This week I will be interviewing the amazing Soren, who has just released his first single in a long while, titled The Glare.
I have been listening to the latest version of the Glare about 5 - 6 times a day since it came out last Friday. It is simply the best. It sounds so beautiful. It's hard for me to go into intricate detail because I wouldn't know where to start. I just really love it. So, yeah! Enjoy the interview :)
Soren, Hello!
Hello friend! This has really bugged me… is your main instrument the drums? What do you consider your main instrument is? I would say that I feel most at-home on the drums. But you do play a host of instruments? Yeah I would say so. I would play a lot of stuff that would be used to make songs. Singer/songwriter-y songs, like guitar, keys, bass, singing, stuff like that. Okay. I was kinda expecting drums, but you never know. Yeah… I really like singing too. I don’t really have much stamina for singing yet because it’s not something that I’ve done for the longest amount of time compared to playing kit, but I would like to be just as confident singing. So yeah. I always got the impression you were a drummer and a singer because you have a MAD falsetto, I just wanna say. I like Celestial and you sound really great on that and you sound really mature on that. Thank you! That’s very kind. Which is hilarious because it was such a long time ago. Yeah I know! Which is why it’s even more astounding to me because it was so long ago! Yeah! Hopefully I can release more music. I know that you’ve been doing music for like… I wanna say the majority of your life now. Oh yeah, absolutely. So… list every music group you’ve been a part of! I’m always interested by an artist’s history. Yeah… I don’t know about musical group but the first thing that I did was jam with my dad every night after school for two years straight when I was seven. We’d play Jimi Hendrix songs mainly, all the time, it was great. So I’d play drums and he’d- Like me and my dad. Yeah, exactly! It was nice. So there was that… and then in primary school I was very frustrated, I desperately wanted to start a band. I was in some school pop-rock bands, and It was cool, but it was… yeah. And then in high school I instantly made a band, called Selling Time. Selling Time? Selling Time, yeah. For all of high school. I gotta say that’s one of my favourite names for a band. “It’s Selling Time! We’re selling time!” I came up with the name, I must confess. I also had a few other things, like I had a project with some people in that band as well where we played some covers and other stuff too. What was it like playing in high school, were you playing like at school or were you doing gigs like around your area? Well, I played gigs mainly on drums with rock bands across Melbourne, and then later on I moved to another school where I did more ensemble, like jazzy, classical stuff which was helpful. But I felt really grateful to be able to actually play gigs in real life before doing that because I feel like it was a mildly oppressive environment to learn how to play music, as opposed to figuring out the technical stuff. Not to say that the school was oppressive but “school” is not always the funnest place to learn to enjoy music. Yes, very true. So you had Selling Time, and you had some other group from that era. Then you’ve moved schools… Yeah, I started putting a little bit of solo-music out and then really playing with more projects post-High School, like friends like Stella Farnan, Earnest Jackson, Stella Bridie. Yeah you had a fair few! So you said you did a few solo things in high school, was that Celestial? Yeah. Did you have a band for your solo work, at that stage? It was all just like me recording stuff in a studio. But I was very lucky because I met Sam Tesky and they had a really lovely recording studio. I did a bit of recording up there and I found that really great, it was very satisfying. I learnt a lot about just enjoying the creation of a recording and how it can be an amazing thing because… recordings can be hit or miss. It’s like drawing a… I dunno, like… It’s a bit like photography, I think. Like capturing a space in time- Yeah, there’s a difference between a photo taken during the day or night, and like realising that thing when you’re in an actual recording studio, because it’s like “oh my god, it’s a whole different experience to like just doing it on your phone or getting a voice memo, it’s actually this whole THING”. I’d love to do it more when I can afford it. Yeah, oh definitely. For me I always found there was… because I recorded songs with my dad growing up and we didn’t have a lot of stuff, so we just used a Zoom recorder and just recorded the band in the band room. Did working in that studio help you see the gap between making your music on like Audacity at home and like how Tame Impala can record all their stuff at home? Could you see that the gap wasn’t too far apart and that level could be attainable? Oh it was attainable for sure. It was just the knowledge… like sometimes we would record stuff and it would sound great, and then other times it would sound terrible and I didn’t really know why, yet, just because I didn’t have the experiences of being around people who knew what they were doing. But it was like the experience of going to uni or school or whatever, and having good recording experiences, you’d pick up on things you wouldn’t otherwise. Right, yeah. I agree with that. So we’re in 2017, right? Yeah. Wow. That was like a July release, if I remember…? Hah, yeah. You really looked into this. Yeah, I did my research! How did that song come to be? Did you write it that year, was it around for a while? I actually wrote it a couple of years before that. Wow, really? You were so young! Yeah I know! It’s weird isn’t it? I basically recorded the drums in like, early 2016, and tried to record a whole EP of stuff. That was definitely the best song of all of it, and when you’re really into a thing and it sticks around it’s like “oh cool, alright this is still working and I’m into it” and I just did it and… yeah…! I guess you worked with Sam on that one. Yeah! He engineered it. I did a bunch of acoustic guitar guide tracks and then went in and recorded a bunch of drums with Sam. They sound great. I gotta say, like maybe it’s changing now with the whole Unearthed movement but like putting music out in your last year of high school, Celestial sounds like so full and round. It’s super impressive. Thank you! Yeah well it’s kind of weird how things happened like that. I think the thing is that I’ve always been a nerd about drums and I think that’s a big part of why that sounds alright. Because it’s like the recording element was really helpful, but at that point in time I was real nerd about getting the right drums sounds and playing it right and playing it dynamically, and when you have a good drum track then it becomes so much easier to make a sound that feels satisfying and build everything around that. Yeah that’s so true. So I definitely wanna do more of that. I think most of the things that have worked for me have been when I’ve recorded a drum track through and especially if I can keep the whole take. You’re saying like as the first element of a track? And then you can build on the styling and the energy of that, possibly? Yeah, I mean having said that a lot of stuff I’ve done recently has totally not been that and it’s worked well too, so… but I think I’ve had consistent results doing it with a drum track. I just… I need a bit more mics and preamps so I can set it up at home. Yeah, epic! So we’ve got Celestial, which... that’s crazy, that like you wrote that when you were so young, and just committed to it because you knew it was great. You even had a music video put together for it! Was the video a spontaneous thing? I was very happy with the song, and I just had the image in my head of a dancer. I had a friend from school who was onboard and there were some people I met who helped with the video. Yeah, it was great! Yeah. Now… let’s talk about… The Glare!! The Glare!!! Just wanna say, love the Glare. You already know that, I’ve messaged you like four times already and said it to your face. Haha, thank you. How did you go about writing it? Yeah, um, like, 2020. Right, is it an iso song? It’s definitely an iso song. My friend James Heaney, he’s an amazing keyboard player and he has this beautiful little studio in eastern Melbourne, and we’ve been catching up a little bit and we made this little loop playing around with a drum thing together. He was playing some keys on this beautiful warm synth sound and I was playing some bass and different things, and stuff that ended up being guitar. We kind of created this initial chord progression… Like three, and then it repeats. Yeah. Yeah I love that! I love the whole rhythm of the piece, like the literal beat and the way each measure like ebb and flows, and it just feels like everything is... purposely and significantly sequenced. I dunno take that for