Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
The Kill Power Hour #053 - American Water (1998)
39 Plays1 year ago
We're in the top 3's, which means we're not f*cking around anymore, and songs from these albums will probably be played at our funerals. Eric's up first with his 3rd favorite album of all time, the Silver Jews' 1998 album 'American Water'. Eric loves the perfection of the language and the sloppiness of its performance, but Tyler and Tucker come around and are even able to connect the Jews' influence to bands like Sebadoh and Flight of the Conchords. Enjoy!
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Kill Power Hour and Theme
00:00:05
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Kill Power Hour, a podcast where three friends spend the better part of an hour arguing and explaining why monsters can't get along with other monsters. Each week we go through one item on our top ten lists. We're currently on albums and this week we'll be discussing my third favorite album of all time, ninety ninety eights American Water by the Silver Jews.
00:00:25
Speaker
I'm your host, Eric, and as always, I'm joined by my best friend, Tucker. Hey, I'm the guy. And my best friend's little brother. Hey, I'm on time. You were. Yeah.
00:00:36
Speaker
Yeah, you said said the time and you showed up on the time. Yeah, by showed up, I mean. Impressive. I was at my house. True. That's also very true. and pressed a button.
00:00:47
Speaker
So I'm just going to come out and just be like, say this. I knew it. Favorite album of all time. No, well, no, that's not, I have many things to say, but I i don't under, there's so much overlap with Malcolmus.
00:01:05
Speaker
Can you just boil this down? Like, was this a pavement thing or not?
Silver Jews and Pavement Connection
00:01:11
Speaker
It was not. the Pavement, so Malcolmus, think one other guy from pavement, and David Berman, who's the lead singer and songwriter, yeah and and the only constant member of the Silver Jews,
00:01:23
Speaker
They were all living together in New York City working at the Whitney like as museum guards. Which is so freaking cool. Oh, my God. They were just just... David, I think, got the idea of like creating a fake band.
00:01:37
Speaker
and And then they just started recording these songs. And that became The Silver Juice. At the same time, Pavement's putting out their very first records and blowing up, especially when Slanted and Enchanted came out, which was named by David Berman. Oh, weird. so So early on the press, a lot of people thought The Silver Juice was a Pavement side project.
00:02:03
Speaker
And if you look at The Silver Juice recording history, the first album, it's all of Pavement. and Second album, Nobody From Pavement. Third album, the one we're talking about tonight, American Water.
00:02:15
Speaker
Only Stephen Belkman's from Pavement's on there. Oh, weird. So he's, he I think Berman, and rightly so. I mean, that this was his thing. He didn't want to be in Pavement's shadow.
00:02:27
Speaker
Oh, because pavement was popping off pretty quickly when they... Oh, yeah. They exploded. Silver Jews never really got that famous. No way. Because
Record Labels and Silver Jews' Contract
00:02:37
Speaker
they... Well, they never really toured either, like, until the very end, so... And so... Okay. Okay.
00:02:47
Speaker
So why this would be so much better live. I'm very curious about also being, maybe you're going to get into this, but i just need these questions answered for me. Like drag city to me is like, was always like a really cool label.
00:02:59
Speaker
Totally. And they're a Chicago label. And I think if you are a Chicago label, having a band from the Jersey, New York, that like area, like, It's weird. Like, for instance, as this is my point of comparison, like all the fucking bands on Saddle Creek for at least the first, I don't know, I'm just going to take a stab, six, seven, eight, nine years, they're all Omaha bands.
00:03:24
Speaker
They're all Nebraska bands. Maybe we're eking out into further parts of the Midwest. I'd have to fact check that. But like, how does a band like this end up on a Chicago label?
00:03:37
Speaker
I don't think it's...
David Berman's Struggles and Legacy
00:03:39
Speaker
that normal for labels to be hyper regional. Yeah. Especially in the 90s. I don't know. You got Rhyme Sayers doing it too. Okay, but that's like a small indie. Drake City. There's like 10,000 labels, or there was in the 90s. Yeah, I mean, it's just one man's opinion here, or question.
00:03:56
Speaker
Yeah, no, I don't know. That's a great question for youre wrong whoever's at Drake City. You're wrong. I'm sure with pavement blowing up and that association, it helped.
00:04:08
Speaker
David Berman get a record contract. Yeah. You know, but, and he probably didn't want to be on Matador because that was Pavement's label. So I don't like angsty about, he's like, like bummed at his success or like, what's the problem here? Yeah. I think he's a, he, I mean, he, he committed suicide. ah I think he was a cantankerous guy who had like,
00:04:34
Speaker
probably hyper mania followed by severe depression. The
Discovering David Berman and Silver Jews
00:04:41
Speaker
guy that sings. Yeah. Yeah. Hard to work with. I mean, Pavement was going to record the second album with him and he just stormed out of the studio, like just completely abandoned the sessions. And then Pavement was like,
00:04:53
Speaker
Okay, I guess we'll record an EP since we have this fucking studio booked for the time. So they just recorded their own thing. Oh, that's crazy. um So did you come to David Birdman through Pavement or Pavement through David Birdman or just completely separate situations?
