Twisting Your Words Into Shapes

The Voluntary Butler Scheme “Foolish”

Much in the way that the previous Voluntary Butler Scheme track featured on this site used the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” as a starting point for a song that skewed in a slightly different direction, “Foolish” adapts a rhythmic hook from Booker T and the MGs’ “Time Is Tight” as the basis of a tune that otherwise sounds like vintage British Invasion. Rob Jones, the man behind this music, has a natural talent for pastiche, and also for modernizing his tracks just enough to make them seem fresh, clean, and new without necessarily forcing winks or putting huge quotation marks around each and every note.

Visit the Voluntary Butler Scheme’s MySpace page.

A.C. Newman “Submarines of Stockholm”

At this point, we know what to expect from a record penned by Carl Newman, and that’s no bad thing. Though “Submarines of Stockholm” is comprised mainly of familiar Newman songwriting tics, the composition has an aggressive, chopping guitar motif and subtly seasick percussion that leaves it feeling distinct, memorable, and slightly uncomfortable despite its ingratiating melodies.

Pre-order it from Matador Records.