Songs of 09: Datarock and Bell X1

"True Stories" by Datarock
(from "Red"; label=Young Aspiring Professionals; Norway)

This song got a 3 according to my rating system. It gets a point for cool vocals, they make you want to sing-chant along. It gets a point for beeps/electronica, though it also has a very nice jangly guitar (a tiny touch of Afro-pop!). But the best thing, the thing that makes this a wonderful amazing song, is that all the lyrics are the names of Talking Heads songs. I'm serious! And it really works! Here's the chorus, for example:

Don’t Worry 'Bout The Government
The Democratic Circus
Cause Mommy Daddy You and I
Are Burning Down The House

Check out Datarock's Web site, or you can listen to "True Stories" on their Myspace page.




"The Great Defector," by Bell X1
(from "Blue Lights on the Runway"; label: Bellyup; Ireland)

This song gets a 4--partly because of another Talking Heads connection. Basically, the guy singing sounds exactly like David Byrne, and the rest of the song could pass for Byrne or Talking Heads too, which is to say it is very good. I like the lyrics (for example: "You are the chocolate at the end of my cornetto," and also a Steinbeck reference that any 10th-grader would be proud to spot)--one point there. There are a lot of interesting tracks going on, so I gave it a point for "layering." I think I even heard some cowbell. Also a point for being "pretty," mainly because there is more nice jangly guitar (Afro-pop!) and a pulsing bass-handclap thing that makes me want to jump up and down.

Visit Bell X1's Web site, or listen to "The Great Defector" on their myspace page.