Motley Tunes #4

Motley Tunes is a weekly segment featuring an assortment of 2-4 songs I find worth sharing. 


1. Travelling by Paper Lions

This song has an extraordinarily pleasant vibe that just feels so good!

2. Happy Before by The John Steel Singers

The John Steel Singers mess around with their pop beautifully in 'Happy Before.'

3. How You Like Me Now? by The Heavy

Great fusion of raspy soul and spiky garage rock.

Soft Silly Music Is Meaningful, Magical - A Tribute To Neutral Milk Hotel

On one of the most eccentric yet most loved indie bands - the Jeff Mangum-led Neutral Milk Hotel. 

Everything about Neutral Milk Hotel lies in the realm of the eccentric. 

Take their name for example - three words from the English language which even a randomised word generator would find difficult to bring together. 

Or the fact that they disbanded soon after ballooning into popularity (following the release of their second and final album 'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea') due to Jeff Mangum's nervous breakdown. Mangum, it seemed, was alienated from his music because of the attention he was getting, and took to being a recluse instead of embracing the fandom. 

Not to mention that their music is some of the oddest you'll ever experience. Like a curio at a museum which can only be gawked at in awe but never be comprehended.

Listen to this, the 2 min opening track of In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. It's called 'The King Of Carrot Flowers, part 1' and talks about moms sticking forks into dads' shoulders and dads dreaming of different ways to die. Don't look at me like that, I told you NMH were nutcases right from the start. 

This is either madness... or brilliance, isn't it?

It's remarkable how often these two traits coincide. (Jack Sparrow would concur)

This is exactly how I felt after listening to all of 'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.' This was either the work of an advanced genius or that of an utter bonghead. NMH were either out of their minds or simply ahead of their time. How about both? Okay? Okay. 

NMH's debut 'On Avery Island' did justice to their eccentricity, but not their musical ability. It was soft, fuzzy music with strange, silly lyrics expressing surreal, cryptic ideas - but it wasn't coherent enough, it wasn't chaotic enough, it wasn't emotionally mature enough. It wasn't Mangum-ish enough.

It did produce this gem of a song, though. (Lyrics)

Not that coherence and chaos are complementary, or that emotion and depth are demanded of soft, silly music to begin with. Ostensibly, we are dealing with opposites here. The oddball mind, or rather the astute genius of Jeff Mangum did however bring all of these qualities out in the musical roller-coaster that is In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, NMH's masterpiece.

Essentially a concept album (though what the concept is is anybody's guess), the album's 11 songs are flush with everything that On Avery Island lacked. Lo-fi fuzz rock - driven by rich acoustic guitars playing no more than 4 simple chords and incorporating musical saws, trumpets, accordions and horns. A marching band on an acid trip. Fueled by the indomitable Mangum's raw emotive energy that envelops, comforts and impassions you like a snuggly eiderdown. The lyrics packaged in these irresistible melodies are cryptic yet accessible, nonsensical yet meaningful, bizarre yet familiar. Classic Mangum, classic Neutral Milk Hotel.

Thematically, Aeroplane talks about the light anguishes of adolescence, fleetingness of life or just about anything in the universe. It all depends on how you view Mangum's view of the world. The lyrics do however make a lot of references to the legendary Anne Frank. Indeed, legend has it that one fine day Jeff Mangum read The Diary Of Anne Frank and was moved like never before.

"I would go to bed every night and have dreams about having a time machine and somehow I'd have the ability to move through time and space freely, and save Anne Frank. Do you think that's embarrassing?" - Mangum in an interview with Puncture Magazine

Aeroplane is essentially the product of Mangum's romanticism of Anne Frank. The love child of Mangum and Anna's ghost, if I may and if you will.

Having said that, trying to give meaning to any of these 11 songs is an exercise in futility. We are touring Mangum's universe in a synthetic flying machine, guided by the man himself. A world wrapped in gold silver sleeves, covered in semen-stained mountaintops where it is strange to be anything at all. Mangum's imagery is ridiculous (With pulleys and weights / creating a radio played just for two / In the parlor with a moon across her face), sometimes depressing (The only girl I've ever loved / was born with roses in her eyes / but then they buried her alive) and totally out of this world (God is a place / Where some holy spectacle lies) but undeniably beautiful. Tugging at, playing with the fragility of our heartstrings. Soft, silly music IS meaningful, magical.

