Listening • Band Bashing and Guitar Smashing

That new Arcade Fire album sure does suck. Like you, I got it when it leaked, downloaded it while I was listening to other leaked music. (The next Arcade Fire album sucks as well, by the way.) So yeah, I listened to it in my iTunes a couple of times, changed its genre to “meaty catshit” (long story), and washed my hands of it.

That is, until this weekend, when I was a half-hour and three Budweiser Selects into Saturday Night Live. Consider me converted to Neon Bible, or at least well on the path to salvation. Once I was lost, but now I’m found.

I was just about so mesmerized while watching that I almost didn’t notice, but around three-quarters of the way through their first song, which according to my iTunes is called “Track 04,” I noticed lead singer Win Butler’s guitar had popped a string. In big-shot appearances on television and major state fairs, this can only mean one thing: The guitar will be smashed at the end of the song. And in a move that has sparked intense debate between cell phones across the globe, that’s exactly how it went down.

Based on what I’ve seen, I contend today’s guitar destructions are mainly born of musician frustration, not of artistic statement, and often the initial irking is set off by the most mundane of musical technical difficulties—such as a snapped string. Butler plays enough guitar and enough shows to know these things just happen, and should consider himself lucky. For many guitarists, the strings don’t get changed until they break; the longer the period between changings, the greater likelihood the guitarist will need a tetanus shot after the show.

» Listen to Arcade Fire on Saturday Night Live at Brooklyn Vegan


* * *

I had a friend who’d been playing guitar for some time, and who decided to teach himself to play classical guitar. This necessitated a trip to the pawn shop, where he bought a cheap but serviceable nylon-string guitar. He practiced for weeks, and got pretty good, until he needed to replace the strings. Just as he hadn’t gone top-dollar with the guitar, he decided to try and replace the strings on his classical guitar with extra steel strings from his acoustic. In order to withstand the tension created by steel strings, many acoustic guitars are reinforced with an internal metal bar that runs the length of the neck. Most, if not all, classical guitars, however, don’t have this bar, so when he secured the strings in the guitar, as he tried to tune them up, the neck snapped off from the body.

After a second trip to the pawn shop, he had a new classical guitar (and an extra set of nylon strings), which he learned to play, and eventually was able to make it through some sheet music. One evening, a little wasted on wine, he tried to serenade his girlfriend with a classical guitar piece. But he couldn’t quite remember how to make it through the piece. He tried and tried, and once his frustration hit its breaking point, he stood up, guitar overhead, and crushed it into the floor. That signaled the end of the date.

» Listen to Rodrigo’s “Adagio” by Carlos Bonnel


* * *

Unabated guitar smashing will wind you up in the poorhouse, with nary an instrument with which to sing your way toward even a plate of cat food. (Long story.)

Better, then, to break a string (it’s unavoidable), and move on. Once, while playing guitar in a dimly lit park with friends, I broke a string and its free end sunk into the meat between the thumb and forefinger on my strumming hand. I couldn’t see what had happened, and tried to yank the string free from the guitar. Afterwards, did I smash the guitar? No, instead I cried.

About eight years ago I saw Godspeed You Black Emperor play a show in Austin. Of the thousand or so band members on stage, one of the guitarists (I believe he was standing next to the electric harmonium player) snapped a string. But the music was so cacophonic, so many people were playing, that it didn’t take anything away from the song. Calmly, he unplugged and set down his guitar, went to his case, retrieved a new string, went back to his guitar, and proceeded to restring and tune at the front of the stage for the next 25 minutes—or about one and a half GYBE songs. When he started playing again, the different was inaudible. It didn’t matter, he knew it didn’t matter, and now I wonder if his amp was even on in the first place.

» Listen to Godspeed You Black Emperor at Dead Flowers

 —Andrew Womack, Feb. 28, 2007

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Listening • Terrified of New Music

Right now there are a number of upcoming albums that have the mp3 bloggers blogging up their lunches in excitement. And anticipation-wise, I’m no exception; however, ever since the Stone Roses’ Second Coming let down the entire world (I’ve reversed my position) and played no small role in the ensuing breakup of the band, I’ve been wary of follow-ups to major albums.

