It seems that I only really find out about classic artists from before my time through those who cite them as sources, like so many Wikipedia links in the footnotes of so many papers failed by so many irate Professors. Interpol cite Joy Division, The Arcade Fire cite The Boss (who, as previously stated by Will, is not Rick Ross), Bloc Party cite Mozzer, and Bright Eyes cites The Cure.
Such was the way I stumbled upon Daniel Johnston. Curt Cobain was a huge fan. Sonic Youth had him open for them. He did a record with Jad Fair from Half Japanese. Brand New (I can see your smirk through the screen, they updated their sound - its much more Nirvana than Nineteen-year-old-mall-punk) named their latest record after a conversation regarding this singer. One of my favourite records from the summer, M.Ward’s Post War, contains an excellent cover of “To Go Home”. Further, Matthew Good has put out a fine rendition of “True Love Will Find You in the End”" (a truly heartbreaking song due to its simplicity and directness) on his latest record. After all of these tangents converged, I began to wonder, who is this truly exceptional songwriter that I have never head of?
Daniel Johnston is a manic depressive, borderline schizophrenic visual artist from West Virginia who believes that God and Satan are engaged in a battle over his soul. I watched the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston last night, and it simply broke my heart. Read the Wikipedia entry on him for further backstory. Johnston’s recordings of his own songs are, for the uninitiated, a little jarring (read: They suck). However, when placed in the hands of more talented performers, the beauty, honesty, and simplicity of Johnston’s songs become apparent. Everyone has covered him, so if you have some favorite covers, throw some links into the comments section. I’ve also picked out one of the better performances of Johnston’s for your listening pleasure.
That’s it, that’s all. This band is absolutely amazing, and while there are few bands or musical acts that fly under my constructive-criticism-radar, the Fugitives are lucky enough to make the cut. Beyond other reasons, the Fugitives deserve the title of God’s-gift-to-new-wave-folk because they are lyrical Geniuses. I find a lot of artists in the indie movement, whether folk or not, have lyrics chalked full of metaphors that don’t make sense and/or words that sound good to music but don’t stand up without the beat…and frankly I’m sick of it.
The Fugitives lyrics are breathtaking when accompanied by an accordian, piano and accoustic guitar but also hold up simply as spoken word (no beat neccessary). The only way I can really describe the genuis of their lyrics is to quote a little (and quote a few others in contrast to really show them off):
The Fugitives: ”We built our dreams into an airport/ but couldn’t fly away ourselves/ because we’d covered the runways with bookshelves/ when we became too afriad to face/ traveling to the far corners of our imaginations/ and realizing the book was better in the first place.” (prairie eyes)
Immaculate Machine (who I love with all my heart, but just don’t compare lyrically speaking): “hear it over half-cut hedges/ spend too much on cheap umbrellas/ bought from our heroes/ maps won’t show us where we’re going/ all they are is just the boring facts/ relax.” (dear confessor)
The Fugitives: “I come to you in quietness/ and watch the day trail streamers/ like creases down your eyes/ and the whys and whens of what happens/ if time is passing/ are only a good thing/ your lips on and under my neck/ brightening like children’s lamps/ turned on in the dark/ they light sweet nostalgic kisses down my throat/ and yes/ they go down honest as the sunset/ spread like a blanket for the moon/ we sit and watch together/ as the whole world glows like a bedroom.” (french tatoo)
Crystal Castles: “broken tramp have you seen her/ I tried to love but now ill beat her/H….E…..R….P…..E….S…i can smell them through her dress/ your daddys wrong mother knows best/ she’s the one who brings me to life/ when i stab her with my hunting knife/broken tramp have you seen her/ i tried to love but now i’ve beat her.” (mother knows best…super creepy by the way.)
