The Random Ten #18

#1) She & Him – “I Should Have Known Better” – Volume One (2008)

I’ve heard nothing but good things about She & Him, the American indie-folk duo comprised of actress Zooey Deschanel (she) and songwriter M. Ward (him). Until now, however, I’ve never actually took the time to listen to any of their material. “I Should Have Known Better” has a luau-lounge sound, like something you’d hear at a dimly-lit, red-tinged Chinese restaurant’s bar. Like a lot of luau-sounding music, it floats by easily, nudged along by the soft alternating vocals of the two musicians. It’s pleasant and professional, but a bit airy.

#2) King Crimson – “The Great Deceiver” – Starless And Bible Black (1974)

Along with Yes and perhaps early Genesis, King Crimson is thought of as one of the quintessential zany 70s prog-rock groups. They’re best known for what people call “the album with the crazy face on it” (In The Court Of The Crimson King [1969]), but the band has released about 100 other albums since then.

“The Great Deceiver” alternates between a pseudo-rant from singer John Wetton and bursts of unfocused power that contain some inventive riffing. The song eventually devolves and starts going all over the place, introducing new tempos and movements at random. It’s not quite good, but it’s certainly interesting.

#3) Modest Mouse – “The Good Times Are Killing Me” – Good News For People Who Love Bad News (2004)

Good News For People Who Love Bad News is the album that contained “Float On”, a hit that sent Modest Mouse from little-heard indie rock darlings to rock superstars. They’ve yet to replicate the runaway success of that song, though their 2007 follow-up, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts.

Most Modest Mouse songs fall into one of two categories: frenetic and hectic or contemplative and subdued. “The Good Times Are Killing Me” falls into the latter group, though lead singer Isaac Brock still sounds as manic as he usually does despite the softer tone. The title and subject matter of this song always struck a somber chord with me; the idea that the “good times” are just booze and drug fueled parties that are really wearing us down rather than providing us with any long-term happiness. Modest Mouse has a knack for looking at basic ideas with an esoteric slant. Good song.

#4) Megadeth – “Psychotron” – Countdown To Extinction (1992)

Countdown To Extinction is a criminally underrated metal record that stands with anything else Megadeth released before it, and probably represents their last complete album. “Psychotron” has great riffs and is forceful enough to get its message across, but it loses points for the ridiculously stupid chorus, during which Dave Mustaine sings:

Part bionic
And organic
Not a cyborg
Call him psychotron

You see, the song is about a half-man, half-machine sentient evil robot. Really dumb. That’s the problem I have with a lot of metal at this point in my life. The music still sounds good, but the lyrics not only are inane and unenlightening, but cause me to cringe with second-hand embarrassment. Too bad, because everything else is good here.

#5) Sunset Valley – “Matinee Idol” – Icepond (2001)

“Matinee Idol” is good, soft indie-rock surrounded by a low and contemplative buzz. It features understated guitar and vocals that wisely eventually break into a jarring electric guitar part to liven things up. After this sequence repeats a couple of times, the song takes on a trance-like atmosphere and begs for another listen.

#6) The Magnetic Fields – “I Shatter” – 69 Love Songs (1999)

Released on the second volume of the three-volume concept album 69 Love Songs, “I Shatter” is really cool and really strange. It features a repeating violin (or some such stringed instrument) with vocals that are put through an effect that makes them sound simultaneously monstrous and robotic. The juxtaposition of these vocals against the classic sound of the strings provides an interesting dynamic that is charmingly strange. “I Shatter” is a bit of a curiosity, but it’s worth a listen for its inventiveness.

#7) Stone Temple Pilots – “Big Bang Baby” – Thank You (2003; originally appeared on Tiny Music…Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop [1996])

“Big Bang Baby” was the lead single from STP’s 1996 album Tiny Music…Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop. Stone Temple Pilots was a singles machine throughout most of the 1990s, churning out a slew of mainstream rock hits that were fun to listen to and immediately caught attention.

It’s too bad the band didn’t have more depth beyond its hit-making abilities, because they certainly had ample talent and knew how to write hooks and choruses. “Big Bang Baby”, like much of their output, is formulaic and predictable, but it’s energetic, fun, and easy to get into. Sometimes big, dumb rock can be rewarding, and STP’s collection of singles is proof of that.

#8) Grateful Dead – “West L.A. Fadeaway” – In The Dark (1987)

“West L.A. Fadeaway” was written about John Belushi and his descent into drugs and subsequent early death. It is culled from the Grateful Dead’s unexpected hit album In The Dark, which contained their biggest chart hit in their career, “Touch Of Grey”.

The song bounces along nicely, though it does sound quite dated (you wouldn’t have to guess when it was recorded too many times before landing on 1987). It has the requisite jam and is allowed to breathe through a semi-majestic chorus. “West L.A. Fadeaway” is a decent song, but it’s hard to shake the idea that a lot of the Dead’s 80s studio work sounds overproduced, too glossy and too manufactured, meaning it barely sounds like the Dead at all.

#9) Big Star – “She’s A Mover” – Radio City (1974)

Big Star lead singer and guitarist Alex Chilton recently passed away a few months ago, and when I saw Wilco in April, they closed their set with a Big Star song, “Thank You Friends”. It’s easy to hear the influence Big Star had on Wilco and other contemporaries.

“She’s A Mover” is tight but twangy indie-sounding rock, with a brief runtime and just the right amount of hooks to bring the listener back for more. The song sounds like it has one foot in the past (the Beatles influence is evident) and one in the future, because we’re now aware of what this influenced. A really good song.

#10) Dire Straits – “The Man’s Too Strong” – Brothers In Arms (1985)

From the album that produced gigantic mid-80s hit “Money For Nothing”, “The Man’s Too Strong” is more of a folksy ditty than a rock anthem. It’s refreshing to know that there was a time when an album that sold about ten million copies could have a song that sounds like this on it; it would be an impossibility now.

That’s not to say “The Man’s Too Strong” is very good. It’s atmospheric in an 80s way (synths and guitar effects) and quite boring throughout. It doesn’t sound like anything that would accompany “Money For Nothing”, but I respect Dire Straits mastermind Mark Knopfler a little more for that.

John Lacey