Friday, October 07, 2005
A little healthy debate
I'm going to take off soon and drive my wedding dress up to Arkansas. Tomorrow Victor and I are meeting with the priest. I probably won't be posting over the weekend, so I thought I'd leave you guys with a little healthy debate.
Two of the most critically acclaimed albums this year are Sufjan Stevens' Illinois (or, as the full title goes, Sufjan Stevens Invites You To: Come On Feel The Illinoise) and the New Pornographers' Twin Cinema. Illinois has a metascore of 90, while Twin Cinema has a metascore of 84, so yeah, critics love them. (side note: I just love Metacritic, don't you?) Anyway, I think both albums are really good. And, in my opinion at least, both have one track that really stands out, really shines above the others. On Sufjan Stevens' album, it's the song "Chicago," and it's "The Bleeding Heart Show" on the New Pornographers album.
These songs have a lot in common... both start out fairly sparsely and then build. "The Bleeding Heart Show" builds over the course of the song, whereas "Chicago" builds, then drops, then builds, etc. There are lovely harmonies in both songs. Both are full of fun instruments and big sounds. They're both great driving songs. I'm not one for repeating a song after just playing it, but both of these songs warrant repeat listens, which says a lot in my book.
The Sufjan Stevens song is a bit more lush, and also more delicate (Sufjan has a really trembly voice in parts of the song). "The Bleeding Heart Show" starts out kinda sparsely and then just becomes a giant stomper at the end, with Neko Case belting out over the "hey las" sung by the rest of the New Pornographers.
So, those of you who know these songs, which do you prefer? Do you like both of them? Is it unfair to try to compare two songs which are similar while remaining completely different? Who is hotter, Neko Case or Sufjan Stevens? Do you prefer your boys older and red haired, and therefore think A.C. Newman is the bomb? Oh wait, we're suppose to be debating the merits of the songs... not the hotness/not hotness of the singers. So anyway, what do you think? Answers in the comments, please!
I'm going to take off soon and drive my wedding dress up to Arkansas. Tomorrow Victor and I are meeting with the priest. I probably won't be posting over the weekend, so I thought I'd leave you guys with a little healthy debate.
Two of the most critically acclaimed albums this year are Sufjan Stevens' Illinois (or, as the full title goes, Sufjan Stevens Invites You To: Come On Feel The Illinoise) and the New Pornographers' Twin Cinema. Illinois has a metascore of 90, while Twin Cinema has a metascore of 84, so yeah, critics love them. (side note: I just love Metacritic, don't you?) Anyway, I think both albums are really good. And, in my opinion at least, both have one track that really stands out, really shines above the others. On Sufjan Stevens' album, it's the song "Chicago," and it's "The Bleeding Heart Show" on the New Pornographers album.
These songs have a lot in common... both start out fairly sparsely and then build. "The Bleeding Heart Show" builds over the course of the song, whereas "Chicago" builds, then drops, then builds, etc. There are lovely harmonies in both songs. Both are full of fun instruments and big sounds. They're both great driving songs. I'm not one for repeating a song after just playing it, but both of these songs warrant repeat listens, which says a lot in my book.
The Sufjan Stevens song is a bit more lush, and also more delicate (Sufjan has a really trembly voice in parts of the song). "The Bleeding Heart Show" starts out kinda sparsely and then just becomes a giant stomper at the end, with Neko Case belting out over the "hey las" sung by the rest of the New Pornographers.
So, those of you who know these songs, which do you prefer? Do you like both of them? Is it unfair to try to compare two songs which are similar while remaining completely different? Who is hotter, Neko Case or Sufjan Stevens? Do you prefer your boys older and red haired, and therefore think A.C. Newman is the bomb? Oh wait, we're suppose to be debating the merits of the songs... not the hotness/not hotness of the singers. So anyway, what do you think? Answers in the comments, please!
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