Chad Valley – Equatorial Ultravox 8.1

                I first heard of Chad Valley about a month or so ago. When I heard the fifth track on here “Fast Challenges” I felt pretty excited. Here was an artist going back to the proud tradition of trance pop from the early 90s. Unlike some others working in the same sound, he deftly avoided any trace of irony. No, his work sounded fairly genuine, heartfelt even. 

                “Reach Lines” is truly great. The sound is pristine. I’m a little blown away. I mean, here we have all these artists obsessing about creating a lo-fi sound to impress others. Listening to it I’m reminded of a sweet Washed Out track. Vocals come from far away. Just for those not convinced, they bring out the vocoder. Oh this makes me happy. 

                With the full album, I’m reminded a bit more of the nostalgic vibes everyone’s been surfing on lately. Chad Valley’s work succeeds with the sheer smoothness of delivery. All those vocals make up most of the sound, taking up huge amounts of space. Vocals are more of an instrument than mere backup. This isn’t a bad thing; countless artists (Cocteau Twins) have convinced me of the importance on focusing of the texture of the sound. Besides, this is in English unlike the Twins’ made-up language. 

                Actually, most of the album explores the 80s more than that teaser “Fast Challenges” hinted. I’m not bothered by this fact. You’ll probably politely hum along with most of this album. The warmth it contains makes it pretty hard to dislike. Even the melodies are infectious.

                Of course, there are a lot of bands using a similar sound. Immediately the group “Games” comes to mind. Like Games, it stays true to a pop format, with all seven of these songs staying within five minutes or less. Similar to Games, it explores the myriad percussion and synthesizer pads. But the main difference is the more human approach to pop. The experimental impulse of the sound is kept in check by the human vocals. It’s a great summer album. Shame he isn’t coming to the US.

St Ranger

                St Ranger released another sweet song off of their yet untitled album. I’m not sure if giving away music is a good business model. Perhaps it is important to give the listener some idea of what to expect. That’s what I assume the purpose is for this young, young group.

                When I hear they were all in other bands before this, I feel so lazy. How many people have been in bands since their early teens? Every day it is more and more people. I had a solo project, I’m not sure if it counts as the same thing. Laptop musicians aren’t really as beloved.

                Their most recent song “Shark Week” sprawls. I mean this in the best way possible. Seeing a band get messy is one of my greatest pleasures. What would “Teenage Riot” be if Sonic Youth decided to whittle down its length? Listening to “Shark Week” shows what happens when a band decides to stretch out. 

                “Shark Week” begins in the middle of things. Unlike the previous song, you’re just thrown into things. The drums are a bit more prominent in this one. I’m still pretty amazed at how St Ranger manages to sound so graceful. You’re reminded this is a five-piece band, it sounds so big. The vocals are fantastic. Again I’m reminded of the late 80s, when music began to pull itself out of the ‘New Wave’, out of plastic pop, and feel human emotions. That may be one of my favorite periods of music, hands-down. 

                Part of me wonders if they aren’t just going to tease out the entire album. You know, every couple of weeks release another track until lo and behold, it is summer. I wouldn’t be opposed to this approach. Seeing them live wouldn’t be a bad idea either, but unfortunately they haven’t quite made it to my neck of the woods yet. Perhaps they will sometime soon.

Com Truise – Fairlight 7.5

                “Fairlight” is a sweet teaser EP for Com Truise’s release on Ghostly International. It makes sense that his slow-moving funk would find a home there. This will help those countless individuals who have been following his steady rise. He’s fairly prolific and released under the moniker “Airliner” earlier this year. 

                I like how he forms his own specific sound. Considering all the other groups who specialize in a 80s sound, that’s no mean feat. Most groups tend to work on obscuring the melodies in a haze. Com Truise realizes his work functions better with full light shining down on it. 

                All the songs show the natural progression towards that full-length album (Galactic Melt) out on July 5^th. Each one has its own charm. I like how the drums hit on “Fairlight” and the amount of detail he shows in the slow evolution of the song. On “Beta” you’re treated to more low-end, sprawling synths. That pales in comparison with the finale. 

                Endings are important. “Polyhurt” ends the EP on a high note. The low-slung quality of the song wins me over. He creates a strong structure. By taking his time with the hits and allowing for a slow build, he shows off the many fruits of his approach. Slower tempos allow for the listener to really enjoy the little flourishes he puts into his work, whether it is the sunny flourishes or riffing off of the theme. In case that wasn’t enough, the very end of the song has a blissed out outro reminiscent of an early Boards of Canada track.

