Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014 | 09:21
further thoughts on Pink Flag
my favorite band, one of the originators in my appreciatino of music, my finding of my own music, is R.E.M. despite that, it took me forever, a decade at least, to find "Strange". that's strange. i was always one to chase a band i liked, but not to explore the surrounding sounds. i liked one thing and didn't bother to see what made it that way, or what else might sound like it. i think mostly that's because when i did try to find similar bands i was disappointed. who sounds like R.E.M.? who sounds like Nine Inch Nails? Underworld? heck, even trying to find something to fill my need for Daft Punk ended in relentless disappointment (Justice only managed one album with that sound). no, i'll stick with what i know i like and let a hundred (potentially) great bands remain unknown (to me). eventually circumstances might allow me to come to one of those another way, as i did with Wire. otherwise, well, there's a ton of music out there. how can i possily know it all?
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014 | 08:55
Wire - Pink Flag
i forget about Elastica. completely. and then i see their name some where and, well, they were ok. they had that one song.
i think of this, this morning, because i'm listening to Wire's Pink Flag. yes, that means "Three Girl Rhumba" reminds me, obliquely, of college, of freshman year in college when "Connection" came out and everyone went wild over the ripped-off riff (none of us knowing it was ripped off, since we didn't know the first thing about post punk yet, just the Unknown Pleasures t-shirt).
i find i still, even know, love that riff. not just the riff, the whole rhythm of it. the dance-punk that's come out since is, at its best, all about that jerky start-stop rhythm, and i love that. i love dancing to it. don't get me wrong, i love dancing to regular dance music too--anything, really; i love dancing--but this stuff feels good too, i think because it's an awkward, unusual rhythm that takes some work to decipher--but my body goes along anyway.
another thing. after hearing the opening few tracks of Pink Flag i've come to the conclusion that Blur overdosed on early Wire then tried to play Beatles songs. oh, sure, they started trying to fit into the baggy/madchester scene, but Parklife is totally their attempt to push Wire through the retro uk rock Oasis was reconstituting as its own sound.
also, hit it and quit it. 21 songs in 38 minutes is an ace approach to rock. again, i love Pink Floyd, Metallica, and all that stretched-out rock (the stuff with a purpose--i can pass on jam bands), but there's somethign special about being able to say what you mean and not anything more. these songs aren't underdeveloped, they limit themselves to the essentials. get in, get out, move on.
