Great moments in rock and roll: "Is She Weird"

This post is about three ways to lead into the chorus, as demonstrated by Pixies' "Is She Weird," off Bossanova.

0:34 - Hesitate: We hear the first line of the chorus, "Is she weird," before a slight pause (as though the singer came in too early and corrected himself). Then, the chorus kicks in from the beginning.

1:27 - Go into a bridge: After teasing us with the first line of the chorus, "Is she weird," the singer takes us into a completely different direction with "Is she over me/ Like the stars and the sun/ Like the stars and the sun" before transitioning smoothly into the chorus.

2:20 - Get right into the chorus: Also, Kim Deal joins in the singing for the last chorus.

"I have a question."

----So? Go take some medicine for it.

"We, the concerned members of the public, couldn't help but notice that Arta has not been seen with the band for any of the promotional activities since June. Is he dead?"----Let's put it this way: James Dean has not attended any of our press conferences and album signings, and is he dead? Yes.

"Is 'Mean Song' baroque pop?"

----No! It's so obviously Renaissance pop.

Great moments in rock and roll: the chorus-verse switch

There are countless ways to go from the chorus back to the verse. Sometimes, you hang out for a few bars before starting up the verse. Or, you go into a guitar solo. Or, you go into a bridge before coming back to the verse. This blog post will celebrate some of the more creative solutions:

Overlapping with a tail
The Mamas and the Papas - "Dedicated To The One I Love"
At 0:55, the chorus ends with the tail: "This is dedicated to the one I love" but the word "love" becomes the first word of the ensuing verse: "Love can never be exactly like we want it to be." Brilliant, and no time wasted between the chorus and the verse!

The Beach Boys - "Let Him Run Wild"
The tail comes, almost awkwardly, after few bars of instrumental contemplation. We hear "Guess you know I've waited for you girl" (1:27) and before we can wonder, "What the hell was that?" it leads right into the familiar verse.

Instrument in place of singing
The Kinks - "Do You Remember Walter?"
At 0:47, we are tricked into thinking the song has turned into an instrumental. But no, the organ's only playing the first notes of the verse before the vocalist picks up the melody mid-line. Someone deserves a gold star for this moment.

Disguise the verse
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Rich"
The instrumentation during the final verse (1:55) is completely different from the first verse, despite having the exact same vocal melody and lyrics.

When all else fails
Herman's Hermits - "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am"
Just say, "Second verse, same as the first!"

Great moments in rock and roll: the punch

The punch is a single-note (or sometimes several quick notes) played for emphasis by an instrument that otherwise has little or no role in the song. Often, it is used to mark the beginning or the end of a section.

Al Green - "Let's Stay Together"
The trumpets' two-note attack introduces the chorus (1:25), wakes us up from the sparse instrumentation of the verses.

Elton John - "Honky Cat"
Heard throughout the chorus, especially at the beginning of the chorus (0:57), when the tenor saxophones play a two-note motif followed quickly by a single accented trumpet note.

The Beatles - "I'm Looking Through You"
The verse is just acoustic guitar, bass and drums, when bam! the end of the verse is punctuated by several organ chords over guitar riffage. (0:28)

TLC - "Waterfalls"
More subtle than the two examples above. A single trumpet note with a hint of glissando introduces each verse. (0:34, 1:40)

"So, what's in store for the Tonics?"

----According to our in-house accountant, that would be raw materials, works-in-progress and finished goods. Incidentally, our works-in-progress inventory includes a song called "The CPI Song" that has lyrics like: "Let's go measuring prices with the CPI/ Consumer Pricing Index/ From the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

Here's a question for you: Steven purchased his $250 RadioShack keyboard in May 2001, with an estimated 4-year-life and a residual value of $50. What is the depreciation expense for 2001, if their year-end is Dec. 31? And what is the net book value of the keyboard on Dec. 31, 2001?

"What is the method of depreciation?"----Straight-line.

"Okay, depreciation expense is ($250-$50)/4 years = $50 per year. Multiply that by 8/12 and you get about $33. The net book value is $250-$33 = $217."----Very good.

"I read on the blogosphere that the Tonics' next album will be entirely musique concrète."

