CORN times TWO

The multiple layered cello plucking and agile voice remind me of Emily Hope Price. The wintry imagery that runs throughout the lyrics are all about survival, but I'm not sure why the song is called 'Machine'. I love the way she sings 'little kids'; appropriately adorable. "Flinging ice and snow like little kids | We will still have our hair | We will still have our skin"

What did I read somewhere that someone called this band? Victorian trance? They do use acoustic instruments to achieve a meditative result, yes. They use an accordion to its best effect in emulating a synthesizer. Also, there's a glockenspiel. Sold.

The odd rambly progression of the intro is kind of a head fake because the verse kicks in going straight ahead. The first verse is really just one line sung by two voices in unison. They keep doing that throughout the song with the voices singing in wider loops over one another. "He's going to where I'll end up | Did you hit a fork in the road? | Spoonful of sugar is breaking your back "

Somewhat whimsical track that is sorta like Tune-Yards in that it's all built up from looping one voice and instrument over and over upon itself. There are points where more sophisticated production are a nice surprise like the reverse echo at the :58 mark and then a rhythm guitar part at around 2 minutes. Sweet.

The shuffly percussion track gives me happy feet and the vocal hook is perfect for getting stuck in your head for days. "Dooo doo doo doo doo | Plug me in, plug me in."

It's time to play the game of 'how many beats per measure does this song have?' It rocks right along changing time signatures and kicking ass until the vocals start up as just 'Da-da-da-da da-da-da'. Normally I wouldn't stand for such foolishness but here it charms me to no end.

This one's got a beautiful folk rock orchestra arrangement. I can respect lyrics that forgo rhyming in an effort to create a more prose-like narrative in a song, but with the profusion of internal rhymes in this track I feel it doesn't necessarily get in the way of my understanding what the hell the singer is talking about.

This plain waltz gets right to the heart of the story; the title character is referenced in the first line of the song and the whole woeful tale is laid out from there. What functions as a chorus is just beautiful prose disguised as a song. "I'm never sleeping again | The make-out king is in my bed | I'm so tired I think I'm a junkie | He calls when he's drunk and drinks like | Nobody knows where he's going | And nobody cares what he's saying"

Reminds me of all the super fluffy 80s pop that my best friend in high school used to listen to. I could never get into it then, but the way that this track references that whole era makes this listenable. Not just listenable, but likable. Music to drive to your high school reunion to.

It's been a while since the last track review, so I wanted to let the feed subscribers know that there are more tracks on the way. Hang in there people, the music is coming back.

This has been stuck in my brain for days so I searched for the MP3 so I could figure out the damn lyrics and at least sound more articulate inside my own head. The real lyrics are way better than the fake ones I was using. "Rain wouldn't fall it was pretty dry | Told it to a cloud and it began to cry | If you want nice weather be nice to your weather"

If you're going to write an anthem based on the beat from Rock & Roll Pt. 2 by Gary Glitter, then you had better have the good sense to throw in some chanted "YEAH"s in there to match and wisely, they do just that. The lyrics seem to be of the 'come along with me' variety, also a wise choice. A fun modern sounding pop song.

When I suggest this track sounds like Billy Corgan rapping over a handful of samples one of which is a Berlin cabaret-sounding piano sample, I don't mean to disparage it. I really like it's unique sound and all the different influences it draws from. "Duck and cover, better yet just lay low | We three kings and a whole lotta play-doh | Growing up grey in a world that's day-glo | Never name names better yet just say so"

The sprawling and raucous sound hearkens back to 90s bands on Merge Records, (Butterglory, Superchunk) right down to the conspicuous trumpet sound horning (sorry) it's way into the mix. Of course I love the authentic crunchy guitar distortion. "Friends are all around but the friends are distracted | By the new friends they found and they found them attractive"

I like how the singer's voice is way out in front of the mix but also packed up in a reverb pillow. And how cute is the whistle sample? They remind me of Adult Rodeo or even Peter, Bjorn & John on this track. "Down by the water | Down by the sea | I drank a bottle | And lay down to sleep"

It's kindof a throwback to offer up relationship advice in popular song, but there's something about the manic pace and strange arrangement that updates this type of track just fine here. "You've the strength of the Greeks | You are God's masterpiece | You're every triumph every victory | I believe in every breath you breathe"

Pretty, atmospheric samples set the tone for this track. The production reminds me a lot of some old His Name Is Alive stuff. I like the little rhythmic changeup outro at 2:22. "I see the wind blow into my shoes | Each crying cuts into my nerves | It's hard to let you come on in | And let you know that I was hurt"

At first it sounds like we're in for a crunchy psychocore grind but then the organ comes in and softens things up a bit. There are some dreamy chord changes that could appeal to your average shoegazer, but still ends up to be a bit of a witch hunt like In A Gadda Da Vida. At least they had the good sense to stick to the riff and forgo the drum solo.