Posts
We may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us.
"Wise Up" by Aimee Mann from Music from the motion picture Magnolia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTI8ZiopycQ
That is the theme from the movie Magnolia, that we may be through with the past, but the past is not through with us. If you have not seen this movie you need to. It is one of my favorite movies. The soundtrack includes nine songs from singer/songwriter Aimee Mann. One of them, "Save Me" was nominated for the Acadamy Award for Best Original Song, only to lose to the Phil Collins song "You'll Be In My Heart" from Tarzan. (Also nominated that year was "Blame Canada" from South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut.)
Director Paul Thomas Anderson is known to have been listening to Aimee Mann's music a lot during the writng of the script for Magnolia and even borrowing character ideas and lyrics as lines of dialouge.He also made it a point to integrate the music with the movie. The video posted above is not the music video for the song, well I guess it is, but it also takes place in the movie. Magnolia is pretty overtly split up into three acts, with this song as the closer to the second act. As you can tell, the characters of the ensemble cast are out of sorts just before the third act happens and all hell breaks loose.
The lyrics start out "It's not what you thought when you first began it." The easy interperetation is that "it" is life, but I think the smarter interperetation is 'situation as life.' By this I mean that none of us have any real expectations for life until we have something to lose, or gain. By playing the pronoun game Mann draws us into the song because we automatically transfer our situation onto the the character of the song. This is a case where when the singer says "you" she truly means the listener.
"You got what you want, but you can hardly stand it." Ain't that the rub. Things, outside influences, accomplishments, wants, needs, none of it makes one happier. "But now you know it's not going to stop. No it's not going to stop until you wise up." A friend of mine is fond of saying that the definition of insanity is doing something the same way multiple times and expecting different results. We run the same behavior patterns over and over again and expect ing us deeper and to be happy, but "it" keeps piling ontop of us, buriying us deeper and deeper, but it's not going to stop.
"You're sure there's a cure," The real solution is always the hardest path. We search so hard to find any way we can to fix the problem, mask the problem, ignore the problem. The problemis ourselves. "You think one drink will sshrink you'till you're underground and living down." Shrink ourselves until we are hidden. Hide the problem, "but it's not gong to stop till you wise up."
After two Verse/Chorus combinations we come to a short bridge that transistions seemlessly into the final chorus. The bridge is an acknowledgement that the path ahead is rough. "Prepare a list of what you need before you sign away the deed, 'cause it's not going to stop 'til you wise up."
Finally we are left with the most important line of the song. Often I write of songs that leave the protaganist lost and wandering, with no solution and their problems ever worsening. This song however gives you the answer. "It's not going to stop, so just give up." It's as simple as that. It's not going to stop, so maybe you should. Just give up. It's pointless. Why play the game if you can't win. Give up. Leave the show. Why not, it's not like it's going to stop.
As always I encourage comments, criticisms, and suggestions either here, or at suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Guess I'll Forget You
In 1997 The Black Heart Procession was forged in the San Diego music scene. This was the same collection of musicians that produced bands such as Pinback and Three Mile Pilot. The band put out their sixth full length album, aptly titled Six in late 2009. Today we look at "Guess I'll Forget You" from their 2000 release Three
"Guess I'll Forget You" by The Black Heart Procession from Three
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfGxHgysvfg
I first heard The Black Heart Procession two years ago on Christmas Eve. Some friends were over unwinding from the hectic day with their families. I had Pandora Radio running some random channel in the background and eventually it was time to switch stations. A good friend of mine took matters into his own hands and put on The Black Heart Procession. From that moment on I was hooked. The band immediately became one of my favorites.
I have wanted to do a Black Heart Procession song for as long as I have written this blog. I think their music as a whole speaks very well to the subject material of Suicide Watch Songs, and that is why it has been so hard to pick. I've spent a long time listening to the majority of their catalog, analyzing lyrics, hemming, and hawing about which song to pick. "Guess I'll Forget You" stood out as an early front-runner, and throughout the selection process it became the measuring stick to which I was holding up other songs. I knew it was worthy, but I couldn't figure out why it made a good Suicide Watch Song. Then it hit me, very similarly to the way Sparklehorse's "It's A Wonderful Life" hit me.
When I pick a song for SWS, I attempt to look for songs that are based on the individual. I don't like to go for songs where the depression is based on an event, or due to another person. I especially try to avoid songs of heartbreak. While certainly heartbreak can and does often throw one into depression, the depth of depression that I like to explore is inherent on a personal level. It is the metaphorical powder keg that needs an event to catalyst it's explosion. In other words, I want to explore the tragic, flawed psyche, not the damaged, working through it psyche. We could also refer to this as the 'No "I Want To Know What Love Is" Rule.'
Then why "Guess I'll Forget You?" It is quite obviously about split relations. Am I not breaking my own rule? No, listen to the protagonist. He's so meek and withdrawn. There is no fight left. He doesn't believe he can get his relationship back because he doesn't believe that he is lovable. The split was inevitable. He doesn't cry out. He doesn't fight back. There is no 'come back,' no 'I can change,' just 'I'm going to step aside now. I'll try and forget you.'
The first lyric is "Now you know there's no light on the way," Our character feels as though the truth has been found out about him. His darker insides have been revealed. He's saying 'Now you can see the real me, and that there is nothing to the real me. I am hollow. I am shallow. I will hurt you, and this is for the best.' The next verse begins with a similar lyric, but deepens the metaphor, "Now they say there's no light in the caves. We all know that there's no way out." The depths are too big. Even if you wanted me to climb out. Even if you were to offer your help, there is no way out of this. I am too far gone. I will drag you down with me.
Lyrically the bridge consists of one short line "but before I go I must say that in my heart you'll always be found, always." Our protagonist will forever be burdened with this memories. He will never forget no matter how much he tries.
The Black Heart Procession are masters at building incredible soundscapes. Their music tends to move at a slow dirge, and it is drenched in just the right amount of reverb and echo to make you feel like you're nowhere. Am I in a cave? No, am I in a cathedral? No, I'm just kind of nowhere, being enveloped by this sound. Their tone production makes me feel like I'm watching TV with Vaseline on the screen. When something onscreen is prominent it comes to the front of the shot. One can make out what the image is supposed to be, yet the edges are still fuzzy. The background remains vague, but present. "Guess I'll Forget You" is a perfect example of this. Listen to the way the guitar and organ interplay with the melody. The fading echos of the backbeat trail off, getting quieter and eventually fade like a memory into nothing. The soundscape is vast, but so sparse. It's big sky country; it's impressive because its so full of nothing, well, things so big they seem like nothing.
The saddest part is that the protagonist is causing this. There is never a mention of I'm sorry. There's never a movement towards reconciliation. It's self sabotage. There is no reason that things have to end, but our character decides that leaving, and forgetting, something he admits he'll never be able to do, is the best solution.
As always feel free to comment here, or email me at suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
"Guess I'll Forget You" by The Black Heart Procession from Three
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfGxHgysvfg
I first heard The Black Heart Procession two years ago on Christmas Eve. Some friends were over unwinding from the hectic day with their families. I had Pandora Radio running some random channel in the background and eventually it was time to switch stations. A good friend of mine took matters into his own hands and put on The Black Heart Procession. From that moment on I was hooked. The band immediately became one of my favorites.
