Some Songs Considered - Posts Tagged 'glenn kotche'

About the Blog

A daily music blog of memories, analysis, criticism, and ramblings - soundtracked by rock, pop, hip-hop, indie, etc.

Written by Brian Wall

A slightly longer explanation (and disclaimer) here

Search Posts

Follow SSC On:

RSS
Tumblr
Twitter

Elsewhere on the web

Meta

RSS feed
Archive
Random

August 22, 2009

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“Where Will You Go?” – The Minus 5
(Words/music: Scott McCaughey, available on Down with Wilco, Yep Roc 2003)

Over the past decade, Wilco evolved from a critical underdog into a full-on rock juggernaut. Still, while audiences at Wilco shows swelled in the past year, some fans started to long for their earlier, alt-country roots. Yes, it’s hard to see that same band in the one routinely playing nine minute guitar epics, but Wilco have routinely worked in several different genres. Their 1999 album Summerteeth encapsulated the band’s classic pop tendencies, melting down their folk, country, rock, and pop roots all into a well-orchestrated batch of songs. These were the sort of songs Scott McCaughey writes in both the Young Fresh Fellows and the Minus 5 – songs that lean heavily on power-pop melodies often with a wry lyrical twist in them. McCaughey collaborates with a different set of musicians on each Minus 5 album, and Wilco’s contribution on Down with Wilco seems like the perfect fit for all parties involved. Wilco, stuck in that well-documented limbo between getting dropped by Reprise and landing on Nonesuch during Down with Wilco’s recording, could keep busy in the studio while McCaughey gained a backing band capable of a wide range of sonic textures.

“Where Will You Go?” would be a good song without Wilco’s help, but it’s percussionist Glenn Kotche who brings this song to another level for me. Specifically, I love the marimba line that follows the guitars like its shadow. It gives the song a unique feel and adds another melodic line that stays just enough out of the limelight. Additionally, the non-melodic percussion suits the song perfectly too, as he integrates shakers and sleigh bells in with his traditional drum kit. These are subtle differences, but they make each section of the song just different enough to take notice. Most importantly, Kotche knows the difference between putting his skills to use and eclipsing the song’s best elements. All of his work serves McCaughey’s song well, leaving the melody and backing harmonies alone in the spotlight. It’s these subtle additions – Kotche’s percussion, the distinctively snarling guitars, and the quick changes in dynamics – that helps to maximize McCaughey’s pop sensibilities.

More on The Minus 5: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

3 Tumblr Notes

Comments (View)

March 19, 2009

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“Laminated Cat” – Loose Fur
(Words: Jeff Tweedy, Music: Loose Fur, available on Loose Fur, Drag City 2003)

I’m always fascinated by the way that songs change over time, whether through a rebirth through someone else’s interpretation or through the natural evolution from its humble beginnings to a final, recorded project. In the case of “Laminated Cat,” the song lives a double life, existing in the Wilco world as “Not for the Season.” While Jeff Tweedy recorded this version, dubbed “Laminated Cat” for some strange reason, with Jim O’Rourke and future Wilco percussionist Glenn Kotche in 2000, the trio’s collaboration sat on the shelf until 2003. In the meantime, “Not for the Season” appeared on the leaked demos for the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album as a straightforward rocker (to be fair, I don’t know when these demos were recorded and if they predate the Loose Fur record). “Not for the Season” was my introduction to Wilco as an incendiary live band, as they opened their show in Providence the day after Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’s release. By this point, “Not for the Season” sounded a lot like “Laminated Cat,” as the arrangement stretched out with feedback and guitar loops.

Still, despite a shared melody and lyrics, these feel like two different songs, and it’s difficult to declare one as the “superior” version. Some days, the demo version feels right. On those days, “Not for the Season” feels right as a song that captures the band’s transition from Summerteeth’s focused pop to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’s rougher experimentation. Other days, the stretched out drone in “Laminated Cat” captures Tweedy’s song about detachment and feeling out of place. The hum of the guitars and the repetitive nature (like the seasons) make it seem shorter than its seven minute running length. Still, the final tipping point towards the Loose Fur version is Kotche’s drumming. At some moments, Kotche plays rhythms complex enough that his parts sound like two or three percussionists working together. In a song where the guitars build atmosphere rather than create melody, Kotche’s drumming stands out as a featured player. He feeds into the looping feel of the song yet constantly embellishes, making his loops build on prior beats. It’s a fascinating both through a close listen (well, a close listen to the drums at least) or as background music, letting the song slide into your subconscious only to crave hearing it again later.

More on Loose Fur: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

4 Tumblr Notes