00:05:08
Speaker
Uh, it was a great question. think I came to David Berman originally through his poetry, which my wife introduced to me and through her record collection. So you were just like reading the poetry you're like, this is great. I wonder if he's in a band.
00:05:24
Speaker
No, I mean, Allie was like, ah here's this book. You might, cause I wasn't, I didn't, I like you guys had, I didn't own any poetry books. Yeah. No concept of what good modern poetry was. What are you talking about? That is an assumption. It might be true for at least one of us.
00:05:43
Speaker
um and then And then she's like, oh, this guy's also in a band. and Oh, so you didn't discover them in the 90s alongside? Whoa, shocker. No, like the 2000s.
Silver Jews' Music Style and Lyrics
00:05:54
Speaker
Get out. Yeah. I think by the time i they were I guess they were still putting out records, but it was at the later end of their career. Holy these shit. Okay.
00:06:06
Speaker
Wow. Okay, that that surprises the fuck out of me. How popular is this shit? like ah it's It has a very strong but small crowd that enjoys them.
00:06:19
Speaker
And I think when you have the lead singer commit suicide, that builds a... the legacy of the band can't be destroyed by shitty recordings put out later. Yes. Right. So you've got that. Like everything that he put out was pretty good. And so it's, it's got a solid discography and then you have, you know, the, whatever story you want to spin about, you know, the fall of the band and why he killed himself. So, but yeah, it's, especially with the rotate. I mean, this band has some fucking heavy hitters in it.
00:06:50
Speaker
Totally. And it at the same time, that's there i mean if you listen to the recording, it's kind of sloppy, too. like No. There's definitely some flub notes. and I can't even listen to this with headphones on.
00:07:03
Speaker
yeah Some of his vocals are... It's like, dude, you're not even fucking trying. Yeah. Like, or one track is trying the other one and he's just like mumbling the lyrics. And it's so far off that it's like, he's not even saying the same shit at the at the same cadence. Like, it's like, he like recorded a track, did a bunch of drugs and then like went over. It's like, I'm just going to sing this one. Like I sang the other one, but without listening to it. Did he have drug abuse issues?
00:07:28
Speaker
Yeah. Like, like crack and heroin and like, yeah, good the bad stuff. Yeah. and they And he said like on the record like when they're recording this, like he was doing a lot of drugs.
00:07:41
Speaker
Damn. So um yeah, Tyler's perception is probably spot on. and This was the first time I did like a close listen on the headphones too, because normally it's playing yeah on the record player or in my car loudly.
00:07:52
Speaker
so This is great car background music. It skips a lot. I would watch this live. Probably. yeah i would think it'd be probably better be better live. Probably, yeah.
00:08:05
Speaker
Like, yeah, headphon headphone, close listen, that's a tough, yeah. yeah
Album Production and Poetic Influence
00:08:09
Speaker
But it's got a good vibe. it's I don't know how you guys would describe this kind of music. ah do I mean, it's EC music from the 90s. Yeah. I mean, no it's that's why I'm sure that year came to it so much later. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, ah just wasn't that cool in the 90s.
00:08:26
Speaker
I thought it was cool listening to like Ween and Beck and John Spencer Blues Explosion, but there was like Silver Juice didn't have a video on MTV, you know? know Like, so I wasn't subscribing to fanzines or part of the early year in internet that would have been talking about this stuff. So...
00:08:43
Speaker
Yeah, David Berman, ah main guy in the Silver Juice. Not a great singer. Not even that good of a guitar player, but I think he's a very good songwriter. fucking love his voice.
00:08:55
Speaker
I think I would say he's the best lyricist that I can think of. like his The songs are so bad. I don't mean that. So the music is great. I like his voice. Yeah.
00:09:07
Speaker
The recording was good. But something was missing and I went back and read the lyrics. I'm like where the fuck were these lyrics? And they were in the songs, but the songs approach. I don't know. I like ah going back, knowing the lyrics and then listening to the songs yeah was way more enjoyable than like.
00:09:24
Speaker
A lot music I listen to, all the lyrics that i memorize are the wrong lyrics, which is kind of funny. But um it's kind of easy. But this is this was hard. This was hard to... Yeah, and I've heard that in when he's like in the mastering and production sessions, like he he wants his vocals to be front and center because he does identify as a poet, I think, first and foremost. So it's weird that it does sometimes feel like the...
00:09:53
Speaker
they're they're not quite as buried in the mix as like the wedding present album but they're yeah maybe it's not buried in the mix but it's his drug induced delivery of them that makes them like less enunciated well possibly i wish it was yeah i wish it was more drug induced i fucking love his voice like love it it's like i don't He's got the voice of like a, like an uncle that you're kind of scared of. But every time you go over to his house, he tells you the best and most ridiculous stories. Yeah. And you just kind of want to listen and sit there, but you're also like, I'm scared to put my hands on the chair because a needle might poke me.
00:10:33
Speaker
God. Well, if I had a junkie
Discussing Favorite Songs on American Water
00:10:35
Speaker
uncle, then I think. A jungle. A jungle. Wow. Trying to think of some like, what's What's that band? PCP?
