Some Songs Considered

“You Wanted a Hit” - LCD Soundsystem
(Words: James Murphy, Music: LCD Soundsystem, available on This is Happening, DFA/Capital 2010)  

Music Diary Project Day One (Context here)

Off-Key Teenager - Two lines of “Pretty Girl Rock” (Keri Hilson) 

The first song I heard came at work, overhearing a kid walking in the hallway singing two lines from this song - “It’s not my fault so please don’t trip / Don’t hate my ‘cause I’m beautiful.” It’s noteworthy because after hearing the remix with JennyMack (who is also doing the Music Diary Project) I told her that specific line alone (plus a solid beat and catchy melody) would make that song a hit. 

“You Wanted a Hit” & “Home” - LCD Soundsystem

These two were the first songs I listened to by choice today in the car on the way home. I’ve had bits of both of these songs stuck in my head since seeing LCD Soundsystem this weekend (and I promise this post will be the last I have to say about them for a while!). 

“You Wanted a Hit” specifically reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from Pitchfork’s annotated discography. In it, James Murphy says, “instead of writing an op-ed piece, I have a band that’s an op-ed piece.” It’s a pretty terrific line to summarize that certain type of the band’s songs (Matthew Perpetua comes to a similar conclusion today on Fluxblog regarding “Yeah”), and “You Wanted a Hit” fits that well. If only more op-eds came with similarly icy synth melodies. 

“Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” - Marvin Gaye and “Graveyard Girl” - M83 

Listened to both with headphones while grocery shopping. They were from an old mix I had on shuffle, and I’m sure that I had good reason for having both of them in the same mix. Regardless, I hadn’t heard either in a while and it was good to hear them both. 

“Hey Hey What Can I Do” - Tim Palmeri (Led Zeppelin cover)

My friend Pete posted a link to an Archive.org show from Tim Palmeri, who fronts a jam band by day and occasionally plays random cover filled shows at a local bar in between. Most notably, Palmeri performs with a loop pedal, which lets him solo while “accompanying” himself. (Also, this is one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs).

“One Shining Moment” - Luther Vandross 

This is the song CBS uses for their NCAA tournament montage. I only caught the end of the game, but it looks like it was ugly, ugly basketball. 

Conclusions: None really. I was kind of busy today and didn’t have any “appointment listening” or extended car trips or long periods at my desk (when I wasn’t writing in silence), so there wasn’t a whole lot to catalog. I imagine more in the forthcoming days. 

What did you listen to today?

“Kim & Jessie” – M83 
(Words/music: Anthony Gonzalez, Yann Gonzalez, and Morgan Kibby, available on Saturdays = Youth, Mute 2008)

If Anthony Gonzalez painted rather than writing songs, he would fill his canvases with bright colors.  His melodies burn brightly, often popping out from the rest of the track, especially when played on a synthesizer.  When Gonzalez pairs these clear synth melodies with his own hazy vocals and the subdued backing track, the melodies stand out like bright neon bolts across the sky.  Calling his songs “cinematic” feels too easy, especially when Gonzalez included clipped bits of dialogue along with his soundscapes.  Instead, they evoke emotion the same way a painting might evoke emotions in a gallery; it’s less about the plot details, and more about the mode of expression.

“Kim & Jessie,” described by Gonzalez on his website as “two teenage girls having a drug experience,” works not because Gonzalez works like a painter rather than a screenwriter.  We don’t get a lot of details on the protagonists or specifics of their experiences, but these aren’t necessary.  Instead, Gonzalez paints just enough of the scene, capturing the euphoric rush and invincibility of youth.   His arrangement underscores these feelings too, whether it’s through the larger-than-life drums or the eerily bubbly synthesizer accompanying him during the verse.  He also pairs the rushing endorphins with a faint threat in the distance.  Whatever it is “lurking in the shadows,” be it drug-fueled paranoia or simply the awareness that this vibrant night will eventually end, stays just far enough away to make its presence known without revealing any of the details.  Similarly, the music hints at this threat, whether it’s the way the synthesizer lingers on one chord during the bridge or the way the synthesizers sometimes sound vaguely like screams.  Gonzales lays all of these emotions out on his sonic canvas, letting us find different aspects to explore each time we listen.  Whether focusing on the vibrant energy, the unspoken darkness, or some other emotion mixed in the haze, it’s up to us to take in the entire painting.

More on M83: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm