One of my favorite bands of all time, Death Cab, came out with a new single this week. Hooray… except I am not sharing it because I don’t really like it. It is an OK song, and I am excited for new material from them, but for my favorite artists of the past I have come to expect epic greatness or the music falls flat. I can’t help it. The trajectory of a band can vary so much, and my own tastes can shift so easily. I have found that the idols I hold the dearest tend to fall the hardest (dare I say from Such Great Heights) in my eyes because I have set such high expectations. Foo Fighter’s Everlong is one of my favorite songs ever, but I am barely buzzed about their upcoming album due to lackluster recent releases. The newest Counting Crows album was purchased, listened to three times, and gathers dust, while August and Everything After remains on rotation forever after.
What do you do when your relationship with an artist has potentially reached its peak… do you linger around hoping they can somehow make things like they used to be, reignite that fire? Or do you remember the good times, smile because it happened, and move on? Today I choose the latter… but don’t worry DC I haven’t given up on you yet. May 31st.
Update: this BBC bit sums things up nicely.
Today’s Emo: Trembling Hands / Explosions in the Sky
This song lives up to its name… symphonies echoing upon symphonies, sound trembling on sound. The track is off Explosions in the Sky’s upcoming album, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, and while that is a lot of taking and caring I can’t wait to have a new perfect soundtrack for both work and play. Like many, I first came across Explosions in the Sky via the television show Friday Night Lights. I have only caught a couple episodes, but the soundtrack stuck, especially after the group started following me around on Pandora like a lost puppy.
Friday Night Lights and EITS have Texas in common – although this sound sounds so far away from Texas. Explosions in the Sky could mean something terrible and destructive (bombs) or dazzling and full of light (fireworks). It wasn’t until writing this post and thinking about the group name that I realized I never thought anything but fireworks, which I’m sure is how they want it. Captivating, cinematic, electric. #emo
Today’s Untz: Civilization / Justice
‘the beating of a million drums’
Getting on the internet bandwagon that is going nuts over this track, because as with many bandwagons there is a reason so many have hopped on board for the ride. Justice emerges from a serious hiatus to drop a track in an Addidas commercial of all places, that happens to feature everyone and their mom, from Katy Perry to the Chicago Bulls to B.o.B. and some skater bros.
The song is so good I couldn’t care less, and it instantly makes me forgive the French duo for the four year production break and less than organic reappearance onto the scene. There is something about the chorus that is so simple but still so captivating – untz at its finest. March to the D.R.U.M.S. Do the dance. #untz
theuntzandtheindie 