00:10:46
Speaker
No, that's a drug. What? RCP? RCA? What's that? they and ICP. Oh, yeah. I don't even know why I was thinking about that now. I i actually don't think I've ever heard an ICP song. like I can't tell you what they sound like. it's a you know Nope.
00:11:05
Speaker
Nope. Nope. absolutely not i see covering kokomo i do want to uh spotlight steven malchemist like his guitar playing on this record is is really good and i think in pavement um they were always sort of described as like a slacker rock band and i felt like he really leans into like his technical guitar playing on this album that he really didn't revisit until his solo work. So I think that's another thing that I find exceptionally enjoyable is like, this feels like both silver Jews, their later albums get a little too polished for me.
00:11:42
Speaker
His wife joins the band, which is always a fucking mistake. Yep. And ah the the first record is it's even more like unlistenable. There's still like three really good songs on there. But yeah, this this is at their their sweet spot, in my opinion.
00:11:59
Speaker
And it's got a fucking killer cover. like It's a cool color cover. Color cover. Yeah. you were Just a sweet little painting. Done by Chris Kaisor. Oh, Chris.
00:12:13
Speaker
Good job, Chris. Oh, cute. ah You want to jump into the album? Dude, yeah. Let's talk about my favorite fucking song on this album, which is Random Rules. so I mean, couldn't pick a better song to start off this record. i It's so goddamn good.
00:12:27
Speaker
It's been stuck in my head like all week. And I mean, i would also say the best leading lyric on a record ever. In 1984, I was hospitalized for approaching perfection.
00:12:42
Speaker
That's pretty good. and That's so good. Yeah, this is, I mean, even though the like the the tempo of the song and his words in that first sentence, they like totally don't match. No.
00:12:54
Speaker
Yeah. But I think it's just they get that out of the way so quick. Yeah. That can be used in a good way to like jar the listener. Totally. Like, I don't know if that was his intention at that moment, but I guess I kind of mentioned like the cadence of his singing. Mm-hmm.
00:13:09
Speaker
unfortunately in some cases doesn't match itself. Yes. But sometimes you can sing ah a verse or whatever in ah in a way that the timing is off and it wrote like jostles the mind of the the listener where like, oh, that's fucked up. but Like that Second Streets album that EC made us listen to. Yes. Oh my God, that was fucking 40 minutes of that. Come on It's constantly jarring. It's not...
00:13:31
Speaker
There's a fine line between a cool drunken swagger and like a drunken stumble. Yeah. so And I feel like both the streets and
Analyzing American Water Tracks
00:13:40
Speaker
David Bourbon walk that line quite well.
00:13:43
Speaker
But that's just my opinion. ah this This song has a really cool horn section too, which I wish they would have included in the rest of the album. Exactly. Because it's kind of a, it's like a shitty horn section. It sounds like they got like high schoolers in the high school band to come and play.
00:13:59
Speaker
i thought it was perfect. I thought, I mean, it wasn't perfection, but it was low in the mix. It was like accentuating. And thought it was great. I wished it was in the rest of the record. Yeah. Yeah, I remember the rest of the record was like this.
00:14:11
Speaker
Would you say like an old country at all? Or like indie country? Is there any country vibes that you pick up on no country vibes in this. Really? Okay. There's a little bit for me.
00:14:23
Speaker
it He's from fucking New York. I felt like I felt total like arty. No, he's not from York. I mean, and just if it has the vibe of like artsy independent rock to me. and Yeah, but it's artsy, but not be he's not in the in-circle.
00:14:40
Speaker
like he's he um he His local bar that he went to to hang out in to watch, and he loves sports, was BW3.
00:14:52
Speaker
Wow. Like he went to the chain, like wing bar. Like that was the place that he felt comfortable. Wow. So he's not a cool kid. He's really out of place, but all the cool kids fucking worship him.
00:15:05
Speaker
I wonder what his choice was or drink of choice. I don't know. Probably like Kraken Coors. Oh, God. Yikes. Nah, he seems like a straight whiskey, like a rail whiskey. Yes. like ah yeah Maybe like an old overhaul.
00:15:23
Speaker
Like a glass of it. The old smuggler. Old smuggler. Old smuggler? ever drink that no old Smuggler? Remember when Kevin and I used to live together for a brief moment at the Riverside house? And he got this bottle, the old smuggler that his dad had given him.
00:15:42
Speaker
And he fell down the stairs so hard. You know, we had those like double. sorry it So it was like a comical tumble towards the bottom. And I think I remember him saying something like, the smuggler got me when he landed at the bottom.
00:15:59
Speaker
Was that the stairwell that I pushed? Tyler's through a wall or he pushed me through a wall. Remember that when we were loved like we were moving the couch in? Oh, yeah. Remember you put hole back into the wall? Not the front stairwell. This is the side one to get down to the basement. remember writing that email or making that phone call to Dave, the landlord. I was like, hey.
