Soi Disantra: The Latest in Obsessive Listening -- PLUS: Making Co-Workers Think I'm Weird

June 08, 2005

The Latest in Obsessive Listening -- PLUS: Making Co-Workers Think I'm Weird

Time for the latest batch of songs that are doing the good thing.

The Wedding Present, “Dalliance” – Because we left for Italy the next day we never got to write up the Wedding Present show from May. But don’t worry, when we do our year-end lists, you can be sure that we will talk about it plenty, as it is the odds-on favorite to take the top spot at this point. This song was just one of two they played from Seamonsters, and it was, of course, quite awesome. Still, it’s hard to beat the recorded version because … well, we all know where I’m going with this. I hate to always give Steve Albini credit for songs other people wrote, but when those guitars kick in going into the bridge, it’s like, “HOLY SHIT!” and then when they come in even heavier back into the chorus it’s like, “HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT, SHIT AGAIN!” Yeah, that good. And MZ wonders why I listen to my headphones at such an ungodly volume. Well, it’s because when a song rocks this hard, you’d be doing it an injustice listening to it at anything less than maximum volume.

The Oranges Band, “Open Air” – Remember when I was all hyperventilating about The Ponys record back in March? Well, I’m doing it all over again with the new one from The Oranges Band, The World and Everything In It. Holy moly is this thing hott. Now, there’s nothing here like “Success” or “OK Apartment” that will send you into a tizzy where all you can think about is jumping up and down all over the room while throwing things and banging into other things, perhaps the very same things you just threw. But that’s not the point of this record. It’s a more melancholy affair, and it’s goddamn beautiful. I don’t use that word when talking about music much, because it usually is associated with boring shit like Jeff Buckley or Nick Drake, but this song is just beautiful. Now don’t get me wrong, it rocks as well, but in a gentle sort of way. Promise me you’ll buy this record. I’ll have plenty more on it later on.

Archers of Loaf, “Toast”– This song came on shuffle recently and I was really rocking out to it. But then I realized it wasn’t this song at all, it was instead that instrumental from the Mission of Burma album. So then I went to listen to this one. And it isn’t quite as similar as I thought it was, but I was glad to revisit this song. This is one of those songs that I can use as an example if anyone were to ever ask me why I am such a nostalgiast (Is that a word? Is that a subconscious Archers of Loaf reference?) for ’90s indie rock. Just listen to this song. Those discordant guitars, those silly/loveable lyrics that make for great inside jokes when visiting little diners (“Yes, um, excuse me? There’s something wrong with my toast.”), the raw power when it gets loud toward the end, which is much better than anything on Raw Power. A tour de force.

The Fall, “Oh Brother” – What’s that? A Fall song from the mid-’80s? From the Brix era? Hey, there was plenty of good stuff, just not at the usual 97% success rate. This one sure is a keeper, though. One of the few songs where the keyboard truly enhances things. As seems to be a sort of theme to this edition, things get especially great toward the end when everything starts piling on top of everything else.

Stephen Malkmus, “Mama” – This is the first song from his solo career that I can say I honestly love. I thought “Jojo’s Jacket” and “Jenny and the Ess-Dog” were cute. “Pink India” is really strong, if a bit long. “Animal Midnight” and “Us” are very good, but hard to work up too much enthusiasm for. But this one is worthy of affection. It’s got the cheekiness of those tunes from the first album, but not the uncomfortably whimsy or ham. And it’s not cold like those Lib tunes. Upon repeated listenings I realized that it has the same exact structure of “The Hook” from his first record (another one I always liked that was just a bit too silly), with a chorus that’s just a slight shift from the verse.

And before I go, a couple of min-lists, for your pleasure.

Top Three Bands In My Shared iTunes Library at Work That Will Raise the Eyebrows of My Co-Workers

1. The Homosexuals
2. The New Pornographers
3. Silver Jews

Top Three Song/Album Titles That Will Do the Same

1. Spacemen 3, Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To
2. The Fall, “Who Makes the Nazis?”
3. The Magnetic Fields, “Take Ecstasy With Me” (On a side note, if you have listened to the version of this song by ShitShitShit more than once – once is allowed just to know for sure how putrid it is – you are banned from visiting SD ever again. Banned, ya hear me?!)

--DM--

June 08, 2005 | Permalink

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You know, I'd just about gotten over the fact that I didn't get to see the Wedding Present when they played here last month until I read that they performed "Dalliance." This sucks, and I will cut myself if I... [Read More]

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June 08, 2005

The Latest in Obsessive Listening -- PLUS: Making Co-Workers Think I'm Weird

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