Stereolab taps into the Pulse
Tonight’s post is for an old friend of mine named Thad. He used to play guitar on stage with me back in ye olde salad days. We influenced each other quite a lot musically. From him, I got a general openness to musical delight. I credit mainly him and Kurt Lightner for that. They showed me that you can be a sponge, sucking up any old muck, and at the same time you can have standards. I was so stuck on a twisted definition of what was “cool” and what wasn’t.
What did Thad get from me? Ultimately you’d have to ask him, but I will relate one thing he once said in mixed company. He credited me for being the conduit to the appreciation of the Sacred Eighth Note. I suppose it really took off with the Velvet Underground (and someone – Crozier? – please chime in with a half-remembered quotation … was it Lou Reed who first spoke of this?), but it’s a hallmark of the post-punk era, it has resurfaced like clockwork every ten years or so, and it has remained my heartbeat ever since the teenage years. It’s a monotony, it’s a haze, it’s the sound of getting lost in music. It’s the Eighth Note Pulse. All hail.
I asked Thad what he remembered most about our shared musical experiences, and he mentioned some of the music posted below. So to Thad, then…
Thad, I had great, formative times with you. Thanks for helping me embrace my cool and for sharing in it. Tonight, I’ll post some songs that conjure up that aesthetic, and later, anytime after tonight in fact, you can check in on this blog, and chances are I will be posting some marvellous shapes and colors that I might have remained closed to had it not been for your generous spirit.
I’ve attempted to trace this religious rhythm at various touchpoints through recent years, starting with the Velvet Underground (the original?), and on to Joy Division (perfectors of the post-punk signature, and suitably, they carry the Pulse on the bass), Echo & The Bunnymen (close echoes and a seminal example in “Back Of Love”), the Cocteau Twins (progenitors of the ’90s shoegaze swell), the Boo Radleys (the most inventive of the shoegazers), and ending with Interpol (the original resuscitators of the ‘Aughts). From Interpol onwards, it just gets crazy, as do many things, with the profileration of ideas brought on by the Information Age. Further below, I’ve posted a fine example of the mantra in the Soft Pack’s double-sided package of bliss. And anyone who has ever namechecked the Arcade Fire will testify that the Eighth Note beats on. Much to our delight.
And please, let us all know what I have overlooked.
Velvet Underground: I’m Waiting For The Man
Joy Division: Transmission
Echo & The Bunnymen: The Back Of Love
Cocteau Twins: Cherry-Coloured Funk
Boo Radleys: Skyscraper
Interpol: Obstacle 2
Thanks for the Neu! Damn, now I know where early Stereolab came from. Other than Kraftwerk and 1-2 other tracks from Nue!, I am shamefully uninitiated into the Krautrock world. Still, it’s never too late to get caught up. Any can’t miss albums or comps you would recommend?
Here Here to Thad. I also had the pleasure of being in a band with him. Excellent times.
Stereolab essentially xeroxed “Hallo Gallo” to make the second half of (the 18 minute) “Jenny Ondioline,” and I’m a big fan of both songs. For the VU rush I dig their “John Cage Bubblegum.” I’m not so into most Krautrock, but Can’s “Oh Yeah” is on my all time list (of what? 100 songs? 78 songs? something like that). Its sound doesn’t fit this discussion, though. The Strokes’ “Last Night” precedes Interpol for the 21st century return of the 8th note, but both bands have faded from relevance. Hmmm…so has Stereolab, darn it. Incidentally, you can find Krautrock’s influence all over the ’80s Fall records (especially, duh, “I Am Damo Suzuki”).
“Sister Ray” is as good a jumping off point as “Waiting for the Man,” albeit for a different groove altogether. Checkpoints include Modern Lovers’ “Roadrunner,” Wire’s “Strange,” and Stereolab’s “I’m Going Out Of My Way.”