Song #1: Gustavo A. Santoalalla - De Ushuia a la Quiaca
Submitted by: Thomas Alley
What he had to say about it: I've been listening to Gustavo Santaolalla a lot lately. The song "De Ushuaia a la Quiaca" is his most hauntingly beautiful and reminds me of Argentina.
First impressions: Beautiful. How come I cannot make my charango sound
like that? It is hard for me to describe why, but this song somehow sounds like
the regions described in its title. I feel like the flute (in the album version) is meant to represent
the wheels and whistles of a train. The charango (or more accurately, he is playing a ronroco here, a baritone charango) is the mountains and
landscape, passing by. An amazing performance.
Over the course of the week: Argentine music is especially important in my family, owing to the two years we lived there together. One of the most unique opportunities we had was to travel the country North to South, East to West. The song's title refers to Argentina's southernmost and northernmost extremes, separated by more than 5,100 kilometers (about 3,700 miles).
Santaolalla is an extremely important figure in Argentine music. He was one of the pioneers of "Rock Nacional," the country's combination of rock and Argentine folk. He later focused on composing, winning an Oscar in 2007 for composing the music for Babel. This song portrays his love for his homeland through his utilizing both instruments and folk music native to the region. In this relatively short composition, he manages to evoke the beauty and diversity of a country that features deserts and jungles in the North and penguins and glaciers in the South, with a myriad of cultural differences in between.
Also, you might be wondering what a charango is. It is basically a lute with a very unique construction: it is traditionally built out of an armadillo shell. While my charango is made completely of wood, my brother has the armadillo version.
Pairs nicely with: Grand Archives - Topsy's Revenge
So, this song doesn't have much of anything to do with Argentina and much more to do with Thomas Edison murdering an elephant, who then plots its revenge. I encourage anybody who does not know this story to watch the Bob's Burgers episode entitled "Topsy." Here's a clip:
My mom thinks I am cruel when I play "Topsy's Revenge" in her presence; songs about sad animals reduce her to a sobbing mess. So, this song has become off-limits when she's around. Still, I've chosen it today because it is sounds so similar to "De Ushuaia a la Quiaca." The heavy reverb; the sparse, acoustic instrumentation; I am even suspicious that they might be playing a charango in the recording (live videos show them using ukeleles, but it sounds different. Also, they've recorded a tango song, so I wouldn't put it past them to use a charango). So, enjoy the saddest song about an elephant that you'll ever hear (that includes that song from Dumbo)!
Song #2: Shaun Barrowes - Moon River
Submitted by: Jaclyn Day
What she had to say about it: Late
addition, but Moon River by Shaun Barrowes. My freshman year, Shaun was sitting
at a booth at BYU selling his CD and I bought it on a whim. One of the best CDs
I ever got, and I particularly like this song. I'm not sure what it makes me
feel nostalgic for, but that's the feeling I always get when I listen to this
song.
First impressions: Well now, that’s a nice voice there. I can sense
the nostalgia too, and a sad one at that. Kind of the sadness of leaving things
behind. Did I mention that that’s a nice voice?
Over the course of the week: Many listeners might recognize this song from Breakfast at Tiffany's. It came out at a time where jazz pieces were giving way to rock and roll, so record labels were resistant to release it, thinking it would not appeal to teenagers. So it is interesting to me that the two most famous versions is Audrey Hepburn's, where she is shown playing it on guitar, and Andy William's totally square version, which more fully embraces its jazz leanings. It is appropriate then, that Barrowes, who seeks to bridge the divide between jazz and alt-rock, has managed to record a version that is truthful to both genres.
I also especially enjoy Neil Finn's version, because I enjoy almost everything Neil Finn.
Pairs nicely with: Crowded House - All I Ask
For some reason, this song came to mind every time I listened to "Moon River." It carries that same sad nostalgic feeling for me, along with jazz-heavy instrumentation and Tim Finn's amazing voice. When I came across that video of his brother Neil (and true Crowded House frontman) singing "Moon River," it was a sign that the pairing was meant to be.
Song #3: Sufjan Stevens - Romulus
Submitted by: Erin Alley Peters
What she had to say about it: It's a really simple but lovely song, but I
think what really makes it shine are the lyrics, which are also really simple -
to go along with the music - but still manage to convey a lot of depth and
emotion about this kid who has been abandoned by his mother and how he makes
this progression from almost worshipping her to being ashamed of her. The
detail about touching her hair, for example...that's something my own boys did
when they were little in an "I love you mommy, you're so pretty kind of
way." Then later in the song, his mom callously colors her hair after the
kid's grandfather dies, and instead of wanting to touch her hair, he realizes
he's ashamed of her. I also love the line after their grandfather bought them a
VCR -"we watched it all night and grew up in spite of it." Perfect.
One more thought...One thing I love about this song and Sufjan Steven's music
in general is that, for the most part, the meaning is completely clear but each
line is carefully and deliberately written. A lot of times when a songwriter
writes straightforward lyrics, they end up with the kind of meaningless,
cliched drivel in pop songs, so I think many songwriters avoid that by making
their lyrics so obtuse that it's hard to understand what the song is about.
Sometimes it's fun to listen to music like that, but I also really appreciate
how Sufjan Stevens can write very straightforward lyrics that are still full of
poetic depth.
