Monthly Archives: June 2021

#850: Kings of Leon – Molly’s Chambers

Leave a reply

“Molly’s chambers, oh, the chambers of Molly” is how I used to sing the chorus to this track when I first became aware of it many moons ago. The video played quite frequently on TV, and this would have been years after Youth & Young Manhood was available to the public. Then I found out that that wasn’t what Caleb Followill was singing. But really, the way he mumbles his vocals throughout you wouldn’t be able to really know until you looked it up.

So, ‘Molly’s Chambers’ is a track from Kings of Leons’ first album. It was released as the second single from there, way back in 2003. My personal experience, I don’t think I knew this song existed until maybe after the release of Aha Shake Heartbreak a year later. All I knew was ‘Red Morning Light’ and that was because it was the opening track on FIFA 2004. But as I explained I saw the ‘Chambers’ video, thought that was all right, and as a result came to like the song by association.

It’s one of those songs about mysterious girls who make men want to drop to their knees and be close to them just because of how cool they seem to be. I think there’s a gun reference in the song title too. Like the chamber in a gun? Maybe the effect this Molly has is like a bullet to the brain. Or maybe it’s chambers as in a bedroom. I’ve never thought about all this until now. Maybe it’s deeper than I ever thought it was. Best to not think about it too much though. Might start a run of sleepless nights.

#849: Ween – The Mollusk

2 Replies

Beautiful, beautiful stuff right here. ‘The Mollusk’ is the title track from the 1997 album by Ween, and after intro track ‘I’m Dancing in the Show Tonight’ is where the records themes of the sea and other things related to it truly begins. Mollusks aren’t the nicest creatures to look at. Mollusks are things like, snails, squids, octopuses. Things you usually go ‘ew’ or ‘whoa, cool’ at. Quite polarizing emotions. But Ween’s dedication to these animals make them sound like some of the most out there, mystical creatures to exist.

It starts straight away with the hypnotizing acoustic riff that is backed by that bubbling, whistling keyboard note that fritters and echoes into the distance. I don’t know where else in you could be placed in your mind other than a beach next to a calming wave within those opening seconds. The instrumental properly sets this calming momentum that lulls you into the track’s opening line, one where Gene Ween asks a little boy what he has and in response the backing vocals as the boy answer “Kind sir, it’s a mollusk I’ve found”. The whole song follows this sort of call and response tactic in the verses, they work well. And then they come together during the chorus to I guess symbolize this new interest in this mollusk that this man and the boy share. Describing it, it does sound quite strange. But listening to it really takes you to another place.

One question that’s usually asked about this song arises from its closing lyrics. Gene Ween proclaims to the listener that ‘there are three things that spur the mollusk from the sand’. Yet people are confused as he seems to list only one of those. I do think he lists them in plain sight. The waking of all creatures etc etc., one faint glance back into the sea, and its wandering eye. It’s obvious, isn’t it? It did take me a while to figure out too, gotta say. Oh, yeah, there’s also an episode of SpongeBob where he literally says “Mind your wandering eye, you little mollusk”. Reference to this song. It’s not breaking news.

#848: Led Zeppelin – Misty Mountain Hop

Leave a reply

While you Led Zeppelin fans are out their raving about ‘Black Dog’ or ‘When the Levee Breaks’, or ‘Stairway to Heaven’ if you really don’t care what anyone thinks, I’ll be in the corner listening to ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ and ‘Four Sticks’. That’s right. Those are my two favourite songs from Led Zeppelin IV. Not because I’m trying to be contrarian or anything. They just have some great grooves to them. Grooves that get me boppin’ my head to their rhythm every time their momentum gets going. Unfortunately for ‘Sticks’, I didn’t know the track when I was doing the F’s, so it doesn’t have its own post. Not to worry though, as between it and ‘Mountain Hop’, I most definitely prefer the latter.

