Dry your eyes mate...yeah?

I've been very busy not blogging lately so i thought i'd come back with a vengeance. I offer up the following three videos as part of this vengeance. These aren't just any old videos however, no. They're all united by a little bit of bleary-eyed crying. You've all probably seen these videos before, but only now are they all brought together under one thematically cohesive blog post.

1. Kele- Everything You Wanted

Kele's latest single sees him walking the streets of New York, at times looking determined, at others more bewildered. It all culminates in a tear-stained breakdown. Aaawww, despite his new found muscle-bound exterior it seems he's still the introverted softie of old on the inside.


2. Janelle Monae- Cold War

I know, I know, I've already posted this, but so what? It's still good and it fits the crying criteria.


3. Summer Camp- Round The Moon

Technically this is not a video of the actual band and instead represents a highlights-only version of the film A Swedish Love Story. Teenage love, lust and heartbreak wouldn't be complete without tears, right? Nicely soundtracked by the retro nostalgia Summer Camp have quickly perfected.

Somethin' like a Menomena

I've spent much of today listening to the new Menomena album, Mines, which is really pretty good. Sounds less abstract and willfully experimental than their previous record, Friend and Foe, although this isn't meant to denigrate that album which is still a favourite of mine. Having said this, the new songs maintain all the classic Menomena characteristics: tinkly pianos, deep sax, yelps and croons, all delivered in staccato fashion. Reminded me of the funk of Liquid Liquid at times, particularly this track, but that may just be beacuse the "something like a phenomenon" line reminds me of the name Menomena. Anyway, here's the band in action.

LOL, that was a pretty funny joke.
This gives a better representation of what they're actually like:


Another album, that's been out a little longer, but that is also "really pretty good", is Archandroid by Janelle Monae. Check out the video for the storming Cold War. It's a wonderfully simple video that contrasts with the high drama and energy of the song, with the sort of performance not seen since Karen O's near break down in Maps.

When I was a young boy...

Jus' chillin', y'know, in the suburbs

Most of you have probably heard the new Arcade Fire album by now, and most of you probably think it's brilliant. And I would completely agree with you, I'm not gonna shit on this sacred cow, who do you think I am, Vice? I do have one bone of contention though, and it's to do with the lyrics. The album's title may be The Suburbs, but this does not mean that every single song (almost literally) has to include the words "suburbs" or "sprawl", let alone countless relations such as "city", "town" and "street". The suburbs are populated, almost exclusively it seems, by "the kids", or on a few rarer occassions "the children". We all get that it's an album about suburbia and childhood, but across 16 songs those themes become stretched a little thin when the same few words are used to articulate them.

Here are the results of my pedantry, mentions of:
The suburbs/sprawl = 20
The kids/children = 16

Back in my day...

I realise this is a somewhat trivial matter, but it detracts from the listening if you find yourself noticing, and being irked by, these things. Maybe if they'd cut three or four songs, rather than the 16 they've opted for, these shortcomings may not have been so obvious.

Still, one of my favourite albums of the year so far, but it seems increasingly unlikely that Arcade Fire will ever quite top Funeral, and will always leave people, well me at least, a little disappointed.