I have wanted to do a Black Heart Procession song for as long as I have written this blog. I think their music as a whole speaks very well to the subject material of Suicide Watch Songs, and that is why it has been so hard to pick. I've spent a long time listening to the majority of their catalog, analyzing lyrics, hemming, and hawing about which song to pick. "Guess I'll Forget You" stood out as an early front-runner, and throughout the selection process it became the measuring stick to which I was holding up other songs. I knew it was worthy, but I couldn't figure out why it made a good Suicide Watch Song. Then it hit me, very similarly to the way Sparklehorse's "It's A Wonderful Life" hit me.
When I pick a song for SWS, I attempt to look for songs that are based on the individual. I don't like to go for songs where the depression is based on an event, or due to another person. I especially try to avoid songs of heartbreak. While certainly heartbreak can and does often throw one into depression, the depth of depression that I like to explore is inherent on a personal level. It is the metaphorical powder keg that needs an event to catalyst it's explosion. In other words, I want to explore the tragic, flawed psyche, not the damaged, working through it psyche. We could also refer to this as the 'No "I Want To Know What Love Is" Rule.'
Then why "Guess I'll Forget You?" It is quite obviously about split relations. Am I not breaking my own rule? No, listen to the protagonist. He's so meek and withdrawn. There is no fight left. He doesn't believe he can get his relationship back because he doesn't believe that he is lovable. The split was inevitable. He doesn't cry out. He doesn't fight back. There is no 'come back,' no 'I can change,' just 'I'm going to step aside now. I'll try and forget you.'
The first lyric is "Now you know there's no light on the way," Our character feels as though the truth has been found out about him. His darker insides have been revealed. He's saying 'Now you can see the real me, and that there is nothing to the real me. I am hollow. I am shallow. I will hurt you, and this is for the best.' The next verse begins with a similar lyric, but deepens the metaphor, "Now they say there's no light in the caves. We all know that there's no way out." The depths are too big. Even if you wanted me to climb out. Even if you were to offer your help, there is no way out of this. I am too far gone. I will drag you down with me.
Lyrically the bridge consists of one short line "but before I go I must say that in my heart you'll always be found, always." Our protagonist will forever be burdened with this memories. He will never forget no matter how much he tries.
The Black Heart Procession are masters at building incredible soundscapes. Their music tends to move at a slow dirge, and it is drenched in just the right amount of reverb and echo to make you feel like you're nowhere. Am I in a cave? No, am I in a cathedral? No, I'm just kind of nowhere, being enveloped by this sound. Their tone production makes me feel like I'm watching TV with Vaseline on the screen. When something onscreen is prominent it comes to the front of the shot. One can make out what the image is supposed to be, yet the edges are still fuzzy. The background remains vague, but present. "Guess I'll Forget You" is a perfect example of this. Listen to the way the guitar and organ interplay with the melody. The fading echos of the backbeat trail off, getting quieter and eventually fade like a memory into nothing. The soundscape is vast, but so sparse. It's big sky country; it's impressive because its so full of nothing, well, things so big they seem like nothing.
The saddest part is that the protagonist is causing this. There is never a mention of I'm sorry. There's never a movement towards reconciliation. It's self sabotage. There is no reason that things have to end, but our character decides that leaving, and forgetting, something he admits he'll never be able to do, is the best solution.
As always feel free to comment here, or email me at suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Final Cut
I first was told about Pink Floyd's The Final Cut when I was in high school. It came recommended by a young, cool, inspirational teacher whom, needless to say, I respected a lot. I kept my eye out for the album when at record stores and whatnot, but never saw a copy. It turns out that The Final Cut was pretty rare in America. None of the songs ended up becoming rock radio mainstays, most likely due to the subject matter, which we will dive into later. Back in 1997/8 the internet was just starting to expand. This was pre-itunes and pre-napster.
We take rare albums for granted in the information age. Essentially we have created a system where there are no truly "rare" recordings. File sharing and digital downloads means that there is no cost in production. It can be reproduced for free, and thus if an album is rare it is not due to a lack of copies, but because it is unpopular. It's a very democratic way to run a library.
A few years later, in a time where I may have been able to find a copy of The Final Cut online, the album had fallen off of my radar. It was a great surprise to me when I was pawing through a local vinyl records shop to come across an excellent condition copy of the album.
Back in the late 90's when I first head about the album it was described to me as songs from the Pink Floyd album The Wall that didn't make it onto the album. This is partially true. The Final Cut has a very similar sound to The Wall, and a lot of the themes are reused and reworked, and it really has a similar feel to The Wall. It turns out that originally the material on The Final Cut was going to be a soundtrack to the movie "The Wall". At one point it was going to be known as "Spare Bricks". But back in 1982, smack dab in the middle of production, Great Britain invaded the Falkland Islands, and Roger Waters decided to change the theme to postwar Britain, the economic downturn, and heading back into war. Those of you who spent their teens listening to The Wall with headphones on the bus ride home like I did will recall that The Wall was all about Roger Waters losing his father in World War II and how it caused him to wall himself up on the inside.
Other members of the band, David Gilmour in particular, were not happy about the change of theme of The Final Cut. Tensions rose and they started working separately to finish the album. The album came out officially titled The Final Cut, A Requiem For The Postwar Dream, Written by Roger Waters, Performed by Pink Floyd. Soon after the album was released, Waters announced that he had left the band.
Now that you have a good amount of back story and useless information, we are going to take a look at the title track,
"The Final Cut" written by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd, from The Final Cut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnnA_HJ_i30&
Note: This video is the second part of a 4 song video project that Pink Floyd put out tied to this album. Here are the other parts
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3PIG6XXIdw
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpL6EWpM6oo
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dpyjvo3XWk
"The Final Cut" is a first person narrative of a man in the deepest pits of depression desperately attempting to claw his way out. It starts as a solo vocal with piano accompaniment. "Through the fish-eyed lens of tear stained eyes I can barely define the shape of this moment in time, and far from flying high in clear blue skies, I'm spiraling down to the hole in the ground where I hide." In this couplet, Waters has written an amazingly vivid, yet beautifully simple description of the plunge. I certainly have not heard a more eloquent representation of the subject matter on which I write.
As the orchestration thickens with guitar, drums, and strings, our narrator goes on to explain his internal guards. "If you negotiate the minefield in the drive and beat the dogs and cheat the cold electronic eyes, and if you make it past the shotguns in the hall, dial the combination, open the priesthole, and if I'm in I'll tell you *BLAM*" We didn't make it past the shotguns, but the lyrics included with the record finish the lyric "what's behind the wall."
As the strings start playing the same arpeggiated pattern from "Comfortably Numb" we get a view on how our narrator feels trapped somewhere inbetween childhood and manhood. "There's a kid who had a big hallucination making love to girls in magazines. He wonders if you're sleeping with your new found faith. Could anybody love him, or is it just a crazy dream?" Roger Waters always had trouble recording vocals. This comes as no surprise if you've listened to any songs on which he sings. He has a fragility to his voice, a lack of confidence. It is the kind of thing that works really well with songs dealing with internal struggle. Water's voice is perfect for the songs on which he sings and works extremely well here. He really opens up on this last lyric and his voice cracks in just the perfect way. He really lets you know that the character thinks it is crazy that someone would ever love him.