Neutral Milk Hotel haven't released anything original since Aeroplane, have reunited a few times and rare Jeff Mangum sightings at obscure places are reported once a while. For all we know, Mangum is busy building his time machine to save Anne Frank from the clutches of the Nazis (or has he already done so?).

Here's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea in its curious entirety. Enjoy!

Motley Tunes #3

Motley Tunes is a weekly segment featuring an assortment of 2-4 songs I find worth sharing. 

The lineup for this week graces 3 songs with uber-cool bass work.  

1. Under Pressure by Queen (and David Bowie)

Two notes - that's all it took Deacon & Queen to compose this iconic riff that has cool written all over it. Vanilla Ice shamelessly sampled the bassline for his 'Ice Ice Baby' crap.

Freddie Mercury once said 'F*** You' to a packed Wembley stadium while performing this song (2:04), only to send the damned audience cheering, clapping and howling wildly ;)

2. Always Like This by Bombay Bicycle Club

Mellow, snuggly and emotionally raw, even more so cuz of its bassline. My favourite BBC track so far.

PS. They're having a gig in Singapore next Tuesday, and guess who can't make it because he's got no $$$ :(

3. For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica

On the other end of the spectrum, this thrash gem by Metallica features some crazy bass work. Particularly enamoured by this live performance of the song, where Rob Trujillo prances around like an animal while working his sick bass.

There you go, songs of differing intensities, all featured here because of their superb basslines.

Power Napping To Echoes by Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd's epic Echoes, at about 24 minutes long, is a great accompaniment for an invigorating power nap!

I love taking power naps, between 20-60 minutes long, and one fine day, I decided to take one while listening to the longest song I had in my iTunes library - at 23.5 minutes - Echoes.

This song is a real beast. Opens with shrill pings that seem to resonate from the edge of the universe. A slick rundown of the chords follows, so do the first four verses, which have a much earthly feel to them. They seem to talk about evolution - the stubbornness with which life survives, the interdependence with which it persists.

Again, seem is key here. After all this song has had several famous interpretations - that it paints a picture of life struggling to survive a massive tsunami (a la 2012); or that each minute of the song represents one hour of the day and each section of the song corresponds to moods felt during parts of the day (lazy mornings, dull afternoons, you know). People (frenetic fanatics rather) have noted how sections of the brilliant movie 2001: A Space Odyssey sync perfectly with the song. Eerie.

Okay, I drifted off a bit there. Back to our song: a guitar solo follows the verses, and this eases in beautifully to a funky groove (the sort that you bob your head to). It then leads into a rather strange section filled with guitar feedback. Feedback that sounds like a seagull in distress, or a whale. Gilmour the master at work. A rundown follows this controlled noise, and leads in to the final verses. The song ends with some calm guitars that fade out softly.

But ah, you'll say, what's this gotta do with the nap? As brilliant as the song is on its own, it has a charm to it, a magical spell that works its magic therapeutically. I've found myself sound asleep before the electronic seagull sounds come in (~ 10 min into the song) and quite awake at the end of the final verse (~21 min into the song). Waking up to the calm guitars that fade out the song gives me that feeling of being transported to a heavenly place. Unaware of where I am, what time it is or what I was doing before my nap. Fresh as a dew-covered flower that basks in the first rays of sunlight.

Pardon me for being dramatic, but the song's to blame for bringing out the dramatic in me. Pink Floyd have created a masterpiece here, one that I'm still learning to appreciate (due to its sheer length). They scarcely intended their song to be somebody's power nap accompaniment. But there you go, music touching souls in ways the artist hardly intended it to. 

So if you're in the habit of power napping (or would like to give it a try), try a 24-minute nap while listening to Echoes. Do have an alarm on hand to stop you from oversleeping, though. Way to get re-energized to tackle the shit life hands you!

