Stranger than Fiction, Larger Than Life: the Finn Brothers song-by-song discussion thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Lance LaSalle, Jan 21, 2019.

  1. Anne_G

    Anne_G Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Four Track Stomper:
    I agree about the drums. “Put on your frisky tights” is a great line. Aside from the drums I like this one.

    3/5
     
  2. jcr64

    jcr64 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indiana
    "4 Track Stomper"" there might, just might, be a decent song in here. But it's absolutely ruined by the drums, which make this hard listening indeed. 2/5.
     
  3. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    It’s ok. EJ’s vocals and general sound is best thing. Drum pattern a bit distracting. Guitar saves it. 2.8/5
     
  4. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    4 Track Stomper

    This is an interesting track. I don't mind the distorted drum. The vocal line and vocal are OK. The guitar solo at the end is very good and saves the song for me. I.e. makes it 'good' rather than 'OK'.

    3.2/5
     
  5. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for "Miracle Glance"

    1-0
    2-2
    3-7
    4-2
    5-1
    Average: 2.975
     
    HitAndRun, BeSteVenn and StefanWq like this.
  6. therunner

    therunner Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    What a surprise, Liam trying out yet another weird sound effect. It's just too difficult to listen past the awful distorted drums to discern anything to like in "4 Track Stomper".

    2/5
     
  7. NorthNY Mark

    NorthNY Mark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canton, NY, USA
    4 Track Stomper: I wasn't as bothered by the drums as many have been (but that may be because I haven't tried playing anything from this album over my speakers yet). I'm usually not a fan of that sort of effect, but I think the album was starting to need some sonic variety at this point, and the drum pattern shakes things up a bit. I also like the vocal melody, and especially its interplay with the backing vocal, guitar, and drums. The one aspect that grates on me a little is the sound of the lead vocal (and the bits I made out of the lyrics didn't seem particularly promising), but that has a pretty outsized impact on my overall enjoyment: 3.4/5
     
  8. StefanWq

    StefanWq Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallentuna, Sweden
    "4 Track Stomper"... ugh! Those drum effects, or whatever they are, grates on me after about five seconds and is like a wet blanket pulled over the whole song. I have tried, several times, to listen beyond that and hear the song beneath that and I find it lacking both direction and a decent melody. Liam's vocals are good, that's about the only positive thing I can say about this song which I usually skip and had forgotten about until today.
    1/5
     
  9. BeSteVenn

    BeSteVenn FOMO Resident

    I think 4 Track Stomper started out as a decent song, but then he added that sample and spoiled it.

    2/5
     
  10. dthomas850

    dthomas850 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland, Ohio
    Miracle Glance - 5/5
    4 Track Stomper - love the drums! 5/5
     
  11. drewrclv9

    drewrclv9 Forum Resident

    I actually quite like "4 Track Stomper." The drums never annoy me, but I get why they would be irritating to others. I always end up more distracted with the great vocals, wonderful main (verse?) melody, shimmery keyboard effects, and cool guitar solo at the end. I love the slightly sinister, yet somehow hopeful sounding atmosphere it puts on.

    4.2/5
     
  12. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    I don't mind the drums at all - the looping actually reminds me a little bit of Fun. when they were the hottest thing going a few years back. I've never listened to this one enough to know if it's in that upper tier for me since I can't score anything *really* high if the lyrics don't work for me, but I definitely dig it.

    3.8/5 but if I ever made out the words it could go higher or lower.
     
  13. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for "4 Track Stomper"

    1-1
    2-3
    3-5
    4-2
    5-1
    Average: 2.9083
     
    BeSteVenn, HitAndRun and StefanWq like this.
  14. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Today's song is "Arrow', written and produced by Liam Finn; recorded by Liam Finn and Jol Muholland.


    Liam Finn: vocals, guitar, keys, digi-beat,synth
    Elroy Finn: drums

    A lot of guess work in my transcription of lyrics below:

    Never get caught in the black car
    AS the wind climbs, I'm beginning to glide like an airplane
    Never get blind with another lies
    I was in vogue
    Im not willing to die just for anyone

    25th floor, you're assuming
    I'm a nice guy drawing back the arrow
    Arrow, arrow, arrow

    Have a good start in the other light
    I was in love I've been living a lie just like everyone
    Baby gettin' old, everything dies
    Give my love to Mum
    I was willing, for god's sake

    25th floor, you're assuming
    I'm a nice guy, well I'm a nice guy
    Drawing back my arrow

    waiting 'til the tie bow
    Til the fast last
    I am happy in your sense
    A-waiting to tie bow
    Til the fast last
    I am happy that you're ??.giving up

    25th floor, you're assuming
    I'm a nice guy drawing back my arrow
    Waiting to tie bow
    To fast last
    I am happy in your senses

    Note: This song may sample(or copy) a bit of "Zen Roxy", the 1994 B-side by Crowded House.