So I hope you can understand my concern here.


* * *

The band even your stepsister likes, the Arcade Fire, has a new album out on March 6. It’s called Neon Bible and leaked tracks are going up so fast and being removed-at-the-request-of-the-band even faster—you’ve really got to hand it to someone in their camp for having this page bookmarked. Trying to track down these songs is just annoying enough to make you go buy the album. Wait a—

What I’m afraid it’s going to sound like: the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack

What I’m hoping it sounds like: Jagger ’74


* * *

The big news about Bloc Party is that A Weekend in the City, their follow-up to 2005’s Silent Alarm, finally, officially sees the light of day on Feb. 5. Or is the big news that the band’s lead singer, Kele Okereke, is gay? Decide for yourself, but with the swarm of interviews that arrive on an album launch, you’re probably going to hear a lot more on this topic.

What I’m afraid it’s going to sound like: Sugababes

What I’m hoping it sounds like: like Silent Alarm without the insurance commercial

» Listen to “The Prayer” at Red Blondehead


* * *

So far I’ve liked every single Explosions in the Sky album, but when All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone comes out on Feb. 20, what I really want to hear is just something… different. This one has me really worried, because I wonder it the Panthers actually have what it takes to go all the way in the playoffs.

What I’m afraid it’s going to sound like: Godspeed You Black Emperor IV

What I’m hoping it sounds like: something with vocals, seriously

» Listen to “What Do You Go Home To?” at the Rich Girls Are Weeping


* * *

Here cometh the answer to Low’s magnificent 2005 album, The Great Destroyer. Filled with a lot of epic menace, that album marked a sharp departure from the band’s otherwise narcoleptic catalog. Given said departure, however, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect when Drums & Guns arrives March 20. Based on the title alone, I’m only guessing it’s a real party record.

What I’m afraid it’s going to sound like: old Low

What I’m hoping it sounds like: more of The Great Destroyer would be fine, really

» Listen to “Violent Past” at There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You


* * *

Ambient noodlers Stars of the Lid have the distinction, for me, of putting on, in 1996, perhaps the worst live show I’ve ever seen—boooooring. Five years later, I was (and still am, actually) bowled over when I heard the very extraordinary The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid. So I will definitely want their new album, And Their Refinement of the Decline, which comes out April 2, but don’t wake me up until the Stars of the Lid Lazer Show is on at the Planetarium.

What I’m afraid it’s going to sound like: ProTools

What I’m hoping it sounds like: the music Steve Jobs jams on Starship Apple, circa 2010

» Listen to “A Meaningful Moment Through a Meaning(less) Process” at Pitchfork

 —Andrew Womack, Jan. 17, 2007

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Listening • Our Favorite Tracks of 2006

Rosecrans Baldwin’s Favorite Mp3s of 2006

“Ain’t No Other Man” by Christina Aguilera
I think I’ve several times performed dance routines to this song.
» Listen to “Ain’t No Other Man”


“Smile” by Lily Allen
Why don’t other seasons get songs? The summer afternoon party anthem.
» Listen to “Smile” at Pound for Pound


“Fidelity” by Regina Spektor
Still irresistible, a hundred listens later.
» Listen to “Fidelity” at The World Forgot


“Your Eyes Are Liars” by Sound Team
Hard to pick one song from my favorite album of the year.
» Listen to “Your Eyes Are Liars” at Rock Insider


“I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” by the Arctic Monkeys
Also—hard to pick one song from my favorite album of the year.
» Listen to “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” at Kwaya Na Kisser


“Born Under a Bad Sign” by Richard Hawley
And yet again—hard to pick one song from my favorite album of the year.
» Listen to “Born Under a Bad Sign”


“Pick Me Up on Your Way Down” by Jimmie Dale Gilmore
See above—favorite album number four.
» Listen to “Pick Me Up on Your Way Down” (opens player)


“Roscoe” by Midlake
The lead single from Thom Yorke’s solo album in my fantasy world.
» Listen to “Roscoe” at Both Sides of the Mouth


“Boy From School” by Hot Chip
I miss clubbing.
» Listen to “Boy From School” at I Guess I’m Floating