At this point we cut out to a minimal organ/string accompaniment to Waters frail vocals. "And if I show you my dark side," (There is no dark side in the moon really, matter of fact it's all dark,) "will you still hold me tonight? And if I open my heart to you and show you my weak side what would you do?" Just then the band kicks back in and an air of anger and accusation comes into Waters voice. "Would you sell your story to Rolling Stone? Would you take the children away and leave me alone, and smile in reassurance as you whisper down the phone?" The band drops out for the first half of this lyric before kicking back in for the song's climax as we get to the real crux of the matter. "Would you send me packing," and with that beautiful crack in Waters voice once more, "or would you take me home?"
David Gilmour comes in with a short but sweet guitar solo that is also reminiscent of "Comfortably Numb"
Waters comes in furiously with "Thought I oughta bare my naked feelings. Thought I oughta tear the curtain down. I held the blade in trembling hands, prepared to make it but... " The bottom falls out, and ...
" ...just then the phone rang. I never had the nerve to make the final cut." And it doesn't work out. It's a catch-22. It's too painful to change so instead I'll cause myself more pain. the song recedes into nothingness. It fades like the character, walled up deeper and deeper until they can no longer be seen.
As always, feel free to comment or suggest a song either here or at suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
We take rare albums for granted in the information age. Essentially we have created a system where there are no truly "rare" recordings. File sharing and digital downloads means that there is no cost in production. It can be reproduced for free, and thus if an album is rare it is not due to a lack of copies, but because it is unpopular. It's a very democratic way to run a library.
A few years later, in a time where I may have been able to find a copy of The Final Cut online, the album had fallen off of my radar. It was a great surprise to me when I was pawing through a local vinyl records shop to come across an excellent condition copy of the album.
Back in the late 90's when I first head about the album it was described to me as songs from the Pink Floyd album The Wall that didn't make it onto the album. This is partially true. The Final Cut has a very similar sound to The Wall, and a lot of the themes are reused and reworked, and it really has a similar feel to The Wall. It turns out that originally the material on The Final Cut was going to be a soundtrack to the movie "The Wall". At one point it was going to be known as "Spare Bricks". But back in 1982, smack dab in the middle of production, Great Britain invaded the Falkland Islands, and Roger Waters decided to change the theme to postwar Britain, the economic downturn, and heading back into war. Those of you who spent their teens listening to The Wall with headphones on the bus ride home like I did will recall that The Wall was all about Roger Waters losing his father in World War II and how it caused him to wall himself up on the inside.
Other members of the band, David Gilmour in particular, were not happy about the change of theme of The Final Cut. Tensions rose and they started working separately to finish the album. The album came out officially titled The Final Cut, A Requiem For The Postwar Dream, Written by Roger Waters, Performed by Pink Floyd. Soon after the album was released, Waters announced that he had left the band.
Now that you have a good amount of back story and useless information, we are going to take a look at the title track,
"The Final Cut" written by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd, from The Final Cut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnnA_HJ_i30&
Note: This video is the second part of a 4 song video project that Pink Floyd put out tied to this album. Here are the other parts
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3PIG6XXIdw
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpL6EWpM6oo
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dpyjvo3XWk
"The Final Cut" is a first person narrative of a man in the deepest pits of depression desperately attempting to claw his way out. It starts as a solo vocal with piano accompaniment. "Through the fish-eyed lens of tear stained eyes I can barely define the shape of this moment in time, and far from flying high in clear blue skies, I'm spiraling down to the hole in the ground where I hide." In this couplet, Waters has written an amazingly vivid, yet beautifully simple description of the plunge. I certainly have not heard a more eloquent representation of the subject matter on which I write.
As the orchestration thickens with guitar, drums, and strings, our narrator goes on to explain his internal guards. "If you negotiate the minefield in the drive and beat the dogs and cheat the cold electronic eyes, and if you make it past the shotguns in the hall, dial the combination, open the priesthole, and if I'm in I'll tell you *BLAM*" We didn't make it past the shotguns, but the lyrics included with the record finish the lyric "what's behind the wall."
As the strings start playing the same arpeggiated pattern from "Comfortably Numb" we get a view on how our narrator feels trapped somewhere inbetween childhood and manhood. "There's a kid who had a big hallucination making love to girls in magazines. He wonders if you're sleeping with your new found faith. Could anybody love him, or is it just a crazy dream?" Roger Waters always had trouble recording vocals. This comes as no surprise if you've listened to any songs on which he sings. He has a fragility to his voice, a lack of confidence. It is the kind of thing that works really well with songs dealing with internal struggle. Water's voice is perfect for the songs on which he sings and works extremely well here. He really opens up on this last lyric and his voice cracks in just the perfect way. He really lets you know that the character thinks it is crazy that someone would ever love him.
At this point we cut out to a minimal organ/string accompaniment to Waters frail vocals. "And if I show you my dark side," (There is no dark side in the moon really, matter of fact it's all dark,) "will you still hold me tonight? And if I open my heart to you and show you my weak side what would you do?" Just then the band kicks back in and an air of anger and accusation comes into Waters voice. "Would you sell your story to Rolling Stone? Would you take the children away and leave me alone, and smile in reassurance as you whisper down the phone?" The band drops out for the first half of this lyric before kicking back in for the song's climax as we get to the real crux of the matter. "Would you send me packing," and with that beautiful crack in Waters voice once more, "or would you take me home?"
David Gilmour comes in with a short but sweet guitar solo that is also reminiscent of "Comfortably Numb"
Waters comes in furiously with "Thought I oughta bare my naked feelings. Thought I oughta tear the curtain down. I held the blade in trembling hands, prepared to make it but... " The bottom falls out, and ...
" ...just then the phone rang. I never had the nerve to make the final cut." And it doesn't work out. It's a catch-22. It's too painful to change so instead I'll cause myself more pain. the song recedes into nothingness. It fades like the character, walled up deeper and deeper until they can no longer be seen.
As always, feel free to comment or suggest a song either here or at suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Please Tell My Brother
Jeff Tweedy is currently one of the most prominent American songwriters. Tweedy fronts the group Wilco, which has seven studio albums to date, comprising of 90% or more Tweedy written songs. Before Wilco, he was in the band Uncle Tupelo, one of the most influential bands in the 'Alt-Country' or 'Americana' or whatever you want to call the genre to which it was influential. Tweedy also has been in and is involved in multiple other groups like 'Loose Fur,' and 'Golden Smog.' In between doing all the work with Wilco and these other groups he still finds time to go out and play full solo tours. Needless to say, the man is prolific. There is no doubt in my mind that within twenty years Jeff Tweedy will be commonly mentioned in the same breath as Seeger, Dylan, and Springsteen. He will have a spot in the canon of American songwriters. Today we are going to take a look at one of my favorites from Jeff Tweedy's solo repertoire, "Please Tell My Brother"
"Please Tell My Brother" by Jeff Tweedy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSOUrws_ZQ4
"But wait!," you say, "This is a Golden Smog tune. It's on 1998's Weird Tales." You are correct, and here's a link to it: http://vimeo.com/3466571. I chose the live version because it is how I was introduced to the song. I knew this song before I knew that Golden Smog was a band. Also, if you listen to the Golden Smog version, well, it's just Jeff Tweedy and an acoustic guitar, so it's really solo Tweedy anyway.
