Word: riffs
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Unfortunately, a nearly four-year studio hiatus seems to have somewhat dulled Casablancas’ previously superb songwriting abilities. The album’s opener, “Out of the Blue,” rides a driving guitar riff resembling something from a punk rock Johnny Cash as Casablancas delivers one of the album’s best lyrics: “I know I’m going to hell in a leather jacket / at least I’ll be in another world while you’re pissing on my casket.” While Casablancas?...
...rest of the songs vary in genre, but the overarching weakness of the album can be summarized in a single word: excessiveness. The opening track “Good Looking Man About Town” begins with a sharp electronic riff and falls into a disorderly mélange of bass-driven groove. “Ganglord” is dominated by incessant cymbals and mechanical echoing; underneath all the extras, the song is nothing but a piece of lackluster...
...usual, each song’s backbone is a distinct and catchy guitar lick. Sometimes these guitar melodies are comparable to the coarse, raspy, and low-pitched riffs played by the Black Keys; “Pilgrim,” “Phoenix,” and “White Feather”—the album’s slower, sparser moments—are prime examples of this. “Pilgrim” starts with an upbeat, swing-feel guitar riff that is soon joined by percussion. “She?...
...Klimax”—featuring sparse notes above middle C, screeching vocals, and slow tempo. “The Light That Failed” possesses progressively louder synthesizer screeches, distorted whispers, and a lack of any true melody, chorus, or lyrics; a repetitive guitar riff, rooted in minor chords, plays over a background sound that calls to mind water dripping from a faucet. Though this subtracts from the track’s overall musicality, these dark motifs balance the upbeat songs which come later, making the album more effective overall...
...such song, a collaboration with musician Noah Lennox aka Animal Collective’s Panda Bear. From start to finish, “Walkabout” is four minutes of musical genius. Led by drums, carried by a buoyant rhythm, backed up with a pronounced electronic riff, and topped off with a serenade of jolly vocals, it’s a track to be reckoned with. “What did you want to see? What did you want to be when you grew up?” Lennox asks repeatedly during the song’s chorus. The somewhat...