Wednesday, December 9, 2009

PQ's Top 10 Songs of the 2000s: No 7

Why I love this song...

1. Great use of strings.
2. The sentiment is beautiful.

Alexander, our older brother
Set out for a great adventure
He tore our images out of his pictures
He scratched our names out of all his letters

Our mother should've just named you Laika...

Come on, Alex. You can do it!
Come on, Alex. There's nothing to it!
If you want something, don't ask for nothing!
If you want nothing, don't ask for something!

Our mother should've just named you Laika...
It's for your own good
It's for the neighborhood...
The neighborhood!

Our older brother bit by a vampire
For a year, we caught his tears in a cup
And now we're gonna make him drink it
Come on, Alex. Don't die or dry up!

Our mother should've just named you Laika
It's for your own good
It's for the neighborhood...
The neighborhood!

When daddy comes home, you always start a fight
So the neighbors can dance in the police disco lights

The police disco lights
Now the neighbors can dance!
The police disco lights
Now the neighbors can dance!



I present at Number 7, 'Neighbourhood #2 (Laika)' by Canadian hit-and-miss stars, Arcade Fire.

It was never a single, but luckily someone made a clip for it anyway as a school project.

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

Uh...um...ah...hmmm...

Music video's not bad though. Maybe more bands should get their stuff done by school kids.

Lewd Bob said...

Love it. Used to be my favourite on the album, surpassed now by Wake Up. But still brilliant. Especially the change on "when Daddy comes home..."

Puss In Boots said...

Finally! Something I know and like! And we're only at number 7! There's hope for me yet.

Perseus said...

Patchouligirl may even like it!

squib said...

I've never really taken to Arcade but this song is not bad

patchouligirl said...

Oh alright, on the weight of Puss's recommendation and against my own better judgement I'll listen to it.

Puss In Boots said...

If you don't know who The Arcade Fire are Patch, I'm guessing you won't like it. They take some getting used to. I've been listening to them for some years, though.

Mr E said...

I saw them play at a small club Athens Georgia a few years back, unfortunately who ever booked them wasn't aware that their "lineup de joir" was about 15 musos plus gear.

The stage was about 5 metres by 3 metres and to fit them all in they had to take out half the tables and use the dance floor as well.

Great night,but ever so squeezy.

Lewd Bob said...

Perseus and I saw them at the Forum last year (or perhaps earlier this year). It makes my top 5 gigs of all time. Brilliant stuff!

Perseus said...

Though, your memory of the night is hazy, Bob, because, as it happens, I was not there at all.

You and I saw Pixies together.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

Does sound very Pixies.

Lewd Bob said...

Jesus. Really? Huh. Well somebody was there!

patchouligirl said...

Well, it is a bit better than the last one. I don't like being chanted at - I know a generation of Eminem fans disagree but it irritates me.

Puss In Boots said...

I thought Pink Floyd were responsible for that?

Lewd Bob said...

Jesus Puss, you certainly know how to denigrate some of the greatest.

Puss In Boots said...

What?! No, I like Pink Floyd. I was referencing the chanting of Another Brick in the Wall. I wasn't suggesting it was a bad thing. I like that song.

patchouligirl said...

I like Pink Floyd. I was really objecting to spoken chanting and in 'brick in the wall' it is sung and sung in tune so sorry for not being clear enough. I'm not sure why an individual who can't hold a tune would think to themselves, 'oh I'll just speak the words' and why people would buy their albums. To me that is not challenging the definitions of anything, it is producing rubbish.

Lewd Bob said...

it is producing rubbish

It is producing something that some people want to hear.

Not every album is supposed to portray somebody's "perfect' singing voice. Music is not just about the voice. It's a mixture of many variables: voice, lyrics, melody, poetry, stories, humour, politics, the interplay of instruments, the emotions, the music.

I love Dylan, Billy Bragg, Nick Cave, not because they have great voices - although I agree with Perseus, Cave can certainly sing - but because they deliver great stuff using a variety of the abovementioned things.

But I also love Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes or Neko Case or Jim James from My Morning Jacket because of their incredible voices.

Perseus said...

What he said.

I love Dylan for completely different reasons to the ones I love Elvis for.

Lewd Bob said...

Incidentally, when I watched this video I thought that is, like, WAY too good to be a 'school project', as it's a professionally made video using expensive gear such as steadicam, dolly, pro lighting, broadcast camera etc.

Turns out it was a 'film school project'. And the guy's 30.

patchouligirl said...

Dylan could sing in tune. Call me fussy and old fashioned but this to me is the minimum requirement for a singer. I totally agree with Bob on the other variables but was struggling to appreciate that song. I'm still not even sure what its about exactly. I'm happy to try listening to alternate music but usually don't like it much. The only band I ever heard on JJJ I really liked was the Waifs and I liked them instantly. Not that I listen to any radio much. I've never heard of most of the bands you talk about.

Puss In Boots said...