The Smiths - A Light That Never Goes Out

On my favourite band - indie legends The Smtihs. 

The Smiths (from left to right):Andy Rourke (bass), Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (lead guitar) & Mike Joyce (drums)

Four misfits who came to be spokesmen for a million others. In Morrissey-Marr, music history finds itself the oddest of collaborations - the former adored Oscar Wilde and 60s girl-groups; was a recluse and sang in a self-absorbed, detached, woebegone manner. The latter was inspired by more traditional artists such as The Who, Patti Smith and George Harrison; was an extrovert and carried a lively, jangling sound with his nimble guitar-playing. Their different styles, surprisingly, jelled well, and together with Rourke & Joyce, helped create a distinctive sound never before heard in rock music.

Morrissey provided the lyrical direction and stage persona. Their songs resonate with the hapless romantic, the maladjusted adolescent, the introverted wallflower and just about everyone who has ever had a lovelorn heart. They aren't miserabilists, mind you, oh no, instead they are the antidote to depression. Their lyrics offer a humorous slant on the most emotional of matters, comforting you out of your misery. That's Moz for you, friends - the potent poet, the sagacious seer, the witty nut.

Morrissey, shy, introverted off-stage yet the most outlandish of performers on it. British NHS glasses (hip much?), loose-fitted shirts and gladioli stuffed in his back pockets were his trademark. Marr, outgoing, extroverted off-stage worked his magic on stage in the background. In the Smiths' live shows, he was hardly there yet made his presence felt. Absurd, right? The Smiths do tend to have that impression.

The Smiths on stage. Moz in front (with shades, loose shirt and gladioli and all) while Marr and the others in the background. 

Marr, on the other hand, provided the musical genius and kept the band together. His guitar melodies are so complex, so unique that he himself couldn't perfectly replicate them. The Stone Roses and Oasis (and therefore every other Brit guitar rock act) owe their sound to him. He is not a guitarist you identify by a cute riff or a pompous solo, but by his entire body of work.

"That man's a f****** wizard" - Noel Gallagher (of Oasis fame). 'Nuff said.

So what do we have here?
A band that lasted for a mere 5 years
Made just 4 proper albums
Never released a bad, shitty song (I might be a teeny bit biased here)
But left an enduring legacy.

By the bye, Perks of Being a Wallflower and 500 Days of Summer were responsible for introducing me to the Smiths. Not the best of ways to discover them, but boy am I glad that I did.

There are only so many bands that write life-saving songs. Songs which rescue listeners from abysmal lows by breathing a new life into them. So what if the songs are 30, even a 100 years old? Do the universal feelings of love and angst that these songs speak about change? Nope, such songs are timeless. Such bands are timeless. The Smiths are such a band.

There's a lot of clamour for a Smiths' reunion, lot's of money being offered, tons of fans (new ones especially, like me) eager to relive them. Chances are extremely slim, probably nonexistent, but hope never dies. Like the ephemeral dazzle of fireworks or the delicate fractals in a snowflake, some things are not meant to be relived, or replicated. Maybe The Smiths are such a snowflake, such a firework. The aftereffects of their combustion will however, never die. The beacon of solidarity they lit in every heart they touched, that light, will never go out.

Here are a few 'essential' Smiths songs for your wonderment. 

1. Hand In Glove

(Lyrics).The most romantic song ever written IMO. Has many interpretations due to its sexually ambiguous nature - which makes it even more romantic!

"No it's not like any other love, this one is different because it's us"

2. This Charming Man

Found this cute stick animation video! This song is trademark Smiths - Moz's croon overlaying jangly, driving guitars. 

"Why pamper life's complexities when the leather runs smooth on the passenger seat"

3. How Soon Is Now?

This song is to the Smiths what Stairway to Heaven is to Led Zeppelin. Iconic tremolo opening, profound lyrics. Probably their most respected masterpiece. 

"I'm human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does."

4. Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

Following their longest song (How Soon Is Now?) is this, the shortest song in their catalogue at 1:52. Its length doesn't undermine its beauty, simplicity and feeling one bit.

