OK, you must have heard this by now. It’s everywhere, like bird flu and criminals and charity muggers. So what’s so bad about it? Is it just too nice? Of course, it’s a sinister kind of niceness, underpinned by the suspicion that some record company type with one eye on the success of Mad World this time two years ago thought it would be just the thing to bag the Christmas number one and earn them enough cash to buy another orphan-skin coat. Perhaps you think there’s something uncomfortably targeted about the namechecking of zoids and transformers, designed to appeal to office bound types in the last throes of their twenties who remember such things and thought life was going to be More Fun. Which happens to be where I’m writing this now.
This suspicion will be backed up by the admittedly marvellous video, which even starts with just such a moribund office dweller daydreaming into his exercise book. It features cameos from Optimus Prime and the A-Team van, while the background is filled with such copious attention to detail that the animator actually includes lines saying ‘I must not make an animated video again, it’s too much work.' You can’t help thinking that the marketing is just a bit too good.
But then again it is almost Christmas. Indie types don’t have to be curmudgeonly the whole year round, you know. Sometimes you’re allowed to like something because it gives you a nostalgic glow and has a nice tune. What would you rather have as the Christmas number one, Crazy Frog or some muppet from X-Factor? Either way, your opinion is irrelevant. This is going to sell bag loads whatever you do. You may as well give up now.
That's a great review
But then I always enjoy songs for twentysomethings who thought life was going to be More Fun, what with me being one and all!
Whatever anyone else thinks I'm pleased this is happening for them. A friend of mine gave 'em gigs back when no-one knew who the hell Nizlopi were and it's nice people can get unexpectedly successful sometimes.
I actually like them
...but everyone on here is gonna treat them the exact same way James Blunt and The Bravery were treated this year.
what
appropriately?
I still
Haven't heard this. I'm not sure how this has happened
.
What a tosh review based on half baked presumptions.
Records Comp?!? That's their own label that they set up aggggges ago. If you venture into Fopp the observant ones will notice that the Album this was on was released by them on the same label and sat at the top of the XFM/Fopp unsigned charted for over 6mths.
The guys are now in their late 20s but as the song was writen ages before all these top 100 twatish programs 20somethings remember (like Wizbit) I doubt the references to things like transformers were put in their to appeal to office saddos.
How many people in offices use excercise books? It may well tie in better with daydreaming about not going to school (esp as you have a learning difficulty)
If you take a listen to the album, or listen to their latest live tracks you will see what they really have going on.
Most of their rise has been word of mouth (internet) and by putting on guerilla style gigs where they walk around the venue, get up on the bar, get other people up to rap, sing in Korean (where they played a festival) etc...
Anyway, rant over. Try researching bands/labels a lil better though in future.
.
Yikes.
Sentiments are right
I've just listened to this properly for the first time. Properly in that I've heard it about 50 times on the radio and paid not the slightest bit of attention to it. I reckon it's bloody good. Far better than westlife, crazy frog, x-factor muppet or girls aloud. I do like the rhyme between "BA Barracus" and "Bruce Lee's nunchukas". Can't quite understand why there's so much animosity towards this record.
.
I think it's like most things, if it's in the charts people hate it (or the attention it's getting as it's somehow lost its kudos) but at the end of the day this isn't a band who are a flash in the pan, overnight success story, they have grafted away, played tiny venues and build up a massive live following because of word of mouth. I guess some of the blub people (like Richard and Saggy juggs) spin makes em sound cheesy or novelty but personally I think their is far more to be found in their songs than bands like Arctic Spunkeys etc....plus they played on a few of our songs before they were famous (one is on our myspace) even if we are poles apart in terms of style. Plus they are two of the nicest guys you can wish to meet.
No,
it's nothing to do with being in the charts, and nothing much to do with the heavy radio play, it's more to do with it being a fucking awful song.
But the biggest problem I have with it is that every time it's played on the radio (and we're talking Radio 1 and Radio 2 here) the DJ will go on about how amazing it is and how everyone texts in to say that it makes them cry and they're going to go and phone their dad and it's wonderful and it's so heart-warming and ooh I hope it's Christmas No. 1, everyone go and buy it. It's shite, and more than that, it's the worst kind of shite: irritating shite. Just like James Blunt I just cannot comprehend how everyone seems to love it.
Rant over.
Nah...
It's way better than the James Blunt song. (It makes narrative sense for one thing!)
I just cannot comprehend why so many people seem to hate it.
To me it's a good, heartfelt little song that isn't gonna chance the world but brightens it up a little. It's uncynical, makes no effort whatsoever to be cool and I'm rather pleased that something like that can even threaten to top the charts.
That said, I'm alone in thinking they sound more than a little like Athlete?
Bo
I thought the song was quite nice, and having just seen them perform it on CD:UK, I am convinced it's more than just clever marketing - their *performance* was fantastic.
Awesomely dull
Someone sent me the URL and for once I was glad I'm not in the UK if they're playing this all the time. Grindingly dull. Ten dollars says the guy's dad was a solicitor.