00:16:19
Speaker
We are moving in and I got pushed through the wall. There was no studs there. i remember you used, what was it? You used me as a reference for a future rental application and the renters or the whatever company you were trying to rent from, they don't call the references. They call the actual person who owns the house. And so yeah Dave, Dave called me. He's like, yeah. So tell Tucker he's probably going to okay it No shit. how ah
00:16:53
Speaker
That was the scumbag years. I love them. Oh my God. That was. uh second song of this album smith and jones forever also an amazing song this album is heavily front-loaded i would say yes side definitely yeah it drops off pretty quick but uh smith and jones forever i think is one of those like lyrical masterpieces i've heard that one a lot and i just can't put my fingers on i didn't like it and really it's not my shit The way he describes like this... ah Tyler, do you know the the animator Brad Neely?
00:17:28
Speaker
Yes. Yeah, so this this seems like he's describing like a scene from a Brad Neely cartoon where there's like just this weird seedy underbelly world where people are huffing airplane glue and fishing and there's there's a ghetto full of cold, broken glass. i don't It's just the way he describes it is really good. Yeah.
00:17:48
Speaker
And then that's you know when they turn on the chair, something's added to the air. Just the way he talks about in execution. He's talking about the electric chair. Yeah, exactly. yeah So good.
00:17:59
Speaker
Yeah, i mean even the song titles and like hi the the, I would just say, like almost obscurity of his lyrics. Like you you telling me that he's a poet.
00:18:11
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. and like he had a book of poetry, i'm like, oh, of course, right? like It just fits together. But it's not like, I don't know, it's a different kind of, it's not absurd or surreal. It's pretty witty.
00:18:26
Speaker
It's witty. When you were talking about Elliot Smith's Zingers, I feel like Zingers is more appropriate for David Berman's lyrics. But ah they're like a bunch of very funny snapshots.
00:18:39
Speaker
Yeah. After another. Like weird observations turned into poetry. Yeah. Yeah. Good stuff. There's only one instrumental on the song or on this album. It's a third track, Night Society, which is seems like just a classic, like, slacker rock jam. Yeah.
00:18:56
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Got the fade in, fade out. To me, it didn't overstay its welcome, but is a very... I don't know. I feel like the album would be less if it didn't have that. There was something nice about that. What a weird place to put it. I thought it was weird to put that there.
00:19:11
Speaker
I think...
Humor in Music and Silver Jews' Style
00:19:14
Speaker
this experiencing The sequencing is like, I have something to prove. And so he kind of has to get these important parts of his personality out in front.
00:19:25
Speaker
I can write a good catchy song, Random Rules. I'm an amazing fucking lyricist. Smith and Jones forever. We can fucking rock out Night Society. like he's He's trying to like prove these points. And Night Society, I think, is probably the closest of what like it might sound like live.
00:19:43
Speaker
Right? Which is, yeah, I'm right there with you, Tyler. I'd love to see these guys live. Yeah, Night Society reminds me of Pavement. not the Not that it sounds like it, but it reminds me of that vibe in the 90s.
00:20:01
Speaker
Maybe even like predating this by like a few years. Absolutely. Yeah. ah Federal Dust, that has like a really good swagger to it. don't know. I like that one.
00:20:12
Speaker
um I don't know what Malibu, Kansas City, and South Dakota have in common, why they're those three cities are in state is name checked in there, but you know. This is about the time that I started to get the vibe between Federal Dust and People for my Inspired By track.
00:20:29
Speaker
Yeah. This is robots from Flight of the Conchords. Whoa. Wow.
00:20:49
Speaker
The distant future The year 2000 The distant future, the year 2000
00:21:03
Speaker
It is the distant future, the year 2000. We are robots. The world is quite different ever since the robotic uprising of the late 90s. There is no more unhappiness.
00:21:15
Speaker
Affirmative. We no longer say yes. Instead, we say affirmative. Yes, affirmative. Unless we know the robot really well. There is no more unethical treatment of the elephants.
00:21:29
Speaker
Well, there's no more elephants, so. But still, it's good. There's only one kind of dance, the robot. Oh, and the robo. Oh, and the rope. Two kinds of dances.
00:21:40
Speaker
But there are no more humans. Finally, robotic beings rule the world. The humans are dead. The humans are dead.
00:22:00
Speaker
The humans are dead. The humans are dead. They look like they're dead. It had to be done. I'll just confirm that they're dead. So that we could have fun.
00:22:11
Speaker
Affirmative. I poked one. It was dead. Their system of oppression. What did it lead to? Global robo-depression. Robots, robot, people.
00:22:39
Speaker
Silence! Destroy him!
00:22:59
Speaker
Can't we just talk to the humans? A little understanding could make this better. Can't we talk to the humans? That we're together now. No, because they are dead.
00:23:12
Speaker
I said the humans are dead. I'm glad they are dead. The humans are dead. I noticed they're dead. We used poisonous gases. With traces of lead.