I wanted to give a view into what a Jeff Tweedy solo show is like. Last time I talked about the intimacy that Sam Beam projects through his music. It is a very personal, one on one kind of intimacy. Tweedy shows have a whole different kind of intimacy happening. He is active with the crowd. This is evident at the beginning of the video where you hear him respond "ok" to a member of the crowd and everyone laughs. He creates an air of close knit community and makes one feel like they belong there with everyone else. Tweedy turns concert halls into bonfires.
Our tale begins "Please tell my brothers I love them still over the mountains on their phone bill. I should call more often, but I know I never will. Please tell my brothers I love them still." Our protagonist is far from home. He is over a mountain away, and whether it is physical or metaphorical, it still represents a nearly insurmountable distance.
We continue "Please tell my sister I miss her too, my nieces and nephews and their swimming pools. When I think about her, her skies are blue. Please tell my sister I miss her too." Our narrator is separated from more than just his brothers. He is separated from his entire family. Where is he? What is he running from? As listeners we know that he has separated himself because of the line "I should call more often, but they know I never will." It is up to him to call home, but he can't for some reason. Something from his past is haunting him.
"Please tell my father I love him still. Head for the cooler and drink your fill. Forget the railroad and all those bills. Please tell my father I love him still." Dad, it's ok. Forget your troubles. Forget what happened. Grab a beer, relax. More than anything I wish I was there having one with you, but I just can't.
Now, at the end of the song, we finally get to hear to whom our protagonist is talking; to whom he is asking to check in on his family. "Listen dear mother I miss you the most, and as I travel from coast to coast I feel your love and I feel your ghost. Listen dear mother I miss you the most." Our protagonist is haunted by his mother's ghost. For some unexplained reason he feels guilty and has removed himself from his family and can not go back, at least not yet, not until he himself can come to terms with whatever happened.
There are so many Tweedy penned songs to choose from, why choose this one? There is no lack of sadness and turmoil in his repertoire, so why pick something so simple and benign by comparison? In a word: Lonesome. This is one of the most lonesome and alienated songs I have ever heard. The character is so separate and lonely. He wants nothing but to be with his family, but he can't. The part that hurts is that his absence is self imposed,
and he knows it.
As always feel free to comment or suggest songs here or send me an email at suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
"Please Tell My Brother" by Jeff Tweedy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSOUrws_ZQ4
"But wait!," you say, "This is a Golden Smog tune. It's on 1998's Weird Tales." You are correct, and here's a link to it: http://vimeo.com/3466571. I chose the live version because it is how I was introduced to the song. I knew this song before I knew that Golden Smog was a band. Also, if you listen to the Golden Smog version, well, it's just Jeff Tweedy and an acoustic guitar, so it's really solo Tweedy anyway.
I wanted to give a view into what a Jeff Tweedy solo show is like. Last time I talked about the intimacy that Sam Beam projects through his music. It is a very personal, one on one kind of intimacy. Tweedy shows have a whole different kind of intimacy happening. He is active with the crowd. This is evident at the beginning of the video where you hear him respond "ok" to a member of the crowd and everyone laughs. He creates an air of close knit community and makes one feel like they belong there with everyone else. Tweedy turns concert halls into bonfires.
Our tale begins "Please tell my brothers I love them still over the mountains on their phone bill. I should call more often, but I know I never will. Please tell my brothers I love them still." Our protagonist is far from home. He is over a mountain away, and whether it is physical or metaphorical, it still represents a nearly insurmountable distance.
We continue "Please tell my sister I miss her too, my nieces and nephews and their swimming pools. When I think about her, her skies are blue. Please tell my sister I miss her too." Our narrator is separated from more than just his brothers. He is separated from his entire family. Where is he? What is he running from? As listeners we know that he has separated himself because of the line "I should call more often, but they know I never will." It is up to him to call home, but he can't for some reason. Something from his past is haunting him.
"Please tell my father I love him still. Head for the cooler and drink your fill. Forget the railroad and all those bills. Please tell my father I love him still." Dad, it's ok. Forget your troubles. Forget what happened. Grab a beer, relax. More than anything I wish I was there having one with you, but I just can't.
Now, at the end of the song, we finally get to hear to whom our protagonist is talking; to whom he is asking to check in on his family. "Listen dear mother I miss you the most, and as I travel from coast to coast I feel your love and I feel your ghost. Listen dear mother I miss you the most." Our protagonist is haunted by his mother's ghost. For some unexplained reason he feels guilty and has removed himself from his family and can not go back, at least not yet, not until he himself can come to terms with whatever happened.
There are so many Tweedy penned songs to choose from, why choose this one? There is no lack of sadness and turmoil in his repertoire, so why pick something so simple and benign by comparison? In a word: Lonesome. This is one of the most lonesome and alienated songs I have ever heard. The character is so separate and lonely. He wants nothing but to be with his family, but he can't. The part that hurts is that his absence is self imposed,
and he knows it.
As always feel free to comment or suggest songs here or send me an email at suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Trapeze Swinger
Like most great artists, Samuel Beam has many talents. He has degrees in fine art and film, and taught cinematography and film at a college level. He took the name "Iron & Wine" from a dietary supplement, "Beef Iron & Wine," which he found at a store while on a film shoot, and it should be noted that he has directed most of his own music videos. His first album was released on Sub Pop in 2002, the result of a borrowed four track and the right ears hearing the material. If you've heard Iron & Wine then you know the next thing I have to say is inherent. If you've not heard Iron & Wine before you will discover an amazing and magical intimacy. No matter the volume, every Iron & Wine song sounds like it is whispered into your ear. It's like you can feel his breath on the side of your face. There are no casual Iron & Wine fans, and the people who are not fans yet simply haven't heard the song that Beam wrote for them.
"The Trapeze Swinger" by Iron & Wine from Around The Well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnGXduu293c
Note: This song is available most readily on Iron & Wine's 2009 B-Side and Rarity collection Around The Well, but was recorded for the motion picture and is featured on the soundtrack for In Good Company.
From a musical standpoint "The Trapeze Swinger" is incredibly simple, being four chords with a slight variation being repeated for the entire song. It is a stylistic quality of Iron & Wine that he is able to take a sparse musical landscape and make sound thick and vast.
From a lyrical standpoint this is a story song sung from a person who has passed on to someone he has left behind. The story is told in a nonlinear path, leaving lots to be filled in by the listener. Besides his timbre, this is a way for Beam to make this song more intimate. It feels more personal because the details need to be filled in by the memories and imaginations of the listener. Each verse of "The Trapeze Swinger" starts out with "Please Remember Me ...," an adverb, and then a memory or a story.
The first verse rolls out "Please, remember me, Happily, with bruises on my chin; The time when we counted every black car passing your house beneath the hill and up until someone caught us in the kitchen with maps, a mountain range, a piggy bank ..." It takes us back to the protagonist's childhood, adventuring with the other character from the song, person this song is directed at, the subject of the song. We instantly know that this is dealing with a long and deep friendship. The singer is not only asking to be remembered as a happy child, but reminding the listener of a happy time in their lives, and telling the listener that he himself was happy during the time they both shared.
