My iPod #259: The Futureheads - Decent Days and Nights

When I was standing on a chair in the living room and being an idiot like every other child, the original video for "Decent Days and Nights", the song from The Futureheads' debut album came on MTV2. In the video, the band were in a huge warehouse, standing on podiums whilst playing their instruments. That video seems to have disappeared, as it's not even on YouTube. Does anyone else remember the version I am talking about? It is cool if you do.

No, the video above is one they produced when they re-released the single in 2005. That was the radio mix, which included a new introduction and overall cleaner production. The version I listen to is the original album version, which is the opposite. The guitars sound a bit rough and messier, I swear I always hear this hissing sound during the 'chorus' but apart from that the punchy drums, those sweet harmonic vocals the band are known for and the song structure is the same.

I also didn't recognise until recently why I thought this song was a bit disorienting. The time signature changes throughout the bloody thing. It is 4/4 for the majority, but it switches to 3/4 and 2/4 too. It's very strange, but does it makes the track a lot more fluid. The verse just rolls right into the 'chorus' (which it doesn't really have hence the apostrophes) which then segues into the bridge and so on and so forth. Not one section drags on for too long and so it maintains your attention.

Another one to remember from the good times that were the mid-2000s.

My iPod #168: The Futureheads - Carnival Kids

There is an official music video for this song somewhere. It's just not on the internet. I remember watching it on the television too. That's a shame.

"Carnival Kids" is a track on The Futureheads' debut album and is sung by rhythm/lead guitarist Ross Millard. It is fast-paced with a lot of vocal harmonies occurring during the verses and sudden stops and starts which make the song very hard to keep up with sometimes.

That's all fine though. It is the sheer force that all of this is delivered to your eardrums that make the song so infectious and sharp. Plus it has a coda that you will eventually find yourself singing randomly. It is one of those songs that you should really make most of the time of when listening to it, because it is finished before you know it.

Jamie.

My iPod #85: The Futureheads - The Beginning of the Twist

Hi everyone.

I'm feeling good today. After about seven years, I have finally got around to taking my acoustic guitar to get fixed. I only need a new high e string, but it's taken so long. I never thought this day would come. I listened to 'Blow Away' by George Harrison - one of the happiest songs that I only listened to last Friday or so, on repeat on the way to the shop and back.The weather is incredibly sunny and very hot. It's a good time to be alive.

"This Is Not the World" is The Futureheads' third album released in 2008. They also hadn't released an album for quite a while. "The Beginning of the Twist" was the first single, and brought back that hard-hitting, punchy feeling that's present throughout most of their songs.

It was also the first time the band had released material on their independent label Nul Records, after leaving 679 Recordings for undisclosed reasons. It is the first song on the album, but in its own way it is announcement of their change and a message that things will not be the same. I don't think it's in any way autobiographical, I just thought of that. It's all up to interpretation.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #49: The Futureheads - Area

Hello everybody.

Today I went to Derby for an open day at its university. Derby is a nice place, it's far away from my family and the actual place was cool too. I may just consider going there.

So, I'm nearing the end of the 'A' series of 'My iPod'. Only nine more songs to go until all the songs beginning with that letter are covered. It has been a good run. It's given me something to do whilst revising. Exams are slightly beyond the horizon, so 'B' won't be up on here anytime soon.

Thanks to anyone who has viewed the blog, it's quite hard to know if anything on here is interesting if people don't comment. But I've got more than 1,000 views on here and I'm very grateful for your appreciation.

Today's song is another by The Futureheads, who were the band I covered in my first entry of the 'A' series. The video for this was linked in that post too, and now here it is.

'Area' was a non-album release in 2005. It was neither something recorded during their first album, nor was it something recorded during 'News and Tributes'. It was more of a single to show their progression in sound.

It was actually a favourite song of mine. I first saw it on the music channel, 'Q', which showed decent music from time to time. The 'derder-derderder-derderder' hook was instantly embedded into my head, and I would change from channel to channel hoping that the music video would be showing.

Before YouTube, artists would actually put their music videos on their official website, so you were able to download and watch it on Windows Media or RealPlayer. Yeah, I did that with 'Area'. I would have it on repeat. But you know when you play a song on repeat and it gradually gets quite annoying? That's what happened to me. I had listened to enough times. So I restrained myself.

That was in 2005, so finding a really good song at ten years old was a really big deal.

I think it's on the US version of 'News and Tributes', but I'm not sure.

Watch the video and see if you like the song.

Until next time.

Jamie.

Predicament solved. New blog series!

Fuck it.

That is my decision for yesterday's post. As the saying goes, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'

But on the topic of my iPod, I was wondering what I could do to bring some consistency to my new blog.

I don't just want to come on here one day with nothing to write about. I've been looking through the songs that I have on my 'portable device' and wondering... 'damn, this is the music that I've enjoyed throughout my life.... where does the time go? blah blah blah nostalgia'.

So I'm going to guide you, in alphabetical order, through the songs I have, how I discovered them and whatever.

So number one.....

The Futureheads - A to B

OK. The Futureheads are a four piece band from Sunderland, consisting of two brothers and two other guys. I've listened to them for about... nine years now, ever since their debut album came out in 2004.

I think the first song I heard by them was 'Decent Days and Nights', when I was watching good old MTV2, when it actually played a wider variety of better music. It is now called MTV Rocks, but it doesn't rock at all. Not. at. all.

But anyway, I liked that song and I remember I went shopping with my mum in Tesco one day, and we were in the CD aisle and I saw the front cover of The Futureheads album. I saw it, and the conversation as I recall went a little something like:

Mum: "What's that?"
Me: "It's an album by a band I listen to."
Mum: "Do you like them?"
Me: "Yeah, sure."
Mum: "Alright, well then put it in [the trolley]."

And I've never looked back since.

I wouldn't say that The Futureheads are one of my all time favourite bands, but they have really good, catchy songs with great vocals and punchy instrumentation.

Check out some other stuff by them if you want. Their latest album 'Rant' was released last year, but is only acapella.... so get that if you're into that kind of stuff.

Did you like this blog entry? Comment on it, and I'll try and make these as daily as I can.

Until next time.

Jamie