Autumn Sweater - Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One - 1997

So now that I've finally finished describing my Boston trip in detail...what the hell do I talk about on this thing again? Oh yeah, right...music.

In 1997 Yo La Tengo were already 11 years into their career (though in all fairness, they were only 5 years with their most recognized, and current, lineup). With the somber masterpiece Painful and the rockier, slightly less consistent Electr-O-Pura behind them, they seemed to have settled into a comfortable groove of critic friendly, Velvet Underground-ish indie rock. All bets would have been on the band putting out more of the same for the remainder of their career, but I Can Hear The Heart... found the band exploring more eclectic styles.

Sure there were the moments of familiarity: neither Sugarcube nor Deeper Into Movies would have sounded out of place on previous albums...but what was most surprising was not only the range displayed by the band, but also the inventiveness, and there is probably no better place to start than with Autumn Sweater.

The band had done organ vamps before, but usually they were a method to find a new instrument for Ira Kaplan to wail on when he bored of his guitar. But this is no noise filled scronk fest. Instead it's a chord based jazzy shuffle (complete with bongo drums) led more by Georgia's snare drum than by Ira's playing or sad sack mumble-core vocals.

I've probably heard this song half a million times in my life, and while it's no longer the playlist staple it was in 1997 (back when we called them mix tape staples) I still can't help but get a little tingle at hearing the pleasure of three long time musical compatriots locked in perfect grove while a nebbishy husband sings about the chills he got upon first meeting his wife and she keeps perfect rhythm behind him.

Autobiography - Sloan - One Chord To Another - 1997

With our disappointing meal in our bellies, we were reasonably impressed with the museum itself. We spent a considerable amount of time walking through the Asian exhibit, particularly a reconstructed Buddhist shrine that was given the appropriate amount of reverence...unfortunately the clock was ticking, so we didn't quite get to see everything. Though most importantly we did get to see the weird giant creepy baby heads that were on display outside the back entrance of the museum.



After we picked up the car, we did have one last bit of business to attend to before the game...As we were parting ways with Uncle Singh the night before, he had stated that his wife had made a lunch for us to eat before we went out to the game and that she would be very disappointed if we did not eat it. We were stuck between not wanting to be rude, and not wanting to have even more of our road trip eaten up with familial obligations. The compromise solution was for us to swing by on the way to the game and pick up the food in a picnic basket to take with us. This situation was further complicated by the fact that Anand had lost his phone at some point during the evening last night, and Skip didn't have anything in his phone besides Uncle Singh's house number. We made several attempts to contact them at this number and left messages...we even stopped by their house, but the couple was apparently out and about and waiting for our call on their cells. After a few minutes of knocking on their front door we took off.

The one time I was truly happy about the Singh's love for their GPS Devices was on the drive to the stadium. From the Uncle's house in Alston it took us down back roads, rather than the main highway, allowing us to enjoy the warm summer air as we drove at high speeds down green tree lined streets...rather than sitting in traffic on the gray and dismal 90.


Autobiography is one of those songs...the song you don't like on an album you otherwise love. Sloan's extremely (Self-consciously) Beatlesque One Chord To Another is one of the great loves of my early 20's, songs like the bouncy "Can't Face Up" and the horn driven "Everything You've Done Wrong" are quintessential soundtrack items for my pre-NYC, post college Midwestern boredom driving...but this song has always bored the holy hell out of me, and annoyed me with it's WAY-TOO-CLEVER pun lyrics, but I can't bring myself to delete it...cause I love the album. I know, I know...I have issues.

Are You Faster? - Guided By Voices - Mag Earwhig - 1997

A fairly routine GBV half song from back in the day when we used to wonder what would happen if Bob actually wrote a whole song. And then we found out and realized we generally liked the half songs better. Typically, the song stops right when you think it's going to get amazing. Bob knew the way to keep us in suspense was to never give us the pay off, or sometimes to just give us the pay off...this strategy worked for a good long time.

Anyone Who's Anyone - Sloan - One Chord to Another - 1997

Ok, sorry for the lack of updates last week. It was a hectic week for me, both personally and professionally. Hopefully, the semi-regular service will resume now.

