Private Lessons / False Alarms
Album: False Alarms   Collection:General
Artist:Private Lessons   Added:Mar 2004
Label:No no Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2004-06-21 Pull Date: 2004-08-23
Week Ending: Jul 25 Jul 18 Jul 4 Jun 27
Airplays: 1 1 1 4

Recent Airplay
1. Jul 10, 2010: lost and found
Track 15 (?)
4. Jul 23, 2004: Distraction-Limited??!!
Track 15
2. Sep 06, 2004: Short Song Marathon--Tom, Mr. Sparkle, and Mor fill in
Emotional Shock
5. Jul 16, 2004: Distraction-Limited
Disco Kids
3. Aug 24, 2004: The Literate Pop Fans
Backwards
6. Jun 30, 2004: Mr. Sparkle Challenge
Sweetly

Album Review
Mor
Reviewed 2004-06-11
Sweet electro-pop inspired (admittedly) by video games and “coming of age movies”(???). The missing part is: good tunes. Could have been a nice EP. Instead, it’s a way-too-long album. Mostly processed vocals over programmed beats, all kinds of keyboard and synths. Here is the basic recipe: open with keyboard tune and simple backdrop, add a programmed beat and processed vocals, build in more sound effects after first verse, go back to opening theme at the end, fade out. Repeat 16 times (2 unlisted tracks!) and call it an album. Surprise: One of the unlisted tracks is new wave rock fun!
Start with 7,8, 11,13,14,16, and (the rock track) 15.

1. Intro. Sweet, calming, harmonic synth notes for airports.
2. Programmed mid-tempo beat, processed vocals, brief text repeated, synth. Did Kraftwerk never happen?
3. Starts slow, quiet, dreamy vocal harmonies, acoustic strumming. Why, oh why did the heavy-processed sound return so quickly?? Wholly-electronic sound bounce and processed vocals persists to the end.
4. Down tempo, a little more bass, Air-like.
5. Upbeat, multiple drum sequences, short keyboard riff repeats. Fades out quickly 20 secs to end.
6. Mid/slow tempo, bass drums, sustained synth notes backdrop, and of course tons of sound effects.
7. * Short distorted guitar intro picked up by a synth and a heavy mid/slow disco beat. The guitar sound will return briefly! *
8. * Quiet dark bass opening, sweet harmonic keyboard joins, distorted keyboard and more effects come in; bass becomes prominent again and so forth. Instrumental. Cool. *
9. Mid/upbeat Casio tune opens and closes. Almost unintelligible distorted vocals, fuzzy beat.
10. Do I hear The Girl From Ipanema in the simple keyboard/bass/vocals ghostly opening? In any case, the mid tempo beat picks up, with dreamy pop male harmonies.
11. * Slow, sustained notes, drony vocals, sparse keyboard notes added towards end.*
12. Keyboard high pitch beat, dark new wave synth tune joins. Slow/mid tempo, vocals a bit like Stone Roses played in the wrong speed.
13. * Short, pronounced drum beat, slow/mid tempo, brief vocals. *
14. * Mid tempo, cool dark beat, more jungly beat added, vocals less processed, fuzzy synths. *
15. *Synth rock+. Mostly female vocals, great guitar riffs, drums, bass, new wave! Where was this stuff hiding till now?*
16. *Back to crude electronic beat. Mid tempo beat, classic Kraftwerk synth sound. Instrumental.*

Track Listing
1. Emotional Shock   8. Sweetly
2. False Alarms   9. Ninja Lover
3. Beach Blankets   10. Good Life
4. After School   11. Backwards
5. Vacationers   12. Only in Photographs
6. The Nobodies   13. New Wings
7. Disco Kids   14. White Lines