This review covers the rock track Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – The Last DJ.
This track was released in 2002 on the album the Last DJ.
The track starts with guitars and is followed up by the drum kit. From there, the vocals start in for a verse. The track drops off save for two kicks before the vocals take the track into the main chorus with the other elements.
Right after, the vocals take the track into the next verse. A brief pause hits before the vocals take the track into the main chorus after. The main chorus is extended slightly. After that, an instrumental hits with a couple of voice samples.
After that, the vocals take the track into another verse. A brief drop hits and the vocals take the track into the main chorus again. This is capped off with an instrumental. The guitars then leads the track out to a false ending. A quiet voice sample then continues and a piano take over for a moment. The track then cuts out.
This is definitely a protest track. That aspect is about as obvious as it gets. Its (a very valid) criticism of modern radio. For me, my experience with radio is that everything is stuck in a time warp. It’s as if anything beyond 2004 didn’t happen and the radio just plays the same boring music over and over again. It’s actually partly why I started writing music reviews in the first place because I know there is so much that is better out there. I regularly classify local radio as being the North Korea of the music scene: permanently stuck in the 70s and 80s. So, as such, this track has a lot going for it in terms of being relatable.
The guitars sound quite good. There could have been a bit more variety outside of the instrumental sections, but they weren’t bad otherwise.
The voice samples and extra effects that sound like a radio works quite well in punctuating some of the themes in the track. So, that gets a thumbs up.
Meanwhile, the vocals work quite well. They are surprisingly clear this time around, so they get a thumbs up.
Overall, this is a solid track. It has a very relatable theme and the vocals work quite well. The samples are nicely done. There could have been a bit more variety, but that’s a minor iss for me. So, a solid track all around.
Score
7/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
