These songs are all so visceral. Especially with headphones. All music is that way, yes? But each of these take me, often throw me to a particular place. It is mostly not comfortable. I will try to be specific with each one individually. It should be said though, that it is overall a very coherent statement. Seems quite intentional. I’ll try somehow to articulate what that statement seems to be. Maybe I’ll be able to, maybe not.----------------------------
This is your best album since the mix I made in ’92.
This is your best solo album. Should it be called a solo album? Ty is all over it. I maybe understand the technology, but I don’t totally understand how he fits so well. It is still home recordings, room above for better mix and sound etc. but it’s a few levels above what’s come before.
Boomdigga: This may now be a top 3 or 5 favorite rich song. Almost all of the pieces are fantastic. Texture. And the feel. The whistle thing is incredible, and perfectly restrained. The steady drums and cymbals. The wuhh wuhh (guitar?) Sound, the clapping. The vocal mix and effects works great. I take the lyrics as a call to action, and as the first song on the album it serves that function also musically. Literally to dig down deep below the world that’s been built, or a more internal deep down digging… the guitar at the end is an 8 out of 10. The sound is just great, the feel of how it’s played, messy, sure handed but also searching and getting a little bit lost, the partial over the topness.
Oakland State Song: unlistenable
Las Calaveras: great everything about it. This is one where I don’t know how you guys aren’t together playing. Probably almost as fun to listen to as was to play.
Autumn: the arc of a dead bird falling: I may have not heard this enough to have my fully formed sense of it. I’ll say what I say now, and then see where I go with it as I live with it. I like the sound overall. I think the drum loops are pretty great. They are not Ty, which would be better. They are a little perfect, but that’s a minor point. It makes for a good, full sound, ready for radio. It’s both the lyrics and the singing that I haven’t quite settled into yet. The beginning lyrics and “Autumn is the arc of a dead bird falling” is such an incredible image and feeling. The following “the shape of milk in your mouth” isn’t quite there, though it’s still evocative enough of some kind of feeling to match the opening verse… then the “all of our everything headphones and cocoa” - I just don’t get it. It seems like a love it or hate it line. I’ll probably love it down the line. For whatever reason my first take was that it was trying too hard, a little too Beck-ish, trying too much (whereas there are several Beck-ish moments throughout, especially in Boomdigga that seem more authentic I guess). Like I said, there will probably be many who think that line is super cool. The singing style is just almost on the wrong side of pretentiously phony, but I actually think it works for me. There’s somewhere in that line that is an issue – is this ironic irreverence, or is this earnest and personal? Not saying one is good, bad, or better approach than the other. Also, I think that some sort of tension between those 2 sentiments is a very rich area to work in, which you have before (I have often wished that I had more of the irreverence myself). Maybe it’s not resolved in this song? Maybe it’s actually riding right in that place of tension, and that’s what I’m picking up on, and there’s just a few things making me uncomfortable. Maybe that’s good. Great guitar work. It would be a good Bruised Orange song (so would Boomdigga, and NM state song, if not others too).
New Mexico state song: Maybe this is my favorite? I love the anthem – y feeling. It does have that pounding, building, U2 feeling, like I can’t quite ever play it loud enough, or like I want to climb up and sing it from a mountaintop. Drums are a little restrained – maybe that’s the mix. The “keyboard” sounding thing, whatever it is is great. Guitars are all working great. There is an incredible song underneath what is maybe just a very little bit too much distortion on the vocal, or again maybe that’s a fantastic tension. The main lyric line is hauntingly, heartbreakingly, beautiful. So are my high harmonies throughout while driving over the bay bridge.
Widowmaker: spooky, a little scary, in some way maybe more unlistenable than #2.
Pacheco street: I do love the guitar hook. And I do love the lyric and the whole thing. I don’t take it so seriously. It feels like it should grab me more than it does. Maybe it actually doesn’t groove as much as it could/should. It feels more like a goof than something that want to be heavily critiqued. I guess maybe it could go further though. The ending synth part is cool.
You are clearly ready to come out of retirement. [ed. note: clicky]
El Vado @ Otterfarm
El Vado @ TBB
El Vado @ AKD
Dainel Paige is co-founder of The Beggars Trail and other music/art meanderings through a long, distinguished career offline.
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