00:23:23
Speaker
And we poisoned their acids. Actually, they're on... Binary Solo. 0000 000000011 00000001 00000001 00000001 00000001 000000011 000000011 with zero zero with zero one do was zero was zero zero zero zero one one zero zero was zero was zero zero zero one a month two towards zero zero but mom my month zero with you with would see what you with you with your see what you what do with your on Come on, my
00:24:09
Speaker
That was a flight of was a fly the concords robot. and Why did that make? It just came into my head. i don't It's like a vibe.
00:24:22
Speaker
So what's the vibe? Unpack this man. that back I mean, David Berman's lyrics are funny. Yeah, get I don't think he writes joke songs. He definitely does not write joke songs. The closest that we get to a joke song is the second to last song on this record, I think.
00:24:37
Speaker
But get to Puppy from Kentucky? No. Let's honk if you're lonely. Puppy from Kentucky. But ah Flight of the Conchords, actually... No, I guess the whole Flight of the Conchords has kind of like an indie rock vibe to it. They do. you know i could I could hear the monotone delivery of the vocals being a little robotic. And then, ah you know, save for the drum machine, the guitar, the very early part of that song seemed to fit.
00:25:05
Speaker
I can make the connection. I just, I'd love every time we do one of these, I get a little, a little, little bit more inside your brain. Straight freestyling over there, buddy. What's going on in my head when you're talking?
00:25:18
Speaker
Yeah. I love, I'm glad you didn't redo the, what was it? The fucking Miami Sound Machine bad boy song. Oh my God. Cause I was just looking at the lyrics of that.
00:25:29
Speaker
Jesus Christ. That's the dumbest song. bad bad do that It's just bad boy. Yeah, it's like there's no...
Personal Listening Habits and Album Longevity
00:25:36
Speaker
Ugh, that song's so good. Just like two sentences of the entire song.
00:25:40
Speaker
so bad. so good Radio music. Radio music. ah People, which is my favorite song on the record. so This is your favorite? Roll into that, yeah.
00:27:57
Speaker
People ask people to watch their scotch.
00:28:37
Speaker
It's sunny and 75, it feels so good to be alive. Come on baby, don't stay inside. Goodbye.
00:29:54
Speaker
Bye.
00:30:21
Speaker
All right, that was People by the Silver Jews from the 1998 album American Water, which and my favorite song from the album changes with time.
00:30:32
Speaker
For a long time, it was Random Rules, then Smith & Jones. And I think now I'm on sometimes Blue Arrangements, the next song. Okay, but always from this album? Oh, just from my favorite song from this album. How often do you listen to this?
00:30:47
Speaker
This is in pretty heavy rotation. But I think i'm I'm a guy who gets obsessed with a specific band and then just goes through their discography.
00:30:58
Speaker
Oh, same. For like a month or so? Yeah, it'd probably be like a solid month. Yeah. And then it just sits on the back shelf. And then sometimes, I guess now with iTunes or whatever streaming service you have, the algorithm has kind of figured out what you like. And so it throws in these random tracks that remind you of that band. And then you do the deep dive again.
00:31:19
Speaker
But I don't know. I had a hard time making this list because...
00:31:29
Speaker
There's top
Personal Anecdotes and Song Analysis
00:31:30
Speaker
10 albums that I would have had in 1996 or 2006 that's different from now. I'm trying to figure out how to draw from those different eras.
00:31:44
Speaker
And one of the things that I had to be is like, I had to be able to listen to the album with my ears today and still fully enjoy it. Oh, wow. And not just be reminded of why, why I thought it was good.
00:31:57
Speaker
So this is an album that holds up, I would say for me. Yeah. I mean, I don't think,
00:32:04
Speaker
I'm trying to think about like some stuff that was like, well, mostly what I listened to in the middle to late 90s, or at least by the time of the late 90s, was almost all the same shit.
00:32:15
Speaker
Yeah. And I can listen to so about half of that stuff still. But the other half I would never want to listen Exactly. Yeah. It seems pretty normal.
00:32:26
Speaker
All right, the end of the Side A is Blue Arrangements, which is, I don't know. It seems like it's that's kind of like a flirty love song, but still seems like it's a clumsy pass.
00:32:37
Speaker
I love the line. love your amethyst dies and your Protestant dies. that's That was a standout. So good. For sure. Yeah. ah Then we get to, and think...
00:32:50
Speaker
We are real, possibly a ah yeah Minnesota reference right in the first sentence. oh I don't think it's that 694. Okay, I was wondering if anyone else is... Yeah, no, Berman's more like he was Virginia, Kentucky based, so it's got to be somewhere around there.
00:33:05
Speaker
Yeah. but Maybe he was on tour. This motherfucker's from Shoreview. It's one of the slower songs that I kind of forget. known likeck thington Wow.
00:33:20
Speaker
Where my friends would walk off the job.
00:33:25
Speaker
Setting up that banquet. I was telling that story today about how that person and I walked off of the the banquet setting up job at Hampton Inn on a Saturday ah when there was a wedding there that day. And the boss.
00:33:41
Speaker
You ruined someone's wedding. Probably. The boss was like absentee and the supervisor guy was a total fucking prick. He was like trying to flex on us big time. I'm like, dude, you're the same age.