So, what’s the song about? Seems to be one of those ‘day in the life’ songs. Robert Plant guides the listener through some freaky things he sees when walking through the park. People in their masses are getting high, he decides to join them, he doesn’t notice that he’s out there for ages because his head’s in the clouds and a police officer comes and weirdly invites the people round to his house. Plant has no idea what’s going on, but is lucid enough to warn listeners to be aware of what’s going on in the world because the ignorance has become too much for him that he’s decided to take a trip to the Misty Mountains and stay there for a while. It’s all a bit of a trip. But it’s a trip that’s set to a fine boogie.

Usual bassist John Paul Jones gets behind the keys on here, laying down the track’s whole foundation with that downward riff that opens the proceedings, continues throughout most of the song, and is simultaneously followed by Jimmy Page on the guitar. The vocal melody also follows whatever Jones plays on those keys. What I’m saying to you is, just listen to those smooth keyboards. John Bonham adds power to the rhythm, business as usual for him with his performance on the drums, keeping a solid beat in the verses and mixing it up with some crazy drum fills in some spaces. This is a song to just walk down the street to and feel on the top of your game, you know? Many good feelings to have from hearing this one.

#847: George Harrison – Miss O’Dell

Leave a reply

Here’s a nice little ditty by George Harrison. ‘Miss O’Dell’ was originally a B-side to ‘Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)’ when that song was released as the first single from Harrison’s well-anticipated album Living in the Material World in 1973. Years and years later, ‘O’Dell’ was added as a bonus track to the album has part of a whole Harrison catalogue re-release. As a result, hopefully, a few more people know about the existence of this track as opposed to it fading into obscurity as a song that could only be found on vinyl from the ’70s.

I think the notable thing about this track is that in the middle of the second verse, Harrison messes up the lyric and from then on can barely contain his laughter as the song goes on. It’s hard not to smile when you hear his happiness, but sometimes you want to hear what the lines are meant to be. Luckily, there’s an alternative version (below) where Harrison re-recorded the vocal and the laughs are gone. That version doesn’t hit as much, funnily enough.

The track is a dedication to real person Chris O’Dell, a friend of Harrison who worked with pretty much everyone from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan during their heydays. Harrison is bored and lonely according to the lyrics and just wants O’Dell to give him a ring and have a chat. That is the core of the track. Quite innocent and warm in its intentions, and the upbeat tone provides the track with a very friendly and welcoming feel. Harrison does give away Paul McCartney’s old childhood phone number in the very last seconds of it though, which adds a cheeky twist to the whole thing. They weren’t on the best of terms at this point in time.

#846: Blur – Miss America

1 Reply

Like a lot of other songs in this very long series thing, it took a while for me to get into this track. When I first listened through Modern Life Is Rubbish, years ago now, I think I was 18, ‘Miss America’ stood out as the really slow and much longer track in an album where the pace was quite rapid and frantic. I thought it was boring. But a few years later, you can guess where this is going, I listened to the album yet again, and it all made sense. Coming after the heavy, two minute, shoegaze-ish ending of ‘Oily Water’, ‘Miss America’ brings a needed calmness to the proceedings.

A horrible touring experience in the US where the band were broke and the members basically starting hating each other spurred the whole music-for-the-British-people thing that Damon Albarn was all for during the 90s, and I think that ‘Miss America’ is pretty much about missing the UK while he was having the worst time across the pond. He sings about how he doesn’t understand ‘Miss America’ and loves only ‘you’, ‘you’ in this case being the United Kingdom. There are some other lyrics about jellybeans and ‘Jemima ho hos’ that don’t make much sense, but I think those are just in there to fit the music. Could also be a part of the huuuge Syd Barrett influence on this track too.

What I think really drew me in though, is the whole dreamlike atmosphere of the song. These reverb-drenched acoustic guitars take up the frame with these twinkling wind chimes (I think) throughout. There’s a proper haze about it. I’ve been in bed while listening to this and never wanted to get up, I feel so comfortable when this comes on. The track’s very loose, and I think it’s a live take too. There’s a short moment at the beginning where a drunk Graham Coxon yells out ‘Michael’, and Alex James and Albarn share a laugh about it before beginning the track. The only thing that I would point out about it is that Albarn’s vocal is very upfront in the mix… Kinda wish the instruments were louder so the vocals were more subtle. But, hey, the producers know what they’re doing.