Greetings, I’m Mike Lawrence, who you might know as the poet and personal essayist of our sister-site Moodspins. Or, if you’ve a sharp memory, you may recall my exploits as a TV columnist here. Either way, it is with my pleasure and to the thanks of my colleagues that I am proud to present my entry for “Love Insidepulse Style”.
When I first agreed to contribute to this project at the beginning of this month, I was single. Within two weeks I’ve found myself in my first relationship in almost a year. Since the music we listen to is largely a reflection of ourselves and vice versa, this mix will try to convey not only my feelings towards Liz (said girlfriend), but also my many opinions on what love is. No, you don’t have to worry about that Foreigner song being on here. Consider this mix both an aphrodisiac and a thesis paper all in one shot.
And to fully test the effectiveness of this mix I made a copy for Liz and gave it to her. Needless to say, we listened to it in the car and got through about half of it, the rest of which she’ll listen to when our passions won’t get in the way of things. This is essentially a Molotov cocktail of nostalgia, awkwardness, and naiveté, my three favorite components of love. Put the tracks together yourself (The order is very specific) and perhaps you’ll have as much fun listening to it as I did making it. And if you’re very lucky, as much fun as me and Liz did jamming out to it.
1. “Last Man Standing”- Brendan Benson- “Well I don’t know what I’m looking for/but I know that I just want to look some more/and I won’t be satisfied/Till there’s nothing left that I haven’t tried” begins Benson’s anthem of hope for lonely twenty-somethings. Listening to this song for the first time made me think of that seen in Baseketball where Trey Parker is cruising down the road listening to the song on the radio that speaks directly to him. A long explanation to make a short point to be sure, but hey, who doesn’t like a Baseketball reference? And it is hope that Benson holds on to, despite how lonely he gets. Yes, Benson may not know what he’s looking for, but as Lewis Carrol once said, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, any road will get you there. And the optimism in Benson’s voice assures us that he will.
2. “Reet Petite”- Jackie Wilson- Is it the singer or the song? It’s an argument that’s lasted about as long as chicken vs. egg and nature vs. nurture. As a writer, I’ve always sided with the song. But then, listening to Reet Petite, with it’s straightforward lyrics (co-written by a young Berry Gordy) and pedestrian arrangement, I realized that it must indeed be the singer, for what reason was there for me to be moved by this song other than that Wilson’s performance is so powerful that in the span of two minutes and forty-six seconds I understood what soul is and saw the strength one voice can have when pushed to i’s limits. Wilson, a myth more than a man, once literally sang his heart out on stage once (putting him in a nine year coma that led to his death). And he put that much into every song. That in itself is a love few of us will ever possess or even understand.
3. “Rose Parade”- Elliot Smith- Smith, it could be said, also died because he loved his art too much. Not that the drugs helped, mind you. Consumed by a depression that ultimately compelled him to stab himself in the heart till he bled dry, Smith may not have mastered his demons, although he certainly knew how to wrap them around a good harmony. Looking back on his vast catalog, it could be said that many of the songs were cries for help, placing Smith in the position of someone desperately looking to be uplifted. Witness “Rose Parade”, a simple enough song that pretty much summarizes Smith’s desperate disposition. Mournful verses describing a pitiful small town pageant are juxtaposed by a hopeful repeating chorus that never changes, despite how dark the parade itself becomes. “Won’t you follow me down to the Rose Parade”. It’s safe to say Smith’s invitation went unanswered, not that he did much to convince the audience there was any reason to go. It’s a shame, really. After all, misery loves company.
4. “High Uinta High”- Cub Country- . It seems very few people besides John Denver, Sufjan Stevens, The Mountain Goats, and Woody Guthrie have ever written passionate love songs about places, that bond between man and nature. Love after all should never just be confined to people. It’s too great to be restricted to that. Cub Country’s “High Uinta High” is a song strictly about a man desperate to get back to his roots, to the place that he once called home. “I need an empty road and a lonely wind/To bring me back again”. While they lyrics won’t win any songwriting awards, their meaning and message is enough to give any Transcendentalist worth their log cabin a hard-on. Oh c’mon, like I’m the only English major who’s ever imagined Thoreau with a boner. Methinks I should stick to the Baseketball references. Psyche out!!!
