The London, UK based pop/rock band cover a favourite track by one of their main influences, Elvis Costello. Featuring an interesting beat-box breakdown.
[Editor’s Note: This is, without argument, one of the coolest Guest Sessions we’ve ever had the honor of featuring. It takes a classic Elvis Costello track and somehow reproduces it flawlessly without being derivative. This is also an interesting cover song music video because it is performed by a five-piece arrangement, a setup that is fairly rare on the Laptop Sessions yet always interesting and exciting (see videos by mOu and Chris, Jim, and Becky). They nail this acoustic performance, which we know you’ll appreciate.]
Editor’s note: this post was originally published before December 2015; the exact original date is uncertain.
Greetings from the other side of the midnight chimes — this is your latest (and late) Laptop Session! Tonight, I bring you a new band to the sessions… Snow Patrol. Specifically, this is “Run,” the seventh track of their 2003 album Final Straw. This album was first recommended to me by then-fellow Staples Copy Center employee John Fortin, after he heard the Chris, Jim, and Becky album Live in the Studio. He said, based on our album, he thought I might enjoy the band.
At first, I liked the album, but I wasn’t crazy about it. It became one of those albums you go back to every so often, and over time, I grew to like it more and more. Recently, as I went back to both this album and their subsequent one, Eyes Open, I fell in love with the songs of Final Straw. The next album is solid, but lacks the hooks and flairs — really, the strength of individual tracks that are great and stand on their own — of the 2003 release.
My sister has also become a fan of Snow Patrol, so I hope that she gets a chance to read this post and check out the video. Jaime and I have fairly divergent tastes in music, but we have found much more overlap in the past few years — we can especially agree on the awesome-ness of Ben Folds and Elliott Smith! We actually both had a similar reaction to the new Snow Patrol single, “Take Back the City.” Specifically, we were hesitant about the new album based on the strength of this track. I can’t speak for her, but I know that — for me — the song seemed a bit forced at first, as if they were trying to make a hit single that could climb the charts as well as their last big hit, “Chasing Cars,” did. Really, though, what was most off-putting to me was what I initially interpreted as being a line — “God knows you’ve put your life into it tons.” Tons? Really? Is this the poetry I’m rushing to the store to purchase?
Well, those of you who know me will check this off on the list of times that I misinterpret something due to an accent. (Stories for another time…) The line is really “God knows you’ve put your life into its hands.” Lead singer Gary Lightbody’s Irish accent through me off. And, while I’m in a confessional mode, can I also admit that one of the factors that has always prevented me from entirely liking the band was the way Lightbody sings? Yes, it’s true… It took me until a few weeks ago to research and discover that they’re an Irish band. How I didn’t figure that out before is beyond me! But, now that I know, I’ve been going through a Snow Patrol renaissance of sorts.
Their 2008 release, A Hundred Million Suns, is — in my opinion — their best work since Final Straw. I was hesitant to buy it at first, based on their 2006 album and the aforementioned single. But, I’m really glad I did buy it. The opening track “If There’s a Rocket Tie Me to It” is one of my favorite track ones in a long time. Track two, “Crack the Shutters,” is one of my favorite songs on the album and would have been my choice for a single (To date, it has reached #9 on the iTunes alternative rock charts!). Then, track three is the single. Track four, “Lifeboats,” slows it down a bit and is another of my favorites. And it goes on from there…
I found it really interesting to read that the band considered this to be a more upbeat and “cheerful” album than previous releases. I didn’t really interpret it that way, but that could just be my current state of mind. Regardless, I do agree with their statement that it is their best album to date.
Well, that’s enough ranting and rambling about Snow Patrol for one post! In other news, I broke down and bought the first season of the Chappelle show, with hopes that Jim will want to watch some of the episodes. So far, I’ve only watched the first episode, which includes not only my favorite sketch (the Clayton Bigsby, black white supremacist skit) but also the Pop Copy sketch that so wonderfully makes fun of my previous profession as a Staples Copy Center employee! So, as you see, this post really comes full circle. It started with a band that was recommended to me by a Copy Center co-worker and ends with me going off to watch Pop Copy!