what it is but I really admire it. Thank you! I really appreciate it. I think James made some really excellent keyboard parts and it was really fun doing that initial production because it gave a lot of structure to the other production elements. Was this between the lockdowns? It was! It was in May that we started. So we had this loop but that was just this chord progression thing… but I just started hearing this whole song in my head and the second lockdown I really ironed it out. I was playing a lot of piano… this was the point where I was feeling pretty shit in the year and I spent like, straight up, two or three weeks playing piano. I don’t really play piano much but I got a lot better in those three weeks at playing chord progressions, and… uh… yeah, that’s how it came. So basically when I wrote the song I had laid it all out in a production sense and then recorded a full drum take at home with the setup I put together over lockdown and then it all came together from there. Damn… wow! That’s like a very successful lockdown song, I gotta say. I know those lockdown periods affected a lot of artists very differently. I know we had two of them here in Victoria but how did you go with it? Oh it was a struggle. I felt like overall it was pretty unproductive, but now I look back and I was like “well, despite the virtue of being at home I actually ended up with a bunch of stuff”. Because it’s sort of what I do, a lot of the stuff that ended up being made was not a work thing, it was like “I don’t know what’s going on, I’m just gonna make the music that feels good to me”, and like worked therapeutically, y’know, which often ends up being the stuff that connects more anyway, so I’m grateful for the time to just re-figure out my sound and kind of thing. Was that generally both lockdowns? Yeah, I would just say across the year. Did that second lockdown… as a songwriter that first lockdown was very productive for me and it felt right because everything was coming out and I could work on these songs with people when everything opened up, and then we went back into the second lockdown and I felt very flat… I think a lot of the creative stuff happened earlier in the year, but then I made it my goal for the second lockdown was to, let’s say, record an album. Not saying that that’s what happened, but as a technical goal it helped me get through lockdown 2 and it ended up with a similar amount of stuff in the first lockdown. But yeah... the second lockdown sucked, and so did the first. 2020 was bad. We lost people, and family was going through tough times across the board. Yeah totally. I’m very grateful to be here with low case numbers. We’ll come back to The Glare. What are you singing about? I got this holy connotation to it because… light, the sun, the glare. I think, broadly, it encompasses a lot of things I was feeling last year. In general, it’s about losing people you love, it’s about holding onto the things that are there, and realising that you cannot afford to take it for granted, because anything can be taken away at any moment, you know. But it’s also about fighting through losing sight of that, like when your vision and ideas of the future or the present kind of disintegrating, which I assume is a common theme for a lot of people recently. I definitely got a strong sense of self-reflection from the second verse where it felt like you telling lessons and giving advice. Yeah I think so, and it’s also about fostering and nurturing spirit. Like being present for the things that are important as well as creating a place to feel together again, in a way. I don’t know how to say it other than that, but yeah. I feel like it’s a lot of different things but I’m sure a lot of people have been feeling similar things. I think definitely people have been feeling that hopelessness. Do you have a favourite lyric? Favourite lyric? Aw, I don’t know, what’s your favourite lyric? Well, I don’t know the lyrics. But, there’s one about a “rhythm in my head”, I dunno that line made me think that it could be like music in my head to drown out noise in a situation, or like a migraine? I don’t know! It’s very open, like I’ll listen to it again and be thinking something else about it, and I think that’s very powerful for a piece of music. Thank you, that’s very kind. It’s true!! Um, now I think this is Sydney’s favourite bit. We’re gonna do QuickFireSongTime. What would be the first song you’d put on for your best friend in your car. Cha-ching by Chairlift. [Sydney goes YES!] What about heading home in a rideshare service? What would you listen to? Um, heading home? I guess if you’re in a rideshare service… You don’t have to play it out loud, it can just be in your earphones. I would say… heading home, god that’s hard… maybe something happy-ish but not too upbeat. Maybe… ooooooh god. Something off Melodrama or something.
What about a song for letting out anger?
Oh, letting out anger?! Hive Mind by Orange Orange. No, um, maybe… let me just check my phone... maybe like some Nine Inch Nails. Something off The Fragile.
You’ll enjoy this one, what song would play if you had to babysit a three-year old?
Um… ugh I don’t know. What’s something funny? Maybe the big band song by Bjork? [starts murmuring It’s Oh So Quiet by Bjork]. That’s It’s Oh So Quiet, it goes like [sings It’s Oh So Quiet by Bjork]. Yeah, that one because it’s so funny, when she sings at the start of that chorus it’s hilarious and I feel like maybe, that would be funny. Maybe it would be scary, I don’t know.
What about as a pre-date meditation?
I would listen to Aldous Harding, the whole Designer record. Just because I find that it makes me feel calm, not because it has much to do with the date, just because it makes me feel chilled out.
Note: At the time of editing this blog post I am obsessed with Fixture Picture. Thanks Soren!
What would you play at the start of the exercise routine?
Probably “What you waiting for?” by Gwen Stefani. How does that one go again? *Sydney and Soren stare in surprise*
“Whatcha waiting, whatcha waiting, whatcha waiting, whatcha waiting, whatcha waiting,whatcha waiting, whatcha waiting fooOOooor!”
You don’t know it Ryan? Okay well this is great because I’m gonna listen back to this and be like “I don’t know what this one is, I’ll listen to it now.” so I’m keen. Okay this is my personal favourite one, what song would you play at the end of a party so that everyone leaves? So that everyone leaves? Oh… Uh… I mean, like 100 Gecs? I love Money Machine but everyone seems to walk off the dancefloor whenever I put it on.
I’ve been meaning to listen to that. So what was the last song you listened to voluntarily? I saw what you were listening to on your phone before and I was very pleasantly surprised.
What was it… oh! Well, it’s borderline embarrassing because it's on the playlist for The Glare, but it was the Total Life Forever record by Foals, which I had never listened to until someone said it sounded like my music a couple of weeks ago.
So that’s a good note to end on!
I guess so! Thank you Soren, what can we expect in the future? More Soren. Amazing! Thank you Soren! Thank you!
Soren will be playing a show to launch The Glare at the Gasometer on Wednesday April 7th. I'm actually supporting with the band! You can get a ticket here:
https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/soren-single-launch/126519 It's gonna be great. I hope to see you there! Until next week, - R
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Hey!
Let's talk about Hive Mind.
Hive Mind is the first song I released from 'What Did the MUNKEE Say Now??' and it felt like a large departure from the synthy-pop styling that I had set up for myself prior. But thatâs okay!
I came up with the song idea at the start of 2019. I can't remember if I was playing a gig at The Toff in Town or if I was seeing a gig there, but on the way home I saw that Foals had dropped a trailer for their upcoming album(s). I stopped off at the Flinders Street bathrooms to listen to it, which became the music used in "Surf Pt. 1". I can't explain why but it got my creative juices flowing, and it reminded me of early Foals and how I first found music so fascinating. The whole train ride home I kept the idea of the riff for Hive Mind in my head, even whilst I was talking to my friend. It's pretty obvious especially after hearing that but Hive Mind is so directly intertwined with my childhood love for math rock and indie-pop. You'll hear plenty of Foals in there.
I got home that night and wrote the sections and arrangements of the song using an electronic sound palette in about two hours. I felt rather conflicted with where Hive Mind fit in with my music artistry. Do I put it with the very electronic-sounding Orange Orange stuff? Do I place it with some of my other bands? I didn't find the answer to this question for the whole of 2019. I did name the demo I made "Axe 1" as it felt like a piece that could cut through something easily. I was tempted to keep that as the final name.
