Review: Crazy Days - Your Man Alex Smith

When my friend Alex asked me to review his debut album I was like, “wah? You want me to do what now?” I’ve reviewed books before, and that was friggin hard, and I’ve reviewed comedy shows before, and that was also friggin hard, so I agreed wholeheartedly because I’m a numpty.

Alex has been making music under the name Your Man Alex Smith for some time now. He’s been doing live gigs and he’s been working his butt off to fund the recording of his EP. And I’ve not seen him perform once because we no longer live in the same town. Soz bro.

No but it has actually been a bit of an embarrassment to me, because Alex has always been super supportive of my endeavours, once gave up his time to act for free in a thing I wrote/made and once drew this picture of Boyfriend and me…

Basically Alex is a winner. So *that’s* why I agreed to review his album. Even though I don’t know what I’m doing. Even though I am super lame about music. Even though I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M DOING. Ok, let’s get into it.

**Crazy Days - Your Man Alex Smith**

Tragedy

The album opens with a really upbeat song about tragedy. In fact it’s a song about tragedies being “hidden behind a happy melody” – this is super meta, yo. It *almost* borders on being a comedy song. It’s not, but it employs a healthy dose of irony and I love it.

Alex has a super clear voice. It’s all about the vocals in this track. There’s great stuff in the background (drums and guitars and what not… lol music reviewing?) but you can’t help but focus on the really nice stuff Your Man is doing with his voice.

You know who Your Man Alex Smith reminds me of actually? Hank Green. That’s a massive compliment, by the way because yeah, Hank.

Gingerbread Man

Not the gumdrop buttons!

This song starts a lot slower than “Tragedy” which is nice after the upbeat craziness of the first track. In saying that, it’s probably my least favourite on the album. Not like, it’s bad or anything, but if I had to rank them in order in a life or death situation, I’d put “Gingerbread Man” at the end. What kind of life or death situation would include ranking tracks on a friend’s album? I really don’t know why I said that.

There’s a nice little bit about running as fast as you can ala the titular fairy tale. In fact there’s quite a few nice metaphors and motifs. Honestly there’s nothing wrong with this song, I just feel like I can’t be 100% complimentary or this won’t look like a legit review (yeah, THAT’S the problem).

Dream Girl

Blue eyes, blonde hair – nothing too exciting there/ But just go a little deeper.

Thought I’d found the girl of my dreams/ And I’m a heavy sleeper.

I would like to conclude from the first few lines of this song that Alex is super good at lyrics. I shall conclude that, yes, because it just keeps going. This whole song is so well written, like damn son, those are some good words you put together there. It’s a song about the girl of his dreams, like his actual dreams. It’s great. You guys should really listen to this album.

Tell Me a Lie

Oh lord the rhythm in this is magic. Also I’ve just learned I don’t know how to spell the word rhythm. But back to the music. I say ‘magic’ because the vocals in Tell Me a Lie use the natural pattern in the lyrics to create this awesome rhythm that just makes you move. It’s like Alex is pulling you in. And because I don’t understand how he’s done it, I’m going to assume it is magic.

This is my favourite song on the album. This is my favourite song I’ve heard in ages. This is a really good song. I feel like I’m doing it a disservice by not going into more detail, but I don’t know what else to say… it’s just brilliant.

Where I’m Going

These boots are lined with lead/ the words you said are etched inside.

And while they’re hard to lift/ they were a gift, I’ll wear them with pride.

Is this a song about shoes? I think this might be a song about shoes. And I’m glad because there aren’t enough love songs about inanimate objects in the world. Ok, no, this is actually a really nice serious song and I think I might be ruining it. Shhhhh Lizzy.

This song really showcases Alex’s voice and also his gift for melody. It’s a really beautiful song with a haunting undertone of something much deeper and darker. Urgh, are you guys seriously not going to get this album? Because you are missing out.

Bonus Track – Tell Me a Lie A Cappella version

There’s a bonus track at the end that is an a cappella version of Tell Me a Lie, which is really exciting because I have decided it is my favourite track on the album and now I have two copies of it. And remember how I said the vocals were flippin awesome? Well guess what a cappella is losers?? It’s ONLY VOCALS so yeah it’s the best bit of the best one. Magic. Actual magic. How do singing? How do music?

And most relevant to me… how do reviewing?

So I know this was a little different, thanks for reading, and I do hope you check out Your Man Alex Smith. You can find his website here, his facebook here, and he is launching this album at The Zoo in Brisbane on March 1^st  so check out either of those links for more details on that and how you can get the album. I would recommend liking his facebook page because that’s how I stay up to date with things because we live in a modern world where we feel super free but actually owe most of our social interactions to a multinational megacompany that sells our data for money. Crazy Days.