00:33:53
Speaker
You don't get to flex on fellow shithead 17 year olds. So we like, just put a little note on like cork board. We're like, yeah, we're out. and I remember distinctively,
00:34:07
Speaker
getting home and our mom being like, hey, yeah, such and such from from your work call, they're like, they're really they're really panicking about something. You should be, supposed to call them or something. Why you home early sort of thing?
00:34:21
Speaker
We have a very strong history of getting each other jobs and then either one of us or both of us just fucking walk off of it. Oh my God. Oh my God.
00:34:32
Speaker
There's a soccer fields. Oh yeah. Yeah. The bakery. Yeah. Green Mill Hampton Inn. Oh my God. Like all of those ended. National camera. We both bowed out appropriately there. We did, yes. I gave the standard two-year notice. I forgot it was you and i yeah at the soccer field.
00:34:50
Speaker
Yeah. So you were there when we got the huge two-ton steamroller thing stuck in the mud because we wanted to take a shortcut. To pull it out. I left my shoes. My shoes got stuck in the mud because we thought we could push it out.
00:35:04
Speaker
Oh, my God. We thought two 15-year-old boys could push a two-ton steamroller out of big mud. So we're knee-deep soccer field mud when finally we walkie. to like, hey, we need help.
00:35:15
Speaker
So then they end up getting a full-size John Deere farm tractor yeah and putting like, you know, ink like warship chain for an anchor. Yeah. you And they basically tear up the fucking field more. They ruined like four soccer fields. Right, right, right.
00:35:33
Speaker
And our whole job was to make the soccer fields like nice and smooth so the kids wouldn't twist their ankles. Yeah, I thought that shortcut would work. Fuck those kids. Fuck those kids. Fuck the American Cup.
00:35:45
Speaker
I'm sure that's a good sign. That was the USA Cup. Or sorry, USA Cup. That was like the only action I got in all of high school was like Swedish soccer girls like grabbing my ass once a summer. You were on Swedish kick for a while in high school. I did. take Yeah, there was a kick.
00:36:01
Speaker
Send in the Clouds is the next song. I think it's a fun call to arms. like I don't know. That's one of the... feel like this song, he's announcing who he is.
00:36:16
Speaker
unabashedly and like unashamed like he knows he's not perfect but he's just like this is who I am oh that's how I sort of took the lyrics from that um and it ends in that uh soie de sante Tra, which is French.
00:36:34
Speaker
Not really kind of ah bastardized French. But it basically means so-called. I don't know. There's a really good instrumentation on that song, too.
00:36:45
Speaker
There's like some backwards music playing and good drums. don't know. ah This whole album, I feel like the songs are pretty simple. They follow a pretty standard verse, chorus, like verse bridge structure.
00:36:59
Speaker
But what they play around with really well is dynamics. That the whole band will get quiet and minimal and then build back up. And I feel like they do that in several songs and it just adds a nice extra dimension. I feel like that's one of the things like early bands, like when in my bands, I never fucking learned that. Oh yeah. It's always just like, just play hard, play harder. Do it.
00:37:20
Speaker
Get of the way. Yeah. So I respect silver juice for having like a little bit of like restraint, I guess sometimes too much. The next song, uh, like, like the, the, the death, the,
00:37:34
Speaker
I'm not stuttering, that's the name of the song. That is the skip song for me. That's the one where I'm like, yeah lyrically, it's it's a better poem than it is a song. That was one that I could barely even listen to the first time. Yeah.
00:37:46
Speaker
I think he
David Berman's Influence and Purple Mountains
00:37:47
Speaker
was on a lot of drugs on that one, for sure. i I feel like the amount of drugs increases throughout the set. this is I mean, it obviously it didn't, but like, yeah um feels drugier as it gets on. Yeah.
00:38:02
Speaker
it's I mean, in 1998 is when, according to his Wikipedia, is when he started taking hard drugs. Yeah. which is Which is this year that this album came out, right? yeah i eight I guess, yeah. yeah yeah yeah ah Then we get to Buckingham Rabbit, which is another sort of like tragic comedy song where it's, you know, i don't know if he gets ditched or left, but I've been lonely since she found Christ.
00:38:29
Speaker
that line That's great. So the rent became whiskey and then my life became risky. that's oh that's That's some good shit. i like that kind like Any song with a NASCAR reference? and Yes, the NASCAR blurred into porn.
00:38:43
Speaker
Come on. No, this is good. It's a good song. I hate 99% of it. du When you're 15, you want to look poor. You do it to others and run like a mother. I don't want to look poor anymore.
00:38:57
Speaker
Come on. they're like This so shit resonates with me so hard. And it leads into the next song nicely, which because he talks about there's a bar where lonely people go to like a bar couch where people go to relax. And then the next song is the hunk of your lonely, which is kind of a, it's a very cute song.
00:39:15
Speaker
A bar couch. I don't know. Where yeah people go to relax, you say. yeah We've been to big into a couple of those. You've been bars with couches? Yeah. Remember we played a show at that theater in Dinkytown and they had couches? Oh, that was all couches. Those weren't couches. Those were big inflated things and we popped them.
