Fade to Black: Dan's Comments on Vol. 17: Colors

So, a thing I'd thought about mentioning a cycle ago but I'll go ahead and do it now. I tend to want to arrange collections based on musical theme, so that the collection will carry through it a consistent sound. Treating it almost like an album. This may not always be my method, but for now, that's how I approach it. Mixdorf is a little more willing to go an alternate route, which is seeking out songs based on a shared trait that is not necessarily musical (other than that he likes the songs, or they're by the same artist). Anyway - no grand truth here; maybe just that - song to song - collections like that are going to be a little more hit or miss (or seem like they should be - they are for me, anyway); as opposed to a collection where the listener can say "Oh yeah!/Oh no! Ten country songs!" So, some ups and some downs for me, on this one. But more ups than downs, as I'm very glad, in the end, that these songs came my way.

1. Blue Caravan: No, no mistaking her for a man on this song. This song has a couple of the trappings of the type of song that it seemss Mixdorf really digs: an almost whispery female vocalist and an eclectic arrangement. This one definitely fits into the "soundscape" category of song, where words and music seem to work together to create a very definite image in one's mind. I'm sure the title doesn't hurt. I like the literal "Blue Caravan" interpretation; but it seem to me she might be using the "Blue Caravan" as a metaphor for the course of her life/fate. She feels it is out of her hands and is hoping against a growing hopelessness that things will turn out all right. Good & moody.
2. The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth: Very promising beginning - the driving beat; the little bendy single string guitar strain and mid-range countermelody. God DAMN, but I can't get past his voice, which annoys the hell out of me. I suppose you could chalk that piece up as another similarity between these guys and the Talking Heads. Definitely a shame; I really do like the basics of the song, and the words are really clever, really neat. I do feel inclined to pose this question to Mixdorf: how is it that you can begrudge a country music artist with a twang, wondering if it is real or just for effect, and not have any sort of similar compunction with respect to this guy? His crazy, constantly breaking sort of wail doesn't strike me as particularly natural.
3. Red Oyster Cult: Gibbs- YES, The Who. I totally hear that, too. Particularly in the vocals. Very interesting progression of musical parts throughout the song. Has a very "local" flavor to it, like something one might hear on Flywheel Sampler Vol. 18; though I think they succeed where 98% of bands of similar sweeping musical ambition find it beyond their means to actually put the pieces together in the end. Musicially, alone, I think there's enough really interesting things going on that I'm continually getting enjoyment from listening on each pass. I wonder if they're suggesting that rock n' roll won't change the world, or a more specific subsegment of people putting out rock, which is what it maybe sounds like a little more to me.
4. Weezer: Fun, I agree and (I will add) distained by many "in the know"; or at least that was the impression I got from 1994 - 2000. But I've always enjoyed them. On one hand you could say that they haven't really matured through the years (e.g. this song could pretty much have been on their debut, and no one would have ever known the difference), and on the other hand you could say: Good! Perhaps, more bands could stand to do this. It's not like anyone is putting a gun to anybody's back and forcing them to buy the Weezer discography (at least, I dearly hope not!). But it's kind of nice to know that, having not paid much attention to new music over the past six or seven years, I could just go out and buy a Weezer album and have a pretty good idea of what I'm getting myself into. So - this song. I think it's great. I love Gibbs' "...amping up to full Weezernish." And now I'm going to say things that could get me strung up in the wrong circles: I'm going to start pointing out when I hear sexy male vocals. I'm not even exactly sure what I mean by that, but I will often hear moments (like the way Sting says "see you with another booooy" in Roxanne), when - and I don't even know if the singers are even aspiring to exactly what I'm hearing - I realize that it just makes me gush. And I don't even like guys; at least, not in that way. And in the instance of this song, it's quite ironic, as I think Weezer would probably top just about any People's Choice Awards Ceremony as the least sexy band (under the age of 50). But everything about Rivers Cuomo's voice gets me going; often when he starts hitting his higher, shouted-out notes. He'll often dive off into a little dissonance and hold the note for just a minute. Maybe one of the other geeks will chime in with a harmony; but in any event - wow. So anyway, that's out in full force in this song. I like it, throughout, musically. And how fun and irreverant, without being mean - the words. I'm dumb, she's a lesbian. Great.
5. Silver: Another soundscape song, and one that I could appreciate, perhaps, more in the context of an album. Here, standing alone, it doesn't seem to be able to do for me what it needs to do. I hear the same Western influences/parts that you do, and it's interesting, but not hugely enjoyable for me to hear.
6. White Girl: Though the mountains may crumble and the stars fall from the sky, so will Mixdorf be selectively dispersing Soul Coughing singles into our open ears. Through the years this has been, and (I believe) it will continue to be. And I hope so. I like your description of them as being at the "intersection of pop, punk, and jazz." Perhaps I would switch "funk" in for either "punk" or "jazz." Or, in this song, "bee bop." But whatever "it" is that you can have, they seem to have it. Cool in a Morphine sort of way, I would definitely like to hear more of these guys. And I like this song, though I always have this (irrational?) feeling like whenever references to Southern California are thrown into a song (e.g. "Sunset Boulevard," "The Hills," or - in this song - "Northridge & Van Ness"), it's an act of pomposity. Like, "hey, we're in LA and you're not, you fuckers!" As I suggested, perhaps it's irrational; maybe going back to mine & MT's original plan (pre-Mark Anderson) of moving out there to be in a band. And choosing, instead, to be in a band in Minneapolis and playing a gig at a garage sale. But back to this song: I like it, but it's missing some of the pop sensibility of some of their other stuff I think I've liked better. But I'm no less interested in digging into their larger body of work. As an aside: I was listening to this song on my studio headphones (my expensive, flat-response, nearly sound-canceling ones), and I can pretty clearly hear a guy yell "fuck!" in the background, right after the last "White" at 2:18.
7. Gold to Me: Not a particular fan of this song. I really liked the "Steal my kisses from you" song, which is the only other thing I'm sure I've heard of his. But this one - I don't feel like the music is paving any new ground. In fact, it seems rather like a retread arrangement & melody & progression. The whole thing actually reminds me quite a bit of Fire.
8. Green Arrow: More aural soundscape! I like both MTs & Mix's thoughts on this song. Definitely would be a great song for a night road trip, or just hanging out a night with friends or wife. Definitely puts me in the mood for peace. I offer this as one other alternative explanation for Green Arrow, though I'm not sure how you could possibly reconcile him with the tranquility of this song, unless we are to believe he retired or something.
9. Orange Colored Sky: I, too, am a sucker for a lot of those cultural hallmarks of an earlier era. This is a fun song -arrangement, piano, singing (lead & b'ground), and big band -and, though I don't have much to say about it, I'm glad you included it.
10. Olive: Wow - he's been doing this since 1957? Wow! Even liking this as much as I do, it's hard not to hold it against him (almost like finding out all that guy, Paza, did was use Nintendo sounds to remake songs). Nevertheless, the things to like in this one are many & varied for me: his low, resonate "olde tyme" announcer voice with his "didja?" and the hilarious, orgasmic "oohhh" at 0:40, it's just non-stop fun. So what - did this music exist already, and he just did the v.o., or did he arrange the music, as well?
BS: Green Arrow.
SIWHI: Green Tambourine?