As 2020 came, I realised this song would be so great if I just put it with Orange and embraced my childhood music dreams of indie-math-rock-pop. I also thought Hive Mind would slot in my live set very well, as my life set hinted at rock elements but never fully fleshed them out. It took about four months of recording guitars and bass until everything sounded the way I wanted it to. Sydney Miller helped record vocals for this song, and she sang the best lyrics in the song 'You know your lemon heart is trapped up on the shelf...' I actually spent a full night or two planning and writing the guitar solo in the song. Throughout playing many different solos and merging the parts that I liked I made this solo that I really do love. It's kinda funny how I blocked out a night or two just to devote my time to a solo. I also tried out screaming and making weird noises in the background with my voice, which was actually insanely fun. I blame King Krule for making me want to include these savage-sounding moments to the final song. I didn't even attempt writing lyrics until 2020 started amidst the large bushfires, because the length of the measures really intimidated me with writing. But, like with anything, giving it a go was the only way to make something I would eventually be proud of. I wrote about some reactionary people I knew, the way ideas and beliefs are shaped online and being a music artist on social media. I was entranced with how information was disseminated by different media outlets (like I always have been) and I also became very interested in how information was formatted to be spread as efficiently as possible on social media, and how the different formats of each social media influenced how this information was created. There are definitely some posts on social media that are chemically engineered to be as eye-catching as possible. My personal favourite from the time I was writing was an image of Australia on fire, as if the fires could be seen from space, but photoshopped to be like⦠glowing red to be so impossibly big and dramatic, with a caption that was like "WE'LL DONATE $1 FOR EVERY SHARE SO SHARE SHARE SHARE" or something to that effect. It's sad that people see things like these as opportunities for exposure, and a progression of career. Maybe I am overthinking things... Most of Hive Mind explores the people who do share these clickbait-style "justices". I find that these people sometimes stop feeling like real people and just feel like parts of a machine. I'd break down the lyrics about this in more detail but it seems pretty clear now, it just bounces off my perceptions on this topic and my perspective of it. I wanna talk about a few lines in the song and what they mean. The line "in this time away we forget what we see and we feel, and only have what weâve heard" was influenced from not physically seeing friends for a long while and only having the content and ideas that they were sharing on social media. It goes hand-in-hand with MONKET, which talks about losing interactions from friends because you don't see them. Now I realise it's especially relevant because of this raging pandemic that we're enduring. The "friendship ainât business" line comes from my experience being a musician on social media. There are some musicians who just randomly like your photos on Instagram or friend request you on Facebook for an opportunity to network, but it seems so dubious because so many times you haven't made any prior connection and don't feel anything for them. So it just feels as if they're interacting with you to get interest, or followers, or streams. The whole thing about showing purity and "you wonât compromise" was talking about how people would take the side of most virtue even if issues were complicated and were not so black and white, but the phrasing did come after reading Watchmen for the first time, from this line said by Roarshach.
Don't you feel a little bit empty waiting for a spear to be thrown, something to hurt you?
Don't you fear the world has turned ugly since you shook the grave when your ego talked? And in this time away, we forget what we see and we feel, and only have what we've heard. I know these pratfalls keep you in your shell, and I keep sinning! I can't help myself. You show me your purity when you won't compromise, 'cause I don't have time for your hive mind. Don't you know that friendship ain't business? You won't chase me, but you'll love me for one night. Did you know it's so hard to be perfect? Keep me out of the lakes of the minds. You know your thousandth post is justice in itself. But you'll be lonely when you get caught yourself. You show me your purity when you won't compromise, 'cause I don't have time for your hive mind. ~ You know your lemon heart is trapped up on the shelf. But you keep winning, you can't help yourself. Show me your purity, you won't compromise. I don't have time for your hive mind. You know your thousandth post is justice in itself. But you'll be lonely when you get caught yourself. You show me your purity when you won't compromise, 'cause I don't have time for your hive mind. (I don't have time for your hive mind) Because I was so hesitant with deciding where Hive Mind sat in my discography, the band didnât start playing it until March 2020, the last show before lockdowns. Let me say, I am a fan of it when it is played live. It's so huge! I hadnât recorded a live drum kit performance for an Orange song before but I felt that Hive Mind sorely needed it when I was crafting together the final stems during the first lockdown in Victoria. So as soon as things started to open up I went to Soren Maryasin to record some kit and let me just say, his drum performance was perfect. It was so tight and punchy and it suited the song perfectly. Iâm not sure if Iâll make a habit of including live drums in my songs, but Iâd be more than happy to do it all again when necessary because damn, it makes a difference. I think that's all I have to say concerning the secrets of this song. Check out this live performance we made when restrictions started opening up. We recorded it in Sunny's back alley. Yeah, it's nice.
Thank you! Here's a quick reminder that I am opening for Soren for his launch of "The Glare" on Wednesday April 7. It's The Gasometer in Melbourne and here's that sweet ticket link.
https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/soren-single-launch/126519 Also I'm excited to announce that new Orange Orange is on the conveyor belt and will be with you soon! See you next week! - R With the 2021 AFL season beginning on Thursday I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate by ranking the club songs for every AFL team. I’ve always been a fan of the AFL. I first started really caring about the sport when I started consciously watching TV in 2005, which was also my first (and only) Auskick year. This was the year I chose to support the St Kilda Saints after being swayed by Nick Riewoldt, and I was thoroughly hooked into the sport after watching the Grand Final that year, after a very exciting finals campaign for the Sydney Swans. I did not watch Nick Davis live, but I did see Leo Barry's mark :-) I kinda lost interest in the sport as I started growing up and grew away from sport and more towards art, because I thought the two couldn’t exist in symbiosis, and I especially lost interest when St Kilda didn’t win three grand finals in a row. However, after a long coma after bloody Hawthorn’s dominant 2013-15, I was awoken as the team that I grew up surrounded by - the Western Bulldogs - broke their premiership drought in 2016. After that, I was deeply back into it again. Now, I have grown to be a fan of the game overall and not just the Saints, which is exciting and really satisfying for me, it’s like a piece of me finally found its place after years of not being there. So - today I’d thought I’d link my talents in music with this sport that I enjoy and rank the quality of each club’s song. A lot of them are classic songs, some of them are completely original, and some of them are quite unique (and some are not very good). 18. Adelaide Crows “The Pride of South Australia” So I’ve never heard this one before, being from Victoria, and I’m glad to announce that it is shit. The tune for this song comes from the Marines’ Hymn from the United States Marine Corps, which was first shown to me in the Looney Tunes short “Super Rabbit”. Bugs Bunny did this song better in Super Rabbit. “We’re the pride of South Australia, we’re the mighty Adelaide Crows.” It is not a catchy hook. Not even a little bit. I’d be so embarrassed if this played if the Crows won the 2017 Grand Final. The lyrics suck. The vocals are not as good either, like they’re not the same style as other club songs. They recorded the vocals weirdly and I am not for it. Usually with these male choir groups they sing pretty distinctly, but these ones sound so… nasal. It's wrong. I'm already not the biggest Crows supporter and this definitely is not winning me over, ever. We're the pride of South Australia And we're known as the Adelaide Crows. We're courageous, stronger, and faster And respected by our foes Admiration of the nation Our determination shows. We're the pride of South Australia We're the mighty Adelaide Crows We give our best from coast to coast, Where the story will be told, As we fight the rugged battles. The flag will be our goal. Our skill and nerve will see us through. Our commitment ever grows. We're the pride of South Australia. We're the mighty Adelaide Crows! Yes, the pride of South Australia. We're the might Adelaide Crows! 