I am not, however, quitting the blogging world.  You see, Essential Listening slowly became more tedious over time because I had limited myself from the very beginning.  If I was tired of writing about music, it was hard to push elsewhere in a place that had a title about music.

So today I am going to suspend operations on this blog and point you at my new one – In Words and Phrases.  IWP will be focused on “ideas and events.”  Of course, that’s pretty broad – and intentionally so.  I will still write about music (it is a very rewarding adventure), but also my other favorite hobbies and passions – sports, cooking, photography, and other far-reaching topics.  I do hope you’ll join me over there.

And if you’ve been with this blog until the end, I thank you for even so much as pretending to pay attention.  I think it’s time to play the final track:

Thanks for sticking with Essential Listening!

On this day 22 years ago, something special happened to the world – Pixies’ masterpiece was released.  The recording sessions have been described as difficult – so much so that the band chemistry was forever altered.  The music was not commercially successful (peaking at #98 in the Billboard 200, and the “hit” single only getting to #3 in the Billboard Modern Rock chart).  But here we are more than two decades later, still touched by the impact of this mammoth record.  Doolittle is one of the greatest rock albums ever released.

But why is it still so revered?  The hyper-saturation of modern music can make it difficult to see the singular nature of Doolittle.  So let’s take a step back and consider popular and alternative music in April of 1989, and also see what other artists have said about Pixies.

Time and Place

Pixies were unlike anybody else getting airplay in the US when Doolittle was released.  To illustrate this, we’re going to look at the top songs on the Hot 100 and Alternative Songs chart, and then the top albums in the Billboard 200.

For the weeks of April 15 and April 22 in 1989, the Billboard Alternative Songs chart was dominated by XTC’s song “The Mayor of Simpleton.”  Other artists appearing in the top five during this two-week period included Robyn Hitchcock n The Egyptians, Morrissey, The Replacements, Fine Young Cannibals, and Elvis Costello.

The Hot 100 saw “She Drives Me Crazy” by Five Young Cannibals and “Like a Prayer” by Madonna holding down the top song spots for the weeks of April 15 and April 22.  Other groups in the top five for these weeks included Roxette, Bangles, Milli Vanilli, Tone-Loc and Bon Jovi.  The Billboard 200 Albums chart saw Tone-Loc and Madonna holding down the top spots in the weeks surrounding Doolittle with their respective records Loc-ed After Dark and Like a Prayer.  The remaining top five artists were Debbie Gibson, Bobby Brown, Roy Orbison, and Five Young Cannibals.

It’s obviously difficult to make generalizations about the state of popular music just from a two week span, but the Alternative Songs chart does provide some insight as to the type of widely purchased alternative music.  XTC were very heavy in the jangle-style, offering fluid melodies and flowing guitars.  “Madonna of the Wasps” from Robyn Hitchcock wasn’t far off from this either.

Honestly, it’s not too hard to make the link to the rest of 1980s R.E.M. from these songs.  The first five or six proper records from R.E.M. were truly cutting-edge, bringing a very distinctive style to rock music.  Mumbled lyrics and artistic ambition aside, one of the defining features of 80s R.E.M. was Peter Buck’s ringing, singing guitar.  It seems clear that even XTC (who existed before R.E.M.) were taken by the whole jangle thing

It’s Different

Of course, this shouldn’t be seen as a put-down to the music around Doolittle.  It’s just that Doolittle was very different from everything else gaining attention in 1989.  There was nothing quite so dynamic or angular happening in music.  Let’s do a brief exercise, just to cleanse the ears before trying out Pixies.

First, play the whole of XTC’s hit song “Mayor of Simpleton.”  In fact, you can do it here.  We’ve got the video for you:

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, notice the generally even feel of the track.  YouTube quality issues excepted, nothing is particularly bigger than the rest of the song.  The chorus pops nicely and the lyrics offer some tonal changes, but it’s pretty straightforward.  “Mayor of Simpleton” is a great song and often ends up in my play rotation, but it’s worth noting that it is quite smooth.

Now, let’s jump right into Doolittle with a very extreme example.  This is “Tame,” the second track into the record.

It’s a very jarring example when taken directly after the XTC song.  “Tame” exemplifies the quiet-loud-quiet song structure that Pixies developed.  While you can argue if Pixies actually created the style, the sure pushed it to a new extreme that hadn’t been viewed in a public sphere before.  The same thing goes for the guitars – we’re no longer dealing in jangle.  We’re hearing general attack that had been left for thrash and punk before.

