git ssb

title: "“Promises of Passion and Adventure” (the 2006-11-11 Saturday Fetch-it)" date: 2006-11-11 18:46 series: the Friday Fetch-it

tags: Animator, Doves, Editors, Fingers in the Factories, Forward Russia, Guillemots, Maxïmo Park, Morrissey, Pull Tiger Tail, Tom Robinson, Y Control, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

<p><a title="Pull Tiger Tail – Animator" href="http://www.last.fm/music/Pull+Tiger+Tail/_/Animator">Animator</a> passes the whistle test. After hearing it once or twice, about a month later I remembered the chorus and the instrumental hook just from the title. Yay me.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Guillemots">Guillemots</a>ishly, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Pull+Tiger+Tail">Pull Tiger Tail</a> perform under almost-plausible pseudonyms – Marcus Ardere, the mild-mannered janitor, becomes Marcus Firefly; the already-moderately-implausibly-named David McKenzie-McConville is transformed into David "Davo" Huevo upon eating a banana; and by night Jack Navarone is the evil Jack O'Moriarty.</p>
<p>Animator begins with the guitar hook, which uses a grand total of three notes and (once again) is bouncily <a title="Editors – Fingers in the Factories" href="http://www.last.fm/music/Editors/_/Fingers+in+the+Factories">Fingers in the Factories</a>ish. A bassline that sounds vaguely like <a title="Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Y Control" href="http://www.last.fm/music/Yeah+Yeah+Yeahs/_/Y+Control">Y Control</a> joins in, then lots of percussion.</p>
<p>In the verse the instruments drop to accompaniment and focus shifts to the lead vocal; the verse's structure and accompaniment are reminiscent of a <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Maxïmo+Park">Maxïmo Park</a> or <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/¡Forward%2C+Russia%21">¡Forward, Russia!</a> song.</p>
<p>The lead vocals hold the chorus – the title repeated lots – together. They're part-<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/¡Forward%2C+Russia%21">¡Forward, Russia!</a> (but less frantically mental), part-<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Robinson">Tom Robinson</a> (but nestle in amongst the instrumentation better) and at times part-<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Morrissey">Morrissey</a> (but less disdain/depression/apathy–inducing). The backing vocals add a succession of rising "aaah"s to the chorus, which lend the song an epic-like-Dante's-Divine-Comedy-not-like-<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Doves">Doves</a> feel; they're almost dæmonic.</p>
<p>The guitar hook pops up half-way through the chorus, and reappears between the first chorus and the second verse. After the second chorus the lead-up to the bridge is a lot quieter, led by a legato vocal line (of "oooh"s) with the bass playing a take on the hook.</p>
<p>In the bridge and final chorus the accompaniment goes at full pelt, and escalates with added hi-hats and increasingly frantic bass half-way through the bridge. The lead singer (presumably the Firefly bloke, since his name's first) comes closest to unrestraint during the last chorus (prompting accusations of Morrissiness).</p>
<p>A ten-second guitar solo carries the song to its climax, before returning to the hook to close the song.</p>
<p>Now try whistling it. <strong>If you download one song this week, make it <a href="/thefridayfetchit/20061111.mp3">Animator</a>.</strong> Stay tuned.</p>