5. What She Said

(lyrics) One of their lesser-known hardest, jangliest songs. Polarising. Piercingly witty.

"I smoke cuz I'm hoping for an early death. And I need to cling to something, what she said"

6. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

3 minute pop perfection. 

"How can they see the love in our eyes, and still they don't believe us"

7. Ask

Ask me if this is one of their good songs, I won't say no, how could I? 

"Coyness is nice, and coyness can stop you, from saying all the things in life you'd like to"

"If it's not love, then its THE BOMB THE BOMB THE BOMB THE BOMB THE BOMB that will bring us together"

8. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before

No seriously, stop me if you think you've heard this one before. I won't give any excuses, only laugh at you.

"Nothing's changed, I still love you, oh I still love you, only slightly, only slightly less than I used to, my love"

9. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

Starts off with a piano played over the voice of protesters. The wait for the chorus is worth it, I tell you, for it'll leave you with guaranteed goosebumps. Beautiful, soul-wrenching lyrics.

"Last night I felt real arms around me. No hope, no harm, just another false alarm." 

10. Asleep

Hauntingly beautiful.
Any other comment on this song would be a sin.

"Don't feel bad for me, I want you to know.
Deep in the cell of my heart, I will feel so glad to go."

11. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Probably their most popular song. One listen and it's not hard to say why. Bleakly romantic. It would be a privilege to die by the side of your loved one, wouldn't it?

"And in the darkened underpass, I thought, oh god! My chance has come at last."
But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask."

Happy listening, and I hope you find the Smiths beautiful in ways I haven't yet. 

Motley Tunes #2

Motley Tunes is a weekly segment featuring an assortment of 2-4 songs I find worth sharing. 

1. The City by The 1975

(lyrics) This electro-dance group puts the synth-driven beats of the 80s in a more modern context. Ambitious (and hailing from Manchester) - they have big shoes to fill in. Expecting more from them soon! And oh, they're playing in Singapore next week (I'm giving them a skip, though).

2. Tap Out by The Strokes

(lyrics) On their 5th album Comedown Machine, The Strokes venture into softer, synth-driven territory without forgetting their garage-rock roots. Tap Out features a lovely beat, two gorgeous, contrasting melodies and their trademark chugging guitars (+ a solo, yay!).

"Decide my past, define my life, don't ask questions cuz I don't know why"

Two excellent synth-driven dance tracks for this week, ya!

Motley Tunes #1

Motley Tunes is a weekly segment featuring an assortment of 2-4 songs I find worth sharing.

1. Fluorescent Adolescent by Arctic Monkeys

Amusing music video, this.

My favorite Arctic Monkeys song. Has a nostalgic ring to it, which makes one reminisce about the good ol' days. The lyrics are quite wild but very witty - "was it a Mecca dauber or a betting pencil" (did he have a long 'pencil' or a short one? :O) - always makes me chuckle. The fact that Alex Turner sings in his trademark Sheffield accent adds to the song's sexiness. AM reminds us that adolescence is a very colorful time that must be cherished. 

2. Heavy Metal Drummer by Wilco

Oh those drums, oh that cheerful yet wistful mood! Have we not ever fallen head over heels for a charming band member? A pretty bassist, or that handsome singer?  I love being naive when it comes to crushes, don't we all do? On growing up, I hope I look back on the line "I miss the innocence I've known" (song lyrics here) and cherish this naivety.

So yeah, there you go, two great songs, both having different takes on yearning about a life once lived (oh how I brood over my early teens!). May they make your day!

This is The One

On one of my favorite albums so far - The Stone Roses' self-titled debut. 

The Stone Roses (Reni, Ian, Squire and Mani). My, you can read the arrogance from their faces!

In 1989, this quartet of ambitious British lads released a timeless album. Blending psychedelic music of the 60s, dance music of the 70s and the then growing 80s guitar pop - their effort was perfect fodder for accompanying the raves and trips of the day. It was the seminal 'Madchester' (basically a music scene in Manchester where you abuse Ecstacy and dance like crazy) album that inspired many imitations and spin-offs. But, since not many really care about the obscure drug-fueled 80s anymore, let me get straight into the 13 beautiful tracks this album offers. Tracks which were early milestones of Indie Rock, which partly initiated and helped inspire countless Britpop acts (such as Oasis).