“Block Rock” by Ghostface Killah
Makes me wish I had a car and some children to scare.
» Listen to “Block Rock” at Gorilla vs. Bear


* * *

Llewellyn Hinkes’s Favorite Mp3s of 2006

“The Orchids” by Califone
Bright, acoustical joy.
» Listen to “The Orchids” at Aquarium Drunk


“Wildcat” by Ratatat
A live-action video game soundtrack.
» Listen to “Wildcat” at Gorilla vs. Bear


“LDN” by Lily Allen
No reason why I shouldn’t be sick of this song by how much I can listen to it on repeat, yet it just hasn’t happened.
» Listen to “LDN” at Both Sides of the Mouth


“Cut From the Cloth” by the Evens
Was there another album with actual lyrics this year?
» Listen to “Cut From the Cloth” at Wolf Notes


“Shake” by Ying Yang Twins ft. Pitbull
Original, catchy Miami bass beats (ignore the lyrics) made by mental patients.
» Listen to “Shake”


“Please Visit Your National Parks” by Oxford Collapse
Is it possible to go back and do the whole Braid influence thing again but without venturing into pop and screamo?
» Listen to “Please Visit Your National Parks” at The Underrated Blog


“Buchstabe” by Knorkator
I like my industrial music like I like my women—gutteral, German, and absurdist.
» Watch the video for “Buchstabe”


“Children’s Christmas With Steak Knives” by Diamanda Galas vs. the Jingle Cats
Nothing says Christmas like “Meow meow meow meow STEAKNIVES meow meow meow meow.”
» Listen to “Children’s Christmas With Steak Knives”


* * *

Andrew Womack’s Favorite Mp3s of 2006

“Soft & Warm” by Voxtrot
This year Voxtrot won the hearts of everyone who likes to cry while blogging. Sorry—whilst blogging.
» Listen to “Soft & Warm” at Under the Rotunda


“Phantom Limb” by the Shins
I will admit to having lost all faith in the Shins. I will admit to saying this because I want you to believe I hate Garden State. But only if you admit how perfect this song is.
» Listen to “Phantom Limb” at Who Killed the Mixtape?


“Wasted State of Mind” by …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Pianos and tribal drums are probably too expensive to hurl off the stage at the end of the show. Bravo to a new sound and more cost-effective tours.
» Listen to “Wasted State of Mind” at The Underrated Blog


Viva Voce, “We Do Not Fuck Around”
Profanity never solves anything. Except maybe songwriting dilemmas.
» Listen to “We Do Not Fuck Around” at Chromewaves


Certified Bananas, “Call Around You”
What happens when your Tortoise records turn up in your Montel Jordan sleeves.
» Listen to “Call Around You”


“The Fall” by Peter & the Wolf
A stripped-down acoustic track that’s all drone-y vocals. My kind of song.
» Listen to “The Fall” at Whiskey & Apples


“I Never Cared for You” by Willie Nelson
A few months ago I bought a copy of Willie Live off eBay for $156K. On the back a previous owner had written: “Hot Smokes.” Hot damn.
» Listen to “I Never Cared for You”


“Through the Wire” by Belaire
A re-interpretation of a Kanye West song off The College Dropout, as performed by English majors.
» Listen to “Through the Wire” at Gorilla vs. Bear


“Angus” by Aux
You only have one chance to hear this song for the first time. And when you do, I’d like to see your eyes at the 1:30 mark.
» Listen to “Angus” at Instrumental Analysis


Loudon Wainwright III, “The Swimming Song”
Whether it’s a metaphor or really about swimming, this was my favorite song this summer. And thank you, petroleum producers of the world, for now making it summer all year round.
» Listen to “The Swimming Song”


 —The Writers, Dec. 20, 2006

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Listening • Choosing Music for Storms and Whatever Comes After

It’s November, and it’s raining in Brooklyn. Unlike almost every other day, music didn’t feel quite right on the way to the subway. At least none of what I scrolled through on my iPod.