And that phrase is crucial to this listening exercise.  We’re so used to strange dynamics and angular attacking guitars in recent rock music.  But in 1989, Nevermind was still a few years from existing.  OK Computer wasn’t there to show us “Paranoid Android.”  Spoon weren’t developing a trimmed-down version of the Pixies style.  Doolittle is that point of change and conversion.  It is a singular record that was unprecedented and only comparable to its predecessor, Surfer Rosa.

Influence Beyond its Sales

It’s easy to dismiss my ranting as just another blogger with arbitrary and biased opinions.  But it’s not so simple to push aside the opinions of the most influential current artists.  Nearly anybody who is (or has been) viewed as musically innovated has cited Pixies and Doolittle as powerfully influential in their work.  Typical members on the Pixies influence list include Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Thom Yorke, Spoon, The Strokes, and even TV on the Radio.

That’s pretty wild stuff.  The band has been rightfully depicted as the catalyst of 1990s rock revival (Nirvana) once described their efforts as just an attempt to rip off Pixies.

Listen to Doolittle Today

So all the innovation, the history, and acclaim are all there.  But what about the music?  Is it still “good?”  That answer is also still a resounding “yes.”  The songs still have tight arrangements, the guitars still sound crisp, the dynamics are still exciting.  Doolittle has done like other albums anointed with “all time great” tags – it has hardly aged.  Crazy lyrics, emotional performance and instrumental excellence are still things that we value today and they all stand tall in current plays of Doolittle.

Yes, Doolittle is that good.  Let’s celebrate its birthday and play the record.  Play every song, don’t skip tracks (there are none worth skipping) and bask in its glory.  This is both innovative and excellent.  Get on board and celebrate 22 years of Doolittle.

Quick confession: I’m not overly fond of Bob Dylan’s voice, so it’s refreshing to hear it (sort of) in a younger, smoother guise with Mr. Dylan’s son.  Enjoy the video, and try to enjoy the weekend!

The emotional core of the track is undeniable and quite moving.  I am always shocked by how much weight a song like this carries.  Normally I’d classify the sound as hard/grunge rock and get right into something about alienation.  But here Dave Grohl’s nuanced vocal delivery shows flashes of desire, desperation and regret.  Add this all to a well-constructed guitar part and you’ve got a brilliant song.  It’s one part fun loud song, two parts meaningful vocals and lyrics, and held together by the clean intro guitar part that slowly ushers you into the experience.  “Everlong” is Grohl’s crowning post-Nirvana achievement.

In honor of the final performance, I now post the final song played by the band.  Here’s to hoping for more excellence from whatever James Murphy does.  And maybe, just maybe, they’ll come back one day for a few more shows.

No seriously, this is terrible.

Now get out there and go buy some De-3D Glasses or something like that.  Or do your own job and RickRoll yourself.  Whatever you prefer.

I guess I’m a loser – I had never heard this song until a few days ago.  My friends were discussing it and their jaws dropped when I admitted my non-encounters with “Brian Wilson” by Barenaked Ladies.  So they quickly fixed that problem and got me attached to this video.

And now I’m wondering how I missed this in the first place. The song has the typical BNL qualities – strong melody, amazing vocal work and harmonies, and insane catchiness.  But what pushes this over the top is lyrical and emotional weight.  Steven Page spins a great tale about a man living a life like the titular Beach Boy.  The song has aged brilliantly since 1992 (I’ve only just heard this and it sounds fresh and exciting) and is the first entry in our Friday 90s Focus.  Give it a whirl and get drawn in.

I don’t normally get a chance to be so far ahead of the curve, but here I am.  Check out the debut recordings of multi-talented musician Attaboy (known as Evan Bujold to some).  It’s called The Invincible and was just released yesterday.  We’re at the cutting edge!

I’ve only had a chance to listen once but I’m really enjoying it so far.  The Invincible can generally be defined as rock, with punk and alternative touches.  Clever structures and strong lyrics build a very strong outing after even one play-through.  It sounds like there should be rewards with future listens.  Be sure to support this up-and-comer and check out his website and bandcamp pages in the links below.  Hopefully we can see more from Attaboy in the near future.

Attaboy Website
Attaboy Bandcamp with The Invincible streaming