5. “Canadian Rose”- Blues Traveler- Back when John Popper was fat (i.e. GOOD!). This song makes it on here for the simple fact that I’ve always had an obsession with Canada since I was a child. I listen to this song with the hopes that I’ll be able to sing it about someone someday. Hey if things with Liz fizzle, why not go after my Canadian rose? I’m certainly an ugly American. Oh, and as with most Blues Traveller songs of this era, the harmonica solo is to die for.
6. “Closer”- Matt Pond PA- With an ability to improve with each passing album, Matt Pond PA has quickly become one of my favorite bands in recent memory. “Closer”, from one of their earlier efforts “The Nature of Maps), is full of the nature imagery and luscious string work fans of the band are accustomed to. It’s one of the few songs from that era of the band that still stands on par with the standout tracks from the phenomenal recent release “Several Arrows Later”. Most notable about the song, which details that uncomfortable distance two people share towards each other, is how the song beautifully climaxes with female vocals repeating the chorus. By songs end, you know that the couple in the song are either fiercely in love or too afraid to ever speak to each other again. The path of these two lovers is entirely dependent on how exactly the ending grabs you, and trust me, it will.
7. “Rollercoaster Ride”- Belle and Sebastian- During my first few months here, I was honored with the chance to contribute to J.R. Fernandez’s departed “Late Night Jukebox” feature. This was one of the songs I chose, and I still firmly stand behind it now. To the interest of probably only myself, I’ll repeat here what I said about the song last time: “The perfect song to listen to right before you drift off into sleep. Very dreamlike, and I like how different instruments subtly sneak into the song and pileup to create this beautiful crescendo at the end. It’s a very cyclical song in that you can listen to it over and over again in a row and after awhile you won’t be able to distinguish the beginning from the end.” To add to that, it’s an amazing song to make-out to. That is, if you can stay awake.
8. “Music Box”- Ed Harcourt- A song about the love of memories and how one object can take us to a million places in the past. If there is any doubt left to how much the titular object means to Harcourt, it’s destroyed by the way he painfully lets the final words tremble out of his voice: “Music box, plays a song that I used to love/Now I can’t remember what it was/Now my memory has faded”.
9. “A Minute With You”- Hanson- To once again reference my previous work for this site, if you need to know why this band means as much to me as they do, search through the archives and check out my column “MMMBop and You Don’t Stop”. That explains everything. Oh, and I thought the mix needed some livening up and dumbing down. This certainly fits the bill.
10. “Every Day”- Buddy Holly- Love must be important if it can calm even the voice of the original rocker himself. The bare bones production pays off in spades, showing that Holly was indeed a multitalented musician with so much potential. And how can you not love those little “a hey, a hey hey”s that he puts at the end of the chorus. He couldn’t help himself, could he?
11. “Of Angels and Angles”- The Decemberists- I don’t know if a song has ever been as bleak and bright at the same time as this, one of frontman Collin Melloy’s true lyrical masterpieces (of which there are several). While you may at first be inclined to ignore this two and half minute song which has the unfortunate task of having to close last year’s “Picaresque” right after the eight minute sweeping mammoth of a song that is “The Mariner’s Revenge Song”, stick with it, lay down, and let the song captivate you, drown, like the doomed couple featured, in the richness and expanse of the world laid before you. If the Decemberists never again record another album this is more than fitting enough to be their swan song.
12. “Always a Woman”- Billy Joel- It’s amazing how Joel is able to impeccably sink his teeth into any genre of music. He’s done doo-woop, gospel, and straight up rock with all the skill and aplomb reserved for only the masters of that genre. Here he goes for something soft and operatic and makes it look effortless, as if he had the desire to attempt this since the day he was born. As far as the lyrics go, I have to applaud Joel on creating a love interest that actually has a personality. Joel describes the kind of woman that not only a feminist would applaud, but who would garner interest in any man who wants something more than just a pretty face.
13. “Handle With Care”- Jenny Lewis- During the making of this mix, when I gathered about a hundred songs to whittle down to the twenty you see now, tracks by bands featuring Jenny Lewis, Conner Oberst, Ben Gibbard and M. Ward were plentiful. I’ve been a fan of each of these artists for years, but alas there’s only so much time and space on a mix, so I did the economical thing and featured this Travelling Wilberries cover that has all of them jamming out together. It’s the Damn Yankees of the indy rock set!! As a neurotic schmuck (as any woman, even Liz will attest to), I can easily identify with these lyrics. Except for the part about being robbed in a daycare center. Where does that happen? Omaha, Nebraska, I guess.