----I hate bloggers who'll just make shit up when they have nothing to say.

Great moments in rock and roll: B&S lyrics

It is an unofficial policy of this band and this blog to stay away from Belle & Sebastian because they are twee, despite being the industry leader in the area of indie pop. Today we make a lyrical exception to this rule by spotlighting the brilliantly constructed verse from Belle & Sebastian's "I Love My Car," available on the Push Barman To Open Old Wounds compilation album, or if you work for--I mean contribute to--Pitchfork, the I'm Waking Up To Us EP. The verse occurs at 2:15 into the song.

"I love my Carl/ I love my Brian my Dennis and my Al/ I could even find it in my heart to love Mike Love"

This verse is brilliant for several reasons: 1) It is a play on the regular lyrical hook "I love my car." 2) It incorporates the names of all five original Beach Boys. 3) The last line hints at the popular perception that Mike Love is the "villain" who hindered Brian Wilson's artistic progress.

Spotlight on Syd Barrett: Part 3

Here is the promotional video for "Arnold Layne," Pink Floyd's first hit.

Spotlight on Syd Barrett: Part 2

"Bike"
When you're mad, or a genius, or both, like Syd Barrett, your conventional sense of rhythm flies out the window. "Bike" is mostly in 4/4 time, but with one or two extra beats sprinkled in here and there. Amateurs who try this trick usually make it too obvious, but on "Bike," Barrett is able to insert these extra beats seamlessly and naturally. He doesn't seem to think in 4/4 time, he's just singing freely, as you would if you were humming to yourself walking down the road. Of his contemporaries, only the Beatles have been able to work in these natural time-signature changes, as seen on "All You Need Is Love," "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," and "Here Comes The Sun."

The other interesting note about "Bike" is that Syd Barrett sings "You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world" on a slide melody. That means he starts the line on the top note (A) and smoothly descends to the bottom note (D). Since there are more syllables than notes along the way, he actually sings some quarter-tones (notes that are in between consecutive keys, therefore unplayable, on the western keyboard).

Spotlight on Syd Barrett: Part 1

This week, we're going to honor the memory of Syd Barrett by highlighting some of his work.

"Candy And A Currant Bun"
This is a little known B-side of "Arnold Layne," Pink Floyd's first hit. The main innovation of this 1967 song is its radio-unfriendly lyrics: "Oooh, don't talk to me/ Please, just fuck with me/ Please you know I'm feeling frail." And you thought the Rolling Stones were explicit in their treatment of sex.

The harmony vocals are Roger Waters or Richard Wright wailing on a slide melody, years before Thom Yorke would use that technique.

Despite the fact that Pink Floyd was known as a psychedelic jam band even during the Barrett era, most of their recordings actually clocked in under 3 minutes. "Candy" is 2:47 long.

Syd Barrett

We mourn the death of Syd Barrett, founding member and original frontman of Pink Floyd. Barrett made a few singles and only one album ("The Piper at the Gates of Dawn") with Pink Floyd, but his work has remained highly influential and relevant to this day. He was a pop genius with an ear for catchy melodies who was barely 22 when he retired from music.

Sculpted Static (our old band) counted Pink Floyd as a key influence, and performed Barrett's "Astronomy Domine" twice during the early 2000s.

"What's 'Bartleby' about?"

----It's about time we had an instrumental.

"I mean, is it a musical interpretation of Herman Melville's 'Bartleby the Scrivener'?"----No, we just liked the name. Sorry to disappoint you.

"Do you consider yourselves part of the L.A. music scene?"

----No. We are part of the L.A. music backstage.

"What do you mean?"----2:56.

"Excuse me?"----That's the arithmetic mean of the lengths of the songs on our album. That's what you're asking, right?

"You're weird."----No, I'm Neon Phosphor.

An exclusive interview with Steven Chow

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR.

SC: i know, and i'm not feeling too creative today, let's just get this over with.

NP: MY READERS WANT TO KNOW: DO YOU BELIEVE IN DESTROYING INSTRUMENTS ON STAGE?

SC: it depends on the method. smashing a guitar is too clichéd. i prefer burning and axing. i think we should bring a heavy-duty tree grinder to our next concert.

