nn Rilo Kiley does sound more like the name of an artist than a band, but they were actually Jenny Lewis's band, who's also a fairly well-known name as a solo artist.
✦ 00s Indie Pop ✦ & ✖ 00s Indie Rock ✖ Rates | ✖ Indie Rock Rate Finale! ✖
- Thread starter soratami
- Start date
nn Rilo Kiley does sound more like the name of an artist than a band, but they were actually Jenny Lewis's band, who's also a fairly well-known name as a solo artist.
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#28
#46
The Rat
The Walkmen
7.635
11 @KingBruno | 10 @klow | 9 (4) @DJHazey @Epic Chocolat @DominoDancing @Oleander
5 (2) @ohnostalgia @Filippa | 5.5 @Sprockrooster
Host's score: 7
Time for another 11 to be eliminated, and this makes @KingBruno the second person to lose all their 11s... due to not having voted in the indie pop rate dd. The Rat is the first indie rock song eliminated so far not to have received any negative scores, and it'll be a bit till we get to the next one.
The Walkmen are a band from New York who have released seven albums between 2002 and 2012 (and have been on hiatus since 2013), with The Rat being the first single from their breakthrough sophomore album Bows + Arrows. . The Walkmen are another band whose discography I never really delved into, despite the fact that I actually saw them live once. Funny thing - I saw them in a festival in Lisbon in July 2009 (where Mando Diao and The Killers also played), and in September 2010 they released an album titled... Lisbon, an album dedicated to your host's hometown. Now I don't know the whole story, but I imagine that trip in Summer 2009 must have been a big inspiration for the album, which is pretty cool. Lisbon's title song is below, as well as the lead single from their most recent album Heaven.
@daninternational (8) “A new one so no nostalgia attached, nice lyrics but the music could be a bit more melodic”
@berserkboi (8) “Yeah, I might take this with me as a discovery!”
@DJHazey (9) “Oh how these lyrics hit me deep. Being used sucks as many of us know. Good thing it pops off musically as well, for the most part. Another good find.”
@DominoDancing (9) “Super energetic, and things just melodic enough to not become a shouty mess.”
@KingBruno (11) “This is actually the best song to come out of the whole post-punk revival movement. The song has this hyper-aggressive energy, like two past lovers going over the edge to emotionally demolish each other: “Can’t you hear me? I’m bleeding on the wall / Can’t you hear me? I’m pounding on your door?” But the moment the song gets to the bridge, the song’s tone switches from rageous to outright depressive and sad. There’s something gut-wrenchingly recognizable about how a relationship gets intertwined into your social life and how a fracture in the first can lead to a destruction of the other. “When I used to go out, I would know everyone that I saw / Now I go out alone, if I go out at all.” The loneliness in these lyrics hit me the same way Morrissey could hit me with his.”
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#28
#46
The Rat
The Walkmen
7.635
11 @KingBruno | 10 @klow | 9 (4) @DJHazey @Epic Chocolat @DominoDancing @Oleander
5 (2) @ohnostalgia @Filippa | 5.5 @Sprockrooster
Host's score: 7
Time for another 11 to be eliminated, and this makes @KingBruno the second person to lose all their 11s... due to not having voted in the indie pop rate dd. The Rat is the first indie rock song eliminated so far not to have received any negative scores, and it'll be a bit till we get to the next one.
The Walkmen are a band from New York who have released seven albums between 2002 and 2012 (and have been on hiatus since 2013), with The Rat being the first single from their breakthrough sophomore album Bows + Arrows. . The Walkmen are another band whose discography I never really delved into, despite the fact that I actually saw them live once. Funny thing - I saw them in a festival in Lisbon in July 2009 (where Mando Diao and The Killers also played), and in September 2010 they released an album titled... Lisbon, an album dedicated to your host's hometown. Now I don't know the whole story, but I imagine that trip in Summer 2009 must have been a big inspiration for the album, which is pretty cool. Lisbon's title song is below, as well as the lead single from their most recent album Heaven.
@daninternational (8) “A new one so no nostalgia attached, nice lyrics but the music could be a bit more melodic”
@berserkboi (8) “Yeah, I might take this with me as a discovery!”
