Tag: #deathcab

Posted on

Double Shot Saturday II — Worms, Wax, and a Death Cab of Corona

In the midst of the world continuing its orderly shutdown (my hometown Ill-staters joined the ranks yesterday) I celebrated a minor accomplishment this week — not only my first week as a regular civilian in nearly 14 years, but my first week as a fully connected, Hangouts holding, Sheets slinging member of the modern WFH population (that’s “work from home” for all you crusty old lobsters) — so thought it was worth popping in to share a little goodness.  As I wrestled with the strange feeling of being fully connected to the world and my devices throughout the day (instead of lurking in a dark, signals-free stovepipe for 10-12 hours a day), as well as how to professionally and productively participate in virtual meetings while a fur-covered cinderblock snored and farted on my lap (or otherwise hogged the camera), I found a couple good items to soundtrack the events that I thought were worth sharing.

First comes courtesy of Spotify’s weekly discovery playlist, which has been on a tear lately (so hats off to whatever beautiful nerds/minds created that algorithm) — last week it was Andy Shauf and his gang of punks, this week it’s fellow Chicagoan Max Clarke and his (yet again) terribly named band, Cut Worms. (Honestly — Spotify’s been on fire finding these bands for me, I just wish they could add a rename feature to their algorithm to fix ridiculousness like this.) The name is an homage to a line from a William Blake poem (“The cut worm forgives the plow…”), which I’m sure scores points down at the open mic night, but in terms of attracting the 99% of the population that doesn’t camp out in the basements of used book stores it’s about as inviting as a bowl of his titular entities.

Thankfully, you listen to music first and learn about it later — which in this case meant I was treated to Clarke’s time warp sound and lovely melodies first, hooked before I could get to the minor annoyance of his unmarketable moniker.  The sound is a throwback to the 50s/60s sound of the Everly Brothers, one so spot-on I initially thought I’d slipped into an oldies playlist. All bright harmonies and warm guitar, Clarke conjures an uncanny complement to those earlier times on his 2017 EP Alien Sunset and his full-length debut the following year, Hollow Ground. Both are really solid outings, blissful little rides down memory lane and the perfect palliative to these unsettling times. Check out lead single “Cash for Gold” for a blast of sock-hop sunshine and then head to “Life Going Down Sideways,” which sports an absolute knee-buckler of a melody — beautiful stuff.

We’ll close with the latest from a couple old friends, first from Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard who’s been spending the shutdown in his native Seattle doing a series of daily concerts from his apartment.  It’s just him, an acoustic guitar, and occasional piano, singing a mix of Death Cab, solo songs, and covers for 45-60 minutes, which is every bit as pleasant as it sounds. (Aside from the frequent coughing fits, which seem to be a result of his possible exposure to coronavirus — thankfully he seems OK, though.) You can livestream them each day at 7PM EST or just catch em on YouTube, which is where I’ve been grabbing em. Check out the latest here:

Lastly we’ve got the latest from Katie Crutchfield, better known as Waxahatchee, whose new album Saint Cloud comes out next week, her first since 2017’s Out in the Storm. That one was characterized by a wall of electric guitar and Crutchfield’s new powerful spirit (equal parts independence and anger after years of heartbreak and quiet timidity). Early indications are this might be a more toned down version of that one, staying electric while harnessing some of the prettiness and melody of her earlier work.  The first few singles have been really good (I thought “Lilacs” was particularly nice) and the latest does nothing to break that trend. “Can’t Do Much” is an unabashed love song, one that sports a bit of a country vibe (similar to “Lilacs”) and bounces along on an unbridled pulse of energy (with a wicked little riff to boot).  It’s a great little listen — give it a spin here:

That’s it for now — stay safe out there, friends… — BS

Posted on

Pinched Nerves, Open Ears: Welcome Offerings from Old Friends

Since I can’t manage to do much else this weekend, having apparently obliterated a nerve in the midst of such strenuous activities as stretching when I woke up yesterday morning, I slowly clawed my way to the keyboard to throw out a few finds before I pass out from not being able to breathe. They’re all from folks I’ve written about before, so shouldn’t be too surprising — I’d hate to startle you and have you end up in the same state I am. #eldercare

