Let’s imagine that I am a pirate— pegleg and all, and I have been lost in a desert for about five days— no food, no water. All I have is a map promising the finest treasure any diehard explorer could dream of unearthing.
Somehow, I manage to find that X that marks the spot and I pop my pegleg off and dig for hours in the scorching sunlight. If, when I finally got that box up out of the sand, the only treasure I found inside was MTV2’s Hanpicked Vol. 2, I would be one peeved and p.o.’d pirate – at first.
MTV2’s latest compellation CD, which was released on Oct 8, is an album of extremes: either you’ve heard it too much or not at all. It includes such great but overplayed tracks as The Vines’ “Get Free”, The Hives’ “Hate to Say I Told You So”, and Coldplay’s “In My Place.” Average consumers might hesitate to buy songs they can hear anywhere. Be aware, though, that they are definitely not the only tracks on the album. The buried treasure is what makes this CD tick. One such standout track is “Ramona” by Guster, whose last big single was the relatively catchy “Fa Fa”. “Ramona” is not as pop-ish as “Fa Fa”, though — it has a sound reminiscent of the Beach Boys’ album “Pet Sounds.” “Ramona” might come next on a rock continuum after “Good Vibrations.”
Another song I particularly like is “Get Over It,” by Ok Go. This is a meaty rock song with enough tension and energy to get even the most rhythm-deficent person’s foot tapping. It’s the sort of song that makes me feel like rock and roll is Tinkerbell, and I’ve almost clapped enough to bring her back to her feet.
One problem with “Get Over It,” though, is that it’s a little too close to the J. Geils Band’s song “Love Stinks.” It’s not a deliberate ripoff, but, if you listen to one and then the other, I might guess that someone in Ok Go loves that song but didn’t realize it was coming out in his writing. If you get passed that similarity, I think the song is one of the album’s best.
My favorite buried-treasure-song on Handpicked is “Caught By the River” by Doves. This song reminded me that there are musicians out there who still feel like making music for music’s sake. It is a driving collage of harmony and sound that makes you realize that the title isn’t so much a title as it is telling you what will happen when you listen. When musicians find joy in making music, it shows, no matter what genre they write in. Doves is made up of such musicans.
Beyond the music on Hanpicked Vol. 2, the CD is enhanced with worthwhile bonus footage: the music video for “Get Over It,” The Vines’ performance at the 2002 MTV VMA’s, and Coldplay’s 2002 MTV performance in Chicago. Of the three, I think the Ok Go and Coldplay videoes are the best, but only because nutty Craig Nicholls, lead singer of the Vines, is so painfully unnerving to watch. You fear for his life watching him shrieking and flopping around up there.
This album is mostly for people who like the collection of bands on here, but don’t know enough about each of them to want to invest in all of their respective albums. However, even for the seasoned and semi-jaded music lover, I think the buried treasure on here is too good for any pirate to pass up.
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