@DJHazey (9) “Oh how these lyrics hit me deep. Being used sucks as many of us know. Good thing it pops off musically as well, for the most part. Another good find.”
@DominoDancing (9) “Super energetic, and things just melodic enough to not become a shouty mess.”
@KingBruno (11) “This is actually the best song to come out of the whole post-punk revival movement. The song has this hyper-aggressive energy, like two past lovers going over the edge to emotionally demolish each other: “Can’t you hear me? I’m bleeding on the wall / Can’t you hear me? I’m pounding on your door?” But the moment the song gets to the bridge, the song’s tone switches from rageous to outright depressive and sad. There’s something gut-wrenchingly recognizable about how a relationship gets intertwined into your social life and how a fracture in the first can lead to a destruction of the other. “When I used to go out, I would know everyone that I saw / Now I go out alone, if I go out at all.” The loneliness in these lyrics hit me the same way Morrissey could hit me with his.”
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He/Him
Commentary Guessing Game
The Rat
Me looking for any mentions of The Rat in the guessing game document:The Rat
Which is just as well, given it wasn't one of the songs in the game. The next one is though!
@klow 3
@Phonetics Girl 2
@slaybellz 2
@Maki 1 (+1)
@Untouchable Ace 1
@MilesAngel 1
@daninternational 1
@Attis 0 (+1)
I wish I had thought of that dd. But I do something for this last elimination
@KingBruno This is fantastic commentary. I've listened to the song a few times tonight with it in mind and it's really made me appreciate the song on a new level.Similarly to what happened the other day, since I only managed to post the first elimination of the day much later than usual, and it's getting pretty late, I'll finish preparing the next elimination before going to sleep and post it tomorrow morning, with the two Friday eliminations also happening as usual.
I love the Walkmen. Very out of character for me these days to glean so much joy from a white male band of the indie persuasion, but their songcraft is always top notch, and Hamilton's voice packs a punch.
"The Rat" is one of their angstiest songs and is actually not all that indicative of their discography, which is generally quite mellow. Some of my favourites include:
I do worry that this burgeoning @berserkboi feud will descend into prosthetic-leg throwing once my 1.5 finally goes out!
"The Rat" is one of their angstiest songs and is actually not all that indicative of their discography, which is generally quite mellow. Some of my favourites include:
I do worry that this burgeoning @berserkboi feud will descend into prosthetic-leg throwing once my 1.5 finally goes out!
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#18
#45
Ghosts
Laura Marling
7.654
10 (2) @klow @Trouble in Paradise | 9.75 @Oleander
3 @Epic Chocolat| 4.25 @Untouchable Ace
Host's score: 8
With this elimination, we officially hit the halfway point in the indie pop rate, with 17 songs (plus this one) having been eliminated, and 17 left. There are still 10 eliminations left until we get to the halfway point of both rates combinaed, which just goes to show much the indie rock one has been dominating.
Laura Marling is an English singer-songwriter who has released seven solo albums between 2008 and 2020, as well as a few EPs, and two more albums as one of half of the duo LUMP, with English folk band Tunng lead singer Mike Lindsay, and she was also briefly part of the band Noah and the Whale. Ghosts was taken from her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim, produced by Noah and the Whale's frontman Charlie Fink, and it was actually the very last addition to the indie pop rate. @klow originally suggested Laura Marling's collaboration with Mystery Jets (embedded below), but while I felt that one didn't quite fit, it got me thinking, why not go with a solo Laura Marling song instead? There wasn't exactly a lot to choose from, since Alas I Cannot Swim was the only album she released in 00s, but Ghosts seemed like the perfect fit for the rate. Aside from the Mystery Jets song, Devil's Spoke, the lead single from Laura's third album I Speak Because I Can, which earned her a Brit Award For Best British Female, is also embedded below.
@DJHazey (7) “Kind of a 'sit up and pay attention' chorus with its 'polished retro' sound, unfortunately there are also extended periods of dullness. I do like how the vibe has some bumpkin to it, I wonder if the singer has a background as a country-pop singer.”
@DominoDancing (7) “Saved by the last minute, which adds a bit of pep to an otherwise slightly nondescript song.”