It's the name of the album. #comedy

Lady Songs

One day you’ll find yourself rocking out to some tunes, it will be just a normal day, maybe you’re on the bus, headphones on, maybe you’re doing the housework and dancing with a broom, or just chilling on your bed with some songs, anyway, whatever it is, one day you’ll be doing it, and it will dawn on you that the last x amount of songs all featured dudes. Like heavily featured dudes. Dude singers, dude instrumentalists, dude lyricists and dude DJs. Startled, you will start to flick through tracks: dude, dude, lady and a dude, lady but only as a sample on a dude’s song, dude, dude, dude.

You will stop then, and ask yourself, where my bitches at?

Or maybe you won’t. Maybe flicking through your songs will produce a more balanced mix, or even a lady heavy mix, I don’t know, maybe you’re better than me. But if you *do* have a moment, like I did earlier this year, do not despair. Because your bitches are right there, waiting for you to listen to their tunes. Despite what our itunes libraries would suggest, there are HEAPS of lady artists out there, good ones, great ones, we just don’t buy their music as often as we buy dude music. And I have got some recommendations for you!

M.I.A - Boyz

You probably remember the song that goes "all I wanna do is *gunshot* *gunshot* *gunshot* and *ca-ching!* and take your money" but M.I.As other songs are also great. It was hard for me to choose one but I ultimately settled on this one because how nice is it to see ladies singing about dudes like this? About ten. Also that film clip yo. 

Peaches - Boys Wanna be her.

No list about lady singers would be complete without Peaches. And this song is winner. 

Beyonce - Girls

Ok so you should probably know that I have a playlist dedicated only to lady singers entitled "Who Run the World?" and yes I do dance like an idiot whenever this song comes on. Sometimes Beyonce says really weird things that kind of make my feminism cringe (my feminism is a person now?) but she is still great, and this song is amazing, and my dancing is a sight to behold.

Bertie Blackman - Mercy Killer

Blogger won't let me do an embedded link but click here

Australian Lady Songs! Yes! Bertie Blackman has an amazing voice and her songs are win. This is probably my favourite though.

Kate Miller-Heidke - Sarah

I've loved KMH for some time, so it's very hard to pick just one of her songs for this list, but this one is kind of amazing and I heard it for the first time live. It's incredibly haunting and bizarre and those drums are AMAZING. Also a true story (almost - happened to a friend of Kate's), which is creepy as hell.

Nicki Minaj - Va Va Voom

I love Nicki Minaj. I mean, sometimes her music is really terrible (like if I ever hear Starships ever again I may have to pierce my own eardrums with sticks) but other times it's really good. This song, is one of those. I think what I love most about Nicki Minaj is that she somehow rides this incredible line between femininity and the "man's game" that is her style of music. Also you should youtube "Nicki Minaj bossing up" for an incredibly candid Minaj-style feminist rant. 

Kimya Dawson - Loose Lips

Kimya Dawson is a perfect human being and this song is also perfect and I know all the words and isn't it WONDERFUL?

Janelle Monae - Q.U.E.E.N.

You know this song right? Everyone should know and love this song. I'm not even going to talk about it, just watch.

If you’re asking yourself why this matters, well I get that, it’s just music right? It’s not the end of the world, why on earth should it matter? Well I don’t think you need to go away and count the ladies and dudes in your playlists and make sure you have perfect ratios or anything. But I believe that the little things we do can make a difference. That difference might just be opening your eyes to gender inequality in a particular industry, or just to new music, which is always nice. The difference can also be bigger than that. More ladies can make more music for our ears if only we actually bought their songs! It starts with us, the consumer, we can be better buyers, better humans, better song listeners. And we can listen to songs about dinosaurs.

Feeling better about things.

Astute readers will note that I took a break last Sunday. It was my birthday (almost) and I was off having adventures. If you don’t follow me on Facebook you’re missing out on really important information like this, and also amusing screen shots of the things people have googled to find Hum Drum Plum so I honestly don’t know what you’re thinking of on that front.

This week I want to blog about serious things. But I’m not gonna. My brain is filled with a hundred opinions about asylum seekers and politics, atheism and education, feminism and media… but those opinions are starting to take their toll. I feel exhausted sometimes by the weight of my own thoughts and occasionally you’ve just got to have a bit of fun, sometimes you have to turn off your brain (and step away from the computer) and let the shit of the world pass you by for a few hours.

So here’s a list of things that will make you feel better about any given topic.

1.     Step 1. Cut up a banana, step 2. Stab a banana piece with a fork, step 3. Dip piece into nutella jar, step 4. Omnomnom, step 5. Nirvana.

2.     Play board games (not Monopoly) with trusted loved ones. If anyone starts getting aggressively competitive, make them sit on a tiny chair in the corner until they’ve calmed down.

This is an actual photo of me actually playing board games with my actual siblings.
It was a lot more exciting than we are making it look.

