Fluxblog Weekly #188: T'Pau, Malkmus, The Internet, Phosphorescent
November 28th, 2018
Hard On The Heels Of Something More
T’Pau “Heart and Soul”
“Heart and Soul” overlaps and contrasts two lead vocal parts, both performed by Carol Decker. One part is sort of rapped in a cool voice over a hazy, atmospheric synth-bass groove, and the other is fiery and emotive, like Ann Wilson from Heart in power ballad mode. There’s a subtextual trick here that Sleater-Kinney would further develop and refine a decade later – the colder and more rhythmic voice is more wordy and cerebral, while the warmer, more melodic voice is all unfiltered passion. In this case, it’s the “rational” mind and the “emotional” mind processing the same situation.
Decker is singing about being in love with someone who sends her mixed signals, and while half of her mind is hyper-focused on analyzing the situation, the rest of her is just openly pleading for more love and validation. The part of her that’s overthinking everything is tightly wound and cautious, but she sounds absolutely certain in the chorus. She knows how she feels, she knows what she needs, she knows what she wants this person to say and do. This part seems to burst and cut through the clutter, a pure unedited thought calling out to be felt and understood.
In this song, and in several Sleater-Kinney classics, the message is clear: Don’t trust the overthinking mind. It’s the neurotic part of you that sabotages everything, that fears the worst and makes it come true. It’s the thing in your mind that obsesses on “mixed signals” and then makes you send out your own. The raw emotional part of the song is the truth, and it’s the honest and open communication that makes true love possible. It’s not a mistake that it’s the boldest, loudest part of the song.
Buy it from Amazon.
November 30th, 2018
Cynical Pinnacles
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks “Solid Silk”
Stephen Malkmus is the kind of artist who from a distance seems to always be doing his Stephen Malkmus thing, but has actually been constantly growing and evolving for three decades. As he’s aged he’s become more refined. The melodic sensibilities he’s always had have remained the same, but his compositions have become increasingly tidy and intricate. “Solid Silk” represents a new extreme in this regard – the folky melodies are lovely and straightforward but rendered as elegantly as possible in crystalline guitar parts and a string arrangement that seamlessly shifts from smooth elegance to mild melodrama. Up until now, Malkmus has kept the sophistication of his craft hidden in his characteristic looseness and casual swagger, but now he just seems bored by playing it cool. He doesn’t seem to be embarrassed about showing off or letting his guard down emotionally.
“Solid Silk” has no clear narrative, but Malkmus pulls together a set of thoughts and images that indicate a vague, low-key disappointment and discomfort. Romantic moments are revealed as artifice and affectation, money and privilege is depicted as insulating and soul-numbing, and ordinary life is presented as endless, pointless competition. But despite how cynical this all seems, Malkmus’ voice is gentle and slightly bemused. He’s not angry or bitter, just sort of resigned. The song is like an elaborately constructed sigh.
Buy it from Amazon.
November 27th, 2018
Puppy Love Butterflies
The Internet “Come Over”
Syd’s vocal performance on “Come Over” is low-key but very nuanced – she’s presenting herself as assertive and seductive, but she’s perceptive enough to figure out that her approach just isn’t working. She’s too pushy, or maybe too needy? Or maybe it’s just the wrong night. Maybe she’s reading too much into things. Maybe she’s getting flat-out rejected. She doesn’t verbalize any of that, but you can hear it in her voice when she’s singing even the most forward and confident lines in the song. Syd’s vulnerability is unmistakeable, and it’s nicely contrasted by the Steve Lacy’s rhythm guitar, which is funky in a firm and rigid sort of way. The groove sounds very certain, and as the song goes along and she seems less secure, the tone shifts subtly from seductive to desperate.
Buy it from Amazon.
November 26th, 2018
Anything Is Fine
Phosphorescent “Around the Horn”
I have never heard a song that approximates a Neu! “Hallogallo” beat that I have not liked. As far as I a am concerned, there’s just no way to fuck up that krautrock metronomic groove. “Around the Horn” doesn’t even go full Neu! – the pulse is there, but Matthew Houck pushes it in an Americana direction, like Southern rock reconfigured for the Autobahn. The back half of this song is magical, and makes me wonder why no one had ever thought to crossbreed The Band with Kraftwerk. It works surprisingly well, and seems to speed towards an endless horizon while Houck’s vocal seems focused on emotions long gone in the rearview mirror.
Buy it from Amazon.