@slaybellz (7) “Definitely picks up near the end. It's giving Mumford & Sons.” Funny you should say that because Laura Marling actually released an EP with Mumford & Sons in 2010, at a time when she was dating their lead singer.
@berserkboi (8) “At first I thought this’d be a bit too quirky for me but it really is beautiful!”
@Attis (8.5) “Her voice just can't do no wrong, it's so warm and nice”
@BubblegumBoy (9) “This is very Lungs era”
@daninternational (9.5) “Love Laura's voice, and lyrically beautiful too”
✦
#18
#45
Ghosts
Laura Marling
7.654
10 (2) @klow @Trouble in Paradise | 9.75 @Oleander
3 @Epic Chocolat| 4.25 @Untouchable Ace
Host's score: 8
With this elimination, we officially hit the halfway point in the indie pop rate, with 17 songs (plus this one) having been eliminated, and 17 left. There are still 10 eliminations left until we get to the halfway point of both rates combinaed, which just goes to show much the indie rock one has been dominating.
Laura Marling is an English singer-songwriter who has released seven solo albums between 2008 and 2020, as well as a few EPs, and two more albums as one of half of the duo LUMP, with English folk band Tunng lead singer Mike Lindsay, and she was also briefly part of the band Noah and the Whale. Ghosts was taken from her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim, produced by Noah and the Whale's frontman Charlie Fink, and it was actually the very last addition to the indie pop rate. @klow originally suggested Laura Marling's collaboration with Mystery Jets (embedded below), but while I felt that one didn't quite fit, it got me thinking, why not go with a solo Laura Marling song instead? There wasn't exactly a lot to choose from, since Alas I Cannot Swim was the only album she released in 00s, but Ghosts seemed like the perfect fit for the rate. Aside from the Mystery Jets song, Devil's Spoke, the lead single from Laura's third album I Speak Because I Can, which earned her a Brit Award For Best British Female, is also embedded below.
@DJHazey (7) “Kind of a 'sit up and pay attention' chorus with its 'polished retro' sound, unfortunately there are also extended periods of dullness. I do like how the vibe has some bumpkin to it, I wonder if the singer has a background as a country-pop singer.”
@DominoDancing (7) “Saved by the last minute, which adds a bit of pep to an otherwise slightly nondescript song.”
@slaybellz (7) “Definitely picks up near the end. It's giving Mumford & Sons.” Funny you should say that because Laura Marling actually released an EP with Mumford & Sons in 2010, at a time when she was dating their lead singer.
@berserkboi (8) “At first I thought this’d be a bit too quirky for me but it really is beautiful!”
@Attis (8.5) “Her voice just can't do no wrong, it's so warm and nice”
@BubblegumBoy (9) “This is very Lungs era”
@daninternational (9.5) “Love Laura's voice, and lyrically beautiful too”
✦
Last edited:
he/him
Disgraceful, really surprised me
Commentary Guessing Game
Ghosts
@slaybellz & @MilesAngel:Ghosts
8. “Definitely picks up near the end. It's giving Mumford & Sons.” ✔
@MilesAngel:
2. “Reminds me of those boring songs that Max would play in the first Life Is Strange game and I’d always wonder “do I actually have to listen to this whole thing before advancing or what?””
Laura Marling - Ghosts
@Maki:
7. “I mean this is fine and is by far not the worst song here, it's just not that much more interesting than anything else on a mid-00s Starbucks compilation.”
@Phonetics Girl:
10. “Oh we're going medieval”
@daninternational:
15. “Don't know if the music video made me think this, but the song carries some unnerving feel. It's pretty good overall.”
A lot of different guesses for this one, and @MilesAngel gets it right, while @slaybellz also correctly guesses her own commentary dd
@klow 3
@slaybellz 2 (+1)
@Phonetics Girl 2
@MilesAngel 2
@Maki 1 (+1)
@Untouchable Ace 1
@daninternational 1
@Attis 0 (+1)
Up next:
Time for the final indie pop cull of the rate, which will continue tomorrow, after which things will get a lot more indie rock-heavy, with no more than two indie pop songs ever getting eliminated back to back again. Today we're losing a song I thought would do a lot better and one I expected to do a lot worse. One of them has female vocals and the other male vocals.