Of its many extrasensory qualities, something profound about music is its ability to alter moods. Right now it’s storming outside, and not in that comforting way, not for me, not when I look down at the broken umbrella by my foot. If ever there were one, this is a mood I would like to alter—but which way should I go? Should I temper it? Or enhance it?

That answer is entirely a matter of personal choice, one that should be rendered moot, however, in the company of others. When choosing music as a group, a consensus is often quickly reached; everyone goes with whatever, since—hopefully, anyway—the mood of the group will overwhelm the mood of the music. The people who choose to let the music be more important than the group, are choosing the role of the buzzkill.

On the other hand, listening to music alone brings with it an entirely different setting and options, but it also means something else. Especially where iPods, or rather unshared iPods are concerned, this is an anti-social choice: I’m choosing to listen to my music alone, I’m choosing to not share, and I’m choosing to choose my mood.

If choosing to listen to music as a group is a social act, and choosing to listen to music alone is anti-social, the only thing left—short of silence—is to not choose at all. One way to do this is by listening to the radio, which is thus pro-social listening—or listening for people who wish there were other people around, or, if they are, then wish there were different other people around. Which makes for an uneasy thought when the only other person in the car starts scanning the dial.

We love to alter our moods, we love to do it with music, but the only way to do so and still get along at parties and on road trips is to do it alone. Today, of course, with a sturdy internet connection and the proper tools, we can swing our moods as often, and as precisely, as we like.

And though showers are predicted throughout the afternoon and evening, and my shoes are still drying—just in time to get wet again—I can truly say I wish it were snowing instead. But until it gets cold enough for that, I’m hoping for a lovely day tomorrow.

 —Andrew Womack, Nov. 8, 2006

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Listening • Prog (Not Prog)

If you lived in Austin right now, you’d have every right to be angry. The reason: last weekend’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, which must be something like the opposite of South by Southwest, given its more mainstream lineup. (Howdy, John Mayer!) As a former Austin resident, I can testify it’s almost impossible to erase the wear and tear on a city after tens of thousands invade for a weekend and treat it like their own personal toilet. If you want proof, look at New York City.

And so while current Austinites are still scrubbing down Zilker Park, I can’t vouch for what, if any, ill effects the ACL Fest may have had—I wasn’t there. In fact, as far as I knew, Austin City Limits was only a show on cable-access TV. About 10 years ago I was majoring in audio production at the University of Texas and had an internship for the ACL studio tapings of international bands who were in town for South by Southwest. My duty was to watch over the main audio console, listen for any problems that might arise—somebody’s amp was getting too loud, a mic moved—and adjust the levels to compensate. During breaks the crew would hang out at a set of park benches outside the studio and pound tall-boys from the back of the producer’s truck. And then we’d all go back inside to tape the next band.

Based on Chris at Gorilla Vs. Bear’s enthusiasm for ACL Fest, I’m guessing things have changed dramatically. If his 20-track “Austin Mixtape” is any indication, ACL Fest was a great time, provided you were hanging out with him.

» Hear the Austin Mixtape at Gorilla Vs. Bear


* * *

The audio production major track at UT was actually very easy to get into. Part of the Radio, Television, Film program at the University, it was the least desirable, and, in post-graduation terms, least lucrative track. That meant it was a snap to get into the actual audio classes; there was rarely a waiting list. The result was a group of students who were either really excited about being the next Butch Vig or who were more interested in the film or television tracks, but lacked the dedication and patience necessary to get into the required courses.

When you stop and consider that kind of sluggishness, from people who are in their late teens and early twenties, that’s when the fact that multi-instrumentalist (and 2006 Tournament of Books judge) Nell James is 17, and is writing and recording her own prog rock—that you realize determination is everything. That’s right: prog rock. Sixteenth notes, time signatures, dragons, the works.

» Hear Nell James’s new album, Tempus


* * *

Prog rock is a difficult beast to understand, much less tame. What’s great is that it’s never really gone away—there are still musicians who look at everything that’s cool and hip and that has righteous hair and they say, no thanks, we’re going to unleash the prog. While the genre has progressed (sorry) way beyond Yes, there are often comforting reminders of Chris Squire and co., as sandwiched between two slices of metal in Chrome Hoof’s “Tonyte.”

