Micah P. Hinson - "The Leading Guy"

(I had Sean and Jordan over to my house yesterday. We played scrabble (Jordan won), we sat on a pink carpet by a fire, and listened to these two songs. I recorded our conversation, and here's a transcript of what we said)

Me: I chose this one because it just felt like the penultimate example of gramofolk.

Jordan: Penultimate?

Me: Yeah..

Jordan: So what's the ultimate?

Me: Oh. Did I misuse that?

Sean & Jordan: Yes.

Me: Oh, oops.

Sean: Is that the only reason you like it? Gramofolk was kind of a joke.

Me: No, it's like a really good Mars bar. 'Cause you're going along, and everything seems pretty normal, and then you realise you're listening to a really great song. It took a few listens before I got the narrative about letting go.

Jordan: You mean the chorus?

Me: Yeah, I guess. But it took a while to sink in. I can hear him missing someone. Everyone who's gone.

Jordan: Yeah, I'll agree with that. Is that Rochester I hear in the background?

Me: Rochester...from the Jack Benny Program?

Jordan: Yeah.

Me: I don't think so.

Jordan: I think it is.

Sean: No, no, no. There's no Rochester, there's no Mars bars, this is a story told by a Giant to his nieces and nephews, all giant children, about their father who was run out of town. The story goes that he turned evil, but the Giant gives a wink and a smile as he tells it, and you can hear the giant children clapping in the middle. There's hope for the worst of us.

Me: Hm.. Uh, yeah.

Jordan: An argument for this song's being good: 1) I think it's about Bob Dylan, 2) Every song about Bob Dylan is good, therefore 3) This song is good.

Me: Uh, I like the song, but can I contest premise 2?

Jordan: No. It's an axiom.

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Kimya Dawson - "My Rollercoaster"

Me: Too precious?

Jordan: Possibly. I don't know if it's time for a medley.

Me: But I thought it was fitting--

Jordan: That since her singing style is that of a double-dutch rhyme, that her song structure begins to mimic that?

Me: Yeah. I find it endearing.

Sean: Yes, she's cute. She takes our hand and we jump into a mine cart that travels backwards through our high school top 40s and radiobuzz hummings. And she likes video games!

Me: Yeah, see? Sean agrees.

Jordan: Is it a novelty song? What else moves you?

Me: I think it's her love of fearlessness. When I think about her loving that in someone, I imagine that maybe she's kidding herself, and that everybody that loves me loves something that might not actually be there.

Sean: Her frenetic pinball synapses are like the ADD kid in elementary school before ADD was something diagnosed. Just hilarious, hyperactive, constant infatuation. One second drawing on the wall with marker, the next running down the hall after a friend who passes by.

(long pause)

Jordan: Okay. I still won, though.

[site]

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it's also my sister's birthday. happy birthday, meg.