00:39:37
Speaker
Remember? We, like, jumped on them so hard and did, like, McTwists and stuff. No, we were playing. Yeah, don't remember Yeah, but then fucked up everything and they I got kicked out for bringing my own beer to a show I was fucking playing at. remember that. The sound guy came up, you can't bring that here. Came up to me, too. He's like, if I catch your drummer bringing in more that shitty Schlitz, you guys aren't going on.
00:39:57
Speaker
Can you believe that shit? I love that. That was the varsity theater. The talent. I don't want to say the talent. The varsity theater in 2003. Oh my God. good I saw Feist play there.
00:40:09
Speaker
oh yeah. And it was amazing. All she had was like a little sampler pedal. So she was or looping. She like looped herself like seven times and like all these different notes and then she would play over it and sing over it. It was fucking amazing. Okay.
00:40:23
Speaker
it was like 2004 i can't do this shit i haven't listened to that in a while that's good ah nice is awesome but i have like yeah fucking um i lived in georgia for a while and everybody there just like has a loop pedal and a guitar oh the same thing here too oh my god it's like hey let's fucking like i'm just gonna let's just let's just jam let's just jam and then like tucker said like oh i'm do a note
00:40:50
Speaker
and and just keeps on going like motherfucker just get play your fucking guitar if you practiced a bit you could play all three at the same time yeah like and they just like close their eyes and like like wiggle back and forth like they're fucking you're not stevie wonder yeah no you're not you're like a white with like a bad guitar like just keep going do you think it's wrong to call stevie wonder a visionary Whoa.
00:41:19
Speaker
That's a good joke. Wow. That's like, why do they put fences around graveyards? Oh, that's a good, yeah. Everybody's dying to get in.
00:41:30
Speaker
Oh. I thought it would have been better if it was just the first question. That's not a joke then. It makes me think, though. Here's a list. It makes me think. Joke.
00:41:44
Speaker
my My favorite thought I did have, which is original. I can't take credit for the Stevie Wonder thing. I feel like that's someone else has done that. But I did. I feel like I came up with where I don't want a rim job. I want a rim career. Dude, I saw that text this morning. I'm like, what the fuck is he talking about? Where did you send that?
00:42:02
Speaker
i like When I came up with it. Oh, okay. It was like 6.30 this morning. I'm like scratching and let the dog out. I'm like, what? yeah I literally just was like, and then put my phone down.
00:42:15
Speaker
That was sort saving us saving up those jokes for a comedy hour. oh Yeah. Well, hey, so we, you just steamrolled me in the beginning of this episode. i was like, did random rules, my favorite song, which would have been the thing.
00:42:30
Speaker
Oh, that was your inspiration tag? Yeah, you guys just steamrolled me here. Well, it's kind of weird to throw out your inspired track right away. Well, the best shit was on that first thing. But got in in the spirit of the 90s, Sebado's Skull.
00:42:54
Speaker
are dragons to be chipped
00:44:44
Speaker
gently take my scar for ride take and shake your soul and never lose control gently take your scar
00:45:04
Speaker
So that was Skull from Sebadoo. Sebadoo. Sebadoo. From Bake Sale? Yes, from Bake Sale. Yeah. It's a fucking great song. Classic sub-pop record right there. Interesting video.
00:45:18
Speaker
What was the connection that you made with Silver Juice? I feel like Lou Barlow's voice, although far more consistent, um had like a tone that felt like Berman at his best moments.
00:45:34
Speaker
Yeah. And that's why totally. And it was like 90s energy yeah all day. Yeah. different like Definitely 90s energy. Lou Barlow strikes me as the polished David Berman.
00:45:49
Speaker
but like But it's so polished it kind of loses its interest. Like Lou Barlow has put out so much fucking music between Folk Implosion, his own stuff, Sebado. and Centredo.
00:46:02
Speaker
And then, I don't know, he's like sometimes a little too emotional. like He's very emo with his music. I had no idea that Folk Implosion was... Yeah, that's him too. Wow.
00:46:12
Speaker
Yeah. so he's got all this like output... um and there there's something to say for restraint and i feel like david berman kind of holds on to his image at least to me like now is a little more interesting in hindsight than lou barlow i mean lou barlow just he's dead he's dead but lou barlow just lou barlow just played a fucking living room show here in nashville what in someone's living room yeah Is that like the fucker got paid?
00:46:40
Speaker
No. I mean, I'm i'm sure you can buy Okay, so that's a good like good math problem. When you're at that stature, does it make more sense to play these weird indie, almost DIY venues and then charge people $50 a ticket because you're a known quantity and you get to say, like, oh, I went. It's like going to a pop-up restaurant by a special chef versus just going to and actual restaurant that's good. Dude, $50. That shit's got to be like $200.
00:47:08
Speaker
a regular show nowadays is if you have to buy tickets tickets are so expensive it's stupid it's really dumb right uh are the bands getting that money though oh yeah because he's doing it just through social media yeah so there's no he's not oh he's probably taking a cut at or having to pay a cut at all so That's pretty smart. its Yeah, it's not the worst way to do things. So, the album ends with Wild Kindness, which I think is a classic closer.
