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[theinevitable]

Started trying to make my dad a mix cd for father's day, belatedly realizing I kind of don't know what kind of music he likes. I mean, I heard it nonstop for the first 18 years of my life, but listening to a new song I cannot judge whether he would like it or not. Which is resulting in a CD of acoustic guitar strumming. I know he is not crazy about loud guitars. But this is turning into a pretty wimpy CD. Ugh.

[pmcd9]

I Can See Clearly Now

I love this song so much. The Jimmy Cliff original version is also great, but this one takes it to another level.

It starts off with a plaintive Jamaican reggae beat while the singer is telling us how his life is improving. The words are positive, but the voice is reserved. He repeats the line "It's gonna be a bright sunshiney day" as if to try to convince himself. The second verse he drops the metaphor and lets on that he's recovering from depression. Then we hit the bridge with big ominous chords thundering a warning from the brass section that the danger is still lurking, but the singer defiantly cries out "look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies." Ahh... the singer vocalizes through a series of minor chords that finally resolve with an uplifting major that hits the ear like a sigh of relief. Now comes the final verse which is a repeat of the first verse except this time he sings it with confidence. Now he is sure of himself. It's gonna be a bright sunshiney day.

I also love that the singer is from Houston Texas even though this song was recorded in London with mainly British musicians.

[AugustWest]

I Can See Clearly Now

I love this song so much.

This is the polar opposite of that (great) song.

[pmcd9]

I assumed that the Jimmy Cliff version was the original because he's the Jamaican. Turns out, according to Wikipedia, Johnny Nash basically discovered Bob Marley and produced his first recordings. Wow!

[wombat]

That song is, like, deeper than I ever noticed before. Or more ambivalent? It's a bright sunshiney day - which lets him see all the obstacles in his way. Not that the obstacles are gone, you know?

[theinevitable]

I used to get really wrapped up when I was a kid with what the literal interpretation of lyrics was. That is one that still bugs me long after all the other ones.

[pmcd9]

That song is, like, deeper than I ever noticed before. Or more ambivalent? It's a bright sunshiney day - which lets him see all the obstacles in his way. Not that the obstacles are gone, you know?

Well sure, the obstacles will always be there, but if you can see them they can be more easily avoided.

[theinevitable]

In 2011, a silly lady who I had a strong emotional attachment to for some reason told me the latest Oh Sees record sucked. For some reason, I believed her and never really checked it out.

Poignant to discover today maybe the only love song I've heard them play was hidden on that album. Apparently a song originally by Creation, who I know are good from Nuggets. I really like this song. Somehow the Creation version doesn't work for me. Maybe because the idea of the supremely creepy and aggressive John Dwyer singing it kind of sloppily makes it so much more vulnerable. I was going to say "this was before Thee Oh Sees became a super-tight death groove machine" but apparently I am getting my chronology backwards and this one came between two super-heavy albums. Right before a couple that I didn't like as much. The latest ones are good, though.

The chorus does the thing I love the most, which I have tried to describe on here before. Everything "opens up" and my heart explodes.

[wombat]

Relevant to some of your interests.

Listening to 'extreme' music makes you calmer, not angrier, according to study

[pmcd9]

Listening to 'extreme' music makes you calmer, not angrier, according to study

Yeah, that sounds about right.

[theinevitable]

I'm with Paul, driving home listening to angry music always got me calm after a crappy day of serving coffee to assholes. I always had the thought that it was too bad I couldn't hold onto that angry energy a little longer until I could get to my guitar. I am rarely pissed off enough to play anything aggressive. My hands only want to play sweet/corny chord changes.

[pmcd9]

To my lovely parents.

Oh dear.

[wombat]

You know that thing where your favorite band comes out with a new song and you hate it and realize they are going in a direction you will be unable to follow? One of the advantages of age is that you've learned this is a thing that happens. It's still sad but not as shocking and heartbreaking as the first few times.

[theinevitable]

Japanese noise lady band playing a Devo cover. Something we can all agree on. (I had never heard Melt Banana and this is not at all what I imagined them sounding like.)

This reminds me of a Japanese Noise Band anecdote that I can't source. I remember reading it online somewhere. Anyway, some 90s alternative noisy band was on tour with a hip Japanese noise band, and at the end of a show they were jamming on a sloppy "fuck you oldies we're generation X" cover of Rock Around the Clock. They asked the guitarist from the Japanese band to come out and play with them and he was kind of standing there quizzically looking around at them until it came to the solo, when he played it perfectly note-for-note like the original. I think the story ended with something like "I never realized how awesome that solo was until that moment."

[jaydub]

That solo really is pretty great.
Kind of an earworm though - so I know what's going to be on heavy rotation inside my skull today...