SOUNDTRACK: WAVVES-King of the Beach (2010).
I feel like I shouldn’t like Wavves. There’s os much to dislike about them (or him, I should say, since it’s almost entirely the product of one guy). He’s bratty, fans seem to dislike him (do a search for Wavves live), and in the first live show that I downloaded, he seemed a bit disdainful of the audience.
And yet, I really like this album. It’s fast and punky and reminds me of some of the best summer punk music from my high school days (Surf Punks anyone?).
So Williams plays all the instruments (with a few exceptions), and the sound is consistent through: a trebly guitar (the perfect sound for surf music, although he doesn’t play surf music at all). Fast punky drums and William’s voice which is not so much whiny as bratty–the lyrics play out this bratty idea too:
bet you laugh right behind my back/I won’t ever die/I’ll go surfing in my mind/I’m not supposed to be a kid/but I’m an idiot/I’d say I’m sorry/but it wouldn’t mean shit
or
My, my own friends/Hate my guts/So what? Who gives a fuck?
(from “Green Eyes,” which sounds like a ballad but soon rocks out).
Of course, it’s not all just punky tracks, “When Will You Come” has the drums of a 50’s doo wop song (no one would mistake it for a doo-wop song, though) including his falsetto’d voice. And “Baseball Cards” has a similar inspiration–although again, sounding nothing really like that style of music. Even “Mickey Mouse” opens with what sounds like the music from “Da Doo Ron Ron” (indeed it is a sample from the song, but manipulated slightly).
“Convertible Balloon” sounds like a quirky Japanese pop confection. And, “Post Acid” which is a punky bratty song has a wonderful part where the song stops and they make crazy grunting sounds which I like very much.
It’s not smooth summer music by any means, but it is fun and energizing. Perfect punk beach soundtrack.
[READ: July 11, 2011] “Married Love”
This story had me fooled from the outset.
Recently we listened to Judy Blume’s Fudge-a-mania. In that story Fudge, who is 5, says that he is going to marry Sheila Tubman, his big brother’s arch nemesis. Everyone laughs, and we ultimately learn why he wants to marry her (I won’t spoil it). In this Tessa Hadley story, Lottie, a nineteen year old girl (who looks about thirteen) announces that she is going to get married. As in Fudge-a-mania, the family is bemused by the idea and laughs about it, until Lottie reveals that she is quite serious.
Things get even “funnier” when the family learns who she is planning to marry: Edgar Lennox, a former teacher who is forty-five years older than her and who is currently married. Ha Ha Ha, says her family until, Oh, she is serious.
The story surprises even further when they go through with the wedding (about half way through the story). (more…)
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For the second season of The Organist, they switched formats from the once a month 45-55 minute long amalgam of stories of last year to a one story an episode, once a week format. The length hovers around 20 minutes now with some shows being much longer and others being much shorter. It doesn’t make too much of a difference if you listen all at once as I did, but I can see that if you’re listening when they come out that a weekly podcast would be more satisfying.
