As this posts I will already have been out of town for a few days in Boston and Maine, but as I write it I am preparing music for the many hours I will spend on the road during the next week. Two songs I’ve posted are from old mixes I made in the past that I was putting through a vetting process for the ride, and the third contains a food I will be eating mass quantities of. The mixes aren’t specific for road trips, and these songs aren’t either. Instead my memory was jolted and I remembered how much I enjoyed these particular songs, so I hope your memory is jolted as well.
Timbaland – The Way I Are (mp3) from Shock Value
The Decemberists – The Perfect Crime #2 (mp3) from The Crane Wife
The B-52′s – Rock Lobster (mp3) from The B-52′s
I’ve been thinking a fair bit lately about what another perspective for the site would do, and thought having a lady write some music thoughts down would be a refreshing change of pace. I mention this to my wife frequently because I think she has a good perspective on some of the music I listen to, and she actually wrote something up. So enjoy a different slant than we usually provide from my wife Tia:
Let me preface this post by saying that 90% of the music I currently listen to was introduced to me by my husband. My problem is not that I don’t like music, but rather that I don’t actively seek it out. I am a self-proclaimed “lyrics girl” who can effectively block out any and all noise until a witty lyric in a catchy chorus grabs my attention. This annoys my husband to no end. The conversation usually goes like this.
We are riding in the car. A song comes on while listening to a random MP3/mixed CD:
Me: Who is this?
Dave: *sigh* this is “so and so” I have been trying to get you to listen to this for 6 months
Me: Oh, I like it.
Dave: *sigh*
No joke, this happens about once a week. This often leaves me about 6 months behind Dave in the music he is listening to, though it somehow still seems to leave me to about 4 months ahead of the rest of the world.
That being said “The Rake’s Song” off the early 2009 release from The Decemberists The Hazards of Love caught my attention earlier than most. With their utilization of rarely used language, I was instantly sucked in. Seldom do you hear words like “whetted” “divest” or “reckon” used in modern day speech let alone a rock song. My affinity for lyrics compelled me to hit repeat multiple times until I could understand every word that was being sung. I found that not only did I enjoy the wordplay in this song, but soon came to appreciate the simple guitar riffs and prominent base line and percussion. I began to imagine this song being plucked right out of the rock opera and every listen made it like a musical short story allowing me to imagine the character created by the lyrics. Now, I know this song is about infanticide, and this disclaimer is for any holier-than-thou-my-kid-shits-diamonds-after-eating-our-homemade-baby-food mothers out there that may stumble across this blog. I am not promoting drowning, poisoning or, in general, killing your children, nor have I ever thought about harming mine. I don’t believe that your enjoyment of this song makes you a bad parent or danger to small children. So you can call me crazy if you want, but every time this song comes on, I laugh and sing along.
The Decemberists – The Rake’s Song (mp3) from Hazards Of Love
After taking a week off, this week’s entries into my 1000 Minutes Project are both products of Left Coast bands. And not only that, but the lead singers look vaguely similar.
69. Death Cab for Cutie – A Movie Script Ending (mp3) from The Photo Album
(4:19) [Time Remaining: 668:57]
My wanderlust was never particularly strong. I went away for a couple years when I went to college, but my draw was always back to where I was born. I’ve never felt the desire to live elsewhere. Perhaps this makes me one of the “new bottoms on barstools” that Mr. Gibbard sings about here, but I don’t get the feeling that this song is one of derision.
There’s something secure/comforting about my hometown. Sure, I get the twinge to go elsewhere every so often – to pack it up and begin anew; it’s not hard to dream about the excitement of the unknown. While that allure of the unknown is always exciting, in the end I’d rather have the fluency of my own familiar.
70. The Decemberists – The Sporting Life (mp3) from Picaresque
(4:43) [Time Remaining: 664:14]
It’s often difficult to pick out a particular song from an album by The Decemberists. Their albums flow toward a singular goal, and as such, they run in together to tell the story seamlessly. The band is at the best when they’re more simplistic than this year’s disappointing Hazards of Love. Colin Meloy’s shaky tenor can certainly carry a song on its own, but his storytelling is heightened when the band is able to pick up the tempo.
I don’t imagine there’s much of a hidden meaning to the song. When it comes to The Decemberists, it’s best to take things at face value. It’s not always about connecting with the listener via the lyrics; not all bands need to forge a deeper bond with the listener over what something could mean. And sometimes – like with this song – it’s nice to not have to think.