But, before I go, I should also mention that I have not made my last post of the day. The Laptop Sessions archive has plenty more acoustic rock cover fun — stay tuned!
See you next session!
Editor’s note: this post was originally published before December 2015; the exact original date is uncertain.
G Bm
Far, far away from those city lights,
Em Bm Bm – Bbm – Am
Might be shining on you tonight.
Am C
Far, far away from you.
C G Em C G
On the dark side of the moon.
G Bm
I long to hold you in my arms and sway,
Em Bm Bm – Bbm – Am
Kiss and ride on the CTA.
Am C
I need to see you tonight,
C G Em – C – Am
And those bright lights.
Oh, I know it’s right.
Deep in my heart,
Am G Em – C – G
I’ll know it’s right.
INSTRUMENTAL:
G – Bm
Em – Bm (Bm – Bbm – Am)
Am – C
G – Em – C – Am
G – Em – C – G
By the bed, by the light that you read by,
By the time that I get home to say goodnight.
I need to see you again
On the dark side, my friend.
G – Em – C – G
G Em – C – G
On the dark side…
** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **
Editor’s note: this post was originally published before December 2015; the exact original date is uncertain.
Hello and welcome to your Tuesday edition of the Laptop Sessions. After my quite lengthy post last time, I’m going to keep this one fairly brief — not because I want to be lazy and write less, but because I still have a lot of work to finish before tomorrow morning.
Tonight, I’m pleased to present my second video in a three-part series where I present a song from not only a new band to the Laptop Sessions, but also originally done by a female lead singer. Now, if you’ve come to the music blog before, then you know that my vocal range does not exactly lend itself to great heights… But, even though I had to drop an octave for this song tonight, I’ve been true to the Laptop Sessions promise to always record in the original key! Indeed, that’s one of the reasons that Jim started the Laptop Sessions — to create an alternative to carelessly and ineffectively recorded cover songs on YouTube.
While I don’t expect anyone to be wowed by my Johnny Cash-like adaptation tonight (I’m exaggerating with this description, of course!), it was interesting to record for a couple reasons. The biggest one is the rhythm of the first verse. It was difficult at first to keep the rhythm of the guitar, while at the same time being true to the tune and timing of the verse. As with any acoustic cover I’ve recorded, though, I took the time to practice this opening over and over, beginning a few months ago and then coming back to it tonight. In the end, it’s exciting to see the playback and know that, if only in baby steps, my abilities and stylistic experimentations are expanding because of this session-a-day project.
I first saw Tegan and Sara when they warmed up for Ben Folds in concert. There was something about the duo that I liked, and even though they are twins, I’ve always liked the quiet, calming presence of Sara. Which is odd, since I’m usually most interested in the lead singer or songwriter of a band. Anyway, I bought their 2004 album So Jealous, and although I found a lot of the songs to be repetitive within themselves (i.e. a lack of new lyrical material past the halfway point of any given song), I also found the album really catchy. I liked the upbeat sound and their vocal harmonies are really great. They’re not exactly the Beach Boys by any stretch of the imagination, but they’ve found their own niche. One of my favorite memories of this album is when I first bought it and played it for my sister, who liked it very much. I just remember sitting in the basement rocking out to it with her. We don’t exactly have the same tastes in music, so it’s exciting when we find some legitimate crossover!
Anyway, this song — “You Wouldn’t Like Me” — is the first track from the album. When I did my usual Wikipedia/google run tonight, I didn’t learn all that much new about the band. However, one thing I didn’t know was that the White Stripes recorded another track, “Walking With A Ghost,” from this 2004 album.
Okay, without further ado, here’s my version of their song. Keep coming back to the best acoustic cover song music blog on the web — Jeff’s original songs, Jim’s “Thumpin’ Thursday,” and more Friday sessions are in the archive.
See you next session!
Editor’s note: this post was originally published before December 2015; the exact original date is uncertain.
