Across the Sea - Against All Odds

Sorry for the delay, I am nothing if not inconsistent (triple negatives are fun).

"Across the Sea"
Weezer. From 1996's Pinkerton.
It is hard to say anything new about this song that isn't expressed wonderfully here. What I can say is that this is one of my very favourite Weezer songs. "Across the Sea" was written at a time when Rivers Cuomo was depressed at Harvard as a response to a letter he received from a girl in Japan. Like many of Weezer's early songs, it has been labeled as "Emo" because of the very personal lyrics and emotions Cuomo conveys. Allmusic describes the song as having a "touching vulnerability". However, the powerful guitar work, especially the solo in the middle of the song, prevent the song from ever being considered "sappy".
When I was 18 I visited Japan for just over two weeks. This song helped me get past the homesickness of missing my girlfriend at the time. This seems ironic because the lyrics would seem to amplify that homesickness. But it comforted me to hear my feelings represented in song. Or what I thought my feelings were.

Credit for first listen: Brother Geordie and sister Kate were big Weezer fans in the mid-90s, and I heard Weezer's first two albums due to them.
What this song is probably not about: Cuomo's reported, and disputed, "affinity for Asian women.
What this song is probably about: Love, isolation and the idealization that comes with distance.
Essential lyric: "So you send me your love/ from all around the world/ As if I could live on words and dreams and a million screams/ oh, how I need a hand in mine to feel"
Arbitrary rating: 74 out of 100

"Africa"
Toto. From 1982's "Toto IV"
Easily Toto's most well-known, and for most only known, song, "Africa" is one of the most widely heard songs on modern radio. It is also featured on a ridiculous number of albums. It went to number 1 on the Billboard chart upon its release. Its popularity and renown is remarkable when considering the band nearly didn't include the song on "Toto IV", because they didn't think it sounded like a Toto song, and they were tired of hearing it after all the production that went into it.
Written by the band's pianist and drummer, the song has a "world music" feel, which of course fits the subject matter. The percussion instruments alone on the song include bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat, two congas, a cowbell, a shaker, bongos, jingle sticks and sleigh bells. Its initial popularity can be partly attributed to its status as a "power ballad", one of the most popular (and regrettable) forms of song in the early 80s. For the most part, these songs are guilty pleasures, with soaring instrumentation combined with emotional lyrics of love. "Africa" certainly fits the bill there, but stands apart from the more formulaic power balleds (such as Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is"), because of its unique lyrics and beat, as well as its vague, and intriguing, lyrics. The song will live on through its many covers, and unfortunately also through the modern medium of sampling, which Karl Wolf's "Africa" reminded us is usually terrible.
Credit for first listen: The radio. Thankfully not Wolf's version, which would have ruined the song permanently.
What this song is probably not about: Accurately depicting the continent of Africa.
What this song is probably about: A white guy trying to imagine what it would be like to connect with Africa. No, seriously.
Essential lyric: I bless the rains down in Africa/ Gonna take some time to do the things we never have
Arbitrary rating: 65 out of 100.

"After Hours"
We Are Scientists. From 2008's "Brain Thrust Mastery".
My first encounter with We Are Scientist was somebody asking me to listen to their single "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt". And I hated it. Just did not like the song at all. Two years later, I heard that Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords had directed a music video for the W.A.S. song "After Hours". Despite my previous bad experience, I really wanted to see the video. It did not disappoint. It was hilarious, and had the very hot Katrina Bowden in it. Best of all, I thoroughly enjoyed the song as all. Later I found it was on the "Nick and Norah's Inifinite Playlist" soundtrack, which is too bad cause that movie was awful. But the song remains the same.
In the face of this incredibly harsh review, I believe this song is a pretty sweet for a mellow, hipster chic dance party, and its pretty fun/easy to sing in the car. I wish I could tell you a little more about this band, but this is really the only song of theirs I know that I like. It does get my feet tapping every time though.
Credit for first listen: See blurb.
What this song is probably not about: Partying after closing time.
What this song is probably about: Death or dying, or maybe not since a "citation needed" is affixed to this info in the wikipedia entry for this song.
Essential lyric: "As always at this hour, time means nothing"
Arbitrary rating: 72 out of 100.

"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
Phil Collins. From 1984's original soundtrack for "Against All Odds".
This song was recorded at the request of the movie of the same name's director Taylor Hackford. It went number one for three weeks in 1984 and also won Collins a grammy, and has been, somewhat, famously covered by Mariah Carey, as well as Postal Service. Written and recorded while Collins was still fronting Genesis, the song would be the turning point for Collins' career. Starting with this song, Collins would release 7 number one singles between 1984 and 1990, while Genesis' fortunes would go in the opposite direction.
The thing I like the most about this song is Collins' reaction to it at the 1985 Oscars. He was nominated for Best Original Song, yet was not asked to sing it, instead something named Ann Reinking sang it, and evidently Collins didn't care for her version. There used to be a video of it on youtube, which I can no longer find. Collins just looks really pissed and awkward and its awesome. If someone finds this, please let me know. Other than that, Collins voice sounds nice as always and the drum work is solid (as can be expected from the 34th-best drummer ever).

Credit for first listen: In first year I downloaded every Postal Service song, and heard their cover of this song. Eventually listened to the Collins original, which I preferred.
What this song is probably not about: Retelling the plot of this movie. Which is good, cause apparently the movie is not very good.
What this song is probably about: Collins' failing marriage to Canadian Andrea Bertorelli.
Essential lyric: "And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face"
Arbitrary rating: 59 out of 100.