17. Gold Coast Suns “Suns of the Gold Coast Sky” I'm not a fan. I know this isn’t really a strong critique, but this song is not very catchy. I think that is its biggest pratfall. This song sounds like it was written by a primary school child for a competition. I’m super confused if it’s a real drum kit or just MIDI. Who knows, who cares. They use a lot of “theoretically catchy” stuff but it doesn’t work out, and it has too many lyrics that kinda stink. This is too much like a song - I don’t think it’ll work as a fanfare. It has a lot of sections, and it is FAR TOO LONG. It doesn’t need an instrumental section in the middle, it's just too long. Just stop. This reminds me of Mario Kart 64, not in a fond way. We are the suns of the Gold Coast sky We are one in the red, gold and blue We are the mighty Gold Coast Suns We play to win the flag for you Fight! Fight! Fight! Till we hold up the cup Run, run, run all the way Hey We are the suns of the Gold Coast sky We're the team who never say die! HEY! 16. Brisbane Lions “The Pride of Brisbane Town” We’ve officially transitioned from “god awful” to “bearable”. The French national anthem shouldn’t be an AFL song, especially when the song jumps between swing and straight rhythms so much. It’s just disorienting, and Jesus Christ it's so strange to hear the crowd murmur this when the Lions win. And I'm not lying, maybe I've never been to a home win at the Gabba but damn, the crowd really does murmur this song after a game. The only thing this song nails on the head is the reinforcement of identity, hearkening back to pre-merger Fitzroy and Brisbane Bears days. This might be a controversial opinion but a longform song dOES NOT SUIT AN AFL CLUB SONG, and this song is one of the worst offenders with longform verse, instrumental verse, and then rePEATING THAT FIRST VERSE. That’s not good. This definitely has to be the weirdest adaptation of a song, and it doesn't really nail it that well. If at all. We are the pride of Brisbane town, We wear maroon, blue and gold. We will always fight for victory, Like Fitzroy, and Bears of old. All for one, and one for all, We will answer to the call. Go Lions, Brisbane Lions, We'll kick the winning score. You'll hear our mighty roar. 15. Hawthorn Hawks “We’re a Happy Team at Hawthorn” This one is tied with Brisbane as the bottom of the bearable bunch, but it’s not much better. I don’t rate this but it’s listenable. I might just be really harsh on this song because of Hawthorn but I just don't like it. I do think the arrangement is balanced well, finally, and it is nice to finally hear real horns. I think the lyrics could be better, but oh well, it’s short enough. I know I just said this is not awful but the reason it’s so low is that ripping off Yankee Doodle Dandy rip is never a good idea. It just makes your song a meme, and not a good one. This is like Geelong’s - A bit weird to hear after a game. The arrangement reminds me of when you finish last in Mario Kart. We're a happy team at Hawthorn We're the mighty fighting Hawks We love our club and we play to win Riding the bumps with a grin (at Hawthorn) Come what May you'll find us striving Team work is the thing that counts One for all and all for one Is the way we play at Hawthorn We are the mighty fighting Hawks 14. North Melbourne Kangaroos “Join in the Chorus” This one’s probably as bad as Brisbane’s. I dunno (turns out I was wrong). Join in the chorus? I mean, I get “Join in the chorus” but that’s a bit lame. My main issue with this song is that there’s no North Melbourne identity around it, like you look at Essendon’s or Richmond’s, which are quite distinctly theirs, and you compare it to this song where the lyrics could literally be replaced with anything and it could be another club’s song. Speaking of the song, I do commend them for taking inspiration from the Scottish It reminds me of a protagonist walking into a bar and everyone inside is skirmishing or something. I’ve never heard this one - some North fans haven’t either. For a long time. It’s pretty short - I do rag on songs that overstay their welcome but this song felt pretty modest. It’s just such a shame that this song is not very exciting - most average song I feel. It is nice to see the players get around it though, it’s very short and I think that makes it really good for the players to sing. Okay, I’ve done some further research and it turns out this song has been with North Melbourne for over a hundred years. I should put this higher because it is a wonderful case of tradition persisting. It’s just such a shame it doesn’t carry to people who’ve never heard this song before. Scottish people probably really love this song. So join in the chorus and sing it one and all, Join in the chorus, North Melbourne's on the ball. Good old North Melbourne, they're champions you'll agree, North Melbourne is the team that plays to win for you and me 13. Carlton Blues “We are the Navy Blues” Carlton’s club song feels like a huge joke, kinda like their current form. It's not half bad, though, ‘We are the Navy Blues’ a great song if you were just so drunk you couldn’t talk. Kinda explains their large fanbase. Fucking Australians I s2g. The song isn’t that bad, but the lyrics aren’t the best. I will commend that this song has a great sense of identity, much more than North Melbourne’s. Unfortunately, it is long, but it ends well though! Holy shit, this would be so inappropriate at the end of a grand final. I wonder how long it's been their song... The horn arrangement is pretty cool, and the middle section solo is pretty great and... yeah. We are the Navy Blues We are the old dark navy Blues We're the team that never lets you down We're the only team old Carlton knows With all the champions They like to send us We'll keep our end up And they will know that they've been playing Against the famous old dark Blues! 12. Geelong Cats “We are Geelong” I like the song. I’m fairly sure I like it. Maybe. I think Polka is quite hard to use for a winning team fanfare. It just sounds so silly and out of place because it’s so jaunty. I imagine Fortnite dancing to this song - it’s just one of those songs. I always laugh. Is that just me? I think it is. Maybe it’s just in this context. The lyrics are pretty simple, and the identity solidification is nice, but I dunno, it's so goofy. The horn solo is so nice though… I don’t have much to say about this one, it’s nice. I do think it’s pretty inappropriate to have at the end of a game though, which is why it’s so low. We are Geelong, the greatest team of all, We are Geelong; we're always on the ball, We play the game, as it should be played At home or far away Our banners fly high, from dawn to dark Down at Kardinia Park 11. Fremantle Dockers “Freo Way to Go” FREO WAY TO GO. I haven’t heard this one before either. It's not half bad. I know the arrangement is a bit of a mess but I have been going "FREEEO WAY TO GO" all week so that must mean something. You can tell they’re a modern era team with a song like this. Unlike the other modern era teams before on this list this one has a great hook. While it is a bit over the top and so cluttered, song-wise it is pretty mediocre and short, which is good for a club chant. This song also does away with an instrumental part with an okaaay bridge section. It is relieving to hear it mixed up a bit but it's not like, amazing. Anyway, not much to say about this song otherwise. Freo Way to Go Hit Em Real Hard Send Them Down Below Freo Give em The Old Heave-Ho We Are the Freo Dockers Freo Way to Go Hit Em Real Hard Send Them Down Below. Freo Give em the Old Heave-Ho We Are the Freo Dockers We're the rollers, we're the rockers, We're the mighty Freo Dockers. We're gonna role them and we'll rock em, We're gonna send them to the bottom. And if they get up, we'll do it again. The Dockers stop at nothing, nothing! Freo Way to Go Hit Em Real Hard Send Them Down Below Freo Give em The Old Heave-Ho We Are the Freo Dockers Freo Way to Go Hit Em Real Hard Send Them Down Below. Freo Give em the Old Heave-Ho We Are the Freo Dockers 10. Port Adelaide Power “Power to Win” WE GOT THE POWER TO WIN. I have a feeling the Gold Coast Suns took a leaf out of Port Adelaide’s club song, they’re quite similar. Honestly, I hate some of these lyrics so much. Why Port Adelaide aggression? Just to rhyme with tradition? Blegh! But overall, the lyrics are not that bad. I don’t like the harmonies - they’re unnecessary… or are they? It’s not that bad. I think there’s just too many textures, overall. I do think the beat switch and tempo change are quite cool though, and are what rate this song much higher than Gold Coast’s. This one is really strange. It does go on a little too long, but I guess if you’re quite into it then it’s good. I feel this song has a way of enveloping you into it, unlike some of the previous entries on this list. This song does have one of the best endings for a club song though. POWAAAAAH! This is probably the most layered song of the bunch, it's quite interesting, and it builds to its climax pretty well! We've got the Power to win Power to rule Come on, Port Adelaide aggression We are the Power from Port It's more than a sport It's true Port Adelaide tradition We'll never stop, stop, stop Til we're top, top, top There's history here in the making We've got the Power to win We'll never give in Til the flag is ours for the taking POWER With our tradition so strong We can't go wrong We're the Alberton crowd Port Adelaide proud And the heroes are those Who've earned the right To wear the silver - teal And black and white And the Port supporters Standing tall True believers One and all We've got the Power to win Power to rule Come on, Port Adelaide aggression We are the Power from Port It's more than a sport It's true Port Adelaide tradition We'll never stop, stop, stop Til we're top, top, top There's history here in the making We've got the Power to win We'll never give in Til the flag is ours for the taking POWER!!! 