» Hear “Tonyte” at 20 Jazz Funk Greats


* * *

Prog rock experienced a number of incarnations throughout the ‘70s, beginning with the more “art” rock of student types like Yes and King Crimson, through the more technically challenging (and taste-challenged, some might say) works of Rush, and even into some of the emotional bombast that epitomized Journey, or the devotion to complicated guitar licks, as from any of a number of metal acts into the early ‘80s. At the same time, there was a band that was going in a completely different direction*, R.E.M., whose new retrospective of their I.R.S. albums has a lot of people remembering—or, in some cases, admitting—how much they love the band. You’re already freaking out about hearing “Harbourcoat” again, aren’t you?

» Hear R.E.M. on Rockpalast, October 2, 1985 at rbally

*No, the Aerosmith cover doesn’t count.


* * *

There’s talk that Klaxons are the new KLF. And though that might be true (they’re quite good), I wonder: Could they just be the KLF in disguise? I mean, without mobile phones the size of your head, but still, there is a precedent for this sort of thing.

» Hear Klaxons at Disco-Not-Disco

 —Andrew Womack, Sep. 20, 2006

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Listening • Seeking the Jam of the Summer

Now that Labor Day has come and gone, and summertime is officially over, and you’re regaling your friends with tales of Canadian girlfriends and Mexican boyfriends and getting tiny coffins sent to you in the mail, it’s time to ask: What was the jam of the summer?

First you have to set some parameters: Was the jam of the summer that one song you and your friends sang along to at three in the morning on more than one occasion in the past three months—and rarely outside your car? No, it’s not. That’s your jam of the summer and it’s OK if it was Panic! At the Disco or We Are Scientists. It’s your jam, but it’s not the jam of the summer. If the Boston Globe is to be believed, the true jam of the summer was Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” (“an oddball R&B ballad about insanity”). Given its chart-toppery and the fact that I heard a drunk singing it at a bar on Flatbush, the Globe gets partial credit on this one. Because “Crazy” couldn’t have been the absolute summer jam—did you even like it that much?

No, the jam of the summer cannot be a divisive issue; it is, after all, the song upon which we all agree. Despite this, I’ll say I had my own personal summer jam: Loudon Wainwright III’s “The Swimming Song,” which was linked in the very first installment of this column—at the beginning of the summer. Many thanks to Said the Gramophone for tipping me off to that one.

» Hear “The Swimming Song” at The Rawking Refuses to Stop!


* * *

Over at Scissorkick, Steve Marchese sets the bar for the summer jam: “If you think Sinbad would be into it at Reggae Sunsplash.” That sounds about right. He points to Tommy Guerrero as the source of this year’s summer jam, at least for East Coasters.

» Hear “Just Ain’t Me” at Scissorkick


* * *

Could Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” be the jam of the summer? Please no—and there goes its unanimity. But speaking of radio hits, how about Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man?” It was late to the summer, but that shouldn’t compromise its contender status.

» Hear “Ain’t No Other Man” at The Daily Growl


* * *

Which makes me wonder if we’ve even heard Summer 2006’s jam yet. JP at Music for Robots reminds us all the 2003 summer jam—one of the greatest of all summers—wasn’t even out until fall: Outkast’s “Hey Ya.” JP’s pick for the jam of this summer is Pigeon John, who’s label-mates with Tommy Guerrero on DJ Shadow’s Quannum records, which means maybe DJ Shadow is working the summer jam angle?

» Hear “Higher” at Music for Robots


* * *

On the other hand, Peter, Bjorn, and John may have secretly been storing away the summer’s best song. Though it won’t qualify as the jam of the summer, it’s superb, and remarkably summery. Don’t miss this.

» Hear “Young Folks” at CrazyTalk


* * *

Beyond compare, however, the all-time greatest summer jam is “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. This song, and the great feeling it evokes, is the singular reason Smith still has a career. From the moment this record hit, the sky was the limit: become a movie star, get put on a thousand magazine covers—and nothing, not even starring in two movies with Martin Lawrence, has yet brought him down. “Summertime” was his ticket to everlasting goodwill. Download it today and play it for four months from now, and you’ll understand why.

