I'm a music goosebump junkie.
Let me explain, I have a story I tend to break out on dates and that said dates seem to enjoy. It's a story about a recurring nightmare, my only recurring nightmare. I'm sitting in a car with a pile of pristine CDs in front of me, and some song perfectly attenuated to my internal resonance humming through the cabin. I could have goosebumps but I never have that kind of detail in my dreams.
The nightmare part? I know I'm dreaming and my dreamtime is on the wane. I've never heard any of the music before. How am I going to carry this over into the approaching consciousness I'm quickly beginning to dread? I can't ever read or run in dreams, and this one is no different. I wake up sadly. From my dream I remember to look for bands that are similiar to one that I don't really like, the Pernice Brothers. They have a couple of songs that are borderline good, but no goosebumps. Nothing that might have changed my life. I've performed that search several times and never come up with anything intersting.
Today I was engaging in some typical timekilling activies. I'm stuck in Texas. I have a mountain of work to do and my environment makes me so uncomfortable I'm thinking about spending the rest of the day in my car. I was looking over the bands that'll be playing somewhere close to my hometown hoping I might find one I liked enough to want to watch. It had a bit more urgency to it as I'd like to find one playing next weekend that I could take this girl I hope I'll continue to like once I meet her in person. She's cute but strangely insecure while appearing secure at the same time and a little judgemental. I'm not sure how that will work but her taste in music might compensate. I happen upon a band playing sometime in November with a name that doesn't scream "MY MUSICAL CAREER PEAKED IN THIRD GRADE BUT NO ONE TOLD ME". I am judgemental.
I pull them up in Rhapsody. There the tenth or so band I've listened to today. Not a bad day new music wise. This hotel is starting to make me contemplate the repercussions of stealing my rental car and driving back home, but I did find some good new music. I decide I'm generally a fan of the Alt-Dance genre. I decide I'm generally not a fan of using the word genre.
They pull up as Country. That's an out and out dealbreaker. Will Oldham? The occasional Lyle Lovett song? (I'm in Texas far too much) Califone? Sure. Straight up died in the wool Country? Nope. Not to these ears, they can't take the uniformed earnestness. I try them anyway though. Their picture (earnestness that seeks to be informed is my favorite thing in the world) combined with the title of their most popular song "Die Die Die" gives me pause. Just pregnant enough a pause to hear the lyrics "She's fightin' with the sky. She thinks she can, livin within a lie, she thinks she can. But nobody knows what lies behind, the days before the days we die."
Sold. Country come forward and be redeemed.
The Weight of Lies
Die Die Die