9. Melbourne Demons “It’s a Grand Old Flag” The “average” club song. This song is pretty okay. It doesn’t really have a sense of identity (like there’s no mention of demons or the club’s history) but the arrangement is good, and I've heard it used for many clubs in many sports (like my friend's Lacrosse Club). I do think this this song rhymes far better than any other club song so far. The instrumental in the middle is also pretty sick. I also think this song has nice reverb, is that just me? I have a Melbourne supporter friend and he’s hilarious when he yells this after games when he’s had a fair few, maybe that’s why I have it so high. It’s a grand old flag It’s a high flying flag It’s the emblem for me and for you It’s the emblem of the team we love The team of the red and the blue Ev'ry heart beats true For the red and the blue And we sing this song to you Should old acquaintance be forgot Keep your eye on the red and the blue! 8. West Coast Eagles “We’re the Eagles” So there’s a newer version of this song and I didn’t realise, so I won’t be reviewing that version. Sorry, it's probably good. Your first impression of this song was that it was so weird, and that it sounds so fake and overcompressed, and that overall it's a bit of a joke, even for a club song. The lyrics are very simple, and not very deep. But then the song kept changing keys and repeating the main hook and I thought “Oh hell, I get around this.” It's only one stanza for the whole song, just like #1 on this list. WE’RE THE EAGLES is a very good hook, and you'll be singing along with this song before you know it. For a team associated with the modern era, their song is quite intelligently made. I know that the opening is 100% “IN THE AIR TONIGHT by Phil Collins” but like it’s still good and catchy. It’s as if one Western Australian is singing at the beginning, but then the whole state joins in. I initially didn’t think this song was effective after a win, but after that past evaluation I am fully on board with this song. I really love how not wordy this song is, it’s focally centred around the main hook. I also appreciate the many key changes it takes, it shows development, even if it may have one too many changes. There’s a lot of WOOOS when the players sing it, which is great. We're the Eagles, the West Coast Eagles And we're here to show you why We're the big birds, kings of the big game We're the Eagles, we're flying high 7. Collingwood Magpies “Good Ol’ Collingwood Forever” As much as I dread Collingwood, this one has a good hook. The BANJO SLAPS. This is where the club songs stop being mediocre or average and get good and catchy, and make you smile. The lyrics reinforce a good club identity, and frankly that’s what you need to get right, even if the lyrics are a bit cringe in places. Arrangement is great, as you’d expect. It’s also pretty short compared to some other songs. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. A short fanfare is a polite way to stop the pain from losing to Collingwood. Overall, this is pretty good. It’s very cheery and a great fanfare to play after a winning game. It’s pretty catchy. Good Old Collingwood forever, They know how to play the game. Side by side they stick together, To uphold the Magpies name. See, the barrackers are shouting, As all barrackers should. For the Premiership’s a cakewalk For the good old Collingwood. 6. Western Bulldogs “Sons of the West” SONS OF THE WEST. I’m gonna have many angry messages that Sons of the West isn’t higher in this list but whatever, it’s a tight contest in the top 8 here. This song is so iconic to me, growing up in the west. Have you ever tried yelling “SONS OF THE WEST” BEFORE? It’s the best. The lyrics are good. There’s not much to say really, this is your above average song. It ends very well too. The 2016 grand final gives me humongous feels for this song, as it should for everyone. Staggering. Not much else to say really. Sons of the West Red, white and blue We come out snarling Bulldogs through and through Bulldogs bite and bulldogs roar We give our very best But you can't beat the boys of the Bulldog breed We're the team of the mighty West 5. Essendon Bombers “See the Bombers Fly Up” I actually rate this one a lot. Probably because the original song “Keep Your Sunny Side Up” is pretty good. The “UP. UP.” is pretty funny if you just hear it in a vacuum but I’d think it’s pretty good to chant. This song might be higher than it has any right to be because the tune are so ingrained into my childhood because my brother’s a Bomber’s supporter. That being said, I haven’t heard this one a lot recently. I don’t think Essendon fans have either. The horn solo is very nice, and quite iconic in footy, I feel like I’ve heard it in advertisements before. I like how the repeat of the hook is in a different key, it creates development in the song while not over-complicating it. This one doesn’t overstay its welcome and it’s pretty catchy! It ends well too. See the Bombers fly up, up! To win the premiership flag. Our boys who play this grand old game, Are always striving for glory and fame! See the bombers fly up, up, The other teams they don't fear, They all try their best, But they can't get near, As the bombers fly up! 4. Richmond Tigers “We’re from Tigerland” People will probably get mad this isn’t #1 but this is iconic. It’s a really catchy song, and it’s how to do ska beats right. I was attending a Brisbane vs Richmond game in 2019 barracking for Brisbane, and I was astounded that I joined in the Richmond song after the game. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard it so much since 2016. Love them or not, you must agree YELLOW AND BLACK moment is pretty great and the whole song is so memorable. Lyrics are actually pretty good - great sense of identity for the club. I particularly love the lyric "Like the Tiger of old / We're strong and we're bold" because Richmond really did win 10 premierships before 1981, it's just a good way to include folklore and identity to your song. Maybe it’s a bit long, but that main hook is quite nice so that’s okay. Good for the players to sing after a win. Very shoutable. The only reason it isn't higher is because I'm pretty sick of this song, through no fault of its own, and I just prefer the next three. Oh, we're from Tigerland A fighting fury, we're from Tigerland In any weather, you will see us with a grin Risking head and shin If we're behind, then never mind We'll fight and fight and win For we're from Tigerland We never weaken 'till the final siren's gone Like the tiger of old We're strong and we're bold For we're from Tiger Yellow and black We're from Tigerland 3. Sydney Swans “Cheer, Cheer the Red and the White” This song is just top notch. It's arranged beautifully. It’s very catchy - Dare I say the melody is one the better ones, and the lyrics are very good too. I've gotta stipulate that this is one of the best arrangements for a club song. The horn part sounds great, and oh my god there’s a dedicated banjo section, like what! Like Essendon’s, song the hook has a key change but the incredible arrangement keeps building to this beautiful ending that explodes. It’s very uplifting, and it feels very awesome to hear. Players yelling the lyrics is pretty good, even if there’s a lot of words. Wonderful. Cheer; cheer the red and the white, Honour the name by day and by night, Lift that noble banner high, Shake down the thunder from the sky Whether the odds be great or small, Swans will go in and win overall While her loyal sons are marching Onwards to victory! 2. Greater Western Sydney Giants “There’s a Big Big Sound” You know I had to do it. Without a doubt, this is the best modern-era AFL team song, probably forever. When Harry Angus of Cat Empire fame writes your club song, you know it’ll be good. I remember when I was younger and listening to an interview on Triple J he said that he got like $10 in royalties every time the Giants won. That's pretty cool. This is the only modern-era song that fits with the older club songs, and I truly commend it for that. I’m fairly sure they actually recorded all the instruments for this song, and didn’t use software sounds like other modern-era songs. For that, I have to give this song utmost praise. This song is memeable as hell. You can’t not mention that. The lyrics are iconic, and actually pretty good when you get to the nitty-gritty. The rhythm and horns are all stompy and bombastic, like GIANTS. It's just so great. I know it's super absurd to hear after a game is over, and it's not as tonally happy as the other club songs, but whatever, this sounds great, and it feels great to hear it. A real modern generation club song. I also think it works really well when sung by the players in the rooms afterwards. Sydney Miller also says this is “a scary circus song”. That’s great. Well there's a big, big sound From the West of the town It's the sound of the mighty GIANTS You feel the ground a-shaking The other teams are quaking In their boots before the GIANTS We take the longest strides And the highest leap We're stronger than the rest We're the Greater Western Sydney GIANTS We're the biggest and the best And we will never surrender We'll fight until the end We're greater than the rest 1. St Kilda Saints “When the Saints go Marching In (Adaptation)” Okay, I may be biased but I get pure eudaemonia from this. How can you not know all the lyrics to this song? It’s so easy to remember. The arrangement is simple and effective, the chord change is great and it’s so uplifting. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, which means it can be REPEATED after a game is finished. You can’t really do that with other songs without fans getting sick of it. I must also add how easy it is to yell this song. It’s not wordy. Anyone can join in. It’s SO good when the club players sing after a win. To me, it is without doubt the best song. The only downside I can think of is that less lyrics can represent a lack of identity? Nah I think that’s a good thing, don’t wanna be singing about our rack of wooden spoons. Also - fun fact - my first ever performance singing was singing this song when I was in my first year of primary school as a wee boy. There's probably footage of it somewhere. Oh when the Saints, go marching in, Oh when the Saints go marching in, Oh how I want to be with St Kilda. When the Saints go marching in! Did you agree with my listing? Do you disagree? Well, whatever you think, thanks for reading.