» Hear “Summertime” at Indie Don’t Dance

 —Andrew Womack, Sep. 6, 2006

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Listening • Mp3 Digest: August 23, 2006

Every Christmas morning, my mother would construct elaborate treasure hunts—one for me and one for my brother. We’d get a riddle whose solution would lead us to another spot in the house (or when she got elaborate, the subdivision), where we’d find an envelope that contained another riddle, and so on until we solved the final riddle, which would lead us to that year’s “best” present. One year, when I was seven, my brother, who is seven years older than me, received a Casio synthesizer with a built-in drum machine that had six different rhythms and a tempo control, 32 different preset sounds, and a keypad that produced a thick, fuzzy bass. “Rad” doesn’t begin to approach this instrument. I coveted it for an entire year.

The next Christmas, at the end my treasure hunt, I received my own synthesizer: a tiny, pink, toy one with no bass keys and no class. My father was waiting there to snap my photo when I found it, and I caught sight of him, then burst into tears. Not because he scared me, but because my keyboard sucked and so did Christmas.

When my brother left for college, I liberated the Casio from the top of his closet. Now it’s at the top of my closet, but I’m not crying about it.

» Hear “Dance Sweet Dracula” by Thrust Lab at 20 Jazz Funk Greats


* * *

I recently wrote about “not-quite cover versions,” songs that are based on existing songs—and could even be the same song—but stand on their own, hardly inviting comparison to their original source music. Over at Moistworks, the Overton Berry Trio’s extraterrestrial, souled-up version of “Hey Jude” follows in this vein. (Don’t miss Ramsey Lewis’s “Dear Prudence” and “Cry Baby Cry” or Donny Hathaway’s “Jealous Guy” or the Wailers’ “And I Love Her” or—don’t miss any of it.)

» Hear Beatles soul covers at Moistworks


* * *

If you ever thought you knew jazz flute, you did not know it until you heard the Kashmere Stage Band’s cover of the “Theme From Shaft.” Now you know jazz flute. Brilliant stuff.

» Hear the Kashmere Stage Band at Gorilla vs. Bear


* * *

If you like early ‘90s guitar rock like My Bloody Valentine, Smashing Pumpkins, and even Swervedriver, you will like Silversun Pickups. But if you totally love Silversun Pickups but don’t know who any of those other bands are, then don’t worry about it. (Didn’t your dad listen to Smashing Pumpkins?) Silversun Pickups’ new video is the bees’ knees, though.

» Watch the Silversun Pickups’ video for “Well Thought Out Twinkles” at Blown by the Wind


* * *

With Lollapalooza back in business, it’s 15 years ago all over again. It’s enough to make you drop your smart drink—but wait, it wasn’t all silly. Remember Dinosaur Jr.’s version of “Just Like Heaven?”

» Hear Dinosaur Jr. live from Lollapalooza 1993 at rbally


* * *

Viva Voce, who will soon be touring with Silversun Pickups, are getting a lot of attention right now. The anthemic “We Do Not Fuck Around” is a good reason why. It’s like “We Will Rock You” but for indie-rock types who play soccer in blue jeans. And expensive blue jeans, so watch out.

» Hear “We Do Not Fuck Around” by Viva Voce at Earfarm


* * *

Album of the Week: The Thermals’ new album, The Body, The Blood, The Machine, was released yesterday. Political music that’s crappy is too frequent—though never acceptable—but the Thermals are relevant no matter who’s in the White House.

» Hear “Test Pattern” by the Thermals at My Old Kentucky Blog

 —Andrew Womack, Aug. 23, 2006

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Listening • Funeral Rider

Available at the service to all attendees must be a compilation of the below songs, as specified by the deceased. The music should be distributed in whatever format is deemed appropriate in that era of technology. On a space tape, or whatever.

» Hear “Time Thief” by the Pale Saints at Pogoagogo


* * *

The music played during the service should be nothing too obvious; the following songs must be avoided:

• “Wild Horses”
• “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”
• Anything by Morrissey

However, to comply with the deceased’s life-long love of the Smiths, an instrumental should be included.