                Obviously I’m looking forward to Ghostly International bringing out his full length for the summer. I haven’t paid attention to that label for a while, perhaps it is time I start doing it again.

Catwalk – (Please) Don’t Break Me 7.0

               Catwalk prove the 80s phenomena has moved towards the mid to late 80s.The singer’s voice brings up images of  Morrissey, with a bit of haze thrown in for good measure. With only two songs, it is a little difficult to judge exactly how they plan on moving forward with the sounds, but it sounds like promising work.

                “(Please) Don’t Break Me” has just the right amount of jangly guitar and percussion. The drums are mixed rather low, almost at a distance. However, the tambourine feels like it is right there and figures prominently in the mix. I enjoy the far away vocals, and the song itself has a pleasant, spring-time vibe to it. Now that spring has begun I can better appreciate this kind of music.

                Meanwhile, “No Room for Love” takes a more low-key approach, befitting of a B-side. It possesses lower energy. The quiet works well for it. Listening, I hear the late 80s filtered into my head. Personally, I sort of miss that kind of music so I have a bit of a bias on this sound.

                These are both solid, enjoyable songs. I want more from this California-raised band. Hopefully they'll finish up their EP releasing streak and get on top of getting us a full-length.

Pink Flamingos – We Never Close 8.5

FYI: This cover has never been accused of coming from any other decade but the 80s.

                Consider this akin to finding an ancient artifact. I’m so positively thrilled about this album. Each song reeks of the 80s in the best way possible. You want to see pure, uncut 80s nostalgia without all the lenses, distortion and irony installed by chillwave, hypnagogic pop, and so on? Go no further than Pink Flamingos, who make AM hits so good they put my previous favorite (The Doobie Brothers) to absolute shame. Of course your ability to enjoy this will depend very heavily on how much irony you function off of on a regular day. Suffice it to say I’m more than happy about my discovery.

                Every bit of the early 80s is well covered. There are those piano ballads like “Just like in the Movies”. Heavier, more strung out songs are here as well. “Voodoo” sounds better after you’ve listened to homage Ariel Pink has written. In case the rhythm doesn’t get you, maybe the vocal spasm (you’ll see what I mean) about halfway through or perhaps the synthesizer at the end. I’m glad to see these guys (headed by Dave McArtney, a New Zealander) saw so much success in the early 80s. 

                What is the true hit on here though? “Hungry Night” might be the anthem I never knew dedicated to an unproduced 80s comedy. It would introduce the film with stock footage of 80s New York, complete with hard-working construction workers and waiting for trains. Oh man, this might be one of the best, most unintentionally ironic things I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Don’t worry, just because that movie never got produced doesn’t mean you can’t watch their infinitely excellent music video. 

                Slower songs work wonders too. “Anne was Hard” and “Prosperpine” conjure up images of the best of the early 80s. You want to know where the current 80s fetish gets its traction, I can tell. Listen to this, it’ll give you all the information you’ll ever need to know in some of the best pop morsels. Plus, did I mention the singer Dave McArtney has a BA in English and Renaissance poetry. That habit of his weaves its way into lyrics. 

                Man, mere words can’t describe this feat. Hear the history of so many AM-radio worshippers condensed into a simple, highly enjoyable album. It is just amazing the level of 80s AM-pop contained within here. “We Never Close” is such a fun listen.

Beastie Boys – Five Years Must Have Passed

               Ah, the Beastie Boys are the perennially lazy boys of the music world. Every Presidential administration they are contractually obligated to come out with a new album. Whether or not it is good is a whole other question. For those youngsters, too young to remember what the Beastie Boys sounded like, let me remind you.

                Long ago, in a fabled time called the 80s, a band came from New York City. They called themselves “The Beastie Boys” and played thrash punk. After realizing how much more people cared about rap, they changed their style. Instead of being some sweaty guys in an abandoned factory playing on a Wednesday night to a flock of the converted, they asked the question “So Watcha Want?” 

                The last time I paid attention to them was when “Hello Nasty” came out. For me, that was the last time they had an impact on my life. I’m not sure what caused the attention. Perhaps it had to do with the radio. Back in the late 90s, the internet was painfully slow for downloading. K-Rock still existed. Put together, it was inevitable I’d be exposed to them at some point. 