I just want to say that I'll be supporting my friend Soren for his launch of the lovely song "The Glare" on Wednesday April 7th at The Gasometer in Melbourne. I'll drop a link for tickets here: https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/soren-single-launch/126519 and I'll see you next week! Thanks - R
This week I will be interviewing local Melbourne artist (and my partner) Sydney Miller about herself and her latest release - Bad News.
Sydney has made waves since the release of her first single "Out From the Inside" which blended the captivation of pop with the strange kookiness of Sydney's diverse sound palette, including as many squeaks, bleps, beep boops, boings, blangs, dings, bing bongs, fwips, brrps, and pangs as you can.
Hi Sydney… so you got a new single out! I might ask you out of curiosity where you learned to do all this, because frankly it’s still a bit mysterious to me.
So... how did you get into making music? Um… I started making music on Garageband when I was in year seven. In year seven? Yeah and I started making lots of songs, and then… yeah it was lots of fun! I did it on my iPad, my little iRig setup and a little microphone, and I would make a lot of pop music. I made like 10 or 20 songs… Really?! 10 or 20?! Yeah, they were full songs! My sister still has them on her iPod touch. And then... I released some of those songs when I was 14. Did you do much music stuff before that? Well, I did lots of choir, and I did band stuff, I did some jazz and improvisation in primary school… Oh wow… So I was like the vocalist, I did piano and guitar, I did singing lessons for a long time. It only got until high school where I started “making” music. Did you write your own songs before then? Sometimes… I actually just remembered this, I would make songs on the piano and sing them, and I made voice memos on my DS. Oh really! Can I… No, I deleted them unfortunately… Oh what!!! I know! But they were so cute. I dunno. I think what drew me into music in the first place was dancing. It went from dancing to tap dancing. I told my mum when I was 3 that all I wanted to do was sing, so she was like “Okay! Let’s get you singing then”. Then she signed me up for lessons. Then it was instrumental stuff. Fast forward to 2014 and some Garageband and I put out my songs! Are they good? They were okay… I mean, y’know, they were competent for 14. I listen back to them sometimes and think “this was not mixed badly, it was okay. I’ve mixed worse stuff now.” [hahahaha] So yeah, but when I got to year 10… see, other than the Garageband stuff I didn’t really know tech-y stuff, I only really knew piano. So I got into a group with 3 other girls and I wrote songs on the piano and we sang them. I only wrote two songs… I took a huge hiatus in that time. I was like “I can’t do this as a thing, I can’t compose music, that would be silly”. But at the end of high school I felt drained and exhausted from studying, and I was anxious for doing more work like that in the future. But then I remembered “I like composition! I like doing music!” so I studied composition at university with you. I did that for three years… You learnt a lot from that I guess… Yeah, well, I didn’t know what a DAW was before I started! But yeah, that’s basically the timeline for how I got into music. I was gonna ask about your music groups... well, you already told me about the one from high school. Yeah that was basically it. I did a lot of choir growing up, but to be honest, I really wanted to be in a band. But I was too nervous to do it and I was always super nervous about not knowing anything about live sound or production or anything like that. So I never really got into it. I’m slowly getting into it now through playing keys for Orange, but yeah… that’s basically it unfortunately. It will be more though! From what I hear it will be plenty more! :-) Yeah! It will be a lot more. Yeah that’s good! I think we can agree that the most striking thing about your music is your production style. All my friends heard “Out From the Inside” last August and said they’d never really heard anything like it before. It was so fresh. So I might pick your brain about this… When you make this kind of music, whattaya thinking about? University really made me think about how I create a piece. Before I start a piece, I would be like “How do I deliver my concept in a creative yet intentional way?”, so it set me in this conscience that like every piece of music has to have a purpose and has to include that physical and literal sound that I am trying to convey. The first thing that I always do for every song that I make (and I’ve never been able to successfully make a song without doing this) is to take a heap of different samples of textures and percussions that remind me of what I am trying to convey, and cut them up and chuck them around in different places until I get a rhythm and a pulse that is really striking and catchy to me. When I get a beat that I listen to and think “heck, I need to listen to that again, and again, and again,” that’s when I start to build on it. So do you have a core concept, or idea? Or do you just play with “today theme is… a squeaky toy rhythm,” and then see how I feel from hearing that. Yeah, well with Bad News… Ey, name drop single!! ...it’s just so stupidly plain, but when I started the song I was like “the media is pissing me off right now, I’m gonna take all these sounds of newspapers, and record slamming books, and then get all the phone samples I can find, and then cut them in a way together that I like”. Woah, that’s cool, that’s super cool! But yeah, I also think it’s because I started producing like, shockingly recently. I didn’t really start making music like that until… 2019? I think it’s also because no one really taught me any methods, so I was just trying out all this random shit that people don’t usually do when they produce music. So I felt really nervous about trying all this weird stuff, and I don’t even use the platform in a conventional way, but it still works in the way I want it to. I think that’s really good, and I kinda relate to that because the way I started production was through sampling... ...and cutting up other people’s songs. Yeah! And like you I didn’t know how to make sounds. I didn’t understand how a sine wave worked. I still don’t understand how a sine wave works. It’s a lot. It is a lot. But if it works, it works. But yeah, that’s what I’m saying about your style. You have this concept and then you get in everything about this concept and arrange it in a way that suits you and build it from there. I just think that’s super cool. I just want to clarify, you have a concept, and then you gather the sounds? Yeah that’s it. That’s so weird I love it. What did you listen to growing up that compelled you to make music like this? See, the thing is that the music that I listened to when I was growing up, it doesn’t reflect my production style. I listened to a lot of Jamiroquai, and Ministry of Sound Dance Music growing up, and even bloody music theatre, GLEE stuff. But as I grew up I had a real affinity with pop music, but not like sickly pop. There’d be some songs and I’d be “that’s a great pop song” and then the rest I’d just not listen to. Does that make sense? Yeah definitely. I also have to mention Róisín Murphy, she has this one album called “Ruby Blue” from 2005, and I grew up with a couple of the songs and liked them. But when I got older and listened back to them, I was just like ”they are the pinnacle reference tracks for the music I make today.” That’s how my music style started, because that was very weird music but I wanted to make it more synthetic and mix it with Britney Spears and Lady Gaga and pop that I love. But it works though, and it is a lot of chopping and cutting in the production too. Yeah. I mean I’m not as intimately familiar but I have listened now, and a lot of the concepts that she’s doing are so far out. I love that “Sow Into You” so much, the production in that song. “Yeah, everything was awesome!” And you love “Night of the Dancing Flame”, I mean, that’s a big influence on Out from the Inside. Yeah it was a huge influence for that and everything moving forward.