The next verse goes on, "Please, remember me, Fondly, I heard from someone you're still pretty," Our protagonist is asking newcomers about the people in his past. Specifically his concerns lie with the subject of the song. This person is maybe more important to the protagonist than we had originally thought. "and he went on to say that the pearly gates had some eloquent graffiti like 'We'll meet again,' and 'Fuck the man,' and 'Tell my mother not to worry,' and angels with their gray handshakes were always done in such a hurry.' What beautiful imagery that the pearly gates are covered in the graffiti of wayward souls giving messages to passers by, that heaven is a gated community in the rough part of town, that to angels the souls of men don't really matter. This certainly also raises the question where is our protagonist that the pearly gates and the behavior of angels are foreign to him? Is he in hell? Is he in limbo? What situation is he in that he has met others that have seen the gates, but they also are not in heaven? What does it take to reach those gates?
"and please, remember me At Halloween making fools of all the neighbors, our faces painted white." Another childhood memory, a little older here. The two are growing up with each other, partners in crime. "By midnight we'd forgotten one another and when morning came I was ashamed..." Growing, up, out, forward, apart is hard. It requires the development of all sorts of feelings that didn't exist before. Friendships take on all sorts of new dynamics. Trust starts to mean something different than that your parents will love you no matter what you do. Slight mistakes and big decisions feel the same and opposite from moment to moment. "Only now it seems so silly that the season left the world and then returned," He's not talking about autumn. He might be talking about the fall. "And now you're lit up by the city."
"So please, remember me, Mistakenly, in the window of the tallest tower. Call, then pass us by..." Don't block out those memory triggers. Let something insignificant remind you of me just for a moment, and then continue on, "but much to high to see the empty road at happy hour gleam and resonate, just like the gates around the holy kingdom with words like 'Lost and found,' and 'Don't look down,' and 'Someone save temptation.'"
"and please, remember me, as in the dream we had as rug burned babies among the fallen trees and fast asleep." Remember our plans, you and I, one day we'll run away to the circus, leave everything but each other for a life of fun and adventure. "Aside the lions and the ladies that called you what you like and even might give a gift for your behavior, a fleeting chance to see a trapeze swing as high as any savior"
"but please, remember me, my misery, and how it lost me all I wanted." Our protagonist realizes that anything he wanted he sabotaged. How easy that is to do, and how impossible it is to change. What a horrible existence some of us love to lead. "Those dogs that love the rain and chasing trains," content with unhappiness, chasing the inevitable lose. "The colored birds above there running in circles around the well, and where it spells on the wall behind St. Peter's so bright with cinder gray and spray paint 'Who the hell can see forever?'" So much anger and regret. Who the hell can see forever!? Nothing turns out the way we planned.
"and please, remember me, seldomly in the car behind the carnival..." Here at the apex we find that they made it to the carnival. "My hand between your knees. You turned from me and said 'The trapeze act was wonderful but never meant to last." No one wants this inevitable moment to happen, the moment your paths diverge. Please remember it, because it is important, but don't hold on it. It was wonderful, but it was never meant to last so remember me the way you want to remember me. Remember what you meant to me. Remember that once I meant something to you. "The clowns that passed saw me just come up with anger. When it filled with circus dogs, the parking lot had an element of danger."
"So please, remember me, finally," as a closing thought, "and all my uphill clawing my dear." I just wanted you to know that "... if i make the pearly gates I'll do my best to make a drawing of God and Lucifer, a boy and a girl, an angel kissin' on a sinner, a monkey and a man, a marching band all around the frightened trapeze swingers." I don't belong in heaven. Hell, I haven't seen the gates with my own two eyes. I just know what others have told me, but I'm going to do my damnedest to get there, and it will be an uphill battle. It will take everything I've got, but know that if I make those gates I'm not there for myself. Like I said, I don't belong there. No, if I make it to heaven I will do my best to draw a picture letting everyone that crosses those gates knows how important you are.
"The Trapeze Swinger" is the first song that I've found since I've started Suicide Watch Songs that came out of nowhere. Every other song I've done was somewhat on my radar. Coming up to this post I was trying to decide which song to write about and I started to look into Iron & Wine. I've been a fan for a while but as I started looking through my collection two things kept me from picking a song. One deals with an informal rule I've imposed on myself that I will only write about any particular songwriter or group once a year. I do this so that I don't repeat myself or stick within my musical comfort zone. The goal is to branch out as much as possible. This makes me also think that I need to take in as much of that artists catalog as possible so that I can be assured that I am making the correct choice to write about. I would hate to write a review only to discover the song I should have written about a month later. Doing this with Iron & Wine was not easy as he has a lot of rare tracks. Luckily, this song has become a fan favorite and thus shows up a lot when searching his songs. The other thing that was giving me trouble is that for as intimate as somber sounding as Sam Beam is at times, for the most part his music is quite hopeful and has wondering curiosity of life and creation all about it. That is why this song just slapped me upside the head and turned my world around. At the beginning of this review I mentioned that Iron & Wine has written a song for everyone. "The Trapeze Swinger" is mine. I hope it is some of your's as well.
Thanks as always for taking the time to read. If you have anything to say or wish to suggest songs please feel free to do so here or email me at suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
"The Trapeze Swinger" by Iron & Wine from Around The Well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnGXduu293c
Note: This song is available most readily on Iron & Wine's 2009 B-Side and Rarity collection Around The Well, but was recorded for the motion picture and is featured on the soundtrack for In Good Company.
From a musical standpoint "The Trapeze Swinger" is incredibly simple, being four chords with a slight variation being repeated for the entire song. It is a stylistic quality of Iron & Wine that he is able to take a sparse musical landscape and make sound thick and vast.
From a lyrical standpoint this is a story song sung from a person who has passed on to someone he has left behind. The story is told in a nonlinear path, leaving lots to be filled in by the listener. Besides his timbre, this is a way for Beam to make this song more intimate. It feels more personal because the details need to be filled in by the memories and imaginations of the listener. Each verse of "The Trapeze Swinger" starts out with "Please Remember Me ...," an adverb, and then a memory or a story.
The first verse rolls out "Please, remember me, Happily, with bruises on my chin; The time when we counted every black car passing your house beneath the hill and up until someone caught us in the kitchen with maps, a mountain range, a piggy bank ..." It takes us back to the protagonist's childhood, adventuring with the other character from the song, person this song is directed at, the subject of the song. We instantly know that this is dealing with a long and deep friendship. The singer is not only asking to be remembered as a happy child, but reminding the listener of a happy time in their lives, and telling the listener that he himself was happy during the time they both shared.
The next verse goes on, "Please, remember me, Fondly, I heard from someone you're still pretty," Our protagonist is asking newcomers about the people in his past. Specifically his concerns lie with the subject of the song. This person is maybe more important to the protagonist than we had originally thought. "and he went on to say that the pearly gates had some eloquent graffiti like 'We'll meet again,' and 'Fuck the man,' and 'Tell my mother not to worry,' and angels with their gray handshakes were always done in such a hurry.' What beautiful imagery that the pearly gates are covered in the graffiti of wayward souls giving messages to passers by, that heaven is a gated community in the rough part of town, that to angels the souls of men don't really matter. This certainly also raises the question where is our protagonist that the pearly gates and the behavior of angels are foreign to him? Is he in hell? Is he in limbo? What situation is he in that he has met others that have seen the gates, but they also are not in heaven? What does it take to reach those gates?
