David (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} nous_corpus) wrote,@ 2007-06-14 09:38:00 |
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Random rules
I ran about 7.5 miles last night, and listened to my iPod on shuffle play.
Brian Wilson, "Roll Plymouth Rock"--I'm not sure exactly what the lyrical theme is about--is Brian suggesting that the whites should leave North America? At the very least, he's acknowledging the damage they've (we've) done, but in his usual gentle way. The song turns some very tight corners, with sharp harpsicord breaks coming out of nowhere, and maintains a lovely dream-like quality throughout. He also revisits songs from elsewhere on Smile, like "Heros and Villains," adding to the sense of deja vu.
Lush, "Ciao"--Lush were one of my favorite bands from college. They were one of the original shoegaze bands, fronted by two tiny, super cute women: they punky, tough Miki Berenyi and the huggable Emma Anderson. I had a giant crush on Berenyi--she's half Japanese half Hungarian descent, had various shades of neon hair, and played tough on some songs (e.g., Bitter, The Untogether), but was still very sexy.
"Ciao" is a duet between Berenyi and a male guest vocalist with a Shane McGowan type broken baritone. They've recently split up, and each is trying to top the other in each verse, talking about how terrible the other was, and how much happier they are now. Their voices then join together on the choruses. It might be the most paradoxically effective love song of all time--they ostensibly loathe each other, spewing forth verse after verse of invective, but if they didn't still love one another, why would they bother?
It's a fantastic song, one of many by Lush. They'd go on to hit it marginally big on their next album, primarily from their single "Ladykillers." I saw them in concert in Detroit that year, with my friend and old roommate D--, in a great show at St. Albans. Their drummer would tragically hang himself within the year, and the band dissolved.
Jeff Buckley, "So Real"--This is a real rollercoster of a song. The song doesn't have any straight narrative arc, but it touches on questions of authenticity, self-doubt, and adolescent lust. The verses are a strange kind of ghostly blues, with an off-kilter guitar strumming followed by vocal fills. The chorus is a big, satisfying rock and roll hook with Buckley's beautiful voice perfectly in control. But then, out of nowhere, Buckley lacerates his song with brutal guitar squalls and feedback.
In retrospect, it encapsulates Buckley rather concisely--limitless talent, plagued by self-doubt and self-destruction.
I ran about 7.5 miles last night, and listened to my iPod on shuffle play.
Brian Wilson, "Roll Plymouth Rock"--I'm not sure exactly what the lyrical theme is about--is Brian suggesting that the whites should leave North America? At the very least, he's acknowledging the damage they've (we've) done, but in his usual gentle way. The song turns some very tight corners, with sharp harpsicord breaks coming out of nowhere, and maintains a lovely dream-like quality throughout. He also revisits songs from elsewhere on Smile, like "Heros and Villains," adding to the sense of deja vu.
Lush, "Ciao"--Lush were one of my favorite bands from college. They were one of the original shoegaze bands, fronted by two tiny, super cute women: they punky, tough Miki Berenyi and the huggable Emma Anderson. I had a giant crush on Berenyi--she's half Japanese half Hungarian descent, had various shades of neon hair, and played tough on some songs (e.g., Bitter, The Untogether), but was still very sexy.
"Ciao" is a duet between Berenyi and a male guest vocalist with a Shane McGowan type broken baritone. They've recently split up, and each is trying to top the other in each verse, talking about how terrible the other was, and how much happier they are now. Their voices then join together on the choruses. It might be the most paradoxically effective love song of all time--they ostensibly loathe each other, spewing forth verse after verse of invective, but if they didn't still love one another, why would they bother?
It's a fantastic song, one of many by Lush. They'd go on to hit it marginally big on their next album, primarily from their single "Ladykillers." I saw them in concert in Detroit that year, with my friend and old roommate D--, in a great show at St. Albans. Their drummer would tragically hang himself within the year, and the band dissolved.
Jeff Buckley, "So Real"--This is a real rollercoster of a song. The song doesn't have any straight narrative arc, but it touches on questions of authenticity, self-doubt, and adolescent lust. The verses are a strange kind of ghostly blues, with an off-kilter guitar strumming followed by vocal fills. The chorus is a big, satisfying rock and roll hook with Buckley's beautiful voice perfectly in control. But then, out of nowhere, Buckley lacerates his song with brutal guitar squalls and feedback.
In retrospect, it encapsulates Buckley rather concisely--limitless talent, plagued by self-doubt and self-destruction.