The last few eliminations…
If I love the Walkmen, then I really really love Laura Marling. I’ve seen her live 6 times over the years, and have come away from each show inspired by her confidence and self-assuredness, poise, and ability to serve both portentous dramatics and light comedy in her performances. Great songwriter, beautiful songwriter, and though her albums vary in quality even my least favourites harbour a few gems.
Impossible to begin thinking about favourite tracks, so perhaps I’ll just do one each from my top 4 of her albums:
The opening medley from Once I Was An Eagle (this is cheating, as it’s actually four songs, but they’re all written in the same tuning and blend seamlessly into each other)
“Night After Night” from A Creature I Don’t Know
“Goodbye England (All Covered In Snow)” from I Speak Because I Can
“Next Time” from Semper Femina
If I had to rank all her albums, it’d go something like this:
1. Once I Was An Eagle
2. A Creature I Don’t Know
3. I Speak Because I Can
4. Semper Femina
5. Alas I Cannot Swim (yes, I know what you’re thinking - I can’t believe that the first four albums she released all had titles with six syllables either…)
6. Song For Our Daughter
7. Short Movie
8. The LUMP albums (they’re cute, but cute next to gorgeous etc etc.)
If I love the Walkmen, then I really really love Laura Marling. I’ve seen her live 6 times over the years, and have come away from each show inspired by her confidence and self-assuredness, poise, and ability to serve both portentous dramatics and light comedy in her performances. Great songwriter, beautiful songwriter, and though her albums vary in quality even my least favourites harbour a few gems.
Impossible to begin thinking about favourite tracks, so perhaps I’ll just do one each from my top 4 of her albums:
The opening medley from Once I Was An Eagle (this is cheating, as it’s actually four songs, but they’re all written in the same tuning and blend seamlessly into each other)
“Night After Night” from A Creature I Don’t Know
“Goodbye England (All Covered In Snow)” from I Speak Because I Can
“Next Time” from Semper Femina
If I had to rank all her albums, it’d go something like this:
1. Once I Was An Eagle
2. A Creature I Don’t Know
3. I Speak Because I Can
4. Semper Femina
5. Alas I Cannot Swim (yes, I know what you’re thinking - I can’t believe that the first four albums she released all had titles with six syllables either…)
6. Song For Our Daughter
7. Short Movie
8. The LUMP albums (they’re cute, but cute next to gorgeous etc etc.)
I had to listen to several Mumford and Sons songs to get the commentary correct. Never Again. But I gave
Ghosts an 8. It's good, but there are a few irritating vocal moments although I like her voice generally.
Ghosts an 8. It's good, but there are a few irritating vocal moments although I like her voice generally.
I was about to say that Laura might be in danger, because the song doesn't really stand out much. I gave it a 7.5, so it's a fine elimination at this point.
As for the commentary guessing game, "Ghosts" actually appears on a Starbucks compilation released in 2008, and now I feel like boo boo the fool.
As for the commentary guessing game, "Ghosts" actually appears on a Starbucks compilation released in 2008, and now I feel like boo boo the fool.
I don't know what Life Is Strange is!
Well, you still got it kind of right because Ghosts would totally fit in a Life Is Strange game dd
He/Him
Aww I feel like Laura sometimes get piled on for her deserved recognition. She really is a superb songwriter and @klow as always came through with the best recs. Here’s my own quirky selection:
Soothing feels like nothing else Laura has ever done but it enraptures me every time
Captain and the Hourglass has always been a Trouble fave since my days of playing the debut on repeat
And from my favorite album of hers is one of my favorite moments in her discography BlackBerry Stone
Soothing feels like nothing else Laura has ever done but it enraptures me every time
Captain and the Hourglass has always been a Trouble fave since my days of playing the debut on repeat
And from my favorite album of hers is one of my favorite moments in her discography BlackBerry Stone
That's funny I didn't even know that.
I knew her from that one Mystery Jets song too that I really liked but could never really get into her solo stuff. I also randomly liked this one interlude of hers dd.