Originally conceived to introduce a friend to some of my favorite music, NSS has evolved to an exploration of the contemporary canon. We look at one band each day through the lens of a single song to distill the canon of an assortment of subgenres of contemporary popular music. Some entries will be unequivocal best song entries, others will merely be the most representative of a band’s output, and still others will be selected for resonating in peculiar or interesting ways. Hope you enjoy!
139) We Were Promised Jetpacks — Quiet Little Voices (These Four Walls) (2009)
I’m on an airplane with spotty Internet service, so I’ve decided to pick a short, kinda-perfect song from a band about whom I have little else to say. We Were Promised Jetpacks are a part of that post-Arab Strap collective of Scottish bands who do not fear letting their brogue flare out (a la Frightened Rabbit and the Twilight Sad). This song is best listened to loud and in a place where you can sing along. The rest of their output is fine if immemorable and their live show is supposed to be legit, but I haven’t had the pleasure.
Jenn Wasner is the big, badass force behind Wye Oak, snarling through her guitar and looping intricate imagery through her forceful but delicate voice. And her lyrics are similar: strong and independent, but vulnerable. She’s been hurt but she’s callous now. ”Holy Holy” is their best song for its great lyrics and its perfect use of volume. (The loud/soft distinction is a pervasive theme throughout their work; contrast with the tender “Doubt.”) ”Civilian” is also a great song that explores the vulnerability and is beautiful, but lacks the immediacy and force of the above.* And yes, Jenn is the force behind the band, but it is a band because of Andy Stack’s underrated drumming, synth, and harmony work, which is simply exquisite. One of my favorite bands of recent years, who seem to be only growing in their comfort with their sound.
* I abolsutely love their cover of The Kinks’ “Strangers” from The A.V. Club’s Undercover series, which is back for its third run.
I’ve been struggling with this one for weeks now. I find Björk’s music too intense to revisit frequently, but when I do I always find it profound, meaningful, and exotic. Her vocal dexterity is magnificent, truly radiating the grandeur of the pop music she makes. And each track seems to pull from diverse elements, whether Baroque composition or traditional Icelandic folk. While traveling the well-worn pop tropes of love (falling in and out) and relationships, Björk manages to find keen, unique insights nonetheless (whether that’s in the quirky intimacy of ”Hyperballad” or the erotic preparation of ”Pagan Poetry“). I find “Unravel” to be the most unequivocally beautiful song and “I’ve Seen It All” the most heartbreaking and moving. I think “Jóga” is the standard-bearer for her work, though, because it features her most impressive vocal work,* and it combines some of the best of the electronic production with traditional compositional elements.** It is missing some of that majesty (in spades in early 90′s club banger “Big Time Sensuality” and angry fist-pumper “Army Of Me“).*** And it’s hard to think of Björk in terms of her purely musical output when so much amazing collaboration has gone into her edgy and gorgeous music vidoes (in addition to those songs already mentioned, I’d point to “Bachelorette,” “All Is Full Of Love,” ”Human Behaviour,” among others.) She’s eccentric and inscrutable at times, but has made so much interesting, beautiful, and powerful music.****
* I find the vocals on Medúlla to be incredibly impressive (see, e.g., “Pleasure Is All Mine,” ”Show me Forgiveness,” and “Who Is It?“) but in a far more technical, academic respect. The songs seem to be missing some of the raw emotion and aesthetic of her earlier works.
*** Of course, no song in her oeuvre is going to be totally exemplary when she dabbles in so many genres and tones, from the utterly subdued “Possibly Maybe” — which I can’t hear without recalling VH1′s late night theme for “Insomniac Music Theater” — to the musical theater of “It’s Oh So Quiet” to the haunting “Hunter” to the fragile, sincere “Hidden Place” to those including all manner of instrumentation (“Crystalline“) or audio effects (“Earth Intruders“).
**** Unrelated, but the Björk stalker story is a totally crazy and compelling look into celebrity obsession.*****
136) The Cave Singers — Seeds of Night (Invitation Songs) (2007)
Formed from former members of the disbanded Pretty Girls Make Graves (NSS 104), the Cave Singers have a very different sound, anchored by Pete Quirk’s unique, nasal voice and their rustic, backyard drink-and-play vibe. Even as they’ve honed and tightened their sound and production (and moved from Matador to Jagjaguwar) my favorite track of theirs has been their very first one. It’s got this tremendous knee-slapping energy that works whether you’re in a late night porch singalong or mustarding south on I-whatever-5. It’s loose and shaggy, just like the band itself. Seeing the Cave Singers back in Seattle was always fun because it had the feeling of going to see the best band at a high school battle of the bands just kill it. Seeing them years later in New York was still fun (and they’d continued to make some great tunes, most notably ”Beach House” and “Swim Club“) but it all felt a little more grown up and serious. At the end of the day, with this sort of roots-revival music that gaine prominence in the late aughts in Seattle, we’re not looking for something as innovative and exploratory as we are in something that takes us to a place of comfort and peace.
