Episode Five: Elephant 6 and Paste's 100 Best Living Songwriters
The Stage Banter team welcomes David Birkey to give a special Elephant 6 primer, and they melt down while discussing Paste magazine's recent '100 Best Living Songwriters' issue.
Links from this week:
Elephant6 – The Elephant Six Recording Company
David Birkey – Official Site
Paste Magazine – Official Site
You Am I – Official Site
Tim Rogers – Official Site
The Replacements – "Best of" set at Rhino RecordsNext week: Band reunions, good or bad?
The Stage Banter team welcomes David Birkey to give a special Elephant 6 primer, and they melt down while discussing Paste magazine's recent '100 Best Living Songwriters' issue.
Links from this week:
Elephant6 – The Elephant Six Recording Company
David Birkey – Official Site
Paste Magazine – Official Site
You Am I – Official Site
Tim Rogers – Official Site
The Replacements – "Best of" set at Rhino RecordsNext week: Band reunions, good or bad?
11 Comments:
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Count me as a new Elephant 6 devotee. Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is my new favorite record and I will explore further at great expense ($). You guys have renewed my passion and ruined my budget. I love/hate you.
note to Sean: Your Beatles theory is illogical at best.
ill tell my head to snap out of it
I have to admit I'm a bit surprised about how many people are into this Elephant 6 thing.
But I do like the Silver Jews album that Greg played his track from and then loaned me. And it didn't even take six months.
Speaking of, GL — I think you saying "It may take you up to six months to like this record" is a way to provide some false immortality to it. How can one criticize it now, when the rebuttal would surely be, "You don't get it yet. Give it time." ALL of my favorite albums are growers, but c'mon.
Matt...You approached 'American Water' with a handful of disclaimers...correct?
Also, there's NO WAY in hell you've digested the lyrics. You're super, but not that super.
ps. I'm glad you like it!
Yeah, I definitely don't think I've fully absorbed everything this record has to offer -- not even 50%.
What I'm trying to point out is that, with so many disclaimers, what would you say to someone who thinks the album is a '2' on the SB scale? Or worse yet, a '1'? I think that you set the stage to make them look like an idiot, or at least an outcast. Heck, part of me is SCARED to not like it, because some of the disclaimers sound like "You'll either love this, or you're too stupid to love it."
Same with the E6 thing. Half those songs sound like trash to me. But in a certain sense, one *has to* like them. Otherwise you can't shop at Convolution and the Co-Op.
Do you agree?
i dont have an overriding love for the majority of e6 bands - but i still shop the co-op
maybe they wont let me in next time
i do agree that the voice is a bit much for most people to get around when it comes to the jews - and as far as 'getting' the lyrics - i dont really think it matters - i think to point out that you 'must' get the lyrics before you can truly enjoy it or understand it is to deny people that experience ... i dont have a flyin flip what dylan or stipe are talking about in the majority of their tunes - but i still enjoy the heck outta them and i find my own stories or reflect back on my own life experience when i listen to their songs ... thats what really good tunes are for - imo ... if i find out what the true inspiration or the story the song is based on then it kinda takes away from it sometimes (kinda like music videos)
i like the jews the same way i like all the music i listen to ... on my own terms in my own way
if i misinterpret or misunderstand what the lyricist is getting at - oh well - it held my interest and got my blood pumping - better a tune than some drugs
Extremely well stated, Sean.
I re-read my post, and I don't want you to think I was coming after you, Greg. What I should have included is that I sometimes say things that I mean innocently enough, but come out as:
"Wha? You don't bow down to the greatness of Lloyd Cole? You....are.....dirty."
And I'm curious of your thoughts about certain implications, or if I'm reading into it. And yeah, I know I need therapy. I'm working on it, really.
Sean, you are the only banterer I get irritated with on occasion. However, your last spiel was epic. If you enjoy it, you "get it." If you don't, you don't. It's not science, it's only rock and roll. Having said that, I am still thankful to be a Sebadoh fan in a Styx demographic... Idiots! That reminds me, I want a Sebadoh REUNION.
yes, I agree that some people are stupid.
I agree with what Sean said.
I agree with EVERYTHING.
...Joos get the heavy discalimer because every single time I've played it for someone sans the disclaimer, they bitch about his voice ... and that shit hurts me deep.
Really though, I just personally find the lyrics to be challenging...you can make of them what you will (going to back Sean's pseudo-diatribe), but he's a wordsmith, every single word is there for a reason.
"the sun and the shutters and the sun shattered hair/the butler hesitates at the top of the stairs"
that's a paragraph for most writers...
Probably a little too late to comment, but there is a great online show, NPR's All Songs Considered, who spent their last episode debating the Paste Songwriters List (featured currently on their site). Paste's editor present to defend their methods...good stuff. They also discussing songwriting in general, "life-changing songs", etc.
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