when i marry mary mac
by Sean
Please note: MP3s are only kept online for a short time, and if this entry is from more than a couple of weeks ago, the music probably won't be available to download any more.


 

Day five at the 2003 Ottawa Bluesfest.

I'll say this about Great Big Sea: if I was harvesting souls, stalking the living and feeding upon the happy spirits of unsuspecting concert-goers, tonight would have been a bonanza.

Posted by Sean at July 9, 2003 11:41 PM
Comments

I just heard the new Gordon Downie single [not sure what it's called] on the radio, and it's *really* good. It's a really cool song... really upbeat with some great piano and horn bits. It has almost Cake-like energy and timing at points. I'll add that the song is much better suited to Downie's voice and style than some of his other work. He seems really comfortable and confident singing which is how it should be.

Posted by Andrew at July 10, 2003 10:11 AM

I didn't like "Pascal's Submarine," but I haven't heard it that much (I erased the mp3); maybe I'll download it again to listen to his voice properly. As pop-rock goes, it was too middle-of-the-road for me. Glad you enjoyed it, though...

Posted by Sean at July 10, 2003 1:12 PM

I will admit that it sounds middle of the road at times, but I think it's middle of the road in a good way -- and it fit the mood I was in at the time.

It has that familiar-the-first-time-you-hear-it-ness that most commercially successful songs have.

Posted by Andrew at July 10, 2003 2:01 PM

one more thing... it has a beatles-esque playfulness to it.

Posted by Andrew at July 10, 2003 2:04 PM

There's nothing wrong with a song being middle-of-the road if it's good.

Posted by Martin at July 12, 2003 3:18 PM

you're completely right, Martin. It was a pretty snooty criticism to make; maybe a better articulation would be that it wasn't brave enough to hold my interest? not honest enough? too eager to be liked? (or do these, too, come across as condescending?)

Posted by Sean at July 12, 2003 11:54 PM

Those sound about right

Posted by Martin at July 13, 2003 8:48 AM

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Sean Michaels is the founder of Said the Gramophone. He is a writer, critic and author of the theremin novel Us Conductors. Follow him on Twitter or reach him by email here. Click here to browse his posts.

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