Poor Aim: Love Songs
I got agitated with the first song on this album. Might be the mood I am in – I just didn't feel like hearing the lyrics, "I waited for days. I can't believe you didn't call me." This song is called "Hey Boy." I had heard of this music before, and I am a fan of K Records, but I wasn't into this. There are a lot of remixes here of songs that didn't interest me much in the first place. Insipid lyrics and electronic blips are the bulk of this. I did enjoy the song "Hock It," maybe because it had what I considered to be a healthy dose of bitterness and aggression. Could be that this just tells you where I'm at. There is one remix that has stringed instruments that I enjoyed also. The song asking where all her friends are is just tiresome.
Written by: Katy Otto, May 12th 2007
Being open to differing opinions means allowing the review and these comments to stand. It doesn't mean censoring one's opinion.
I ran across your review looking for this album on Google. For a blog that purports being "open" to differing opinions, when did "insipid electronic blips" become constructive? I'd suggest sticking to Le Tigre.
I also don't like to be a voice of dissent, primarily because I'll be writing for Feminist Review soon & don't think it's very rad to argue with fellow writers; but, personal taste aside, this album at least deserves explanation. A reissue from Southern Records, The Blow's Poor Aim was first recorded in 2004 as a limited edition EP, and in my personal opinion, it's a real glimpse into the work these two would later produce for K Records. These folks - one female, one male - make danceable pop tunes especially good for being stuck in traffic or slow-moving public transit (not to mention great for remixing). And despite personally loving The Blow, if you aren't into the general K Recs sound and don't like (or aren't familiar) with the likes of Freezepop or Dear Nora (two bands of which The Blow might be a love child), you could pass this one up. But don't hate it for simple lyrics and blippy sounds. That's the point.Visit them at their website for more info.
Katy--I'm sure you're a lovely person but your review is extremely poorly written. The brief and superficial anaylsis of this album doesn't tell me anything about the album or the band itself, which is unfortunate because for a group I've never heard of, after reading your review I'm still don't know anything about them or their music sensibilities. What type of genre are they? What instruments characterize their songs? Is their lead singer male or female? What am I going into if I choose to listen to this album? In short, I am very disappointed by the lack of real critique in your review. I hope that future reviews (maybe when you're in a different mood) will take care to be more sincere and thoughtfully composed. --Caley M.