Tuesday, December 2, 2008

those who know how to do things



Mark Eitzel of American Music Club (lala) knows how to do anthem rock that does not leave you feeling unclean afterwards - see "Rise." He can also do devastating that leaves you broken down to base pieces, yet somehow hopeful - see "Chanel #5." He knows how to do non-anachronistic bar-band psuedo-country that sounds genius - see "The Right Thing." Lost of people can do spooky acoustic, but the good ones are copying him - see "Crabwalk (Acoustic)."

Robyn Hitchcock (lala) knows how to do singer-songwriter with nary a twinge of the cringiness that ruins it for even the best of singers and songwriters. Perhaps since his songs are semi-absurd already, he is freed from the impulse for over-seriousness, that any seriousness he brings into the mix only tightens the coupling between thought and expression, that place where Lou Reed says there is a lifetime.

Richard Buckner (lala) knows how to do the same thing with singer-songwriterness, except he comes at it from the other side - songs of crushing heaviness and suffocating sentimentatlity and remorse, sweetened and strained by his airtight control of his music.

No comments:

Post a Comment