3.     Watch The Emperor’s New Groove.

4.     Use safe mode on youtube, it hides all the comments. 

5.     Buy a packet of pink Hubba Bubba. Chew each piece until it *just* loses its flavour. Spit it out. Repeat. This, for me, is a personal vendetta against adults from my childhood, who made me get my money’s worth on every last piece of quickly-flavourless bubblegum. 

6.     Use the hashtag “cleaneating” on your instagram photos of cheese, chocolate and hot chips. 

7.     Make tea in a teapot. You’re fucking worth it.

8.     Hide all the people on your facebook feed who are wrong all the time.

9.  Go for a long drive in the countryside. Perhaps you have a friend who lives three hours away and would gladly welcome you for a weekend in a small town first founded in the 1840s and known for its rich grain and cotton industries… 

10. Make a playlist of your favourite up-tempo songs. This is not a workout playlist. No, it is not a housework playlist. These are not the songs you’ll listen to on the way to work. This is your dance mix. You will dance to this list when you’re home alone. You will crank it loud, you will sing along, you will jump up and touch the ceiling, and spin around in your socks. No one is watching, and if they were, they’d want to join in.

11. Buy someone a gift for no reason at all.

12. Buy yourself a gift for any reason you can think of. 

13. If you’re the kind of person who is into this sort of thing, do your hair and makeup real special on a day you will see no other living soul. Be glamorous for the only person whose opinion matters… you.

14. Put clean sheets on your bed and go to bed early with a book. This is one of the best cures for grumpiness in the whole world. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.

15.  Make something. Build it out of lego, or playdough or sand. Bake a cake if you want, or write something down. There is a whole world of tiny achievements you can create yourself. Today I picked some snow peas I grew myself and I feel like the Queen of the world.

16. Let people be wrong on the internet. They’ll always be wrong, don’t let them make you mad too.

17. When the banana is all gone, keep eating the nutella with the fork. You’re a grown human, do what you want man.

18. Write a list of things you’ve rarely or never done. And then take your own advice.

19. Tell someone you love them. 

Why I Voted for Thrift Shop

I first heard Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on Triple J a few months ago. Yeah that’s right, I was into it before it was cool, what up. I couldn’t work out what they were saying at first: “pop some what?” it sounded like a drug reference or something. But the sexy sax and ridiculous hook (yeah I know rap terms, come at me!) had me looking it up as soon as I got home.

Boyfriend and I have been singing and dancing to Thrift Shop for months now, bopping along to it in the car, learning the words, getting all excited when it comes on. I don’t listen to commercial radio (well not by choice anyway… hashtag hipster), but I heard it in the post office and giggled because it was uncensored. All these little old ladies in line with their packages trying to ignore it was a sight to behold. In fact, I would go so far as to say it was fucking awesome.

The film clip is hilarious, a piss take on the hip-hop and rap culture of excess with a fun dance break in an op shop, what’s not to love?

Apparently, everything.

A quick look at twitter the day before the countdown revealed tweet after tweet of “if Thrift Shop wins the top spot I’m going to punch something”, “I will pull my own teeth out”, “I will lose all faith in humanity”. When it did win, the feed exploded with people suggesting that the "wrong kind of people" had voted, that "music was dead", that this was the fucking end of days or something. I know twitter is not always an accurate representation of reality, but I couldn’t get over how much hate there was. So I revisited the video.

Yep. Still good, still hilarious. It’s poppy as all hell but the rap is still actually very good. The beat is brilliant. I like a lot of stuff they play on Triple J, but you’ve got to admit not much is as upbeat as Thrift Shop. In fact for a while during the middle of the Hottest 100 I was dangerously close to napping. There’s a lot of quiet, introspective stuff around at the moment. Which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s refreshing to find something so fun. And what’s more, Thrift Shop has a great message. Op shopping is a really great thing to do for charity, for the environment, for your own wardrobe. More and more people do it, and come on hipsters, TELL me you aren’t proud of your thrift shop bargains, isn’t this what we do? Buy cheap ridiculous things and try to pass them off as fashion? I know I do.

If the number one song was something I liked, but a not very “Triple J”-type song, I could understand the backlash. But like I said, I heard it first on the Js and I’m fairly certain they were the first in Australia to play it. Yeah the mainstream stations picked it up pretty quickly, but that’s because it has a broad range of appeal. And besides, why would a popular song *not* win a popularity contest? It’s science! 

The popularity of Thrift Shop has led people to discover other music by Macklemore. Same Love, an anthem in support of same-sex marriage made it to number 15 in the Hottest 100 and is at the top of multiple charts in many countries. Can you even process that? A song about gay marriage, about tolerance and support, about how we shouldn’t say “gay” in youtube comments or call kids “faggot”? That’s what’s topping charts right now. And that’s a bloody good thing. And while the song is great in its own right, I am certain it would not have found as much popularity without riding in the wake of Thrift Shop. And THAT is fucking awesome.