Yeah!
Let’s talk about Bad News - You already know that Bad News is my favourite Sydney Miller song, and you know I love songs with only two choruses. Yes, I do know that. When you say that you got sick of the media, how did that arise? Was it an iso thing? Yeah it was. In June and July last year I was so tired of social media. Every day I would open up my phone and look at the news, and it would be filled with anxiety and stress. It made my eyes hurt, it made my head hurt. So I wanted to put that into a song, where I was really frustrated at how the world was seeming to work out and pan out, it just felt like everything was just falling apart and people were just saying it online, being like “DO BETTER”. Like “we’re trying, but we’re failing!” So I was feeling very pessimistic, in a way that made me want to tell people what was happening in the future. But I wanted to put it out in a way that was fun and exciting, and contrasted with this introverted fearful feeling. I like that juxtaposition of dread and… dance. *sobs while dancing* Ah, yeah. Do you have a favourite lyric? Oh god. “Folding folding folding.” Yeah? Ah I dunno. What does that mean? The “folding” stuff? It’s just like “I’m folding, I’m folding,” It’s kinda like “I’m giving up”, like “ah fuck”. Yes, I know what giving up feels like. Yeah, but it’s like “giving in your cards” in Poker. Just also as an aside. I’ve found writing about the media interesting because there’s so much you can write about and it can be relatable in so many ways. I’ve had people tell me this song reminds them of having to give bad news to somebody. Which is interesting. That is interesting! Well, I’ve somehow exhausted all my questions about Bad News before asking you about the song. So uh, yeah... let’s do our favourite thing right now. I like to call it “QuickFire SongTime”. Oh my god okay. What would be the first song you’d put on for your best friend in your car? Best friend in my car? For you? For your best friend. Hm, I don’t drive. But if you did. If I did. It’s a hypothetical. I know, I’m just stalling for time. … No, take your time, it’s fine. Probably a Britney Spears song. Like Toxic.
Toxic is great, yeah.
What would you listen to heading home in a rideshare service? I’d have to choose something that was somewhat mainstream. ...Like Britney Spears? I was like “don’t say Britney Spears, don’t say Britney Spears.” Um, I’d probably say “5, 6, 7, 8” by Steps. That would actually be the best-friend-in-the-car song now that I think of it, sorry.
Alright, we’ll change best-friend-in-the-car to that song. And also heading-home-in-a-rideshare-service song…
...no no on. It would be a Jason Derulo song. From Cats? No. So you’d actually do a Jason Derulo song? I dunno, something fun… What did he do that I know? *sings Talk Dirty to Me* Oof, sick bastard. What about letting out anger? What would you listen to, to be passive aggressive? I’m not really angry, but… Well, hypothetically… It’s so hard to think. It’d probably be “You Don’t Know Me” by Armand van Helden, either that or “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown.
What song would you play if you were babysitting a three-year old?
Like does it have to be… Yes, a three-year old. I dunno, probably the Wiggles? Or would I be trying to educate them. No, you know what? I would probably play them Roisin Murphy! You gonna raise your own army of Sydney Millers? Exactly. What would be something you play before a date? I dunno if that’s… Boy Problems by Carly Ray Jepsen.
ALRIGHT. What about at the start of an exercise routine?
Push Up - Freestylers. I used to use this for sit-ups, and push-ups as well.
I’m glad.
What song would you play at the end of a party so that everyone leaves? Probably… what's a bad song? Actually, there’s a couple of Roisin Murphy songs that are just so whack, so probably that. Yeah, but which one? Prelude to Love in the Making. I’d just put this on loop. You're right, this is just... strange.
And finally, what was the last song you listened to voluntarily?
Probably “Immaterial” by SOPHIE. That was the last song I listened to before work - ACTUALLY, for the Car song, change it to “Please Don’t Stop the Music” by Rihanna. It’s too late. My final point is what are you doing next in your life & your Sydney Miller life? I am spending the year working on my artists stuff, hopefully helping other artists with remixes or singles, and I will be releasing my EP hopefully in the next couple of months. That’s this year! Yeah it is! AND I'm preparing a live set too! Be very excited. I’m very excited! Thanks for being here. Thanks Ryan!.
Foals has had the largest influence on my music, and I have grown up with them very closely. Have you heard Hive Mind?
I first got turned onto Foals by my older brother, who had downloaded Antidotes and Total Life Forever onto our computer. As a novice guitar player it was helpful to see how guitars could be used without chords, and I learned a lot about playing guitar from them. But from here, Foals infected me. They were THE indie band for me. I was obsessed with them. Initially, I would not love every song but after many months and through maturing from the ages of 11 - 15 I slowly got turned onto every song. By the end of year 9 I had the (then-released) albums memorized. By the end of year 10 I had all the B-sides memorized. By the end of year 11 I was obsessed with The Edmund Fitzgerald, the band Yannis and Jack were in before Foals. Foals seemed to literally permeate through my every thought, and that was thoroughly reflected through my music. I think everyone has an artist/band where you can’t hate a single one of their songs - this is my artist/band. By my final year of high school I had realised how much Foals I was listening to and had to back away… I had new obsessions by then (Everything Everything) that were influencing Orange Orange. But Foals always stuck around, and they came back to me for a bit when ENSWBL Pt. 1 & 2 released, like an old friend. Nowadays, I don't love them as much as I used to, but they are nice to come back to, definitely. I had the pleasure of seeing Foals perform live at Margaret Court Arena back in July 2019 and it provided lovely closure after years of yearning to see them live. The magic of seeing this band play the songs that I listened to most in the 2010’s was sadly subdued from being far too familiar with their live set from watching their videos on YouTube, but it was quite an amazing experience regardless. I actually sat outside Festival Hall (back when it was Festival Hall) when I was 16 just to hear them play, as I wasn't old enough to go or smart enough to sneak in. It was worth it to hear Walter go “BUH-BA-DAH BUH-BA-DA” in Two Steps Twice before he left the band. I’m gonna try and list 10 of what I feel are their best songs right now. I’m not sure if these are my favourites, or what I feel are their best pieces of work, or if these songs just have current merit to me (or society), but here’s a list anyway. I’m also not gonna list B-sides, as to not be too obscure for people. Anyway, here we go!
