Single Take: This Song Is Awful/Awesome And You Are Stupid for Liking/Not Liking It (Standing on the Corner, Fucked Up, Oh Sees, Elanor Friedberger, Mark Lanegan)

Single Take is a Reviler feature where multiple people give a passing glance at some new music and causally rank it somewhere between 1 (Justin Beiber) and 10 (really amazing). Fun, right? Check out the latest installment below and feel free to tell us who stupid and out of touch we are based on our opinions. Arguing on the internet: the greatest of American traditions.

I

Standing on the Corner “SahBabii /\ Now, Nation End”

Adam J 9/10

A Bakshi-meets-Fat Albert and the Gang-inspired piecemeal of politics totally worth a few viewings. I’ve got some homework to do.

Chris 9/10

This is genius with a current message.  I dig it, and have heard the message loud and clear that is embedded throughout the track. I love this line: “Y’all hungry for change and upheave, just step on my feet. And the revolution is here. You step on these Timbs and the revolution is right now.” Brilliant.

Josh 9/10

Hadn’t heard of them before seeing them on a bill this summer in NYC. The set was a visionary yet scattered as this song. It was/is a lot, but worth exploring for some deeply soulful, thoughtful and engaging art.

Jon 7/10

I guess I would maybe call this psychedelic hip hop? Jazz rap? Cool track – reminds me of MF Doom in a way, but more explicitly political and conscious in kind of a throwback way. Real unique. Want to hear more.  

II

Fucked Up “Normal People”

Chris G 6/10

I’ve always liked Fucked Up, and this is pretty much another Fucked Up song that is pleasant to listen to, has a great hook, etc, etc.  I dig this, and would put this on a road trip mix…I just feel like I’ve heard it before.  One more thing…I really dislike clowns/mimes. 

Adam J 8/10

Unique, multi-faceted product from one of the more unique, multi-faceted hardcore units out there. I didn’t even mind the clown. Punk as the day is the long…in Iceland.

Jon 8/10

I am a bit torn on this one – part of me has a visceral negative reaction to this track in that it seems super corny in a kind of 80’s hard rock kind of way. On the other hand though I think they pull it off 100% because I am really digging it.  

Josh 7/10

Love that Fucked Up aren’t afraid to try out new sounds, including when they go glossy like on this track. I enjoy the dark and snarky video and, despite initial reservations, have come around to the song. Wondering if the whole new album is this poppy?

III

Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood “Scarlett”

Jon B 6/10

Kind of a cool vibe to this one but at first listen it doesn’t do a ton for me. But I can kind of appreciate the minimalism of it but maybe too repetitious (could have done with a few fewer “Scarlett’s”)

Adam J 6/10

I sure do like me some Mark Lanegan, and this stark, Lynchian video accompaniment is appropriate. Maybe a little too stark? Eh…it’s ominous enough…

Chris G 5/10

Oooh, this is chill, moody, relaxing, and kind of saddening.  I’m not sure I would listen to this track alone more than a few times, since it feels like a track you’d hear mixed in with other moody tracks to create a theme of saddness, depression, etc.  5/10 for this song as a standalone track.  Might give the LP a higher mark if there are other tracks to go with this.

Josh 6/10

I’d listen to Mark Lanegan sing names out of phone book, so pretty much any track with his burnt soul vocals is something I’ll check out, but this is so morose that I had a hard time not losing focus. I’m all for minimalism, but this felt more lazy and austere, which is the where I usually like his backing music to land.

IV

Oh Sees – “Anthemic Aggresor”

Jon  5/10

This is probably awesome music to get high and fly through space to but in my decidedly non-altered state, the extended jam gets a little old. 

Adam J 10/10

John Dwyer and company go on an outer-space prog trip and take the rest of us with them. I like this album a lot, I just wish it was mixed a little better. This, however, is my favorite track, so…

Josh 6/10             

One of the preeminent court jesters of modern punk rock, I give Dwyer and co. a lot of slack. But a free jazz jam band track might be a bridge too far. Or is it? Awesome video either way.

Chris G 8/10  

I’m a huge (Thee) Oh Sees fan, and am stoked to see them again at First Avenue on October 11th. I love this video, two alien puppets flying through space, smoking Nyborg Sativa.  I love how at the end of this vid the ship has turned into one big hot box.  Fucking rad. These guys put out some amazing psycheledlic rock, as well as some fairly memorable videos.  Catch their video for “Drowned Beast” if you have a chance.  Don’t miss their show next month at First Avenue, either. 

V

Elanor Friedberger – “Are We Good?”

Adam Johnson 7/10

Oh, man is this lady inside her head; and as an audience I appreciate the peak, (the visuals are pretty neat). Solid, odd song with a scattered, odd video. She’s bad with French and likes ZZ Top so she’s alright with me.

Josh 7/10

I have never totally fell for Fiery Furnaces, but this is a hypnotic, oddball track that intrigues me.  Are we good? Solid question. Not really. Love the “let’s go for it” attitude with the horrible puns. Weird video that seems like it may have been made by art school kids with some, well, chemical inspirations.

Chris G

Um, I don’t know.  I mean I feel like I should like Eleanor Friedberger more than I do.  I don’t know if anyone else has the same mental dilemma I have, but I always seem to compare her to Feist.  I enjoy Feist more.  This tune is enjoyable, light, and uplifting. It’s just OK.  5/10

Jon B

6/10

Have always liked Friedberger and Fiery Furnaces before that. She/they have ALWAYS been kind of hit or miss though for me. This one falls closer to a miss for me but it’s not bad – there are some interesting moments and a keyboard hook that I like.