First impressions: I am a Sufjan fan, but I am embarrassed to admit
I have yet to listen to “Michigan.” He is the master of
melancholy story telling in song. I prefer his songs like this where he chooses
to use a more stripped down arrangement. I believe that this song has to be
autobiographical; you can tell it in the way his voice breaks when he sings “I
was ashamed of her.” It is also fascinating how large of a story Sufjan tells
with very few actual details. He manages to establish a scene, a feeling,
characters, plot, with only 20 lines of simple lyrics.
Over the course of the week: The question I really wanted to answer was whether or not this song was based on a true story. It took quite a bit of searching, but I found a portion of an interview that says...probably. Stevens admits that his mother had drug and mental-health issues and eventually left the children. "I felt a lot of confusion and embarrassment," he says. "But
now I really think she did the most honorable thing." The beauty of the song's lyrics seems to pivot around the lines about the VCR; it perfectly contrasts his mother's absence with his grandfather's sincere, but unavoidably awkward efforts to cope with the situation. Somehow, the scene makes the whole experience relatable, in spite of how far removed from our actual upbringing it may be.
Pairs nicely with: Manchester Orchestra - Sleeper 1972
Pairs nicely with: Manchester Orchestra - Sleeper 1972
If you hadn't noticed, this is the really melancholy part of our playlist. I chose "Sleeper 1972" because it shares its sparse instrumentation and intensely personal lyrics with "Romulus." It also tells a huge story with a handful of simple lyrics. Andy Hull was inspired to write this song after having a "vision" (more like a nightmare) of his father's death. The experience haunted him, so he asked his dad's permission to write a song about it. The resulting track has all the emotional power as if it were based on an actual death in the family, but don't let its bleak subject matter prevent you from checking out this amazingly beautiful song.
Song #4: Willie Watson - Mexican Cowboy
Submitted by: Chuck Linton
What he had to say about it: Willie Watson was a member of one of my favorite
bands, Old Brow Medicine Show. They were one of the bands that inspired that
new wave of folky music a couple years back (Mumford and Lumineers and such).
As a banjo player myself I like how this particular song is just a man and his
banjo. His version of this song is very cool, like the original. When you
listen to it, it's hard to believe that it was recorded earlier this year,
sounds like a blast from the past.
First impressions: Blast from the past indeed; this would fit in on
“O Brother Where Art Thou?” Songs like this demonstrate why the banjo is one of
my favorite instruments and embarrass me by reminding me how poorly I play the
banjo. I love the intimacy of this sort of folk. There is no heavy production,
no synthetic instruments. Just a man, his voice and his instrument. It makes
the music feel more alive. We have a pretty melancholy, nostalgic, folky
playlist this week.
Over the course of the week: This song isn't just old fashioned, it is old, like 1800s old. The first published version of this song is in the early 1900s, but it describes events from the 1870s. It is kind of amazing to me to have a true cowboy song like this survive more than 100 years later and still be accessible to modern ears.
Pairs nicely with: Nickel Creek - Ode to a Butterfly
Chuck said he selected "Mexican Cowboy" partly because of Watson's banjo technique. If there was an artist I'd love to have teach me technique for a day, it's Chris Thile: God of the Mandolin. I know there are significant style differences between Watson's old time music and Thile's modern bluegrass, but I think the two artists have more in common than differences between them. There was a time in my life where I actively avoided anything that could even accidentally be played on Country radio stations, but then my mother and I discovered Nickel Creek, the gateway drug into bluegrass. Now, folk and bluegrass are two of my favorite genres.
Song #5: CAKE - Arco Arena
Submitted by: Josh Alley
What he had to say about it: I have
never really cared about lyrics in songs, which Jaime chastises me for. I just
make up my own lyrics as I sing along with songs. And with a lot of my favorite
artists, I just have no clue what they're saying half the time. I really love
when musicians just do instrumental music. Cake has always been one of my
favorite bands, and I love that they also include some instrumental stuff on
their albums. I love that the Beastie Boys have done the same thing. More
musicians should do this, in my opinion!
First impressions: Josh:
Do you have lyrics for this song? Because you should share them. The entrance
of the guitar and drums after the intro made me jump. The lead riff fits in well
with other songs this week, especially “De Ushuaia…” I like how the riff has
this haunting (a popular word this week) groove, while the guitar has the
slow-burn jam to it. Short, but effective.
Over the course of the week: It turns out other people felt like writing lyrics to this song, the first being CAKE themselves (which apparently seems to be inspired by the Sacramento Kings' difficulty in being a basketball team):
The other being a relatively unknown artist by the name of JAY-Z.
I agree with Josh. The choice to go instrumental keeps a song's meaning open for interpretation and can make it more powerful. This does not mean that all songs should go lyric-less, of course, but it is an avenue I would be interested in seeing more bands explore. Several bands I have shared in this series (for example, Coheed and Cambria, Grand Archives, and They Might Be Giants) have featured instrumental tracks.
Pairs nicely with: A. Armada - The Dam Was Split But the City Was Saved
Josh, did you know there are rock bands that play nothing but instrumental songs? They are often called "post-rock" and the most famous example is likely Explosions in the Sky. I would also recommend This Will Destroy You. I chose A. Armada for two reasons. First, they are extremely unknown and awesome. Second, for some reason and in spite of the huge style differences between this track and "Arco Arena," when I play the two songs in order and that last drum beat in "Arco Arena" hits and then is immediately followed by the first beat of "The Dam Was Split," it just seems like it was meant to be. "The Dam Was Split" also serves as a good introduction to the genre, so welcome to the marvelous world of post rock!
That's playlist #6. Just one more to go!
