Sung Tongs
OK...so, this first song is called "Leaf House". It's extremely repetitive. Don't have a damn clue what they're singing. There's a conga drum that sounds sampled...not sure if there's a melody anywhere in here yet. It sounds like they're getting their throats examined. I'm not sure whether this lo-fi or just minimalistic.
Song two. Some shit about winning a rabbit. They sound WAY too perky. Guitar melody is alright. Kind of fun, but also positively frightening. Oh, god...they're clapping now. If they're going to utilize sound effects, they should at least sound like something. Just my two cents for the future.
Song three. "Softest Voice". Pretty guitars...some dude is blowing through a comb. 1 minute in...still no change. Guitars are still pretty. I hear water, but it may not be water. Now somebody is
singing through a comb. Can't hear them too well...they're probably insulting my mother. 3 minutes in...still hasn't built up to anything. Relaxing, but so is a scented candle. Now the melody has disappeared and they're making noise. WTF. Now they've been plunking around on a guitar for nearly 6 minutes, and nothing much as happened. I could have better spent this time combing my hair. The irony.
Song four. "Winters Love". Sounds cute. Some dude is banging on a desk as percussion. Apparently, making a squeaking noise with guitar strings > making music with them. This is 5 minutes long? Sheeet. It's sort of hypnotic...WAIT, a guitar just came out of nowhere, and now they're chanting something in my ear. I have a feeling looking at a lyrics site wouldn't help me much. Well, this is kind of fun. Like a group of buskers can be fun. Next.
Song five. "Kids On Holiday". People are wanking around with the vocals, so they sound like rubber bands on helium. Wonderful. There's some extremely cracked substitute for what you would call a drumbeat, but it sounds like an explosion. The band sounds like they're doing a soundcheck. Vocals are OK now, but there's too much weird stuff going on for me to hear them. The same melody has been going on for a couple of minutes with no change. Someone keeps screaming. I think this song is supposed to be the album's epic song for the ages, but I can barely hear the good part. I must say, this is a fun record so part, but there hasn't really been a good song yet. I guess that says something about it.
Song six. "Sweet Road". I think they're playing at a Japanese kindergarten now. Raffi has joined in on guitar. I can picture someone playing hopscotch to this song.
Song seven. "Visiting Friends". 12 minutes? This must be the epic. I'm sure it's everyone's favorite. Guitar melody is good...somebody's whispering something, but I can't really make it out, which pisses me off. One minute in and nothing has happened. I bet if I played this song in reverse it would kick ass. OK, I think Animal Collective just set a demon free from its eternal crypt. The vocals are scaring the %@$% out of me right now. Nearly 4 minutes in and nothing has happened; still a guitar and someone talking backwards. Now it's getting louder, but it's just the same thing. God, this band is lazy. Kind of hypnotic though, in a good way. Actually, this isn't bad at all, even after 8 minutes. Melancholy, but I wish it had lyrics...OK, that sounded pretty discriminatory. Should save that for FYM. Anyway, heavenly little tune here, even if I would like some sort of evolution in it, and it's about 6 minutes too long.
Song eight. "College". BEACH BOYS MELODIES FTW. Is this a Be True To Your School cover? Oh, it's only 0:53 seconds long. I "don't have to go to college"? Cool. You learn something new everyday.
Song nine. "We Tigers". I think they're trying to summon rain with this one. Or maybe it's a bizarre new tiger call. This should be called Theme From Let's Go Native. I couldn't understand a word of either of them. The tribal drums are a nice touch.
Song ten. "Mouth Wooed Her". OK, your mouth wooed her? Is this some abstract way of saying that you spoke to her lovingly or some shit? Mouths aren't that attractive, and dentists have to wear gloves, man. The intro of this one is really pretty though. Someone is pretending to be an airplane for their child while lovely guitars play. I can actually understand the lyrics in this one...pretty romantic, I guess. There's something resembling a song structure here, but it's pretty abstract. The oddball production actually works well here, probably since they actually bothered to write a melody to go along with it. Just something to keep in mind.
Song eleven. "Good Lovin Outside". OK, this guy really needs to learn how to keep a steady guitar rhythm. This had to have been done in one take. No one could possibly be psychotic enough to orchestrate something like this. The band must be out busking at the park this time. Maybe the kindergarten gig didn't go well. There's a melody here, and lovely-ish moments, but they're so random and broken up that I can't key in on them.
Song twelve. "Whaddit I Done". OK, a duck is singing. WTF. WAH-WAH to that, I say. This song is creepy as hell, unintentionally so. The melody is unusual and interesting, but the duck squawking is really unnecessary. This makes the Cocteau Twins' lyrics sound like spoken word poetry played on bose speakers. Definitely not closer material, but at least it's short.
Sung Tongs gets a
/
.
Feels is next. It may not sound like it, but I'm having a good time.