                Going back to Paul’s Boutique and Ill Communication, I’m sort of amazed at how amazing these albums are, literally decades after release. “Sabotage” is just as much fun as it was when it came out. The video itself directed by Spike Jonze wrecked roughly $70,000 worth of video equipment. It was worth every penny. Even now as I heard “intergalactic planetary” play in a Planetarium as I was drinking beers, I thought “Man, I miss these guys.”

                I might want to get upset for what happened to the Beastie Boys but I know plenty of bands who did the same thing. Countless bands from the 90s made it big back then and now they can sit back. They got grandfathered in by developing a fan base before people downloads, before people streamed, before people did a lot of things. Beck did the same thing; think back to what interesting projects and concerts he’s having now compared to the 90s when he’d freak out on a regular basis. No, I can’t dislike the Beastie Boys for taking this well-traveled road.

                Their new album is called “Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2”. While they say it will be more rap-orientated than their last album “The Mix-Up” which was an all instrumental-affair, that doesn’t reassure me. I completely ignored that instrumental album after I heard their 2004 album “To the 5 Boroughs”. Perhaps “To the 5 Boroughs” confirmed the fact they were getting cheesy. Sure, their heart was in the right place when they wrote “An Open Letter to NYC” but it sounds terrible. I mean, I enjoy living here, but as I heard that song I sort of cringed as it appeared to confirm all the hubris New Yorkers are stereotyped to have. In case that wasn’t bad enough, the rest of the album was completely forgettable, a particularly bad thing as it took about six years to make. Oddly I do remember their review on Allmusic as being one of the first times I began realize the internal politics of review sites. When I first saw the review it was two stars and said they sounded old with dated references. A few weeks later, I noticed it got 4 and a half, the same score as Faust’s first album. I guess whoever first wrote it was being honest; whoever re-wrote it was remembering the tenure the Beastie Boys had collected. 

                Now I hold my breath. From the few tidbits I’ve heard, it will at the very least avoid the badness of the last two albums. Will they return to their greener pastures or will this be another attempt to remind people they exist and are from New York. We’ll see.

The Strokes: Angles

               Ah, the Strokes, one of those bands heralding good times with their music. I think “Is this It” might have been the ultimate everything kind of music. Wherever it was, it transformed the area into something cool, hip and un-offensive. For they dealt in a particular kind of rock, one hearkening back to cool guitar rock, one which escaped any sort of angry feelings.

                Personally, I side a bit more with Interpol at that time. Around the turn of the century, I was a brooding young sloth, trying to make sense of the world. The Strokes didn’t get dark enough for me, and I rejected them until college, when it finally made sense for me. Finally, I reached a level of cool and acceptance for happier forms of music.

                Much like Interpol, the Strokes eventually caught flak, which brought them crashing down to Earth. “First Impressions of Earth” brought them back to reality. Reality was harsh, though sales were strong for their music. The Strokes took a break.  Drug addictions were battled, Julian Casablancas went solo, and everybody did their own thing. 

                Years later (known as now) a new album comes out. It is called Angles. Considering how many other early 2000s bands have seen their luster diminish, it’d be foolish to think The Strokes would be immune to this treatment. Besides, it has been so long since they paid attention. Even their solo projects reek of people trying too hard to be cool. Usually that coolness came effortlessly, that was the main attraction of their music anyway. 

                Having said that, there are a few possibilities The Strokes might be looking at as the reviews come in, hot off the presses. 

                Scenario 1: It gets universally panned. A lower score than “First Impressions of Earth” appear on most websites. Considering how this has happened with many of their peers, I wouldn’t count this out. Negative reviews might include such things as their sound being stale or dated, their theft from the 80s is too apparent. Snarky comments about how they’ve grown old would be included. Honestly, the hip makers might just throw them an awful score, expressing varying degrees of disappointment.

                Scenario 2: A compromise of sorts would occur. Realizing they can’t exactly totally pan the shit out of The Strokes, for fear of never getting another album for a half-decade, they claim it is better than “First Impressions of Earth” but not as good as “Room On Fire”. Comments will be thrown around, talking up how all the twists and turns make more sense now that they’ve shrunk the size of the album back down to 35 minutes. 

                Scenario 3: People talk about how it is almost as good as “Is this It” and how they’ve come so far in the past few years, overcoming crappy solo albums and drug addictions. Vague forms of encouragement are weaved into the review, talking about the eclectic approach to the album. Smiles appear on people’s faces as they are simply glad they are here, playing for us again. By taking this approach, it coaxes another album out of The Strokes right before their transition to cool dads is complete. 