     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2021
  15. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    "Arrow" in my opinion gets the album firmly back on track, after a kind of shaky start to Side 2 -- but then I was one of the few people who loved "Zen Roxy."

    This is like weird trippy space-age disco music for people who are too stoned to actually dance. The lyrics, the few I can understand, are totally meaningless, but do convey impressions and emotions to me: there's a bit of anger here, but it's unfocused and directionless.

    5/5
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2021
  16. brownie61

    brownie61 Forum Resident

    Arrow

    Yes, this is a very good one. The weak point is again the drums, but only in the beginning of the song. Once the rest of the song kicks in and the drums are no longer in your face, they sound fine.

    That could very well be a Zen Roxy sample in there. Whatever it is, I like it a lot. But then I like Zen Roxy a lot.

    This is terrific chill out music. (So is Zen Roxy.)

    4/5
     
  17. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    Arrow

    This one sounds better to me than the songs that have gone before. The electronic (mainly) backing works for me, though it's a bit busy. The vocals suit the song. It's an interesting song which I feel doesn't miss a melodic highlight as much as other songs. It's still a bit samey however.

    3.2/5
     
  18. dongelen

    dongelen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    I really want to rate this album, but I don't know how to do it :)
    This may be the best album ever in my opinion. The albums means so much to me, yet I can't find anything decent to write about it. I like everything, even the stuff that I don't like. I like every beat, every bloop, every detail in song that go on to long. Since it means so much, everything has become essential.

    Miracle glance, 4 track stomper, Arrow 5/5

    I can add that 4 tracks stomper always reminds of Kanye Wests Yeezus. It work well with Send it up and has a similar industrial vibe
     
  19. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    I did read an interview where Liam said the album was inspired in part by Kanye West.
     
    KangaMom, NorthNY Mark, jcr64 and 3 others like this.
  20. BeSteVenn

    BeSteVenn FOMO Resident

    I like the sound of Arrow, but it lacks context. If it were a section of a song and represented a dream journey taking the listener from one section of a song to another section, it would make more sense. As a section of The Nihilist, it succeeds as a movement of the entire album, but the dominance of rhythm over melody and chord progressions in this part of the album makes fur a dull experience,

    As a standalone track, it reminds me a bit of the CD included with The Wilco Book, another project that wasn't so much about songs as it was about impressions and experiments in sound.

    Liam is trying to create something different here, and that's good., but he didn't create something that speaks to me.

    2.4/5
     
  21. KangaMom

    KangaMom Queen of the Quokkas

    Arrow - I'm not sure how to rate this as I like elements of this song but it doesn't really move me. Again, I probably need to be in the right frame of mind (which is probably not as I'm rushing to go to work). I do find it a bit busy (again, I probably need to mess with an equalizer).

    I'd like to say that it might fit in the context of the album - rather than as a stand alone song. I missed yesterday's song (and don't have time this morning to listen to it).

    I'm opting out of rating this song because I think it would unfairly skew the sample set. I need to listen to this song when I'm not so rushed.
     
  22. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    I somehow like this song a lot and at the very same time it does absolutely nothing for me - I don't know how else to put it.

    3.6/5
     
  23. therunner

    therunner Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    "Arrow" comes as such a relief from the previous few songs when listening to the album that I think over the years I might have been overestimating how much I liked it, because hearing it today in isolation I don't think much of it at all. The melody is ok in places but the electronic backing is just too busy and there are too many odd noises peppered throughout.

    3/5
     
  24. drewrclv9

    drewrclv9 Forum Resident

    "Arrow" is decent, but doesn't impress me all that much. Some cool sound effects at times, but ultimately it's like background music to my ears. I don't really have much else to say about it. It's one of those songs that just "exists".

    2.5/5
     
  25. Michael Rofkar

    Michael Rofkar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Santa Rosa, CA
    Inspired by Kanye West? Good lord.
     
    jimbutsu, StefanWq and KangaMom like this.

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