135) Andrew Bird — Plasticities (Armchair Apocrypha) (2007)
A classically trained multi-instrumentalist, Andrew Bird brings a sense of elegance and mystique to the indie pop world. There is something really special about seeing him live as he constructs his songs brick-by-brick before the audience, using a loop pedal to layer different melodies and harmonies into the track. His voice may be his most fascinating instrument as he alternates dulcet lyrics with rich imagery against whistling and muted talk-singing. ”Plasticities” is such a wonderful track for Pretty Song Friday, a beautiful track with a bit of edge. I’m also very high on “Imitosis” “Fake Palindromes” and “Scythian Empire.” I haven’t found myself as transfixed by his most recent records — Bird himself seems occupied with trying different experimentation in classical and bluegrass works as well. I quite enjoy “Natural Disaster” and “Eyeoneye,” though.* If embarking on the AB journey, I’d grab Armchair and listen to it straight through. You’ll be whistling in no time
* I also ride for this intimate performance of “Lusitania” with Annie Clark (St. Vincent). And “Anonanimal.” Okay, I guess I like his recent stuff, too.
134) Jurassic 5 — Jurass Finish First (Quality Control) (2000)
Four emcees, two DJs, a fresh dose of intelligence, and a west coast, laid back attitude made Jurassic 5 one of the freshest sounds in alternative hip-hop in the late 90′s.* Their initial EP showed their pinache for weaving different lyricists into the fray over the scratches of Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist. “Concrete Schoolyard” is the clear highlight, if for no other reason than exposing the unique baritone of Chali 2na. Quality Control is their unrivaled highlight. The eponymous track is a veritable mission statement for the group — bring in a fun-loving backyard atmosphere and pass the mic around to talk about how hip-hop can do better. It’s a trope that grew tiring over the years, but that was refreshing at the time. It was Motown-retro hip-hop (see also “Great Expectations“). And damn Chali 2na has the coolest voice ever.** ”Jurass Finish First” is the pinnacle of QC, as they break away from some of the more pedantic intelligent aspects, and let the beat pick up some of the work. The next record, Power in Numbers, wasn’t bad (and did better on the charts), but their moment seemed to have passed. (“What’s Golden” is legit, though.)
* True story: I went to see Jurassic 5 at Irving Plaza on fall break in 1999 and it was a fucking incredible show. I believe that I may have freestyled to Chali 2na in an effort to get him to sign my vinyl. I also definitely stole an ashtray from Double Happiness and took a 5:30am train back to Princeton, NJ, so all in all a pretty normal night.
** His “Join The Dots” with Roots Manuva is super dope.
Sometimes the significance of the elements of a band are utterly misleading. When I hear a band described as orchestral or chamber pop, I immediately think of a slightly twee, delicate sound. But Annuals betray that notion, delivering anthemic, rollicking orchestral rock music. On “Brother,” they surround a fluttering violin line with a thumping, yelling, propulsive rock song, leading to a special kind of fusion. The Raleigh band spun off an act called Sunfold that was a Triangle institution when we were in college. While Sunfold was more or less a four-piece rock band, Annuals (particularly in this debut record) plays in some really interesting spaces within this fake-construct of orchestral and avant-garde pop. The band is at its best when it is dropping its jams and/or ballads over freaky weird electro-synth sounds (“Carry Around“; “Ida, My“) and at its least inspiring when it is creating straightforward pop-rock (“Mama“). Though the record is worth giving a listen, “Brother” remains the only essential piece from my perspective.
132) Wolf Parade — I’ll Believe In Anything (Apologies To Queen Mary) (2005)
Although we’ve already covered one Spencer Krug outfit in Sunset Rubdown (NSS 43), Wolf Parade brings a more complementary version of the frontman as he collaborates with Handsome Furs’ guitarist Dan Boeckner in Wolf Parade (not to mention an Arcade Fire drummer and Isaac Brock’s production on the debut record). Although nominally a side project, they’ve dropped three LPs and an EP, all of which have excellent content. The undeniable highlight of the catalog is “I’ll Believe In Anything,” a spazzy-perfect combo of power drums and guitar with trippy synth and Krug’s inimitable vocals. It’s an energetic ball of escapism and hope that won’t be denied. Other highlights of Queen Mary are the Boeckner-led “This Heart’s On Fire” and the rifftastic “Grounds For Divorce.” ”Shine A Light” is also a great, Springsteened-out track that was also featured on the EP. Although they never reach the heights of the debut LP, the other records all have their moments. I can’t get enough of “Language City” in At Mount Zoomer (but don’t think I’ve ever made it through all of “Kissing the Beehive“). Admittedly, I didn’t spend enough time with Expo 86 before I got sidetracked by other Krug side projects.