                Scenario 4: Angles gets higher marks than “Is This It”. I find this extremely unlikely. Considering how highly regarded their first album is, I find it difficult to believe this would ever happen. Right now I’d give this one the least likely chance, about a 1% chance at most. 

                No matter which of these scenarios occurs, a few things are guaranteed. This album will sell well, as their popularity goes back long enough to reach people willing to pay money for albums. I like to think of it as “Grandfathering of the Cool Dads”. All of their concerts will sell out as well, since people are thankful for the Strokes doing anything together. Expect to see some wistfulness, no matter what score they give them. The Strokes just are one of those bands who peaked and generally speaking will never hit that level of hip ever again. 

                Let’s see how it turns out. My gut says Scenario 2, but we’ll see if I’m right about it.

Teeel – Amulet 8.1

                  Amulet is a bit of a grower. When I first listened to it, I thought to myself “Jim Smith is pretty good at this” and left it at that. Upon repeated visits, my feelings grew stronger. Jim knows what he’s doing within these 30 minutes. Each arrangement is pitch-perfect, sounds carefully chosen from the 80s. Sure, there is a lot of this revivalism going around but he sort of rises above a lot of what’s going on with it.

                “Dark Passenger” sounds extremely familiar, at times bringing up images of New Order in their prime. The guitar does it, as does the cold wash of synthesizer. Even the time is just enough at four minutes. Larger sounds are found as well, like the giant sounding “Masterplan” including just the right touch. 

Comparisons to Twin Shadow are inevitable, but I’m sort of digging this one a bit more than Twin Shadow’s efforts last year. Like Twin Shadow, he attributes his sound to marathon movie watching along with so many bad 80s pop songs. But like that project, this one is considerably more dance-orientated. Perhaps it is that Italo influence which can be clearly felt on each track. As I listen to this, I sort of want to reach for my Cold Wave compilation, mix this in with that, and see if I can pick his stuff out from it. Could I do it?

Having actually done that, this fits in like a glove. There’s no ironic or coy treatment of the 80s here. Jim really enjoys this kind of music, and has no problem with creating his own identity with these 9 songs. Considering all the 80s stuff going around, he’s definitely head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd. This is good stuff.

Teams vs. Star Slinger – Teams vs. Star Slinger 7.2

                You know, sometimes it is the simple things in life. Here we have full evidence of the simple things: some well-chosen samples, sparse but effective rhythm, and a few little complimentary melodies thrown in for good measure.

                US based Teams (Knoxville specifically) and Star Slinger (UK, whatever I’m not British) prove chillwave is still alive and kicking. Any kind of synonym with chillwave is used to describe this, strut-wave, glo-fi, take your pick. The beginning of this tiny EP could definitely be considered strut-wave as “Close to me” is pure glamour. Even at less than 2 minutes it is so magnificently juicy.

                When those samples are subdued is the best.  “Say Please” is greatly enjoyable as it emerges from the sonic ether. The 80s is obviously a point of reference in “Life Partner” and the closer “The Yes Strut”.

                I know about the proliferation of chillwave in the summer of 2010. These guys took part in that celebration of all things retro and nostalgic. Instead of overburdening their music with a ton of references, they kept it simple, easy and clear-minded. Focus does this little EP wonders.

Stranger than Paradise ***Warning Spoilers***

It takes a certain amount of confidence to dedicate an entire movie to nothing. Jim Jarmusch made it happen in the culturally bare 80s. Parts of the movie feel so naked I get worried. The characters act so natural it seems like voyeurism, as if I’m spying on them from my position of privilege. 

A few things are added in that make the appeal to me a little more personal. For one, Eva’s lack of interest in nearly anything is amazing. I simply adore her deadpan delivery on everything. Perhaps I can relate to some degree, since I’ve been told that I lack emotion in how I speak (I talk to you in monotone) so kudos for that.

“I put a spell on you” has to be the strangest reoccurring joke in a movie. There’s no purpose to it, besides Eva being interested in it. Whenever she’s bored, she simply has a tape recorder right next to her to keep her entertained. I wish I had the guts to just carry around a tape recorder with me, but I don’t even travel with an IPOD, or listen to music when I’m driving (whenever that rarely happens). 

The black and white looks glorious. Devoid of color, you get to focus on the truly crummy details of their surroundings. Willie’s apartment looks like total trash. Cleveland doesn’t appear to be much different. Everywhere is the same indeed, Eddie even states so himself. 

