Not (quite) So Simple

It never fails. The more stressed I get, the more I retreat into the headphones. Here's a few slightly more complex songs and limited commentary:

Poe - Spanish Doll

Poe is a work in progress, and a leisurely one at that. One of her albums shows just how bad "chick rock" can get. But the other one captures that dark yet upbeat feel that has enabled Zero Seven and Portishead to have such success. But poe is a little less polished than ZS & P. She takes more risks (or is more schizo) than them. Her range is broader. I'd actually really like to hear Spanish Doll sampled for some slow, myopic hip hop piece.

Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses (Possibly NSFW) YouTube

Most FF songs are annoyingly similar. This one takes a small step forward, thanks to a Spoon-like guitar intro and some scratchy synth stuff which takes some of the focus off of FF's weakness: their vocals. Despite the fact that they pronounce it "My u-LUSS-eeze," the song remains just as catchy as Take Me Out and others but adds more complexity.

Ratatat - Truman

I couldn't help it. I really could have picked any Ratatat song here because their melodies seem like simple guitar riffs. That is until you realize that they actually sound like simple guitar riffs by aliens in a paper ripping factory inside a bottle, in your weirdest dream. This band does not categorize well. As for Truman? Truman is a little bit drum n bass, a little bit wierd vibraphone, and a lot awesome. Maybe you already knew that.