Neutral Milk Hotel - "Naomi". Of all the musics I know, Neutral Milk Hotel's is the one that that thrives most unexpectedly in sunlight. You expect these hot & knotted songs to wither in the daytime - but no, no, every time I listen with the window open, all that shine streaming through, with kids' shouts outside and bicycles ringing and the full wild sound of traffic, the smell of flowers, I'm struck by how quick "Naomi" blooms. Long vines, new buds, curls of leaf that go stretching out and across the room; ivy come kissing over all of our hearts. [buy]
The Chordettes - "Mr Sandman". Some amazing things about Mr Sandman:
- Man, girls! Baffling, huh? And so typical! Here the Chordettes spend a whole song talkin' about Mr Sandman, plotting and begging and dreaming, and then when he finally arrives - when like the Kool Aid Man he sticks his big head into the room to show he's listening ("YEEeeeSSss?"), - what do the ladies do? Very little! They keep on singin' the same song and don't let him get another word in edgewise. Women!
- And seriously they want someone "with lots of wavy hair, like Liberace"?
- The saxophones appear only briefly, but while on the scene my pulse doubles. Yow!
- This song talks about a magic beam that brings you a dream. And you actually get to hear what the beam sounds like. (Exactly once.)
- It sounds like this: "AHHHHHHHH."
- What are "two lips, like roses and clover"? LEAF LIPS = HOT?
- Little known fact: This is the perfect music for icing wedding cakes.
Happy long weekend, kiddoes. If you're in Montreal tonight you should join me at Cagibi in ninety minutes, where Alina Simone will be playing with Snailhouse and Michael Holt.
Posted by Sean at August 31, 2007 7:33 PMSpent ages trying to get into NMH, no dice. Then one day of playing them on repeat at the beach, and I'm in looooove.
Posted by scuttle at August 31, 2007 8:10 PMI hear you -- and I bought 'Everything Is' new way back when, loved it, and found everything afterwards tremendously disappointing. But on listening to their stuff again recently, I find I was just plain wrong. Later items ain't perfect like that first single (which still knocks me out), but they're real darn good. Take 'Naomi'. It blooms quickly, but then when the full band comes in, for whatever reason, it feels just a little thin to me. Good, quite good, especially in the heat (what passes for heat in a San Francisco summer, anyhow), but not quite great.
High expectations are terrible things.
'60s girl-group bubblegum is so good it hurts your teeth. You should check out the Peanut feature at genre blog Bubblegum Soup. Best contemporaneous Pet Sounds cover ever, I promise.
Posted by wcw at August 31, 2007 11:27 PMFriend of mine always closes his DJ sets with 'Mr Sandman', but the Parton, Harris & Ronstadt version. Loving it!
Posted by Kenneth at September 2, 2007 6:31 AMI would like to tell you first and foremost that this is positively my favorite blog and has been for several months.
Also, "Naomi" in my personal opinion, is the one of the greatest love songs ever written simply because it chronicles obsession in such a real and tangible way. It is by far the most affecting song on Avery Island, and perhaps N.M.H.'s best.
Posted by Parker at September 2, 2007 10:31 AMOh I agree so about the saxophones. It tickled the base of my head senseless but for only a moment. How perfectly delightful.
Posted by ian at September 2, 2007 11:02 AMYour rant about women is adorable,your relation to the Koolaide man, even better.
Posted by Susanna at September 3, 2007 2:16 AMI woke up this morning and listened to "Mr. Sandman" for half an hour on continuous repeat. It doesn't gel too fluidly from the end into the clopping intro, but who am I to quibble with burbling joy?
Posted by Altman E. at September 4, 2007 4:14 PMA fantastic post.
Posted by Caleb at September 6, 2007 2:18 PMsandman is one of my favorite songs of all time... i think i will begin researching everyone who has ever covered it.
anyone done an electro-pop version? with one persons voice tracked over and over? can i?
Posted by caleb Moore at September 7, 2007 12:58 PM
and it will begin playing. All songs are also available to download: just right-click the link and choose 'Save as...'