Seriously Patch, look up Andrew Bird, Sea Wolf, the Dodos, Fleet Foxes, Decemberists, Stars, Spoon, Okkervil River, Bishop Allen, The Shins, etc. That's some alternative music I'm sure you'd like. Whenever I have a friend who listens to commercial radio (bleh), and if they're open to listening to real music instead, those are the sorts of things I start them off on. I've converted many now.

I would once have included Death Cab for Cutie in that list, but after the horror that was Meet Me on the Equinox and the whole selling out to that horrid Twilight franchise thing, they are dead to me now. I could barely handle the OC crap, but that was the last straw.

patchouligirl said...

Okay Puss, I'll try. Just don't inflict anything like Melt Banana on me.

Puss In Boots said...

Dude, I would rather listen to Nick Cave or Bob Dylan before I'd listen to anything like that.

I'd say the most hardcore thing I have in my collection is Muse. I'm a softie. I've always said that when I'm old, the music I listen to will be on the easy listening stations.

Perseus said...

Oh, that insufferable Beethoven fellow, with all his noises and drums and big orchestras. Oh no, a delightful little baroque string quartet for me please.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

And don't get me started on Brahms.

What a talentless prick.

patchouligirl said...

It is a luxury to have the time to devote your full attention to music. If you ever have kids Perseus you will enter a new world where you no longer have time to listen to music, ponder literature, watch a complete movie or go to the pub.

Mad Cat Lady said...

you could if you locked the kid in a cupboard when you wanted some alone time

Lewd Bob said...

where you no longer have time to listen to music, ponder literature, watch a complete movie or go to the pub.

Oh come on!

patchouligirl said...

For me it is a realistic assessment. Have you got kids Bob?

Lewd Bob said...

I have a 4 year old son. Of course it's harder to do all those things, but it's not impossible.

Melba said...

It's not a luxury. You make it happen. It's about choices and priorities. I imagine Perseus wouldn't become a non-music loving dude if he had kids. He would simply integrate.

I still read and do everything I want to do, and I have three children. It's not automatic that you stop living and give up things you love. Unless you're a martyr.

Perseus said...

I may not be a father, but I am a son. We always had music on.

I can see how going to pubs and cinemas would fall away, but not the music.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

True, Pers, very true.

It's just that a lot of it for the first five years happens to be The Wiggles.

patchouligirl said...

You're telling me. We were on the way home today and I got sick of the kids aussie christmas cd so I switched on the radio. Khe San was playing *sigh*. All I could hear was whinging from the back. "What?" I said. "Don't want rock n roll" came the answer (he's 2 1/2 - I didn't even know he knew the term rock n roll). Apart from 2 x 8 hr days at daycare, I'm with him 24/7. When I do have a moment alone I'm usually to drained to process art so yes I do opt for 'elevator music' or easy listening. I noticed this today http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/who/galleries/g/-/6564041/1/best-of-the-decade-top-10-music-artists/
its got all our favorites, eminem, delta, britney, pink. I guess if this is what they are calling the best it is a bit of a worry.

Puss In Boots said...

I guess that's where our parents differed to parents today. When I was growing up, it was put up and shut up. We didn't get a say on what was on the radio or TV. We listened and watched what our parents were listening to and watched.

I think I'll be doing the same thing if, god forbid, I ever have kids. Screw the Wiggles. There is no way I am ever playing that shit in my house or car.

WitchOne said...

Well......


I was you tube'ing (that's a phrase now right?) nursery rhymes on request today because the 4.5 year old got sick of Michael Jackson. The artist I happened to be doing my housework to. Ok, it wasn't just Michael, it also happened to be Britney, Pink, Prince and ABBA.

I know, I'm a go getter and you wonder why I bother with this site considering my clarseyness and whatnot.

But seriously, G at 4 is nowhere near as good as his 1 year old sister with her demands. Fluent English?? Hell, I'd like to meet some adults as bloody fluent in getting their point across in clear, concise, verrrry easy to understand language.

Frankly, if you deny them utter crap they learn to ask for the good stuff (what I like!) and if they can speak, it's all so much easier.

Really.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

Oh dear Puss, that's the funniest thing I've ever read.

Anonymous said...

My kids really liked the Wiggles, and I actually enjoyed their music when we played it together in the car or at home on DVDs. As opposed to say, Hi-5, which fortunately my kids didn't get into.


Screw the Wiggles. There is no way I am ever playing that shit in my house or car.

Well, naturally you can always choose to be that particular sort of parent who demands that their kids only do stuff that the parent enjoys, and bugger what the kids might actually like to do. I'm not sure why you'd want to proudly advertise that you're such a person, though.

Puss In Boots said...

Probably because I can't stand kids, Boogey. As I said, god forbid I ever have any.

Unknown said...

Play 'em some old school stuff like Peter Coombes.

I've now got "Hot Potato, Hot Potato" stuck in my head.

Sigh.

I'll try and replace it with "Newspaper Mama" ...

Melba said...

Ok this was cute. Yes, video was pretty good too. Catchy, but that's about it. Noted the blond dude on guitar with his Angus Young stance rocking it out.

Alright but not great I don't think.