The songs remain fresh even today (they do form a timeless album, remember). In the opener, 'I Wanna Be Adored,' Ian is at his narcissistic best, nonchalant, expecting to be adored. Listen closely for its amazing bassline and guitar hook, which effortlessly leads into 'She Bangs the Drums,' a bass-riff driven pop masterpiece that is undeniably catchy, irresistibly hummable. 

I don't know what instrument gives 'Elephant Stone' its novel rhythm (probably a wah-wah), but its bloody good. Groovy, dreamy, ethereal. Speaking of ethereal, the single riff-driven 'Waterfall' fits the label. Numbingly therapeutic.

'Don't Stop' and 'Elizabeth My Dear' are probably the only incongruous tracks in the otherwise solid album. The former is very experimental (with backward guitar parts and what not) while the latter is just a one-minute Queen Elizabeth dis. 'Bye Bye Bad Man' (incidentally the title of the superb album art), 'Sugar Spun Sister' and 'Made of Stone' on the other hand, are simply put, just brilliant. 'Shoot You Down' and 'This is The One' are softer, dreamier and just carry you away into a world with candy-floss clouds and licorice roads.

The album closes with two ambitious dance tracks (with spare vocals), each over 8 min long. 'I am the Resurrection' is wistful, with long dance sections which I find tedious. 'Fools Gold' on the other hand, with its looping drums and spiky guitars, is the best album climax in history. It takes just one listen for its rhythm to insidiously creep inside of you and urge you, no, leave you with no choice but to dance. Oscillate wildly to it, friends!

Recommended Album Picks!

Take out an hour from your lives and listen to this as a whole, for the tracks flow from one to another effortlessly. Best listened while travelling, or before sleeping, for you'll be transported into a dreamy world (candy-floss clouds and licorice roads, remember?). 

As a whole, The Stone Roses is brash without being loud, self-assured without being over the top and so confidently executed that it lies in the realm of larger-than-life, genius albums. Each song has a limited vocal range yet is simple, catchy, infectious, and in this The Roses turn their weakness - Ian's vocal ability - into their greatest strength. Reni's watertight drumming (especially on 'Elephant Stone') is greatly commendable. Squire's guitar work is dreamy yet exuberant. Even the Roses couldn't match (or even come close to) this behemoth, ever again. It would be the most Herculean of tasks to overthrow this beauty as my favorite album.

Music, a lifebuoy

"A sad fact widely known 

The most impassionate song 

To a lonely soul 

Is so easily outgrown 

But don't forget the songs 

That made you smile 

And the songs that made you cry 

When you lay in awe 

On the bedroom floor"

- Rubber Ring by The Smiths

Music is a rubber ring saving us from drowning in the sea of bad feelings raging in our minds. A life preserver that rescues all regardless of age or gender. A shaft of sunlight illuminating the most desolate of hearts. A spark of fire igniting the darkness that clouds the brain. You get it. Enough of the fancy language then.

Being a voracious listener of modern music (rock in particular) for the last 4-5 years, I've found it to be a savior in the lowest and a companion in the highest points of my life. The songs I've heard have made me smile, cry, and lie in awe on my bedroom floor. They've spoken to me in ways the musicians would've never intended them to. Given me new perspectives and all that. By sharing them here on oscillate Wildely, I hope they never outgrow me and I never forget them. I'll write about some of my favourite songs/album/how they made me feel/what makes them good as well as recommending some of them. So this is like a personal music blog, if you will!

Don't dismiss me as a pretentious, show-offy snob just yet. Cast all notions and ideas you've had about music (especially pop music) aside and enjoy the ride. Put on your headphones and oscillate wildly to the sound of music!

PS. Oscillate Wildly is a brilliant instrumental by The Smiths (you must've guessed my favourite band by now :D) whose title is a play on Oscar Wilde (another figure I deeply regard) and a call to immerse in the music by grooving to it without inhibition - hence the name of the blog.