The Fugitives: ” I grew up amidst stained glass; I gave grave for my daily bread/ I’m a man who’s accustomed to worship/ so I want to worship you now/ to kneel before your body and rave into your flesh/ the repentant oaths of wicked men who aspire to rapture/ to shed tears that would make garlands against your skin/ to grant you a kiss fit for the king’s ring/ so I moved into your house, and I eat out of your pantry/ and every night I smell your hair, and listen to the street.” (french tatoo)
Aaron Carter: Then walked in/ The girl I’m crushin’/ And the kid spilled juice/ On my Mom’s new cushion. (Aaron’s party)
The Fugitives: “the scientists may well be God’s architects/ but their next discovery will be that the grand plan/ has been hidden in the pages/ of another religion’s holy books/ everywhere we look there is proof that life/ is just a bedtime story/ told to use by world weary journalists/ who sacrifice the truth for a gist/ that’s just a little more gory.” (headlines)
So the moral of the story is that if you want to listen to a mixture of spoken word, folk and hip hop in one breathtaking package, check out the Fugtivies ASAP (and if you’re not into folk, or hip hop, or spoken word — which is hard to believe — it’s worth it to check out their lyrics solo from their music). If you want to hear someone rhyme crushin’ with cusion…the Fugitives are probably not the band for you.
The first ever Ca Va Cool mix includes some highlights from the writers’ favourite albums, eps, and singles of 2007. I feel it is pretty representative of what was important this year in indie pop, rock, and dance (indie being a sound, attitude, and aesthetic, rather than commercial means). This was a team effort, and you know what they say about herd mentality…it’s never wrong!
Click here to download the Ca Va Cool Mixtape! [Link removed 17/01/08]
The Ca Va Cool Mixtape 2007 includes…
01. Spoon - The Underdog
02. Shout Out Louds - Tonight I Have to Leave It
03. Tokyo Police Club - Box
04. The Teenagers - Homecoming
05. The Shins - Australia
06. Radiohead - House of Cards
07. Basia Bulat - I Was a Daughter
08. M.I.A. - Paper Planes
09. The New Pornographers - My Right Versus Yours
10. Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
11. The National - Slow Show
12. Miracle Fortress - Maybe Lately
13. Two Hours Traffic - Stuck for the Summer
14. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
15. Jens Lekman - The Opposite of Hallelujah
16. Handsome Furs - Handsome Furs Hate This City
17. Feist - Past in Present
18. Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
19. Stars - Window Bird
20. The Cribs - Moving Pictures
21. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Satan Said Dance
22. Black Kids - I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You
23. Band of Horses - Is There a Ghost
24. Arcade Fire - The Well and the Lighthouse
25. Au Revoir Simone - Sad Song
Simply put, The Hidden Cameras are Canada’s premier indie pop group. And while Canada is known for the eclectic post-rock sounds of the Arts&Crafts scene and Arcade Fire, these guys are a force to be reckoned with. Up there with the best indie pop sounds of Scotland and Sweden, the cameras have made a name for themselves on the international level. This is shown by their top similar artist on last.fm, which is Suburban Kids with Biblical Names. So if you know them it should be a pretty sweet indicator. Instead of the usual whiny vocals inspired by C86 bands, lead singer and songwriter Joel Gibb opts to use his deep baritone (? I don’t really know these musical terms, maybe it’s an alto or something). And although there’s so much instrumentation going on, the vocals are never lost. It’s kind of like how Scott Walker’s vocals still dominated “Mathilde”. So enjoi a video, a few tracks, and I’ll throw in a Scott Walker video too.
I’ve loved them for so long, but I saw them this Saturday at the Grad Club here in Kingston, Ontario and I felt I needed to post. If you haven’t loved them for a long time then you haven’t listened to enough. The old stuff is all great, but their best album has to be 2006’s Awoo. Every song is great so check it out!
“Do I listen to pop music because I’m sad, or am I sad because I listen to pop music?” asks John Cusack in High Fidelity. We may not be any closer to an answer to that question, but all I do know is that this is probably one of the saddest songs I have ever heard. On top of that, it may be the best song ever recorded.
I don’t know why I’m posting this song 27 years after people started liking it, but I watched 24 Hour Party People again recently and I just think that everyone could benefit from hearing this song if they haven’t already.