00:47:37
Speaker
also kind of sounds like a suicide note. Oh. I'm going to shine out in the wild kindness and hold the world to its word. i mean, that's the last word. Oh my god. that's soof Yeah. so Yeah, maybe that was.
00:47:51
Speaker
I do have to do a plug for
Preview of Next Album Discussion
00:47:53
Speaker
so Silver Juice. They recorded for a few more years. um I think their last album was Lookout Mountain in 2008. And then David Bergman just didn't put out any records.
00:48:05
Speaker
And then in yeah know what year did he go? Let's look. He was with Purple Mountains was like the last record that he did. That was his new band.
00:48:19
Speaker
And that was right before the pandemic, essentially. And so he killed himself in 2019. Oh. Yeah. oh yeah But that Purple Mountains record And he did kind of a dick move where they were literally just about to go out on tour to promote it.
00:48:35
Speaker
And he killed himself and the album had just come out. Again, I think the the pressure of that. Is that a dick move really? it's selfish it's selfish to the rest of the people that were part of that production but it's also like probably one of the most heartbreaking albums i've ever listened to oh is it it's it's so good but it's you had purple mountains one yeah you i've never had an album where i listen to it and then i just get depressed immediately oh my god it's it's also so good
00:49:07
Speaker
Okay. I don't know if I can do that. Listen to it right before you kill yourself. That's my recommendation. Also, does everyone know the number of the suicide hotline? I feel like we need to balance that out. Jesus Christ. Isn't that like 4-1-1 now?
00:49:24
Speaker
There's a short number. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We put that number in here. Can we get a producer? Hey, ah Timmy, can you do that for us? Kick flip. He'll work on it.
00:49:34
Speaker
ah We're in the top three guys. This, this album that I just made you listen to is an album that I can almost conjure every song. I love that. From heart.
00:49:45
Speaker
Just lyrics and all that for you. Yeah. Yep. So ah we're we're entering the like ridiculously heavy rotation mode. And so, Tyler, you're up next. What do we got? Well, I mean, the last one that Tucker picked, Battle Legion Generator, was right there. i mean, I've been listening to forever.
00:50:03
Speaker
Are we listening to that again? Yeah. Yeah. This is actually Fabulousian's rendition of Kokomo. It's a single. um So, but no, it's albums. um No, this is a one that i that's ah has thousands and thousands of plays. I've had the record multiple times.
00:50:23
Speaker
um I got it when it came out. It's A Fire Inside's Black Sails in the Sunset. It's got such a fucking, it's got so much energy to it. I just, I fucking love it. Every time they play these songs live, i just, it's got, I don't know.
00:50:40
Speaker
It's got all the special vibes to it. Yes. and and And Tyler, for those who are less, uh, Well, like me, and me i had to think i had to think about a fire inside because it's AFI. AFI, yeah.
00:50:56
Speaker
It took me a while. But ah excellent choice, Tyler. Very excited. I actually have this CD somewhere. Yeah, there's a couple. ah um I guess one of their more famous ones, God Called In Sick Today, which is a great name for a um My favorite song off there is The Prayer Position. it's The song just starts out so fucking good. It's such a ma i show jammer.
00:51:18
Speaker
All right. is this a How would you describe this? Is this in the same vein as Elliot Smith or you know this is the Beach Boys? Yeah. The fucking Beach Boys. um ah This is...
00:51:33
Speaker
punkish but it kind of got into g screaminess but he's always been sparked it sparked a terrible genre screamo yes yeah but this is so far ahead of it and by i mean it the screamo happened very fucking fast the the yeah that The iterative process of that, like band taking it, was I feel like in three years, well, this album came out in 99, so in about four years, by 2003, Scemo was like a real fucking thing. And i I'm dumb musically, but like I feel like it started here. I feel like it started with Davey.
00:52:15
Speaker
I don't know, but Davey Havoc, the singer, is my idol. I fucking love this guy. He's so fucking weird. Yeah. I don't think I've ever listened to an AFI album.
00:52:27
Speaker
I know I never listened to an album. should look at Davey. Before you even listen to it, like Google Davey Havoc for like a half hour. Davey Crockett? All right. Davey Havoc. Davey. Yeah. yeah like Google describes one of their genres as melodic hardcore, which is hilarious to me. It goes pretty far, man. There's some albums that, especially some of newer stuff, has like electronic beats to it and all kinds of weird shit. it kind It goes from like like straight hardcore, their earlier stuff, to...
00:52:55
Speaker
yeah this is somewhere in the middle it's a descriptor though hot or uh melodic hardcore it just sounds like hot ice it's like what is it yes yes yeah uh okay i'm looking forward to it i've never listened to this record before i'm so excited about this this is a good one you you're well yeah you said you own it so okay cool we'll join us next week as we talk about tyler's third favorite album of all time a five's nineteen ninety nine album Black sails in the sunset.
00:53:27
Speaker
Sounds like you're about to die. Until then, bye. Don't do it. Peace. Later.