14. “The Trapeze Swinger”- Iron and Wine- After explaining how I had limited space in the song entry above, how do I justify including a song that nearly fills up 1/8 of the mix? When it’s as beautiful as this, it doesn’t require rationale or logic. But since that’s the reason we have these blurbs (am I rationalizing the act of rationalizing? How irrational!) I’ll say that is one of those few instances where I have a semblance of hometown pride. Sam Beam (He’s both the Iron and Wine) is a Floridian who’s talent as a writer and craftsman instantly trumps that of any of our other musical exports(Dashboard Confessional, Luther Campbell. Creed, New Found Glory….see what I mean?). And the song itself never manages to get repetitive or tiresome, and somehow juggles being epic and personal at the same time. It’s an experience and a half, a euphoric delight. Beam lyrically ties everything together with his refraining plea “Please, remember me….”. After a song like this, there’s no way anyone could ever forget.
15. “When You’re Loved Like You Are”- Of Montreal- Smartass indie rockers indulging themselves with an old fashioned tin pan alley romp. What’s not to like?
16. ” Under the Boardwalk”- The Drifters- Speaking of old fashioned, the Drifters were one of the premiere singing groups of the 50s and early 60s, powered by producing/writing team of Leiber and Stoller. This song, recorded during the groups waning days in 1964 carries on that grand Drifters tradition, even if many of the groups key players (including Leiber and Stoller themselves) are absent. Did there need to be more to doo-woop than songs politely insinuating the f*cking of cute and innocent girls at scenic locales? Of course not, as long as the melody was right and the three guys in the back with matching suits had something to repeat in unison throughout.
17. “Peacocks in the Video Rain”- John Vanderslice- Kudos to Vanderslice for making the most cliché’d phrase ever (“I love you too”) fresh and biting with this song about the obsession of a pop star. This song will be a good determiner of seeing how deeply Liz listens to the songs on the mix. And if she never even gets into lyrical analysis and merely appreciates the song for Vanderslice’s flawless production and vocals, I can live with that too.
18. “Falling”- Roy Orbison- Fuck Johnny Cash (who couldn’t sing) and f*ck Elvis (who couldn’t write), Roy Orbison is the man with the scintillating wit and vocal chops who made country pop cool. He’ll always be the perpetual underdog, but if you ask me, that just makes him even cooler. I could probably express in my own ways how I feel about Liz but it certainly wouldn’t be as splendid or dynamic as Roy here.
19. “Sweet and Tender Things”- Bill Withers- Did someone say underdog? Here’s another one Withers got into music at an older age and didn’t even stick around for long, but what he did do, the little of the Withers legacy there is, is nothing to mock. In factg, it’s a shame he’s regarded mainly for two of his lesser compositions, “Lean on Me” and “Just the Two of Us”. Decent songs, but nothing that really displays the full extent of Wither’s prowess. Here we have, what is essentially for it’s first three minutes, a pretty but schmaltzy love song. However, once it passes that three minute mark, Withers loops his own vocals and starts harmonizing with himself. I was in awe the first time I listened to it. And his voice just keeps building and building to this penultimate crescendo. I don’t want the song to ever end, if only to see how far he could actually go. Fortunately for his sake, it wasn’t as much as Jackie Wilson.
20. “Speak Easy”- Maria Taylor- Oh man, this song just rips me to shreds. I listened to it for the first time about two months after my break-up with Christine, the girl I was with for over four and a half years (That’s a lot of math!). This song just rolled every good and bad memory into one nasty punch that knocked me for a loop. And I’d start listening to it to further depress myself. If nothing else could make me bawl this could, and I mean bawl like a baby chopping onions. Now there’s a fun image! Credit the emotional effect this song has over me to the timelessness of it and to Taylor’s wraith-like vocals. She’s way too frank and the arrangement far too swanky for the song to be taken at face value. I guess me being a wreck and wretch helps too. I caution you though, that if you’ve ever been in a relationship that ends and reach that point that you know there’s no way of it being salvaged, DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS SONG. It will make it that much worse. Then again, maybe you should listen. After all, misery loves company.