His
dad was Bruce Lee. It says right there in the record.
PS
Personally, I love this song. It's heartfelt, sweet, and the very idea that he calls his dad 'Boss' is wonderful. Plus, see previous comments about rhyming Baracus with Nunchukas. I really couldn't give a monkeys if those are deliberate sales ploys, it's great.
But no, I won't buy it. It'll be boring by December 29th.
Jobs
So what jobs are musicians' Dads allowed to have to win your respect?
Twat
You're a fuckwit, arentcha? I don't have any problem with what his Dad does or doesn't do.
Just noticed this
And it seems I've hit a raw nerve with you. You call it "grindingly dull" and then assume his "Dad was a solicitor", thus implying the two are related, in your eyes at least. Stop resorting to personal insults after you make a cock-up on the boards, ok?
he's not
he used to drive a jcb and now he runs a folk record label.
pratt.
You'd Think Really...
Betting 10 dollars on the guy's job being anything other than a JCB driver'd be a silly move.
What with the guy having written an autobiographical song about his Dad the JCB driver.
Whoosh
If I wanted better proof that only a fuckwit could like this record, you sure queued up to provide it.
We're Fuckwits?
You're the one who seems to have taken the time and effort to sign up to this website purely to talk about a song you hate.
I Bet
Im betting $10 that Luke isn't 5 years old
I finally heard this song last night
I didn't realise it was that tune used with some web animation doing the rounds a while back. Didn't like the tune at the time but the animation was good. Oh well.
the only place i've heard it
is on my friend's ipod.
how come everyone else has heard it about a million times?
.
Not much of a Doc then Zen! Maybe stateside you're just use to people singing bullshit songs with no grounding in reality.
Silly bet though, PM me for my addy to send that $10 and any other silly bets you wanna lay on!
Crap Song
This song is complete and utter crap! Everyone's banging on about it like it's the Holy Grail or something.
Sad DJ's are plugging it to death what's that all about??? It's because they're all sad 20 somethings having a mid life crisis and desperatly trying to hold on to their youth. It's the type of crap that gets to Number 1 in the UK and shames us around the world!
The rest of the planet must think we're a bunch of saddos..
There are hundreds of bands out there with amazing tunes that will never make the big time because our charts are full of rubbish such as the JCB song...JCB song for god's sake!!! What's their next track? a song about washing the dishes,ironing your shirt..oh i know going for a ride on a fork lift truck!!
Utter Utter tragic nonsense!!!
.
I know the guys and have a lot of respect for the hard work they have put in. As I said before people don't see that. It is v different from their other stuff. Altho this isn't my fave type of music (see ratings) it's far better than pish like Kaiser Shits and Arctic Spunkeys. Now that would give UK music a bad name as being fucking idiotic music!
Mouth brain connect
Actually, there is already a song involving washing the dishes: it is called 'You Never Wash Up After Yourself' by Radiohead and it appears on the My Iron Lung EP.
Suck my cock
and maybe I'll give you ten dollars. It'll be Australian though, because they insist on using Aussie dollars round here.
And I'm used to people singing bullshit songs with no grounding in reality just about everywhere I go.
What I want to know is...
Why is this song deemed to be inoffensive, or even good, and everyone hates James Blunt. Surely this is exactly the same as Blunt? (It is, that was rhetorical). Why do people have different opinions on them though?
.
This is the most joyous song I have heard for years. It just gives me the biggest grin and makes me feel all warm inside. Anyone who fails to appreciate this song might as well rid themselves of this world now as there is obviously no hope for your bitter and twisted lonely old soul!
there's nothing I hate more...
....than the ultra-smug tales of some little outsider who beat all the odds to have a Christmas number one, and thus saved us from the horror of another reality TV star.
BECAUSE IT'S BOLLOCKS. I cannot believe the public fall for it. It's not happened by chance, it's happened through extremely good PR and lots of people putting lots and lots of money into it. It's not some little guy defeating the system, it's some little guy being co-opted by the system.
It is, however, a moderately enjoyable song.
nope
Wasn't a big corporate budget. Its self released. Poor cynical dave_rio. Do you always presume the worst? You must have lots of fun.
In fact, you need to see these guys live to understand they are brilliant musicians, brilliant performers and really good songwriters. And they genuinely just want to make people happy through their music. I know its hard to beleive in this twisted world, but its ok dave_rio and friends, just try taking those first shaky little steps.. thats it.
Chris.
Hmm...
You seem to have forgotten that this was released back in July time and ended up at number 160. It was on MTV2's '120 Minutes' for bloody ages before Christmas.
Lovely song that sadly may get overplayed to my liking...
Come on guys...
...Most of you would bum it if it were called ATP Song...
I kinda liked it
because it was quite fun, video was cool too.
I'm finding it difficult to think of a commercially successful release that wasn't well marketed (by fluke, or by genius) so I don't really get your point dave_rio?
.
This song is just so incredibly dull I can scarcely believe someone made it. It’s so inoffensive, it offends me.
nizlopi
I'll never forget the time i went to see them play, but i want to