#10: The French Open
The first track from their first album. The iconic live intro. The dancing guitars, the large varieties of beats, the seamlessly-fitting keyboard part. This is how to introduce your energetic first-album. Yannis’s voice works pretty well for this song. I don’t really know what he’s singing about, or why he’s singing about it, but he makes me pretty darn excited with whatever he’s singing about. The real stand-out in this track is the arrangement, and you can’t really deny that. It’s hard not to talk about groove with this song and I think this perfectly merges Foals’s math-rock past with whatever they were trying to be (still unsure what they are now…). I love the variety that this song had in its short run live. Jack’s drumming seemed to always be changing and doing very interesting things, and not just a straight dance beat for the verses. You can definitely hear that amazing beat in this performance from La Route du Rock around 1:20. I also love the weirdo whacko last section of this song that just wants to be very loud and energetic, I should make songs end like this more. I don’t really have a lot to say about this song because it’s just very solid. I love the complete rock-out bit at the end and how manic that is, like if you listen to what everyone is playing individually it should just make an absolute mess, it’s great.
#9: Inhaler
Inhaler. I remember being in my first year of high school when this song came out in late 2012! I listened to it once and did not really engage with it again until the start of 2014, where I have a very clear memory of listening to Inhaler on repeat while playing Goat Simulator. This was the first time Foals really tried incorporating stronger rock elements into their music, and...it’s great. I feel like this song is slept on nowadays because of the sheer amount of rock songs Foals has put out since, and only one other is better, the rest are nowhere near as good (looking at you “keep-on-running The Runner”). But back in the day when there were only 3 albums out, Inhaler was one of the best songs, and one of the highlights of their live set. The verse riff is so iconic and sleek, especially live. The huge riff at the chorus is so bold, and mashed with the yelling makes an iconic chorus that probably warmed up the winter of 2012/13 in England. I feel that this song is held in higher regard because the lyrics are not ridiculous. Dare I say, they're iconic. The prechorus and chorus are strong and while the verse lyrics may not be very deep, the melody keeps it interesting and engaging. My first band Plaza-Trg played this song live at a gig in 2015 but because none of us could sing back then it was not very good. But that kinda heightened the iconicness of the song for us all. Johnsen’s band Hollow December also played this song live circa 2016-17 and they made it work pretty well! I’ll also say the music video for this song is pretty good. That might be a hot take because it might just be edgy and have young people with strange haircuts doing weird dances but I think it’s effective and energetic.
#8: Providence
Now this, this is iconic. I love how the lyrics are not important in this song. In my opinion Foals are amazing at matching a mood with a sound, but their biggest pratfall that has been exposed since What Went Down released was their lyrics. They have created some of the best lyrics I have heard and have also used the laziest placeholder rhymes and lyrics for other songs. I know lyric quality is subjective but this thought just stuck with me after the first listen, and still today after hearing the songs so many times. This is why Providence is gold. The mood is forefront. The lyrics are just another improvisation tool. Every time Yannis sings this song live it's different. The vibe is just “I'm an animal just like you” and guitars, and ⅞ beat does all the talking. I love that it’s all about being in 7/8 and the groove. This is another song that goes off in a live setting, is it so hard to see why? Being instrumental for half the song really helps. It’s so cool. I don’t have many words about this song because it’s just cool, okay? I'm also fairly sure that they got the drop for this song from an unreleased song from the TLF days called O-Funk, and just made it fit Providence more. I don’t think this is confirmed but I swear it’s true. I also think they may have standardised this song for live performance more, which is a bit of a bummer but understandable. Just… watch or listen to some live performances from the Holy Fire tour, they are amazing. Yannis goes stage and crowd exploring nowadays and it’s just great. #7: Dreaming Of The only song in the top 10 that is from Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Pt. 2. While the rest of the songs on the albums do not appeal to me this one is the catchiest song to me, undoubtedly. The guitars made me feel like I was free of this Arctic Monkeys AM hellish landscape of rock guitars and crazy splashy ride cymbals and back into interesting guitar parts that interlocked with other melodies. If I was younger and more impressionable this would be my favourite song on this list. I don't know why I love this one so much! I really don't! It’s just tight, and I feel so much energy in this song. The chorus beat being in half time is a simple but creative way to not keep the same beat for the whole song. A creative pop track is probably how I'd classify this song, and it really nails that. If I compared this with other non-single pop tracks on recent Foals albums, what do you have… Lonely Hunter? Out of the Woods? Not much competition there. I really love the middle eight section of this song. I may have taken slight inspiration for an upcoming Orange Orange track from this section, but c’mon, it's great. I’m also pleasantly surprised to say the vocals are super impressive on this track, and if you know Foals you know vocals aren't always the most impressive part of a song. The melody is super tight and catchy throughout the ENTIRE SONG. Thank goodness, finally. The production is also super slick and everything fits together in a believable way. It really makes me sad that this song does not get the same attention as The Runner or Black Bull or Wash Off or Like Lightning because, to me, it is far more interesting and has longevity. That being said, I really hope I like this song in a few years, and don't just look like a pop FOOL.
#6: Olympic Airways
This was probably the first Foals song where I thought that this band was the real deal - An instant classic indie tune. I would’ve been around 10 or 11 when I first heard this song and the chorus just reeled me in. Probably the song with the most longevity. Olympic Airways is one of the best songs to play on guitar, and one of the most iconic. I have friends who still play Jimmy’s guitar part with the harmonics and everything during practises. You’re gonna hear this a lot but I’m very glad Foals still play this song live. The lyrics are fine for what they are and they progress through the song with some care (Sun’s up -> Sun down). The bassline for this song is also really, really good. It’s pretty simple and doesn’t deviate from the same rhythm too much, but it’s hypnotic. Olympic Airways has a great, memorable chorus, a wonderful duet part after the second chorus, and a brilliant use of the tremolo duet they established in Cassius. Yannis does play a different part live to what he played on the recording, and I do like it marginally less, but that’s okay. I really love that they STILL play this song as a mainstay for their live set. I don’t think it’s ever really gone away - 14 years later, and it still sounds good! If that doesn’t make it a strong song, then I don’t know. They could play a lot of other songs from Antidotes but they choose this song instead, that must mean something. One of the best and funniest Foals performances is a performance of Olympic Airways in 2007, and I’m fairly sure they’re supporting Bloc Party. Yannis does a lovely intro and drops the microphone at 2:17 so comically. I really enjoy the instrumental part that proceeds it and Bevan’s tight drumming covers it up super well. I dunno I just think this performance is hilarious and good.
To prevent this blog post being way too long I will do 5 - 1 another time, so stay tuned.
~~~~~~ I’m glad to announce that the “What Did the Munkee Say Now” Launch SOLD OUT. Thank you all so much!!! I am really excited and keen to play on Thursday, and I’ll see everyone who bought a ticket there. If you didn’t - grab one at the door, we’ll be selling a few. Until next week - R |
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