Tag: Takida

Takida – You Learn

Ooh. I do like a good cello.

Tim: A few months old, but I’ve only just seen it so we’ll pretend it’s new.

Tom: I’ll look the other way if you will.

Tim: That’s very kind of you. Now, if you’ll cast your mind back some distance, you’ll recall that the last time we met these guys, they gave us a slow builder of a song that I liked and you thought sounded too much like Nickelback. And this time, they’ve got cellos!

Tom: Ooh. I do like a good cello.

Tim: But, if we’re honest, not a lot else has changed. The song still builds gradually adding an instrument or two per verse/chorus trasition, although the voice has changed a it – he singer sounds a bit less like he’s about to go out and kill people this time, and more like he’s about to go out and kill himself. I’m not sure that’s a massive improvement, but I can see how it would improve attendance at their live shows.

Tom: It works for Alice Cooper.

Tim: Ooh, blimey. Anyway, I would argue that the voice isn’t really all that important – what we have here is a lot of instrumentation, and that deserves to be appreciated. Not a huge amount happens during the first verse, but then when the drums hit for the chorus it steps up a gear (and I kind of had an urge to slap the singer and tell him to liven up a bit).

Tom: A proper, slow-build emotional track. I can get behind that.

Tim: And then with the horns for the closing section, it feels almost triumphant, especially with the flames going up in the background.

Tom: Damn right. That is how you do a Proper Big Track. Pity about the lengthy and useless credits, though. It’s not a film. That’s just silly.

Tim: It is silly, isn’t it? Especially since they will never, ever get watched, because people will scroll away or close the window when the videos finished. Oh well, silly people. Musically, though, I like this, but I’d love an instrumental version.

Tom: I want to do something, backed by this instrumental. I don’t know what it’d be, but I want it to be backed by this instrumental.

Takida – Never Alone Always Alone (Box Room Version)

Not the most upbeat song ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-dDh23OOMo

Tim: Released a few weeks back, it’s gradually making its way up the Swedish charts, and it’s not half bad. Not the most upbeat song ever, but what I particularly like about this version is the way it keeps building throughout, continually adding instrumentation, until it comes back after the bridge (such as it is) as a properly vibrant piece of music.

Tom: On the plus side, this reminds me of the Love Album version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. What started out as a simple track is steadily built upon, adding layer after layer, until you end up with this complex, soaring, beautiful piece of music. This track is like that, only with the genius of George Harrison replaced by the plodding monotony of Nickelback.

Tim: I don’t know – I think the voice works well against the backing, sort of remaining steady and showing how far the music’s growing, right up to the big near-to-the-end. It is a bit of a shame that it can’t keep that up for long, but nonetheless very pleasant while it lasts.

Tom: That’s what she said.

Tim: Oh, god.

Tom: Again, that’s… ah, never mind.

Tim: Anyway, that, combined with the infectious lyrics, make for a rather pleasant four minutes.

Tom: We have different definitions of ‘pleasant’.