So, to resume the bitching...I was out during my lunch break and realized that I didn't have enough cash. I swung into a Duane Reade where they have Chase ATMs. An old Russian woman and her daughter were at the machine and there was one guy in front of me, so nothing too bad...except that old russian woman stayed at the machine for easily ten minutes. It was ridiculous...adn this is an ATM in a drug store...it's not like she could do balance transfers and deposits. She was taking 10 minutes (with her 30 something daughter's help) to WITHDRAWAL CASH. Seriouly, if you can't handle the complicated technology in a freaking ATM machine, it's time to move out of The Big Apple and down to Florida. You're holding the rest of us up.

The problem with multi-singer songwriter bands is frequently that not all the songwriters are on the same level of skill. Some of your writers could be John or Paul, others Ringo. I've never liked Sloan enough to try to discern which of it's 4 songwriters are which, but whichever one this is...he's the Ringo...though honestly, he's a little better than Ringo. I mean, this is no Octopus' Garden, but it's certainly much weaker than the other material on this not coincidentally Beatle-esque album. Other than the uncharacteristically abrassive sonics, this is pretty dull stuff on an otherwise decent album.

Angels vs Aliens - Mogwai - Ten Rapid - 1997

Ok, so here is the thing that never made sense to me: you can't feed the Mogwai after midnight...but until when? Dawn? 7AM? 9AM? Is there some kind of Mogwai clock?

Also, if a drop of water made them multiply, what did they drink? Was it just water that produced this response. What if you dropped some Jameson's on them, would you get drunk and surly Gremlins (Suddenly the Leprechaun films make more sense...yes even Leprechaun 6: Back 2 Da Hood). Were Mogwai in fact the only non-water based life form around? Or was the reason the other Mogwai wanted to turn into Gremlins just cause they were freaking thirsty?

Continuing on this line of thinking...the title of this song also suggests a new film franchise to me. Now that the Alien has succesfully faced off against The Predator, perhaps they need to take a shot at God's messengers. Angels vs Aliens: This time it's Holy War! I'm thinking the Rock as Michael the Angel general, with Vin Diesel as Gabriel, and Samuel L. Jackson as God. And of course, as always, James Earl Jones as the voice of the magic taco.

Thoughts for the ages.

Angeles - Elliot Smith - Either/Or - 1997

My Elliot Smith equation is pretty close to the same as my Decemberists equation, except you replace "Gay Subtext" with "Sad Sack Whining"

And in that equation, this song has a pretty high annoyance qoutient.

An Amatuer Thief - Chisel - Set You Free - 1997

Speaking of thieves. So I saw Dark Knight last night...and I must say my emotions are a bit mixed. I hate the way death ensures that you will be over praised (part of my intense ambivalance about Cobain)...but Ledger does give a really great reading to The Joker. His line deliveries are really wonderfully off beat, and he gives him a certain grounding in reality, choosing to make him sort of laid back rather than spastic. But I feel like a lot of the credit given to Ledger is being done by people that never realized that this is simply how the character is supposed to be.

He's not a merry prankster, he's a raving psychotic...and the Nolan bros script gets this write. It's not like Heath wrote the freaking script.

Honestly, I'm not even the biggest comic book person, but I'm friends with enough of them to know what previous films have gotten wrong. I'm happy they got him right, and it was a fun performance...but seriously...an Oscar? If I OD with one of the Olsen twins can I get an Oscar too?

Anyway, this is basically a Chisel snippet...sort of prefiguring Ted's later mod-punk leanings. It's nice enough. I had a different story i was going to tell about Chisel, but I'll save that for a real song rather than a quick throw away about suburban brats stealing shit to "Fight the bourgeoisie" Whatever. I'm sure it was rough growing up in suburban Jersey, Ted.

All Neon Like - Bjork - Homogenic - 1997

How many fucking Bjork songs start with "A"? Did she have a theme? And what the hell does it mean to "halo all over you". That just sounds wrong.

So, I was all excited cause they opened a new wine bar in my previously sketchy neighborhood. I had my ladyfriend meet me there last night for a glass or two. We sit down and wait a bit for the waiter, but sure it's a new place, been open less than 2 weeks, they probably don't have the service down. Fine. Finally the dude brings us our menus, I peruse mine and realize that it only lists food. So I go ask the bar tender for the wine list. He informs me that they don't get their liquor license until the 28th...when they will have their grand opening. First of all, you appear to be open, second of all why in the world would you open a wine bar before you could serve wine? What the hell is wrong with people?

