Jeroen's Micro Blog

The six hundred fifty-first song: Kerosene - Big Black

This is just some heavy, noisy rock. The few lyrics they have are nihilistic, down and angry, and the music is just that throughout. It's not complicated, but it is an expression of a mood that works really well.

The six hundred fifty-second song: Ay te dejo en San Antonio - Flaco Jimenez

There's a jolly sound to the whole of this American-Spanish song, with a really infectious joy playing out. It doesn't feel too complex, but as a Latin simple pop song it just has that mood.

The six hundred fifty-third song: Time of No Reply - Nick Drake

This track is an odd one in where it's placed - an unreleased demo from over a decade earlier, put on a compilation album. There's a sad strength in this song, such a fully emotional track that hits those sad beats incredibly well, with little, but at least some hope in it. It's a time capsule of a mood and a moment, but it works well inside that.

The six hundred fifty-fourth song: Wide Open Road - The Triffids

It feels like Wide Open Road meets a midpoint for this point in time - it's got some of the bigger, wider sounds than pure folk rock, but it doesn't stray into the larger parts of new wave that can overwhelm a song. The bigger sound here mostly supports the feeling of the wide open road, the big spaces that exist, but support the harmonies and more minimal sounds from the track that still all manage to find their place here.

The six hundred fifty-fifth song: There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths

Speaking of the youthly disconnection from earlier, there's a disconnect from family in this as well, a song about not feeling at home as well as wanting to stay with their partner. There's a lot more depth to it than that, and it creates this feeling so well that deals with this depression and need to change your life.

The six hundred fifty-sixth song: Some Candy Talking - The Jesus and Mary Chain

While feeling like another dark song, there's a lot more of that coming in from the band's native sound while the lyrics sit there on their own. It's not the most accessible track, but there's something in its mood that works quite well to set you up to listen to without dragging it down too much.

The six hundred fifty-seventh song: No Sleep Till Brooklyn - Beastie Boys

I've recently covered this album and this track still works well on its own. The track is as infectious as ever and while there's nothing too complex in its lyrics, it's a good fun track to put on and listen to, with its metal influence, still good guitar line and perhaps also its more modern adjustments.

The six hundred fifty-eighth song: Raining Blood - Slayer

The intro of the song, before the rain hits, is a powerful run of lyrics and a wall of noise that feels exhausting on its own already. It gives way to some more variety in its music, but it's hard to deny the specific energy Slayer brings to this - and how rare it's seemed so far. I've grown up with metal, and this hits all the parts that I have enjoyed about it before, with all of its insanity included.

The two hundred and fourth TV show: #126 Super Bowl

I'm not a sports person. I've been to only a few live sporting events and don't really watch too many on TV - probably mostly Formula one when visitng family, with the occasional football match for the world cup or the like. Beyond that, it's just not something that appeals, and a four hour plus broadcast of an American football game is probably the worst of it. It's the surroundings that mostly interest me - the half time show, the special ads, all of that - but not necessarily the game itself or the massive analysis that surrounds it. Arguably, though, the massive commercialism that surrounds it is one of the things that makes the experience drag so much, something that seems like it is a feature of American television but seems that much more obvious here. The other is the fact that the play is so slow, being broken up in such small chunks that there's not much more happening. Theres no build up in the excitement that would make the whol experience more engaging and I just get unfocused and side tracked. Perhaps if you're into it, it could be interesting as a group, ut I don't feel it is something that will ever really work for me.

The six hundred forty-third song: Under Mi Sleng Teng - Wayne Smith

As a reggae song with a more digital band, it mostly feels like it just drags the genre into the eighties with its sound. It doesn't really hit much more than that - it's okay as a reggae track, but it feels like its history is more important than the track itself appeals to me.

The six hundred forty-fourth song: Cruiser’s Creek - The Fall

As a deceptively dark punk track, there's a darkness in both lyrics and music that only vaguely shines through, overtaken by the party atmosphere it tries to reference. It still keeps you off base, and the punk vibe makes place for something deeper - pulling in two directions as one, in a way that creates a surprisingly layered sound.

The six hundred forty-fifth song: Life in a Northern Town - The Dream Academy

As much as the dreamy vocals of the song evoke a specific atmosphere, reminiscing on a past world, it's the chorus that really makes it shine and put those same lyrics in a context of travel and exploration. The African-style chorus creates a power and energy that creates a dreamy atmosphere that really makes me wonder what Life in the Northern Town would be like - it's certainly more than the dreary place it's sometimes portrayed as.

The six hundred forty-sixth song: The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys

Aside from a strong new wave sound, The Whole of the Moon also creates an inspiring tribute in its lyrics. A lot of comparisons stand up to show someone who's ahead and doing better. I can follow the point of this track reflecting many people. Anyone who strives - and even sometimes fails - feels like they are covered here. And the music supports that - it swoops up and builds itself in a way that really suits it.

The six hundred forty-seventh song: Marlene on the Wall - Suzanne Vega

Although I've covered this album fairly recently, hearing this track separately makes it stand out more, a dedication of its own, it feels similarly inspirational as The Whole of the Moon, but this time with a specific person (or poster of her) in mind. It still creates this build and encouragement that hits that beat pretty well.

The six hundred forty-eighth song: How Will I Know - Whitney Houston

There's a joy in this song that's well portrayed by Whitney Houston, while she manages to also infuse it with some wistfulness and questioning that adds a layer to the track that may not have worked as well in here without her. It's a real joy of a track throughout.

The six hundred forty-ninth song: Manic Monday - Bangles

Manic Monday's lyrics are simple enough - just a bad Monday morning that most of us commuting know so well. I think it's that familiarity that makes it shine first of all - so much of it feels that familiar. Add to that some really good music that cheers you up enough and takes a bit of the edge out of that Monday - some empathy and a bit of help to get you through that.

The six hundred fiftieth song: Sun City - Artists United Against Apartheid

As one of the major supergroup songs, Sun City hasn't had the longevity of some of the other charity ones, but its message is as strong. The group of people involved is large, varied, and brings in an infectious energy that works so much better. It's an amazing track, whether you want to focus on the message or not.