First up comes the lead single from the Dodos’ upcoming album Certainty Waves, which will be the seventh for the San Fran duo. It’s been three years since their last one, Individ, which for whatever reason didn’t resonate with me as much as previous favorites (several of which have appeared on year end lists here). It’s not like they changed up their formula and adopted the dreaded synthesizers I lambaste so often. Then and now frontman Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber layer guitars and atypical rhythms up to surprising levels, balancing the noise with Long’s warm voice and lyrics. It’s worked really well in the past, but didn’t connect quite the same last time out. We’ll see if things hit differently this go round — step inside the “Forum” and see what you think:

Next comes two more songs from the upcoming debut from Big Red Machine, which as I wrote about a few weeks ago is the fusion of gents from beloved indie gems — Justin Vernon from Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner from the National. They’ve already released four songs from the album online, so with these two I think we’ve got a pretty good idea what the album will sound like, and thankfully it’s every bit as pleasant as you’d expect from those two alma maters. They continue to mine the electronics-infused vein both bands have been exploiting lately, while balancing the bloops and chill with Vernon’s angelic croon, which remains as bright and warming as a blast of sun through the clouds in the middle of winter. “I Won’t Run From It” is the favored of the new pair, another spare pairing of acoustic and that voice — give it a listen here:

Batting third we’ve got an odds and sods compilation of unreleased stuff from recent discovery Pile, the bombers from Boston I wrote about back in January after stumbling upon them in the midst of my annual scan of other folks’ best of lists. I didn’t quite agree with the album that landed them there, but it piqued my interest enough to go back through their older material and I’m sure glad I did, as they frequently call to mind fave thrashers Jesus Lizard. The first cut from this collection (due out next month apparently) is more subdued then some of their other stuff, but showcase how effectively the band builds tension in their songs (AND how compelling a voice frontman Rick Maguire has). I’m excited to see them when they come to town in a few months — I might not be able to hear after it, but if that’s the case it’s been a fun run. Enjoy it while you can:

In the cleanup spot we’ve got a couple aging veterans, two albums that’ve been around for twenty years and walked very different paths (the thought of Ben Gibbard hanging out with the wild-eyed Keith Flint is pretty comical actually), but whose impact was felt far beyond their niche communities in the intervening years. The two albums are Something About Airplanes from Death Cab for Cutie and Fat of the Land from Prodigy, whose histories and resonance are recounted by Stereogum and Pitchfork, respectively, from their weekly trips in the wayback machine.

As suggested, the two bands couldn’t be more different — Death Cab were the soft, sensitive band from Seattle who quietly and earnestly tried to make you fall in love with them with their lovely lyrics and melodies. Prodigy were the hard, bombastic band from Britain who loudly and belligerently tried to make you move (ZFG for falling in love with them) with their bludgeoning beats and non-sensical (and occasionally insipid) lyrics. Despite those differences, both albums had outsized impact on the population and have continued to for over twenty years — Death Cab became the poster children for the sentimental set, soundtracking untold dozens of shows and movies as the sonic synonym for angst and unrequited love; Prodigy fostered the first tsunami of electronica with fellow Britons the Chemical Brothers, helping create the wave that laid waste to the country in the late 90s/early 2000s (and is still doing so with second wave acts like Skrillex, Steve Aoki, etc). Both articles are worth a read and albums worth a listen, if for some reason you haven’t done so dozens of times already. I disagree with Pitchfork’s panning Prodigy and look back more fondly on Fat than they do — the lyrics may be inane/misogynistic, but those beats are hard to deny even now. “Diesel Power” was always one of my favorite bangers — check it out here:

We’ll close with a pretty ditty from the soundtrack to The Fundamentals of Caring, a charming little movie with the ever-winning Paul Rudd we found on Netflix recently. The song (and broader soundtrack) is done by Guster frontman Ryan Miller, a formerly beloved band that has gone down that dark path of synthesized pop in recent years, much to my chagrin. (I used to love these guys and they’re three of the funniest, nicest people to boot, having interviewed them several times over the years in my former life as a paid scribbler.) This song calls to mind some of the band’s old strengths, Miller’s endearing voice and disarming lyrics, so often on display in their heyday. All that’s missing is the juxtaposition with fellow singer Adam Gardner, whose bass always balanced Miller’s more nasally tones, and drummer Brian Rosenworcel’s hand percussion and it could have been from the trio’s early albums. It’s a nice reminder of those outings and a nice listen regardless, so give it a spin (and give the movie a try too — who doesn’t like Paul Rudd?!?):