All My Kin - Chisel - Set You Free - 1997

Even though it does have a horn section and a quasi-childrens choir, two things that I am ordinarily pretty oppossed to, I can't help but love this song. Mostly because I completely releate to the subject matter. For some reason whenever I go to visit my family in Indiana, someone invariably wants to engage me in a political convesation that they seem to know will infuriate me and make me think "how in the hell can I be related to these dimwits". Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs to church, Barrack Obama wants your kids to pray to Allah while learning about gay sex, Hillary Clinton is the anti-christ (I don't even like Hill, yet they seem to cast me in the roll of her biggest fan), gun control would not have stopped the Virginia Tech massacre, etc, etc, etc.

Ugh...but at the end of the day they are my family, and it is good to see them. Even if they are bonkers. Mr. Leo understands, though I can't imagine Jersey ignorance holds a candle to Indiana ignorance.

All Is Full of Love - Bjork - Homogenic - 1997

So the other night I went back to the local beer gardens to celebrate our new neighborhood option for outdoor drinking. One of the girls that lives in my building came out and decided to throw out the "I can drink you under the table" challange. Now not to seem overly chauvanistic, or like a giant asshole...but there was just no way this was possible. This girl 11 years my junior, and from suburban philly was just not going to take me. Two shots of Wild Turkey and she was out of the game. This did however result in a fair amount of comedy. I tried to wrestle a bassett hound, despite not being a regular smoker I had 4 cigarettes, and then I paid our skinny-hipster-in granny glasses waitress $10 to rap for us. This is on a wednesday night mind you.

The sad thing is, this sort of thing happens to me frequently...I'm not sure why women want to try to outdrink me...and why I can't say no to the challange. Clearly I have issues.

More Bjork, being Bjork

Alarm Call - Bjork - Homogenic - 1997

So, I have to go back to Indiana for my father's birthday. I haven't spent nearly enough time with my fam lately, so I shouldn't be so bitter about it however...I will be missing a 77 degree sunday in NYC...the first one of 2008. Spaghetti string tank tops and short skirts will line the streets, outdoor drinking will be in full effect, and I will be making a turban out of paper towels while playing Risk with my dad and my brother. I will be surrounded by corn and old relatives, while my friends eat, drink and be merry.

There is no justice in this world.

Anyway, Bjork when she still knew how to write a melody. Good stuff.

Alameda - Elliot Smith - Either/Or - 1997

I started writing this yesterday, when I was full of energy and spring time enthusiasm. At the time, Elliot Smith was too morose, too wistful and sad for my mood and I was going to write all about how ES had invented the quiet indie boy voice and how his death had given him a certain cache that I'm not entirely sure he earned...but today, dead tired from a late night of fun and a long day at work, wired from too much coffee, but wiped out and listless...and with no bed in my immediate future, Elliot is exactly my mood.

Don't get me wrong, there are Smith songs that inspire me (Baby Britain, Cupid's Trick, Bled White, among others) but this quiet whispery Elliot is rarely my choice...but it takes days like today to remind me of their uses.

Airbag - Radiohead - OK Computer - 1997

Well...shit...what the fuck do I say about Airbag. When I started this project, I assumed I would have plenty of things to say about each and every Radiohead song...but now that I'm faced with it...I'm like an ape before the monolith.

Alright, if you haven't picked up on this yet, I'm part of the legion of Radiohead obsessives. And this is my favorite album of theirs, and in my not even slightly humble opinion the best album of the 90's. And like any great album it needs to come roaring out of the gates, and Johnny's steam roller of a guitar riff just about does that on it's own.

Also, incidentally, I have had 4 serious car accidents in my youth (I drove way to fast when i was a kid)...the last one saw me flip my dad's car into a telephone poll...when the wreck was done I could reach my hand into the back seat and touch the telephone poll right behind my head. Having come away with nothing but a broken rib and some cuts from broken glass, I was a lucky guy...and I knew exactly what Thom meant..."My god, I cheated death...I am ready to take on the world!!!" Crazy stuff...

Air - Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen (Expanded Edition) - 1997

My friend Dave loves to hear about my first couple of years out of college, primarily because it was one of the most miserable, painful periods of my life. And while there were many things about that period I am embarrassed about: living my bloated life, with my bloated girlfriend, in a shitty Northern Kentucky suburb, working at a cubicle farm, eating fast food...few things are as embarrassing and painful as admitting how much I LOVED the Ben Folds Five at the time.

All in all though, this isn't a terrible song.