sevenfold. Ah, those were the days. Not that I enjoyed them then, apart from a morbid curiosity. Even then I knew how kitsch it all was. That being said, there is no denying Ryann Donnelly's charisma. Her vocals find a killer, Riot Grrrl foundation, and her theater background accentuates, well, everything.

3.5 / 10
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