Nostalgia
I've been having some mid-1990s nostalgia for the past few days. Please bear with me.
Archers of Loaf – Lowest Part is Free!
If an oldies station for mid-twenty-something indie rockers like myself ever came into existence the playlist would be overflowing with songs like this. Yeah, maybe it sounds almost stereotypically like 1994, but I guess that’s precisely what I'm looking for whenever I listen to bands like Archers of Loaf, or Sebadoh, or Weezer. The unfortunate part is that I suspect the (very annoying) baby-boomer, reunion tour/oldies radio nostalgia probably feels frighteningly similar to my reaction to this song. (Although, you have to admit that an Archers of Loaf reunion would be kind of awesome.)
[buy]
Built to Spill - Kicked it in the Sun (Live, Acoustic)
For any of you who know the 1997 Built to Spill album Perfect From Now On, it's probably kind of jarring to hear this song played on an acoustic guitar. On the album it almost sounds like it's being played outside somewhere and you're listening to it through an open window or from underwater. There's so many layers, and everything's drenched in so much reverb that sometimes it's hard to keep track of what's a guitar, or voice or moog. But, even stripped of all the studio tricks and effects pedals, this version of the song is no less captivating or confusing. After listening to this a few times, I started to realize that the complexity was never really a product of the instruments or production at all but, instead, is the result of the song itself basically consisting of an entire (good) album condensed into a little over six minutes. Enjoy.
[buy]
Archers of Loaf – Lowest Part is Free!
If an oldies station for mid-twenty-something indie rockers like myself ever came into existence the playlist would be overflowing with songs like this. Yeah, maybe it sounds almost stereotypically like 1994, but I guess that’s precisely what I'm looking for whenever I listen to bands like Archers of Loaf, or Sebadoh, or Weezer. The unfortunate part is that I suspect the (very annoying) baby-boomer, reunion tour/oldies radio nostalgia probably feels frighteningly similar to my reaction to this song. (Although, you have to admit that an Archers of Loaf reunion would be kind of awesome.)
[buy]
Built to Spill - Kicked it in the Sun (Live, Acoustic)
For any of you who know the 1997 Built to Spill album Perfect From Now On, it's probably kind of jarring to hear this song played on an acoustic guitar. On the album it almost sounds like it's being played outside somewhere and you're listening to it through an open window or from underwater. There's so many layers, and everything's drenched in so much reverb that sometimes it's hard to keep track of what's a guitar, or voice or moog. But, even stripped of all the studio tricks and effects pedals, this version of the song is no less captivating or confusing. After listening to this a few times, I started to realize that the complexity was never really a product of the instruments or production at all but, instead, is the result of the song itself basically consisting of an entire (good) album condensed into a little over six minutes. Enjoy.
[buy]
posted by ian at 10:11 PM
5 Comments:
wow wow wow! Thanks, Ian. I was stoked when I saw the kicked it in the sun stuff in draft form. Yipppeee!
I'm 35, have a 2year old son, and you just made me feel old.
Thanks.
This is an amazing version of kicked it in the sun....speachless
Thanks for posting these songs Ian. It love it when you hear tracks that instantly transport you back to those rather annoying formative years but still make you feel good about them. BTW, I have always prefered the acoustic version of Kicked it In the Sun. DM just sounds so much more desperate and real. When I played the link, I heard my wife singing along from the other room. Good stuff. As for the Archers song... it just makes me smile when I hear that EP. I think that I remember the day you brought it home.
archers of loaf are up there with 764-Hero and Silkworm as my favorite sounds of that era... damn if Vee Vee and All The Nations Airports aren't great f'in records.
Post a Comment
<< Home