"and please, remember me At Halloween making fools of all the neighbors, our faces painted white." Another childhood memory, a little older here. The two are growing up with each other, partners in crime. "By midnight we'd forgotten one another and when morning came I was ashamed..." Growing, up, out, forward, apart is hard. It requires the development of all sorts of feelings that didn't exist before. Friendships take on all sorts of new dynamics. Trust starts to mean something different than that your parents will love you no matter what you do. Slight mistakes and big decisions feel the same and opposite from moment to moment. "Only now it seems so silly that the season left the world and then returned," He's not talking about autumn. He might be talking about the fall. "And now you're lit up by the city."
"So please, remember me, Mistakenly, in the window of the tallest tower. Call, then pass us by..." Don't block out those memory triggers. Let something insignificant remind you of me just for a moment, and then continue on, "but much to high to see the empty road at happy hour gleam and resonate, just like the gates around the holy kingdom with words like 'Lost and found,' and 'Don't look down,' and 'Someone save temptation.'"
"and please, remember me, as in the dream we had as rug burned babies among the fallen trees and fast asleep." Remember our plans, you and I, one day we'll run away to the circus, leave everything but each other for a life of fun and adventure. "Aside the lions and the ladies that called you what you like and even might give a gift for your behavior, a fleeting chance to see a trapeze swing as high as any savior"
"but please, remember me, my misery, and how it lost me all I wanted." Our protagonist realizes that anything he wanted he sabotaged. How easy that is to do, and how impossible it is to change. What a horrible existence some of us love to lead. "Those dogs that love the rain and chasing trains," content with unhappiness, chasing the inevitable lose. "The colored birds above there running in circles around the well, and where it spells on the wall behind St. Peter's so bright with cinder gray and spray paint 'Who the hell can see forever?'" So much anger and regret. Who the hell can see forever!? Nothing turns out the way we planned.
"and please, remember me, seldomly in the car behind the carnival..." Here at the apex we find that they made it to the carnival. "My hand between your knees. You turned from me and said 'The trapeze act was wonderful but never meant to last." No one wants this inevitable moment to happen, the moment your paths diverge. Please remember it, because it is important, but don't hold on it. It was wonderful, but it was never meant to last so remember me the way you want to remember me. Remember what you meant to me. Remember that once I meant something to you. "The clowns that passed saw me just come up with anger. When it filled with circus dogs, the parking lot had an element of danger."
"So please, remember me, finally," as a closing thought, "and all my uphill clawing my dear." I just wanted you to know that "... if i make the pearly gates I'll do my best to make a drawing of God and Lucifer, a boy and a girl, an angel kissin' on a sinner, a monkey and a man, a marching band all around the frightened trapeze swingers." I don't belong in heaven. Hell, I haven't seen the gates with my own two eyes. I just know what others have told me, but I'm going to do my damnedest to get there, and it will be an uphill battle. It will take everything I've got, but know that if I make those gates I'm not there for myself. Like I said, I don't belong there. No, if I make it to heaven I will do my best to draw a picture letting everyone that crosses those gates knows how important you are.
"The Trapeze Swinger" is the first song that I've found since I've started Suicide Watch Songs that came out of nowhere. Every other song I've done was somewhat on my radar. Coming up to this post I was trying to decide which song to write about and I started to look into Iron & Wine. I've been a fan for a while but as I started looking through my collection two things kept me from picking a song. One deals with an informal rule I've imposed on myself that I will only write about any particular songwriter or group once a year. I do this so that I don't repeat myself or stick within my musical comfort zone. The goal is to branch out as much as possible. This makes me also think that I need to take in as much of that artists catalog as possible so that I can be assured that I am making the correct choice to write about. I would hate to write a review only to discover the song I should have written about a month later. Doing this with Iron & Wine was not easy as he has a lot of rare tracks. Luckily, this song has become a fan favorite and thus shows up a lot when searching his songs. The other thing that was giving me trouble is that for as intimate as somber sounding as Sam Beam is at times, for the most part his music is quite hopeful and has wondering curiosity of life and creation all about it. That is why this song just slapped me upside the head and turned my world around. At the beginning of this review I mentioned that Iron & Wine has written a song for everyone. "The Trapeze Swinger" is mine. I hope it is some of your's as well.
Thanks as always for taking the time to read. If you have anything to say or wish to suggest songs please feel free to do so here or email me at suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Sour Milk
Preston Lovingwood from Wild Sweet Orange came up to me the other day and said "I had a dream last night that you used "Sour Milk" on Suicide Watch Songs," to which I replied "Hey Preston, let's make that a reality."
"Sour Milk" by Wild Sweet Orange from We Have Reason To Be Uneasy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETSm8mKx2Xc
Link To Studio Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYbNNs-ggSw&feature=related
Wild Sweet Orange are in an indie-conundrum. They are caught somewhere between "indie," wherein a band is well known and popular among those in the know, label supported and touring behind a slick produced album in a new Dodge Sprinter van, and an indie band, wherein the band is kinda known with a few diehard fans, but most people are there to see the other bands on the show, they've put out their own album, most likely recorded in a decent basement studio, possibly with it's own handmade packaging, and getting from gig to gig in uncle Ray's old Econoline 150. In other words, somewhere between radio indie and file sharing indie. Wild Sweet Orange has the slick recording, good looking merch, and the tight tonal landscape of a major label indie band, but none of the clout, at least not around here. For the record, I have no clue what the band uses to get from gig to gig.
What we've got here is a band that is aiming high, and with good reason. One has to play the part they want and they are doing so, the only issue is if they can hang on through the rough times long enough to make it there. I was introduced to the band the way that I'm sure many were, from a friend. They have one album to date, We Have Cause To Be Uneasy, which I promptly stole, and then validated by buying a copy when the band came through town. While the whole album is great, the fifth track "Sour Milk" jumped right out at me and has stuck with me.
Note that there are two links at the top of the page, one to the posted video and one to the album cut. I really like the solo acoustic version and wanted to share it and that is why it is the primary video. However, if you like the song you should check out the studio version as well. There are many attributes that are added in the full band version. For instance, the pump organ at the beginning was captured really well. You can hear the reeds clearly. The background vocal at the end of the song is truly amazing as well.
"I'll take the road less traveled by, that's what my father always said. Now he works in an office with a whore in his bed." This sets the theme of the song right away. Arriving at adulthood is a daunting task. Understanding that your own father is fallible is one of the hardest realizations to which I have come. Our teachers are hypocrites. On some level they must be, that is part of the goal of all good people to leave the world better than you found it. 'Son, do what I say and not what I do' is akin to 'Son, be a better person than me.'
"My mother sleeps alone at night dreamin' of all her regret inside. I want to tell her that I love her. Oh and if I could, I would have given her so much better," I do not interpret this line not as I gave my all and I wish I had more to give. Instead I interpret it as if I had another chance, I would have been a better son. "'cause don't you tell me that that man is my father." I am better than that. I am not that man's son, and I wish I could go back and prove it. "Oh just some hooded conceiver, who tried really really hard to please her." Here some uncertainty is introduced. Our protagonist is not happy with the man his father is, but at least he acknowledges that he tried. This puts doubt on the whole situation. We're led to believe that it's the father who left, but really isn't it usually the man who has to leave in a relationship, at least from the child's view? Don't most children live with their mothers after a divorce? So maybe it wasn't Dad's doing. Maybe mom wanted to end it.