» Hear “The Draize Train (Live)” by the Smiths (this mp3 has been removed)


* * *

Photographs covering the deceased’s life are acceptable, and should cover his entire life’s span, as much as possible. The baby photo where he is pants-less and pointing at the bathtub may now, as the deceased decreed when he was 11 years old, be available for all to see.

» Hear “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” by Stevie Wonder


* * *

The body should be dressed in the “new waver” style favored by the deceased in the late ‘80s. Look in the back of his closet for the garment bag marked “SAVE” for the proper outfit. Included with the outfit is a photo of the deceased from that period. The mortician is free to use whatever creative techniques necessary to ensure the clothing fits. If no hair is available to style as depicted in the photo, some should be procured, preferably through legal channels.

» Hear “But Not Tonight” by Depeche Mode at Looking at Them


* * *

The deceased’s guitars should be displayed near the body. They should not be arranged in a V-shape or anything resembling an altar. Funerary wreaths in flowers appropriate to that season may be draped over the necks of the guitars; however, no more than one (1) wreath per neck.

» Hear “Show Me Mary” by Catherine Wheel at 100 Records


* * *

The funeral service will end soon after the deceased’s body is jettisoned into orbit around his home planet.

» Hear “Regret” by New Order at The Rich Girls Are Weeping

 —Andrew Womack, Aug. 9, 2006

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Listening • Not-Quite Cover Versions

Would the opening sequence in The Royal Tenenbaums have been as effective set to the Beatles original recording of “Hey Jude?”—as Wes Anderson first imagined it? I’d say no way: Mark Mothersbaugh’s instrumental version, prepared especially for the movie, though very much like the original, engineers a greater effect—there’s a more upbeat swing, though it’s hardly a complete departure from the Beatles’ version. And so could anything be more appropriate for introducing viewers to the alternate—yet fully formed—reality of the Tenenbaums and their surroundings than an alternate-world version of one of pop music’s most famous songs? The result is phenomenally transporting.

Which has got me thinking about how truly expressive those songs that are just a step away from their originals can be. They’re not quite cover versions—which are more artists’ reinterpretations of the original songs, the rare opportunity to scat “Eleanor Rigby,” say. No, what I’m talking about is simply playing a new version of the source music.

What I’m be talking about is a kind of Muzak, only not in its strictest, most saccharine sense.

» Hear Mark Mothersbaugh’s “Hey Jude” (this mp3 has been removed)


* * *

The unstructured piano music of non-composer Erik Satie (1866-1925, which makes him classical D.I.Y., you see) is also featured in The Royal Tenenbaums. And though the piano recordings are gorgeous for sure, the melodically percussive nature of the songs lend themselves to being plucked on classical guitar, as discovered by guitarist Pierre Laniau, and later by Steve Hackett (formerly of Genesis) and his brother John.

» Hear Pierre Laniau at Popsheep


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One of the true appeals of Muzak is when you finally recognize the song that’s had you pinging around your brain while shopping for room deodorizers. Maybe it was the oboe that tipped you off, but yes, it’s definitely “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number.”

The contemporary equivalent of that twinge of discovery is offered in mash-ups, which we can hardly appreciate any more, given the glut of them as well as the sneaking suspicion that computers may make the work a lot easier than it sounds. It’s that wariness that makes a 1977 proto-mash-up like the Residents’ “Beyond the Valley of A Day in the Life” so honestly impressive.

» Hear the Residents at Marathonpacks


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I have long held that electro-guitar duo Ratatat are not merely hipsters with guitars but devout worshippers at the altar of guitarist and frequent Brian Eno collaborator Robert Fripp (who founded the League of Crafty Guitarists to build that same altar). And though the thick harmonics on “Tacobel Canon” (ha) are unmistakably Frippish, the beatz are all theirs.

» Hear Ratatat at The Rich Girls Are Weeping

Also Ratatat’s own is that pun on Pachebel’s Canon, which brings further evidence of the influence back to Eno, in light of his delicate rearrangement of the piece on 1975’s Discreet Music.

» Hear Brian Eno’s “Brutal Ardour” (this mp3 has been removed)

 —Andrew Womack, Jul. 19, 2006

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