Wednesday, December 3, 2014

The 2014 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #18

#18 - Bleachers - I Wanna Get Better



Bleachers is the brainchild of former Steel Train frontman and current Fun. guitarist Jack Antonoff. Apparently it all came together while Fun. was on tour, which goes to show just how much time people apparently have while touring? Just kidding. But Antonoff had plenty of great stuff going for him in Steel Train and has done a fairly good job with Nate Reuss and co in Fun, who landed the #1 hit in 2012 with "Some Nights". The album "Strange Desire" was entirely recorded by Antonoff, and after seeing Fun. live, I am sure he has plenty of other great ideas for a (hopeful) follow up album. As far as "Strange Desire" goes, other highlight tracks are "Wake Me", "Rollercoaster", and "Who I Want You To Love". It's an album that might take a few listens to really appreciate, but it's wonderfully done in the end.

As far as "I Wanna Get Better" goes, it was one of those songs that I knew was going to be a big hit the first time I heard it. The "race home and immediately find it on YouTube/download it" type of song. The opening piano bounces around and pushes it's way into a brilliant sing-a-long chorus. The video features Antonoff as a therapist who has just come from a broken relationship and is trying to fix others. It's an amusing little piece of work and further supports the awesomeness of the song. In the end, it was the heavily distorted solo and the line "so I put a bullet where I should've put a helmet, and I crashed my car cuz I wanna get carried away" that really hit me. The future is bright for Antonoff, regardless of whether he is doing Bleachers, Fun., or anything else he should decide is worth his time.






Title: I Wanna Get Better
Artist: Bleachers
Album: Strange Desire



Previous #18s
2013: Biffy Clyro - Black Chandelier 
2012: Santigold - Disparate Youth
2011: House of Heroes - Galveston
2010: Rammstein - Fruhling in Paris
2009: Sick Puppies - I Hate You

2 comments:

  1. Yeah, this one was a pleasant surprise to me, and the music video is solid, too.

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    Replies
    1. Dude has some talent. It took me a few listens, but it was a gem of an album this year.

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