Too heavy, our protagonist must retreat. "So I'm returning to my gladness when I was only ten. Playing football in the front yard and sweating with my friends." Old memories are always great or horrible. Over time the ones that don't fade away dig in and become iconic in the back of the brain, and so mist people think of their childhood fondly or with disdain. For our protaganist, his childhood is a distant, perfect time, to be chased but never achieved again. "I remember when I was thirteen. It was October something. I was standing on the front lawn listening. That was the first time I heard you calling, as the sun was cooling down." Who was calling? What was calling?
"and the Mom's were about to drive their kids around, and they say 'Blah blah blah blah.' And they say 'Blah blah blah. They give us truth decieving. I don't think that's truth at all." The 'blah's' repeat and then "They give us love that's leaving. I don't think that's love at all." Harsh, hopeless. Was it the 'blah's' that were calling, deceiving and leaving the single glimmer of hope in this song?
We continue: "Oh and the steeple people, oh they're so happy not knowing you. So boldly do they pervert your truth." Is it higher power? Is it self awareness? Is it the protagonist himself calling? The next couplet certainly sets up an 'us and them' scenario. "Oh did they think we wouldn't grow up? Did they think we wouldn't throw back up the sour milk they've been pouring down our throats?"
We are angry. We are ready to question with real reasons behind our ideals. We are ready to have a voice! "Oh and they have raised one pissed off generation with kids that have to start taking care of them. Like hey mom! Get to work on time, and hey Dad! Would you come home to night? And the both of you stop drinking so much wine."
... "and they say 'Blah blah blah blah"
hopeless. no one listens. no one cares. there is no reason to.
As always feel free to comment or give suggestions for songs here or at
suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
"Sour Milk" by Wild Sweet Orange from We Have Reason To Be Uneasy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETSm8mKx2Xc
Link To Studio Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYbNNs-ggSw&feature=related
Wild Sweet Orange are in an indie-conundrum. They are caught somewhere between "indie," wherein a band is well known and popular among those in the know, label supported and touring behind a slick produced album in a new Dodge Sprinter van, and an indie band, wherein the band is kinda known with a few diehard fans, but most people are there to see the other bands on the show, they've put out their own album, most likely recorded in a decent basement studio, possibly with it's own handmade packaging, and getting from gig to gig in uncle Ray's old Econoline 150. In other words, somewhere between radio indie and file sharing indie. Wild Sweet Orange has the slick recording, good looking merch, and the tight tonal landscape of a major label indie band, but none of the clout, at least not around here. For the record, I have no clue what the band uses to get from gig to gig.
What we've got here is a band that is aiming high, and with good reason. One has to play the part they want and they are doing so, the only issue is if they can hang on through the rough times long enough to make it there. I was introduced to the band the way that I'm sure many were, from a friend. They have one album to date, We Have Cause To Be Uneasy, which I promptly stole, and then validated by buying a copy when the band came through town. While the whole album is great, the fifth track "Sour Milk" jumped right out at me and has stuck with me.
Note that there are two links at the top of the page, one to the posted video and one to the album cut. I really like the solo acoustic version and wanted to share it and that is why it is the primary video. However, if you like the song you should check out the studio version as well. There are many attributes that are added in the full band version. For instance, the pump organ at the beginning was captured really well. You can hear the reeds clearly. The background vocal at the end of the song is truly amazing as well.
"I'll take the road less traveled by, that's what my father always said. Now he works in an office with a whore in his bed." This sets the theme of the song right away. Arriving at adulthood is a daunting task. Understanding that your own father is fallible is one of the hardest realizations to which I have come. Our teachers are hypocrites. On some level they must be, that is part of the goal of all good people to leave the world better than you found it. 'Son, do what I say and not what I do' is akin to 'Son, be a better person than me.'
"My mother sleeps alone at night dreamin' of all her regret inside. I want to tell her that I love her. Oh and if I could, I would have given her so much better," I do not interpret this line not as I gave my all and I wish I had more to give. Instead I interpret it as if I had another chance, I would have been a better son. "'cause don't you tell me that that man is my father." I am better than that. I am not that man's son, and I wish I could go back and prove it. "Oh just some hooded conceiver, who tried really really hard to please her." Here some uncertainty is introduced. Our protagonist is not happy with the man his father is, but at least he acknowledges that he tried. This puts doubt on the whole situation. We're led to believe that it's the father who left, but really isn't it usually the man who has to leave in a relationship, at least from the child's view? Don't most children live with their mothers after a divorce? So maybe it wasn't Dad's doing. Maybe mom wanted to end it.
Too heavy, our protagonist must retreat. "So I'm returning to my gladness when I was only ten. Playing football in the front yard and sweating with my friends." Old memories are always great or horrible. Over time the ones that don't fade away dig in and become iconic in the back of the brain, and so mist people think of their childhood fondly or with disdain. For our protaganist, his childhood is a distant, perfect time, to be chased but never achieved again. "I remember when I was thirteen. It was October something. I was standing on the front lawn listening. That was the first time I heard you calling, as the sun was cooling down." Who was calling? What was calling?
"and the Mom's were about to drive their kids around, and they say 'Blah blah blah blah.' And they say 'Blah blah blah. They give us truth decieving. I don't think that's truth at all." The 'blah's' repeat and then "They give us love that's leaving. I don't think that's love at all." Harsh, hopeless. Was it the 'blah's' that were calling, deceiving and leaving the single glimmer of hope in this song?
We continue: "Oh and the steeple people, oh they're so happy not knowing you. So boldly do they pervert your truth." Is it higher power? Is it self awareness? Is it the protagonist himself calling? The next couplet certainly sets up an 'us and them' scenario. "Oh did they think we wouldn't grow up? Did they think we wouldn't throw back up the sour milk they've been pouring down our throats?"
We are angry. We are ready to question with real reasons behind our ideals. We are ready to have a voice! "Oh and they have raised one pissed off generation with kids that have to start taking care of them. Like hey mom! Get to work on time, and hey Dad! Would you come home to night? And the both of you stop drinking so much wine."
... "and they say 'Blah blah blah blah"
hopeless. no one listens. no one cares. there is no reason to.
As always feel free to comment or give suggestions for songs here or at
suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Bankrupt On Selling
Modest Mouse is an old band. Most of you reading this blog will already know about the differences between newer and older Modest Mouse, but for those of you that don't we're going to take a trip back to their masterpiece The Lonesome Crowded West, with "Bankrupt On Selling"
"Bankrupt On Selling" by Modest Mouse from The Lonesome Crowded West
I remember first hearing Modest Mouse circa '99 or 2000, at the end of or just after my stay in high school, which was already pretty far along in the band's career. It was a surprise to me a few years later, in 2004, when "Float On" became a huge hit. Truthfully, the band had fallen completely off my radar. I remember specifically in my experience as a private music instructor when a student came in to learn a song by this "great new band Modest Mouse." Ha, new!
