SOUNDTRACK: CAR SEAT HEADREST-Tiny Desk Concert #506 (February 8, 2016).
I only know of Car Seat Headrest from NPR. They have really liked some of his previous songs and both Bob and Robin raved about his new song “Vincent” (which is really good).
For this Tiny Desk Concert, Will Toledo (who is kind of the only guy in the band, although not currently if you know what I mean) plays acoustic guitar on a tall stool. Accompanying him are two friends from Leesburg, Va, who don’t actually do anything, and his two band mates who also don’t do anything (well, the drummer plays a toy “desktop” drum set for the song “The Drum”). And yes, they all sing along during the sing along at the end of song three.
It’s worth mentioning that Toledo has released some 12 albums under the name Car Seat Headrest since 2010 (and Toledo is only 23). Find them at bandcamp. Unlike someone like Robert Pollard who has written hundreds of songs that are about 30 seconds long. Most of Toledo’s songs are really quite long, with multiple parts. And amazingly, all the parts are pretty catchy,
He plays three songs in this set. His voice is a little creaky and high-pitched, but it is really-spot on for the kind of songs he writes. By contrast,. it’s funny to hear how deep his speaking voice is.
“The Drum” opens with a riff that is almost out of tune seeming (like his voice). The melody lines in the verses are simple but often unexpected. And lyrically, the song is quite interesting (“the drum reads James Joyce,” “the drum’s in debt”). And just when it seems like the song could end, it switches to a slower middle section, after which it all comes back to that catchy chorus. By the end of the song it’s totally grabbed you.
For “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales,” he pushes his falsetto pretty high. The song starts out rather slow but once the verses start properly it picks up. I love the way in the drunk drivers part he adds vocal melodies that are not in the music to make the song even fuller. And then unexpectedly, the song shifts gears from the melancholy drunk driver section to the powerfully sung (and I’m not exactly sure how it’s related) “Killer Whales” part. It runs to 6 minutes and is constantly shifting and always stays interesting.
“Sober To Death” is also about 6 minutes long. There’s some great lyrics in here as well “every conversation ends with you screaming. Not even words just ah ah ahhhhh” (with his voice breaking during the ahhs). The sing along part at the end has a neat intro where the first guitar line is plucked slowly and the second line picks up speed. And when everyone sings along it really elevates the song.
After just two listens to this show I was totally hooked and I’m really looking forward to hearing his last album, which is reworking of his earlier songs for Matador Records, and his soon to be released new album with “Vincent” on it.
[READ: February 25, 2016] Koko Be Good
I absolutely adored the art in this book. I really thought it was outstanding and it has made me search out more of Wang’s stuff (she has a number of online comics at her website). I also didn’t realize that she drew In Real Life–with Cory Doctorow–her style is similar there but a but less wild as it is here. And the story is pretty great too.
So this is the story of two main protagonists and a third character who plays a smaller but pivotal role. Koko is a wild Chinese girl who is carefree and careless. Jon Wilgur is a tightly wound young man who is planning to change his life pretty drastically.
The story opens with Jon–he is drawn so perfectly, I can’t get over it–a great combination of realism and cartoon style. He is listening to an audiotape sent by his girlfriend (I love that he is listening to an audio cassette). He and his girlfriend are planning to move to Peru together very soon. She is currently there and he is about to pack up and head down there himself. (more…)
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I saw Car Seat Headrest two years ago. It was simultaneously a fantastic and a horrible show. The band was great–better than I imagined they would be.
