the taming of the hands

for the pier

Intentions

The whole point of this day is for me to do a blog day about an artist i really admire, but keep a real sense of mystery about him. In my thinking mystery=distance and to create the greatest distance I would try to insert more of an authorial voice into this day than is called for. that would obfuscate stuff. Ultimately I pulled back though. so much that I thought about making this day a simple playlist of imbedded youtube and imeem media. that didn't work either. what you're reading is a what I came to in the end.

I'll believe anything pt 2

so, here's the video for I'll believe in anything. Maybe i overkilled this song earlier. If I was single I'd play it for girls. I'd gauge their reactions. that would be key. they would see so much in me. things would fall into place. who knows. Regardless, The video's noteworthy because it's Barry Lyndon on a budget production adds so much, and contains excellent sound design and overdubbing of effects. I love when randomn narratives intersect. that what happens here.

Blog days should have interviews with the celebrities they are celebrating. I tried to break that rule, but couldn't.

I can't really pinpoint what I find so compelling and magical about the art of Spencer Krug.
I've thought about it. I don't think it's the music he writes. While I think it's genius I don't think it's key. The production is what it is. By and large it's of the standard indie rock type. Just what you would expect. I guess that leaves his voice/vocals. As a lyricist I'm in total all consuming awe of the effect's he achieves. The voice in which his lyrics are written has this studied effect I could spend a lifetime trying to fully comprehend. I'll say this: Spencer Krug's lyrics combine removed, flirty coolness with an emotional immediacy I can only call neediness. they take place in a closed world that is, seemingly, his own invention. It's really so much more though. his voice is frequently off key. I imagine it finds itself flabbergasted to be in the world it finds itself in. I here, in his singing, a sense of joy at how close he is able to come to achieving that which he intends to, however the over reaching effect is melancholy when it realizes the gap between his intention and his execution. More laconically- every syllable Spencer Krug sings seems to contain at some base level an internal struggle against the urge to commit suicide because of it's own failure.

My friend Dave and I both love the song I'll believe anything. It was first released on the Sunset Rubdown album Snake's got a leg, but I believe we're in the majority who first heard it in the more fleshed out Wolf Parade version from Apologies to the Queen Mary. The song's easy to love. It's low hanging fruit. It's a crowd pleaser. I don't care though. Somehow it sustains the complexity of a less immediately likable track. Another way to say this is that I tend to grow tired of songs of songs I immediately fall in love with but this song is different.

imeem both versions