Posted on

The Echo Chamber: A Fleet of Massive Death Cabs

Finally dried out enough after the monsoon to touch electronics again, so wanted to chime in with a few offerings. They’re all updates from bands/things I’ve posted about recently, so hopefully won’t be too jarring for you on your lazy Sunday. First is the latest single from Death Cab’s upcoming album Thank You for Today (not something I say much these days after watching the news), “I Dreamt We Spoke Again.” It follows on the heels of the lead single “Gold Rush,” which I found a little underwhelming, but this one (plus the previously posted “Summer Years”) still have me cautiously optimistic about the new album. It’s a simple yet pretty little tune, combining lead singer Ben Gibbard’s bread and butter — heartfelt, confessional lyrics about a lost love — with a Cure-like riff that swims along and already feels familiar. It’s a good listen and highlights what these guys (and Gibbard in particular) do best — don’t try to overthink or overcook the songs, keep it simple and straight from the heart. I can imagine Gibbard finding it limiting or boring even to have to keep singing all these songs about love and his constant nostalgia for what was — he’s just so good at capturing those feelings that you don’t want him to do anything else. The band falters when they try to be macho or rockers or cool as they have increasingly on recent albums (it’d be like me trying to hide my looks by wearing cargo shorts or pleated pants — I can’t help how handsome I am people!), so hopefully this is an indication they’re embracing their strengths and sticking with what works. Give it a ride here:

Next comes the latest single from the Mystery from Michigan (what’s really happening in that upper peninsula?), the four lads from Greta van Fleet, and the track “When the Curtain Falls.” I’ve posted about these guys before and they were just in town, surprisingly selling out the enormous new arena — some six thousand seats! — after also selling out a show the night before. It’s a hell of a feat for a band of teenagers with only one album and a whopping eight songs (only seven of which are originals) under their belt. The new one doesn’t stray far from what’s been working so well — it samples a little later from the Zeppelin catalog than their other stuff (maybe Houses of Holy era instead of I and II), but still sports a pretty wicked Page-like riff that buttresses the song and gets stuck in your head. I still think the challenge for these guys long-term will be how long they can keep mining this vein before it becomes tiresome or tips into parody, but for now it still works, reminding you of the excellence of the source material while injecting some new flavors and ideas to the mix. Let’s hope they keep the hot streak alive — so far, so good. Give this one a listen here:

Last up comes the latest installment from Pitchfork’s great “Explore X (In 5 Minutes)” series, which this time chronicles the legendary Mezzanine from Massive Attack. As I posted recently, this somehow is turning 20 this year, which besides making me wonder where the fuck the last 20 years have gone, since I’ve never really stopped listening to this album, also reminds me how fantastic an album it is — since I’ve never really stopped listening to it. The video does a good job adding to the previous article and reiterates what a singular and spectacular thing it is. It was jarring then because nothing sounded even remotely like it, and it’s jarring now because nothing still does. It’s like a strange alien artifact that was discovered in a remote cave — it’s menacing, it’s inspiring, and it’s unlike anything else on the planet. If you didn’t take the plunge before, maybe this will get you to — see what all the fuss is about here:

Posted on

Gone Daddy Gone: Parting Wisdom, Returning Winner

Feels fitting on a day when I’m setting out to drive to his former homeland in the Dirty Jurrz to post this article I found on Anthony Bourdain. It’s on an interview the author did with him two-plus years ago, which is endearing enough to read as it has Tony swilling booze and telling tales in the corner of a dark bar, but it’s the closing advice Bourdain left him with that’s so good. Definitely give it a read (and live the words at the end)…

———

Also thought since we’re going to the beach and officially embracing the season it was worth throwing out Death Cab’s new song “Summer Years” for a listen. It’s been a tumultuous few years for the band — founding member Chris Walla left, their last album Kintsugi was middling at best, and then there was the very public breakup of frontman Ben Gibbard’s marriage with Zooey Deschanel. Thankfully it looks like they might be righting the ship with this one, which hearkens back to another summer-titled track and its friends from their classic album Plans. We’ll see how the rest come out — in the meantime give it a listen here: