10/12/2009

The Audacity of Rock: Part 30

Why leave on really awesome song alone when I can tack on a clearly inferior second half?

Do you ever listen to songs and love them, but then it goes into a second movement that you are completely underwhelmed by? WTF?

"I've Seen All Good People" by Yes (1971)

This song consists of two parts: the brilliant and inspiring "You're Move" and the mediocre and boring "All Good People." Seriously, the song climaxes exactly halfway through with a build up of organ, vocal harmonies, and folky guitar--and then pseudo-Southern rock meh happens. It's not bad so much as a let down. Anyway, I just wish the two parts weren't played together.




"I Belong To You (+ Mon Ceur S'ouvre A Ta Voix)" by Muse (2009)

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a Muse binge where I discovered the band is one part brilliant songwriting, one part overindulgent pretentiousness, and a mixed sprinkling of Queen, Radiohead, and My Chemical Romance. In other words, I still have no idea how I feel about the band, but sometimes they create things of beauty. In this case, a fun, piano-heavy rock piece. But then that takes a hideous turn toward the psuedo-operatic and untrained vocals worst. But then it wins you back with a clarinet solo. All I can say is, WTF, Muse?




Questions:
1. Do you have any songs you wish would have ended instead of kept going?
2. Is operatic kitsch dead?


Side note: On the topic of operatic allusions, here's Klaus Nomi performing the piece"Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" from Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saëns . Opera camptastic!

No comments:

Post a Comment