NP: DO YOU GO THROUGH ANY RITUALS BEFORE OR AFTER A CONCERT?

SC: before the concert, we usually listen to oldies radio, especially "everlasting love" by the love affair.

NP: WHAT'S THE BEST DRINK TO HAVE BEFORE PLAYING?

SC: soda pop (go the tonics). otherwise i'd fall asleep.

NP: DO YOU EVER GET TIRED OF PLAYING OLD SONGS LIKE "LUCY" AND "TELEGRAPH AVENUE" WHEN YOU KNOW YOU HAVE NEW SONGS IN THE PIPELINE?

SC: telegraph's retired. and i never practice lucy for fun. i'm not really into those ballads for solo piano. lucy's much better with the band.

NP: WE KNOW YOU LIKE OLD MUSIC. BUT ARE THERE ANY NEW BANDS THAT YOU PARTICULARLY LIKE, AND WOULD RECOMMEND?

SC: stereolab

NP: WHAT'S THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?

SC: last weekend i saw Smash-Up Derby at a festival. they give you twice the hits in the same amount of time, for instance by mashing up nirvana and michael jackson, and the strokes and christina aguilera. good times.

NP: OKAY, STEVEN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. GOOD AFTERNOON.

SC: later

An exclusive interview with Mark Williams

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR.

MW: hey neon

NP: MY READERS WANT TO KNOW: DO YOU BELIEVE IN DESTROYING INSTRUMENTS ON STAGE?

MW: i do not. i know arta offered to put his old lp out to pasture for the first lava lounge gig, but didn't. so i guess the specter of instrumental destruction hangs over the band. keep in mind that we'd need to be booked to play on a stage to smash any instruments there

NP: DO YOU GO THROUGH ANY RITUALS BEFORE OR AFTER A CONCERT?

MW: i drink at whatever point the band lets me. that's more of a habit than a ritual, though

NP: WHAT'S THE BEST DRINK TO HAVE BEFORE PLAYING?

MW: whiskey, it makes you want to yell. that's a lie: of course i drink a gin and tonic

NP: DO YOU EVER GET TIRED OF PLAYING OLD SONGS LIKE "THANK YOU" AND "DISTANCE" WHEN YOU KNOW YOU HAVE NEW SONGS IN THE PIPELINE?

MW: yeah, of course. i never play old songs by myself for enjoyment or practice, though maybe i should, especially for the latter. once we arrange a song as a group, it's not something i feel compelled to work on again, outside of the group. though maybe i should. having said that, it'd be a blast to play "old mcdonald" with the band

NP: WE KNOW YOU LIKE OLD MUSIC. BUT ARE THERE ANY NEW BANDS THAT YOU PARTICULARLY LIKE, AND WOULD RECOMMEND?

MW: no... well, that's not entirely fair. i think the kings of convenience are all right, if a little quiet. and i think the new cat power album might be ok, but who knows. that's about it. i like the replacements, too. they're relatively recent.

NP: WHAT'S THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?

MW: sheesh, it's been a while. i went to a student recital in june on campus. the last rock kind of concert, in a venue, was when george clinton and the p funk gang played at the fillmore in may

NP: OKAY, MARK, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. GOOD AFTERNOON.

MW: take it easy neon

Sculpted Static flashback of the day

"Salvo Social" (2003) was a significant Sculpted Static song for the following reasons:

• It marked the first time the band modulated to a new key in the middle of the song. The change happens at 1:33.
• First use of spoken word in a Sculpted Static song. Steven reads from the USA PATRIOT Act during the verses. The effect was inspired by the Velvet Underground's "The Murder Mystery" from their self-titled album.
• The "drumming" was simply a preset pattern on Steven's RadioShack keyboard. Before "Salvo Social," the band's fake drumming was usually played manually on the keyboard.
• Arta uses a sampler near the end of the song, and it can be heard clearly over the last chord.

Arta played all the guitar parts, and Steven played bass and performed all vocal parts. Mark and Ian were at school and did not play on the recording. However, the song was performed by all members of the band at the No Future Cafe concert.