This truly heralded in a new era for Modest Mouse. They had traversed the gap between independent band and indie band. At the same time, there was a fundamental change in the mood of their music. Modest Mouse is certainly known for being a dark band. After deciding that I wanted to cover a Modest Mouse tune, it took me quite a while to settle on this one due to the vast amount of depressing material. I don't think I have to go farther than the album titles to illustrate this. Titles like The Lonesome Crowded West, This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About, and Building Nothing Out Of Something delve deeply into the helplessness of life the music conveys. From Good News For People That Love Bad News (the album that featured "Float On") on, Modest Mouse changed their view on life. From this point on the music is hopeful instead of hopeless. One needs but look to the first lyric of "Float On," to see the change: "I backed my car into a cop car the other day, well he just drove off, sometimes life's ok."
"Bankrupt On Selling" feels just about as far away from "Float On" as can be. It is a texturally sparse recording with two guitars and a vocal. The recording itself sounds distant, or like it's in the background of a coffeehouse in a movie from the late nineties. The chord progression remains the same throughout the song with a circular feel that builds on it's lingering remains.
The vocals open with "Well all the apostles are sittin' in swings sayin' 'I'd sell off my savior for a set of new rings and some sandals with the style of straps that cling best to the era.'" Immediately we are faced with an absurd situation. How could an angel sell of their savior? And for what? Rings and sandals? Isn't this a human trait? Certainly a man must sell his soul to the devil for the ability to write amazingly beautiful yet utterly depressing, but an angel is not allowed to sell his savior. An angel isn't allowed to want material things. This paints all too human a light on angels; all too dark.
"So all of the businessers in their unlimited hell where they buy and they sell and they sell all their trash to each other, but they're sick of it all and they're bankrupt on selling." Businessers, businessmen, businesswomen, are all human. What creates this hell? Is it the situation of buying and selling? Wait, what is being bought and sold? Don't we all do this? Don't we all buy and sell trash to each other? Is it not hell? Do we not create this hell ourselves?
The subtlety of the comparison of man and angel, and heaven and hell is sly and couth. We return now to heaven: "And all of the angels, they'd sell off your soul for a new set of wings and anything gold." Wait, my soul? MY soul? Don't I have control over my soul? I mean I know that trading it for a doughnut is a bad idea, but it's my choice to do so, isn't it? And an angel could and would trade my intangible soul for wings and gold? It hurts to be traded like commodity. "They remember the people they loved, their old friends. And I've seen through them all, seen through them all, and seen through most everything." Their friends are just like they are. Fake and phony, and just like they are, but we've finally got to meet our protagonist, who has seen through them all.
He who has seen through them all is telling us a story, he is expounding on his belief. He continues "All the people you knew were the actors." Oh. He's not talking about angels, he's talking about the illusion of good people. He's not talking about heaven, he's talking about the ideal. He's not talking about hell, he's talking about cold hard reality. "All the people you knew were the actors." He's talking about man. He's talking about you and me.
"Well I'll go to college and I'll learn some big words and I'll talk real loud. Goddamn right I'll be heard. You'll remember the guy who said all those big words he must have learned in college." Our protagonist is an idealist. We are all idealists. We all want to make a change, we all want to be important. We all want to be remembered. He will fight to not be the kind of person he has described before.
We continue, "and it took a long time until I came clean with myself. I'd grown clean out of love with my lover. I still love her, loved her more when she used to be sober and I was kinder." Our protagonist did not reach his goals. Our protagonist is a hypocrite. Our protagonist is not always rational and is driven by desire. Our protagonist is us, and we are all the same.
Please comment or give suggestions here or email to suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
"Bankrupt On Selling" by Modest Mouse from The Lonesome Crowded West
I remember first hearing Modest Mouse circa '99 or 2000, at the end of or just after my stay in high school, which was already pretty far along in the band's career. It was a surprise to me a few years later, in 2004, when "Float On" became a huge hit. Truthfully, the band had fallen completely off my radar. I remember specifically in my experience as a private music instructor when a student came in to learn a song by this "great new band Modest Mouse." Ha, new!
This truly heralded in a new era for Modest Mouse. They had traversed the gap between independent band and indie band. At the same time, there was a fundamental change in the mood of their music. Modest Mouse is certainly known for being a dark band. After deciding that I wanted to cover a Modest Mouse tune, it took me quite a while to settle on this one due to the vast amount of depressing material. I don't think I have to go farther than the album titles to illustrate this. Titles like The Lonesome Crowded West, This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About, and Building Nothing Out Of Something delve deeply into the helplessness of life the music conveys. From Good News For People That Love Bad News (the album that featured "Float On") on, Modest Mouse changed their view on life. From this point on the music is hopeful instead of hopeless. One needs but look to the first lyric of "Float On," to see the change: "I backed my car into a cop car the other day, well he just drove off, sometimes life's ok."
"Bankrupt On Selling" feels just about as far away from "Float On" as can be. It is a texturally sparse recording with two guitars and a vocal. The recording itself sounds distant, or like it's in the background of a coffeehouse in a movie from the late nineties. The chord progression remains the same throughout the song with a circular feel that builds on it's lingering remains.
The vocals open with "Well all the apostles are sittin' in swings sayin' 'I'd sell off my savior for a set of new rings and some sandals with the style of straps that cling best to the era.'" Immediately we are faced with an absurd situation. How could an angel sell of their savior? And for what? Rings and sandals? Isn't this a human trait? Certainly a man must sell his soul to the devil for the ability to write amazingly beautiful yet utterly depressing, but an angel is not allowed to sell his savior. An angel isn't allowed to want material things. This paints all too human a light on angels; all too dark.
"So all of the businessers in their unlimited hell where they buy and they sell and they sell all their trash to each other, but they're sick of it all and they're bankrupt on selling." Businessers, businessmen, businesswomen, are all human. What creates this hell? Is it the situation of buying and selling? Wait, what is being bought and sold? Don't we all do this? Don't we all buy and sell trash to each other? Is it not hell? Do we not create this hell ourselves?
The subtlety of the comparison of man and angel, and heaven and hell is sly and couth. We return now to heaven: "And all of the angels, they'd sell off your soul for a new set of wings and anything gold." Wait, my soul? MY soul? Don't I have control over my soul? I mean I know that trading it for a doughnut is a bad idea, but it's my choice to do so, isn't it? And an angel could and would trade my intangible soul for wings and gold? It hurts to be traded like commodity. "They remember the people they loved, their old friends. And I've seen through them all, seen through them all, and seen through most everything." Their friends are just like they are. Fake and phony, and just like they are, but we've finally got to meet our protagonist, who has seen through them all.
He who has seen through them all is telling us a story, he is expounding on his belief. He continues "All the people you knew were the actors." Oh. He's not talking about angels, he's talking about the illusion of good people. He's not talking about heaven, he's talking about the ideal. He's not talking about hell, he's talking about cold hard reality. "All the people you knew were the actors." He's talking about man. He's talking about you and me.
"Well I'll go to college and I'll learn some big words and I'll talk real loud. Goddamn right I'll be heard. You'll remember the guy who said all those big words he must have learned in college." Our protagonist is an idealist. We are all idealists. We all want to make a change, we all want to be important. We all want to be remembered. He will fight to not be the kind of person he has described before.
We continue, "and it took a long time until I came clean with myself. I'd grown clean out of love with my lover. I still love her, loved her more when she used to be sober and I was kinder." Our protagonist did not reach his goals. Our protagonist is a hypocrite. Our protagonist is not always rational and is driven by desire. Our protagonist is us, and we are all the same.
Please comment or give suggestions here or email to suicidesongs@communistdaycarecenter.net
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