And discovering and rediscovering a few things recently that I probably should have discovered long ago:
Whoever picked the name of this blog picked a fine musical model for this sort of fractured approach. Only recently, thanks to my band’s new drummer Mike Dank (who can in fact be referred to simply as mikedank, one briefly uttered word), have I discovered the at-times-brilliant-at-times-unlistenable world of Pere Ubu. The combined video-game-esque and sawmill-gone-wrong sounds make a lot of sense in my head during this song, even though other noisy tracks on the same album just don’t cut it for me. Dave Thomas has the distinction of being the most confused-sounding singer in my current collection. Like he’s constantly chasing a mouse around the floor while he’s singing. I can get with that.
I am not certain how many times this question has been asked, but it frankly doesn’t matter, because I’m going to ask again. Why the hell weren’t XTC at least 9086 times more popular than The Police? Granted I am a bass player so I feel a little funny in a good way every time I hear “The Mayor of Simpleton.” So there’s that. And it’s not like I hate The Police. But seriously, how does this song get relegated to the fringes of the pop music pantheon of hits? The industry makes me sad.
I will admit it: if I need a swift kick in the ass to get going in the morning, I will more often than not turn to this track. It’s not my favorite song ever, but it hits me just right. Just right.
I will admit it: if I have an ear infection in my right ear, this is usually what I use to clear it out.
And finally, if you’ll indulge me a bit longer on this, I did not actually own the final Sparklehorse album until recently. While I was a big fan of the sleek, symphonic sound of It’s a Wonderful Life, I did occasionally miss the extra static and noise of the earlier recordings and wasn’t sure I wanted to follow the trajectory all the way to Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain. Linkous’ death made the album purchase imperative, and I found that indeed Linkous does continue the trajectory toward a less fragmented, more put-together sound. It’s a testament to Linkous’ developing production chops, not always a positive development. But in this case, I don’t mind one bit.
The short, sharp rocker remains in Linkous’ repertoire. This track, second-to-last on the album, is a great juxtaposition for the final, dreary 10-minute instrumental. And the strained screaming vocals fit the driving rhythm guitars perfectly.
Here the fluid bass line carries the loping melodies and guitars on a wave of refracted bright morning sunlight. Not experimental but completely brilliant.
The C-minor switches in other contexts might read like standard pop tropes, but here they are bitter tears in your coffee.
Rattles around the edges while the keyboards cut in and out like car alarms.
No, there is nothing earth-shattering about this album. Except that it is beautiful and warm in a way other artists could only halfway aspire to. Even as it strives for more studio sheen, it is Sparklehorse through and through; completely human and imperfect.
“Whoever picked the name of this blog,” that’s hyperbole, right?!
Why the hell weren’t XTC at least 9086 times more popular than The Police?
This is a good question, especially when you consider that Partridge recommended producer Hugh Padgham to The Police. Padgham’s production work on Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity was much, much better than the work on their previous three albums. By the way, here is a fairly dull interview with him.
I think there are several reasons why The Police were more popular.
1) Until recently, touring was the way a band built its audience and The Police toured endlessly. XTC, by contrast, stopped touring just as they were starting to build an audience. Partridge had a nervous breakdown during the English Settlement tour and refused to play live anymore. So, with the exception of short promotional tours, it wasn’t possible to see XTC live. I think that really hurt them. Speaking of promotional tours, here’s an unreleased song from one I recorded off the radio in 1988:
Blue Beret
2) XTC’s music tends to be peculiarly English and sometimes just plain peculiar. The Police are much more accessible to a broad audience. While XTC were writing about chalkhills, The Police were writing about hookers.
3) The Police have a charismatic frontman. Like him or not, Sting is the total package: he writes great songs, he plays a mean bass, he sings well, and he’s easy on the eyes. Partridge just doesn’t compare in most of those categories. It’s a cruel world we live in.
Nice follow up Justin. That pretty much sums it up. Not to mention Partridge was capable of writing a lyric like “pink thing spit in my eye.”
And nice Easter egg you added to the post too.