• “Little Lion Man” by Mumford & Sons
Four British folkies get powerfully desperate on this stomping, banjo-heavy track.
Sawtooth says:
As for the characterization that this song is inspired by bluegrass music, I just don’t see it. It reminds me more of the Irish folk-punk of bands like The Pogues, but maybe I’m just pulling a “no true Scotsman” argument since it’s a quartet of Brits imitating American folk music. A good track nonetheless. I especially like the four-part harmonies that pop up in the chorus.
TheDramaticMonarch says:
If the wild, wild west and Spirit of the West ever had a secret steamy love affair, “Little Lion Man” would be that love child. The opening acoustic guitar feels like it should be at home in a long lost John Wayne flick set in the Grand Canyon yet the chorus suggests it should be screamed out by bawdy (if a little remorseful) hooligans in a Maritime pub. For placing the ridiculously silly mental image of a grizzled, near-toothless old prospector doing a merry jig on top of a pile of beer kegs inside my head, this song easily gets a free pass from me.
ThornBrain says:
A brisk, British folk take on Americana that works on nearly every level. Mumford himself supplies the proper earnestness while the “sons” provide apt harmony and instrumentation, plus unobtrusive banjo; thumbs up just for mixing that into the music effectively. While the chorus line “I really fucked it up this time, didn’t I my dear?” reminds me why subtlety is usually the better direction to go with your music, [particularly in today’s imagination-free musical climate], if anything it actually makes me want to check out those Waterboys my dad was always talking about.
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• “Imma Be” by The Black Eyed Peas
Sci-fi combines with booming club beats on this twitchy, robotic pop hip-hop song.
Sawtooth says:
Can’t like them all, of course. And I certainly don’t like this track one bit. As far as I’m concerned it’s the 2010 equivalent of BEP’s other famous earworm, “My Humps.” (With a jarring tempo change added on for the hell of it.) This song only further proves true my opinions that will.i.am is a terrible rapper, the other two Peas that aren’t Fergie and Mr. i.am might as well not exist.
TheDramaticMonarch says:
Ladies and gentlemen, the Black Eyed Peas have just patented the Aural Lobotomy. It’s called “Imma Be”. This may have very well been the longest four and a half minutes I have ever been subjected to. If the relentless repetition of the song’s title didn’t fry your brain, trying to wrap it around the inanest-of-the-inane lyrics (and considering that this is the same group responsible for “My Humps”, that’s saying a lot) will only cause a mental implosion. There’s only so much meaningless drivel about fame, nightclubs, champagne and semen (d-did I really just type that in?!) a sane person can comprehend. Let’s move onto the next song ASAP before my thought meats become ground beef. Pretty please?
ThornBrain says:
Are you fucking kidding me? You actually made something dumber and less-listenable than “Telephone”? I’d say that takes skill, but then I’d have to hang myself.
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• “Fuck You” by Cee-Lo
An anonymous gold-digger gets a harsh rebuke from the twisted mind of one half of Gnarls Barkley.
Sawtooth says:
Leaving aside all the numerous unfunny internet parodies and all the negative meme points, this is a damn good song, and yet another throwback to the bygone era of Motown. What I’ve always liked about Cee-Lo as an artist is his sense of humor, IE: The sniveling mock-sadness he displays in the breakdown. Hilarious stuff.
TheDramaticMonarch says:
Between this and “Tight Rope”, there must have been some kind of memo going around the music industry to channel the spirits of Motown in 2010. God bless ‘em for it because this song never fails to get a big silly smile out of me. The sanitized radio (and “Glee”) friendly version called “Forget You” just simply doesn’t have the same effect. Pissy petty inner rage just can’t be tamed, especially with such deliciously foul-mouthed lines sung with the utmost sincerity by those harmonious backup singers. (“Ain’t that some shit?”) Vindictive bitterness has never been more fun to dance and sing along with.
ThornBrain says:
Yeah, it’s silly and kind of ridiculous. It’ll probably be tossed off down the road as just another novelty song, but there’s a surprising heart-on-the-sleeve quality to it that gives it much more longevity than that. It comes across more as a guy having fun at the outset of heartbreak instead of as some asshole deciding to be “controversial” or “lulzy”. That combined with Cee Lo’s strong, soulful singing, and the song being generally a fun and amusing listen, should help it maintain more respect down the line.
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• “Lay Me Down” by The Dirty Heads & Rome Ramirez
Southern California reggae-rock about being on the run, featuring the new guy from Sublime.
Sawtooth says:
This is the point in time where I finally got sick to death of Rock/Reggae fusion. This is a song that doesn’t have any sort of personality of its’ own. It’s definitely “mellow”, but that’s about as far as it goes. I’m sure these guys will permanently have an audience at Bonnaroo or someplace, but otherwise they’re just another lame beach-band with a singer with a range of only two pitches.
Sad truth time, guys. Sublime have ALWAYS sucked.
TheDramaticMonarch says:
Am I experiencing deja vu here because I feel like I’ve heard this song before. Oh, this isn’t a new Jack Johnson song? Well, how about 311? No? Huh, the Dirty Heads? Who the hell are they? For that matter, what the hell is this song? I swear this is like the audio equivalent of wallpaper. You enter a Starbucks or a Pac Sun and it’s just there, surrounding the room and not drawing a whole lot of attention to itself. Once you leave, it’s pretty much gone and unlikely to follow you home. In other words, “Lay Me Down” is really, really forgettable. I would honestly be surprised if this was considered a “hit” of any kind.
ThornBrain says:
Meh. Never liked this sort of Reggae-rock, pseudo-tropical thing. If you happen to be, it’s well played, sung, put together and everything, and the lyrics don’t sound dumb, but I wasn’t feeling it at any point.