Bored with stealing from other people (something that lets Willie and Eva bond) they go to Florida for no real reason. Nothing happens. They look cool in sunglasses. Willie and Eddie gamble while Eva is left lonesome. Annoyed at being left alone, she steals a hat (as she usually does, she’s a kleptomaniac) and gets mistaken for a drug dealer. Given a huge amount of money by Rammellzee (Far Rockaway represent!), she leaves some for the two of them and goes to the airport.

What’s funny is how unwilling she is to go back to her home country. Apparently that’s the only flight she can still make, and she finds that very annoying. I guess she takes up their advice that it is the same all over, and waits for the flight the next day. Willie boards the Budapest bound flight to look for her and leaves. 

 The Cleveland parts are the best. Parts of the dialogue read like how I speak with people, which freaked me out. How they act as they intrude on her boring date and steal his popcorn. How they mock her geeky boyfriend. All of it works for reasons that aren’t easily explained. 

Casual films bore me most of the time, but this one did it for me. There’s something more underneath all that monotonous landscape, a real honestly and heart that you don’t find in movies very often. 

Start Watching: Here

Marine Girls – Lazy Ways/Beach Party 7.9

              Ah yes, the album positively reeks of early 80s English twee. This is a great smell, and even together as two albums, it clocks in at exactly an hour. Listening to the most do it yourself band made up of adorable English girls, I get the impression somebody’s been reading my diary. 

                Each song possesses its own charm. But there are a few rules they adhere strongly to: all percussion must be something like claves or a shaker. The bass needs to be really simple, since the bass player can’t play it. Whoever the guitarist is, try your best. None of them are particularly skilled at what they do, but each of their little efforts pay off, and they kind of play off each other. 

                My favorites on here: “A Different Light” which has some sweet vocals, “Second Light” which comes closest to a fully-fledged song, “Flying Over Russia” with its very heavy 80s reference, and finally the mildly triumphant “Dishonesty”. 

                You could put the record on and not realize that an hour has passed. It breezes by due to the short length of the songs, and the general mood of the pieces. These are happy, mellow songs that aren’t meant to be taken seriously. If you like Best Coast, perhaps you ought to check out some of what her inspiration might be.

Red Transistor – Not Bite 8.5

When this begins playing, I don’t care what volume you have it at, increase it. Not Bite deserves it; it deserves you sinking your teeth into the spaz madness that’s about to happen. The singer seems to be working through some intense nervous breakdown, not realizing where he’s at. Vampires attack as he shouts “Not Bite”. Or that could be his dreary, boring life he’s rebelling against.

Drums are around; they go this way and that. Guitars freak out, find their place again. That organ that thing is sort of being tortured in the background, gives the closest thing to an anchor. Urgency doesn’t even describe what’s going on, urgency isn’t enough for this. Your full attention and then some is demanded, expected of you. Just go with the flow.

That’s the first track. “We’re Not Crazy” is an understated, low key affair. Nah, I kid. Its bass pinpoints your ears, going at some absurdly fast speed. Maybe it would be driving music if there weren’t any speed limits. Like the previous track, there’s a bunch of intense noise occurring just enough out of focus to keep you curious. For whatever reason, the singer repeats “We’re Not Crazy” despite the sound indicating otherwise. 

If you wanted a better No Wave EP, I’d be very hard pressed to find you one. This positively oozes energy and chaos. VON LIMO, the guitarist, ended up using leftover ideas from this in his solo stuff. Wish he had keep this band together for over a year.

Puerto Rican Flowers – Voice of Love/When your lonely Heart breaks 5.5

I wanted to like this more. A band influenced by any sort of dark punk or 80s synthesizer bodes well for me most of the time. Sadly, Puerto Rican Flowers left me bored and my mind wandered.

For one thing, it is trying much too hard to be Joy Division. Considering how good that band was, it is an understandable goal. But simply extending the length of your songs is not the way to do it. Part of the reason this fails is the ambition is noble, but the music can’t quite get up to that level.

“Voice of Love” is the stronger of the two songs. It has a more concise, better build. The second song really drags. Unlike the first track, there’s little to hold on to or enjoy. All it does it is linger far too long. 

Maybe they’ll figure out how to tighten up the playing so it can match the first song better. Developing their own personality would help as well, since the 80s dark wave thing is very big right now, and with quality this mediocre, they’re not going to get noticed.

