My iPod #64: The Wombats - Backfire at the Disco

Evening again.

"Backfire at the Disco" was released as a single from The Wombats' first album "A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation" in 2007. It reached #67 in the charts.

At that time no one really knew who the band were, and so they re-released it in 2008. It reached #40 in the charts.

The band was another that played on MTV2 when they first came about on the scene, and so there wasn't a day when this song wasn't playing on the channel.

I didn't really like the song back then. The song that really got me into them was "Kill the Director", which will be coming up later many years from now.

The song includes a trademark vocal that the band used throughout their first album and then abandoned in their second. You know how on "Employment" by Kaiser Chiefs, almost every song (or single, I haven't listened to all of that album) included a part where a build up in tension was signified by an "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh *breath* oooooohhhhhhhhh woooooooahhhh ooooooooooooooh"?

Well, on "A Guide to Love" almost every song (I can say that this time as I own the album, and have listened to it) includes a "woo" or an "ooh" section, either as back up vocals or as a break between a verse and a chorus or something.

Both bands are similar in that when they both abandoned those vocals, their second albums didn't do as well. I haven't listened to "This Modern Glitch", and probably won't. I would stick to their first if I was you.

The song is about a person who goes out on a date, and it almost goes well until they go to the disco and everything goes wrong. I'm sure many people have been through this before. I guess.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #18: Brakes - All Night Disco Party

This one's for all the Catholics out there. Pope Francis all the way.

Got MTV2 to thank for this song again. You guys might not know a lot about Brakes. So I'll probably just give you the gist.

Brakes are another British band, from Brighton this time, who formed in 2003. They released their first single, 'Pick Up the Phone' (song starts at 0:21), and followed that up with the song above. Those two singles can be found on their first album 'Give Blood' which got quite good reviews, even from Robert Christgau and Pitchfork. They also go by the name BrakesBrakesBrakes in the US.

This song is so hypnotic. The bass groove, the descending guitar riff in the verses.... The repetition of the song title just sets a tone of anticipation, you're walking with your mates down the street to the biggest party that has been hyped for months. You find the door, you hear the thumping music, and then you walk inside. That's when the chorus comes in.

EAST WEST. NORTH SOUTH. LEFT RIGHT. CROQUE-MONSIEUR, CROQUE MADAME.

Yes, the chorus doesn't make any sense at all. When I first heard the song, I thought that the lead singer was speaking in a different language/from a different country altogether. I think Brakes are known for their nonsensical lyrics, I mean listen to 'Porcupine or Pineapple', or 'Hey Hey' for example. Don't let that take away from the song's message though, who cares about anything when you're at an awesome party? You don't listen to the lyrics in the music, you just dance around and hopefully get some.

This song would be suitable to play at any party. At least an indie disco party anyway.

Also, for more information on a croque-monsieur and croque-madame, click here.

Until next time.

Jamie.