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User
Reviews 22
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Last Active 01-30-13 11:03 pm
Joined 04-30-10
Review Comments 2,118
| Underpraised Songs By Praised Artists
Songs that are truly some of the artist's best but have never quite
received the attention they deserve. | | 1 | The National
The Geese Of Beverly Road
It's hard to argue that The National aren't lyrical geniuses, but their craft is
subtle. They don't write philosophical treatises or concept songs/albums per se,
but everything they say just manages to bear so much weight. Berninger's low,
serious vocals obviously play a part, but the real strength of The National's lyrics
is their one liners. And Geese arguably has three of their best: "Hey love, we'll
get away with this, we'll run like we're awesome, totally genius" and "we're the
heirs to the glimmering world" and finally "serve me the sky with a big slice of
lemon." | | 2 | Arcade Fire
Crown of Love
I distinctly remember the first time I listened to Funeral the effect Crown of
Love had on me. Up till that point I was loving Funeral, but it hadn't quite hit
me yet. But the slow waltz drew me in and with the bold climax Funeral clicked.
Crown of Love bridges the two halves of Funeral perfectly and without it the
album would surely not have succeeded as it has. Independently though, Crown
of Love is one of Arcade Fire's most endearing and moving songs. The chorus
pleads forgiveness and shows a personal side of Arcade Fire rarely seen, though
it will never be considered one of their most significant songs. | | 3 | mewithoutYou
The Angel Of Death Came To David's Room
Up until It's All Crazy... mewithoutYou had been a band of moments. They
always had their moments of crazy intensity that allowed them to succeed,
such as O Porcupine, January 1979, and Wolf Am I (And Shadow). But It's All
Crazy... was different, instead relying more on overall flow and consistency. The
Angel Of Death... is an exception, with it's dramatic, storytelling climax creating
a single track that properly bridges the "moment" aspect of earlier
mewithoutYou with the latter folkier, consistent sound. The final chants of
"Come now, David where has everybody gone!" are one of the most intense
moments in mewithoutYou's discography. | | 4 | Anberlin
The Haunting
Perhaps the best evidence of the excellence of Cities is its b-sides. The Haunting
and Uncanny lead off Lost Songs, and while the album as a whole isn't very
successful, these two tracks are some of the best in Anberlin's career. The
Haunting in particular could easily be ranked among their top 3 or so tracks, and
individually as a standalone song it could in fact be the best representation of
their sound overall. | | 5 | Sigur Ros
Untitled 2
Completely overlooked because of its placement between between 1 and 3,
Untitled 2 sets the mood for the dreaminess of ( ). One of the "emptiest" but
also one of the best tracks on the much praised post rock masterpiece, the
importance of 2 cannot be understated. After the sheer ecstasy of 1, 2 brings
the listener back in and is welcoming, personal, and comforting. Jonsi's gentle
croon is finely showcased, but the power lies in the friendly warmth of 2, as it
never boasts a typical Sigur Ros climax but just meanders beautifully and
perfectly transitions to 3. | | 6 | Mae
In Pieces
I am aware that I am in the minority when I say that (a)fternoon is a strong
release for Mae, but you at least cannot argue with the fact that In Pieces is one
of Mae's best tracks. The verses and choruses are intricate and the track holds
together nicely despite it's slightly long length (5:31). It will always fall in the
cracks of Mae's erratic history despite being one of their all-time best songs. | | 7 | Death Cab For Cutie
Passenger Seat
Surely every Transatlanticism fan loves Passenger Seat, but I would venture to
say that without it Transatlanticism would fall flat on its face. While it's more
natural to call the title track the climax of the center of Transatlanticism, it's
really Passenger Seat. The title track is fantastic, don't get me wrong, but it's
not quite enough to live up to the absurd standard it sets for itself. Listen to it
just isolated and you might see what I mean. But Passenger Seat makes it
work, adding the final personal touch and preventing the 3 track string (Tiny
Vessels to Passenger Seat) from collapsing under its own weight. | | 8 | As Cities Burn
The Widow
It's generally accepted that Come Now Sleep and Hell or High Water are more
praiseworthy than Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest, but The Widow provided a
glimpse of what was what to come. Stripped down and acoustic, The Widow is
one of the best examples of As Cities Burn's cutting songwriting, telling the
story of fatherly betrayal. As Bonnette breaks down into a desperate cry so does
the song, abandoning tempo and rhythm and meandering painfully until finally
leveling out with the chilling line "My God, what a world You love." | | 9 | The Gaslight Anthem
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts
Definitively Gaslight's best slow song. It's a huge shame it has never seen the
light of day on a full length album. Blue Jeans combines the refined, remorseful
mood of Here's Looking At You Kid with the rawness of Red at Night. The song
takes on a feel unique for Gaslight through the use of piano and female backing
vocals, as well as Brian Fallon's especially rough vocals. Truly essential for even
a passing fan of the band. | |
Eko
05.21.11 | so I reposted this because it screwed up the first time. | thecheatisnotdead
05.21.11 | 1, 5, and 7 are great. 8 is what actually got me into the band. | Eko
05.21.11 | same on 8 actually. it's just sort of hidden in there though. "Gates" would have been another ACB song I could have done too. | Romulus
05.21.11 | i don't know if 1 is underpraised but regardless it's my favorite song of theirs | qwer7yfreak
05.21.11 | 2 so much. People always go on and on about Rebellion and Neighborhood 1 and Wake Up but never seem to really appreciate Crown of Love | YetAnotherBrick
05.21.11 | 1 has become one of my favorite songs of all time recently. Major props for including it here. Definitely agree about its lyrics, too. 5 and 8 are great, too. Haven't heard any others, though. :P | Chrisjon89
05.21.11 | Completely agree with 5. I only own High Violet from the National, and I think the lyrics tread a fine line between clever and ridiculous, but amazing album.
And I love 2 as well. | Eko
05.21.11 | of the National's big 3 High Violet is the weakest. | Chrisjon89
05.21.11 | Well I need to saddle up and go get the other two cos it rules. | clercqie
05.22.11 | I disagree with 2...
It's definitely a fantastic song, but I don't think it's underpraised. Hell, none of the material on Funeral is underpraised.
Props for nr. 9 | Eko
05.23.11 | I mean underpraised in relation to the rest of the album mostly there. People love to talk about the greatness of Funeral, but Crown of Love never comes up specifically. |
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