SOUNDTRACK: HARRY STYLES-Tiny Desk Concert #960 (March 16, 2020).
Harry Styles was in One Direction. I couldn’t tell you a thing about One Direction (but I assume most other people could).
When he released his debut album in 2017, I was surprised how much I liked the (goofy) song “Carolina.” It was a groovy, boppy trifle of fun. I didn’t listen to anything else on it, but I was pleased to enjoy the Britpop chorus and lalalas.
Basically it taught me that Harry Styles has a good sense of humor. And that’s on display in this Tiny Desk Concert.
Styles might not necessarily be the first name that comes to mind when you think of public radio’s only working, desk-music-discovery platform. After all, he’s got a wildly devoted fanbase that’s followed his every move since his One Direction days. In fact, before soundcheck had even started, a crowd of fans had begun to gather outside NPR HQ. They rightly suspected he would be playing a Tiny Desk concert after word got out that the former One Directioner was spotted in D.C. with no tour date on his public schedule.
But beyond the headlines, Styles has proven to be an artist who takes his songcraft and aesthetic seriously, interested in subverting expectations of what a pop star can and should sound like in 2020. That sense of unpretentious creativity is exactly what he brought to his Tiny Desk performance – and it definitely earned him some new adoring public radio fans in the process.
Styles performed four songs from his latest solo album, Fine Line.
“Cherry” starts with pretty a capella harmony vocals from the three women in his touring band (drums, piano and guitar). Then he starts the acoustic guitar and sings while Mitch Rowland plays a nifty slide guitar solo. Midway through, Adam Prendergast adds a nice low bass and Sarah Jones adds thumping drums. It’s got a slow folk feel.
Between tracks, he talked about the process of writing these songs: From the day off in Nashville that led to “Watermelon Sugar,”
The song had been around for a long time. He liked it, then he hated it and now it’s back. he got the title from a Richard Brautigan book.
“Watermelon Sugar” is a faster song. Charlotte Clark switches to the Wurlitzer which adds a nice tone to the song. Jones plays some electronic percussion and Rowland has a nice wah wah lead on the acoustic guitar.
After the song he says, “I have to come into NPR more often… It’s nice here.”
He then says, it’s very hot. “I am wearing a badly chosen jumper.” It’s light blue wit a chick hatching out of an egg. It says “mon petit.”
Before the next song he says thanks to that group who is like moving back there–“I’m getting my vibe from you … shame on the rest of you.”
He talks about his friend and collaborator Mitch Rowland doesn’t doesn’t speak a lot. Then he’ll call and say I have an idea and it was the whole song of “To Be So Lonely”
He admits that it’s a shame that when he sings the line about being an arrogant son of a bitch that that’s the line people sing back the loudest.
It’s a quieter song. Backing vocalist Ny Oh normally plays guitar but on this one she just claps. Harry has no guitar either. Charlotte is on piano and Mitch plays a very cool guitar part.
Before the final song “Adore You” he talks about how weird this is, “It just feels like you’re in the way.”
He says “Adore You” is “about a fish… I just really liked it.” There’s great backing vocals from Ny Oh. He sings more intensely in this song which seems like it would be a big hit.
It’s always interesting when pop stars branch out, and I think Styles has done a good job of it.
[READ: March 31, 2020] Hilo: Book 2
Three years ago I read the first Hilo book and loved it. And as often happens with series like this, I forgot all about it. Well, S. brought home books 2-5 to read during our quarantine and I was thrilled that book 2 is as good, if not better, than the first one.
Judd Winick’s sense of humor is just dynamite. He has impeccable comic timing, a fantastic gift for drawing expressions and a great sense of family/children’s jokes. I laughed out loud a lot during this book with lines like “I smell like gorilla armpit…. and not in a good way.”
After an introduction to earth kids DJ and his best friend Gina, we learn about Hilo (he loves telling that knock knock joke). The first crisis occurs at the bowling alley. A metal robot crashes into the alley and starts fighting with Hilo.
As Hilo fights he discovers new powers. Like ice breath. The puff he makes is about a foot wide “That’s not as impressive as I thought it’d be). As the fight concludes, Hilo says a new decree: “no more hurting robots, starting now.” He can stop bad machines without destroying them: “Nobody gets hurt. Not one.” (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: TOM WAITS-Orphans (Brawlers disc) (2006).
People either love or hate Tom Waits. My wife, bless her, hates him, but was kind enough to get me this great 3 disc set for Christmas. The Brawlers disc is full of noisy raucous story/songs from the gravelly voiced troubadour. There’s some great pointed political songs on this disc, and then some simply weird stories. Great for playing loud in the car to see the way the people in the next lane look at you.
I Just Read About That... 