‘Sunshine Boys’ sounds like a less rootsy Del Amitri. Or a very poppy REM.
YES, true, they sound as if they come straight out of pop/rock paradise.
And, oh, by the way, ‘Sign of Life’ is the ballad of the year.
Listen here.
Jackie, Dag and Freda tell about recording ‘Blue Music’ and the songs they love.
Which is the song you wish you had written every time you hear it? And why?
Jackie:
I can’t limit this answer to a single song, so here are today’s top five:
“One True Love” – Semisonic
That perfect bridge plus Carole King! Dan Wilson can do no wrong as a songwriter, and John Munson is one of my favorite bass players.
“Red Dragon Tattoo” – Fountains of Wayne
Delightful wordplay and impossibly catchy. I love the way the melody on the line “I’m fit to be dyed, am I fit to have you?” is different every time it comes up.
“Sing Me Spanish Techno” – The New Pornographers
I could easily pick a dozen of their songs, but this one always tops my list. The lyrics are typically inscrutable, and I just adore the bridge on this one.
“Vertigogo” – Frisbie
I love the way this song always sounds like it’s on the verge of careening off the rails. Tremendous harmonies and virtuosic bass playing from Eddie Carlson – his ridiculous bit coming out of the bridge makes me laugh delightedly.
“Vanity Mirror” – Redd Kross
Something of a deep cut, I just love the sound of this one.
Dag:
“In Your Bright Ray” – Grant McLennan
He’s such a songwriting hero of mine. I love a million songs of his and this one hit me this morning. His death just gutted me.
“When The Poor Can Reach The Moon” – The Chills
I’ll listen to this song seven times in a row, and it moves me every time. Not only is it a marvelous song but it’s a manifesto.
“PF Sloan” – Jimmy Webb
There’s so much going on in here, and a new bit of it seems to reveal itself every time I listen.
“Surf’s Up” – The Beach Boys
I think this is Van Dyke Parks pleading with Brian Wilson not to let drugs and their accompanying madness overtake him.
“Better Things” – The Kinks
Please don’t make me choose a favorite Kinks song.
If you could tour the world with 2 other bands, who would you ask to join?
Jackie:
The New Pornographers and Sloan
Dag:
I might choose Sloan, too! I think their fans would like us. What about Yo La Tengo, Superchunk, Juliana Hatfield, Buffalo Tom, Dawes, Neko Case, Belly or The Woodentops? Maybe The Shins have some room on their bus? We’re very well behaved, for the most part.
At what point, during writing, rehearsing, recording, did you know you were on to something special?
Dag:
Right away! We were brought in as a trio to help some friends of ours with a couple of shows, and when we played their songs, I think the three of us immediately felt a musical connection. And then when we reconvened at our first practice working on our own songs, the connection was ever deeper. It sounded like “us” instantly.
What was the biggest fun during the making of the last album?
Freda:
I loved everything about being in the recording studio with Jackie and Dag—we share a get-down-to-work ethic and were always productive, collaborative, and harmonious. But the most fun moments for me were when the basic tracks were finished, the pressure was off, and we experimented with overdubs: handclaps, tambourine, backing vocals, most of those tracks were freer, looser. Figuring them out together and recording them felt more like play than work.
She tells you she will decide on a 5-song-mixtape if there is going to be a second date. Which 5 would you put on?
Freda:
1. We Five “You Were on my Mind”
2. Hank Williams “Hey Good Lookin’”
3. The Lovin’ Spoonful “You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice”
4. Herman’s Hermits “Something Good”
5. Big Star “Thirteen”
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