ABC - Acquiesce

Well here are the first four songs on my iPod.

"ABC"
The Jackson 5. From 1970's "ABC".
The title track from the Jackson 5's second album, “ABC” is a great song to start this my iPod and this blog on. Recorded when Michael Jackson was just 12 years old, the song would knock “Let It Be” off the top of the singles charts. The classic Jackson 5 harmonizing will have you singing along immediately, and with lyrics this simple, that seems to be the point. Composed by “The Corporation”, Motown’s in-house songwriting team just for the J5, the song would last two weeks at the top of the charts. This song is a recipe for a smile every time it is on.
Credit for first listen: The radio, I presume.
What this song is probably not about: Teacher-student love. Michael clearly fancies himself the teacher in this scenario, which makes the lyrics less creepy, if you notice them at all. In this way it is like The Police’s “Don’t Stand so Close to Me”.
What this song is probably about: The simplicity of love. Pretty straightforward, but that’s not really shocking coming from this group, or Motown in general by this time.
Essential lyric: “Without the roots of love girl/your education ain’t complete”
Arbitrary Rating: 58 out of 100.

"Absinthe Party at The Fly Honey Warehouse"
Minus the Bear. From 2002's "Highly Refined Pirates".
Minus the Bear is an often overlooked indie band from that indie mecca of Washington state, which has produced darlings such as Death Cab for Cutie and Band of Horses. Though often overlooked, once given a listen they are always appreciated. This 5-piece makes great music, and has a great sense of humour as well. For example, many of the titles of their songs from their debut album came from lines in the classic movie “Starship Troopers”, and their name is a reference to the ‘80s show “B.J. and the Bear”.
“Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse” is my favourite MTB track, so I am happy it appeared so early alphabetically on my iPod. The song brilliantly captures the “trip to Europe” experience: “We've got to plan our day/Rodin and d’Orsay/and find a way to cram it all in/before we drink hard again”. If you’ve ever been on one of these trips, the lyrics will resonate. For me the song will always remind me of the week I spent in Scotland in February 2009, and the people there with me, where the sites inevitably played second fiddle to nights. And I’ll never regret it.
Credit for first listen: I believe my sister Kate made me listen to this song soon after the album was released.
What this song is probably not about: It is essentially a story about a guy who wants to cross the ocean just to drink in Europe, so it might be about North American alcoholism, and all the “ugly American” connotations that go with it.
What this song is probably about: Capturing the beautiful experience of experiencing Europe.
Essential lyric: “Sitting on a park bench/that’s older than my country”
Arbitrary rating: 84 out of 100.

"Accidents"
Alexisonfire. From 2004's "Watch Out".
“Accidents” was the first single from AOF’s second album “Watch Out”. The local boys had made some serious headway into the North American music scene with their eponymous debut album, which was certified Gold. This was primarily a result of their extensive touring and energy, as well as frequent requests on MuchMusic for their debut video for the song “Pulmonary Archery”. “Watch Out” came out in 2004, and was decidedly more structured than their frenetic debut album, which was described by the band as two catholic school girls in a knife fight. Along with the added emphasis on structure, Dallas Green’s vocals were featured more frequently on this album.
Green sings the chorus on “Accidents”, which are the best parts of this song. Though it is hard to argue that the instrumentation and George Pettit’s raw vocals don’t offer a bit of a rush. The contrast between these and Green’s vocals is what makes the song so enjoyable, even though I am not much of an AOF fan. In fact I just discovered this is their only song on my iPod. “Accidents” played a huge role in helping this album eventually becoming certified platinum, as the music video was played extensively on MuchMusic. Green’s talent would become obvious when he began releasing solo albums under the “City and Colour” moniker the next year.
Credit for first listen: Probably one of the numerous diehard AOF fans in St. Catharines made me listen to it.
What this song is probably not about: How terrible Doctors’ waiting rooms are.
What this song is probably about: The lyrics give a paranoid look at the current state of medicine, amplified by Green’s crooning of “Do they even cure you?”.
Essential lyric: “If only we could heal ourselves/we wouldn’t need to be hooked up to these machines”.
Arbitrary rating: 60 out of 100.

"Acquiesce"
Oasis. From 1998's "The Masterplan".
This song was originally released as b-side to the 1995 single “Some Might Say”. This is my favourite Oasis song for a myriad of reasons, all of which I will now list: 1) The song is essentially about friendship, which is perfect because Oasis will always remind me of my best friend John, who is Canada’s biggest Oasis fan; 2) The song is comparable to Queen’s “We Will Rock You/We are the Champions” because it is a sing-along to be sung at a pub, while enjoying a footballing triumph, which is sweet cause I love football/soccer and Queen; 3) It is one of only three Oasis songs to feature both the Gallaghers on lead vocals, and it sounds ruddy brilliant; 4) The song riffs on their own song “Morning Glory” at the very beginning, which is a great song itself and I just like when bands do this.
The song was so popular as a b-side that it eventually was released as a single itself in 1998. Though my favourite Oasis song, its reputation in my mind has been sullied by the band’s split, as its lyrics offer a stiff contrast to the real relationship between the Gallaghers which was at the root of their break up.
Credit for first listen: John Barr, who seemed to make it his goal that I hear every Oasis song ever, even the b-sides.
What this song is probably not about: Latent incestuous homosexual relationship between Liam and Noel. As was aforementioned this is one of the few songs both are featured on lead vocals, and thus it seems like they are singing to each other.
What this song is probably about: The power of friendship, and the role of friends in our lives.
Essential lyric: “We need eachother/we believe in one another”
Arbitrary rating: 85 out of 100.