LA Vampires featuring Matrix Metals – So Unreal 8.1

Having already been exposed to Matrix Metals and LA Vampires collaboration with Zola Jesus this year, I didn’t have high expectations. Both of those recordings left me feeling a little left out in the cold. Amanda Brown was responsible for Pocahaunted (a band close to my heart) and the man behind Matrix Metals created a favorite Outer Limits Recordings, so I felt I owed them another chance. They proved my hope was not misplaced. 

                These two play off each other quite nicely. Matrix provides the narco background, and Amanda’s voice expands into nothing with her carefully honed hipness. Each one goes on far longer than you’d expect, but somehow the length of the tracks adds to what’s going on. Upon repeated listens, bizarre goings on between the loops becomes apparent. 

                “Make Me Over” serves as the single for the group. If you can’t get through this haze, then call it a day. Most of the album follows in the same vein of drugged out lo-fi. But the real winner on here (for me at least) is “How Would I Know”, where rhetorical questions are halfheartedly asked as pieces of sound float on by. The song gets stuck in your head and will never leave. It sounds like a pop song heard while asleep, just perfectly dreamy and almost graspable.

                In case you wondered whether or not they were dedicated to the 80s, or if you needed more evidence, there’s the song “Berlin Baby”. Your confirmation has arrived, the cheesy drum hits and Germany-coolness worship is complete. Things end with the vaguely upbeat “So Unreal”.

                Not Not Fun Records did a great thing with releasing this. Listening to this, I hope they decide to do it again.

Wham – Last Christmas Review (Christmas Edition)

**Side Note**

I wanted to originally post this for the holiday season. Seeing how this is Black Friday and all, I figure this might be an appropriate time to ease into the Christmas standard. So as you’re busy shoving your way through various lines and other difficulties, you can be prepared for the themed music which will dig itself down into your very soul. Enjoy!

Wham – Last Christmas Review (Christmas Edition)

I’m sure you’re probably more aware of this song than you want to be. Maybe this year you’d like to share this song with someone special. But a hallmark of the holiday season since the 80s deserves some sort of recognition. The amount of joyous fun I’ve had with this song, at Karaoke’s, driving down the highway a bit too late at night, or just hanging out in an ironic mood is just too great to count. Yet I bizarrely had never seen the actual music video for this. That is, until NOW.

The video’s beginning got me a little worried. For the first few seconds, I see a Jeep and a long Van come up a snowy mountain. I wonder whether or not this is the true music video for the song, or if I had in fact stumbled across the most ironic militia’s recruitment video ever. Around the 15 second mark, I’m assured that haircuts that bad and acting that poor cannot be good recruiting tools. Yet if you edited the clip very slightly it could give the viewer the impression that people with bad hair cuts were practicing in the mountains for the overthrow of our beloved US government. 

Acting quality is about is good as the phenomenal composing skills Wham! possessed. Immediately you are taken into a world of hinted upon hurt between the immaculately well groomed man and his gravity-defying former girlfriend’s haircut (she looks like Alice from Dilbert). Both of them are thrust into a winter wonderland where their hearts have frozen over.

George Michael belts out “I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye” as the dinner is set. Tinsel is dropped, and we witness an uncomfortable moment between the two former lovers. I guess this sort of reminds me how you couldn’t express in the 80s. Either that or people really were that corny. Perhaps he should have been collecting firewood instead of pathetically decorating a flaccid Christmas tree that made Charlie Brown’s look positively robust. 

Snowball fighting begins. Here it looks again like a militia recruitment video like the free-spirited nature of bringing down the government to mark a new order. It would work, if we didn’t have that cheesy close up. Though the close up might work as a “we’re fed up with the system” sort of style.

Dinner feels like the last supper with the 12 apostles, except they all appear to be self-absorbed shitheads who don’t want to contribute anything but disdain for society. 

“A crowded room/Friends with tired eyes” is depicted, word for word. We see the emotional “heart” of the piece. The camera brings us back to the happier times the two protagonists shared. Her piece of garbage jewelry apparently cost him a lot more than money, it cost him his heart, which still yearns deeply for her love and affection. But he’s there, watching her with another man, and feeling upset about his unfortunate loss of such a lovely woman.  

Sadly, by watching the video, you get the abridged version. You miss out on his tender screams out to no one in particular. That improvised instrumental at the end seals the deal for me. Listen to this with loved ones. Get vulnerable.