Monthly Archives: February 2024

#1093: Pavement – Rattled by the Rush

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This song does have an official music video, but because it uses its radio edit, the guitar solo is cut out entirely. It’s only right that I have the album version up here first. I’ll embed the video after the final paragraph, though. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into this properly. ‘Rattled by the Rush’ is the second track on Pavement’s Wowee Zowee, the band’s third album, released just over a year after Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Story goes that critics couldn’t wait for Wowee Zowee to arrive because Crooked Rain… was just that good, but when it came around they were somewhat disappointed in its sprawling, eclectic direction, coming to the conclusion that Pavement were trying to sabotage their careers and were afraid of success. Stephen Malkmus replied to these notions, stating that it was mainly the marijuana usage that steered things along. It was also the marijuana that made ‘Rattled…’ sound like a smash hit to him, which resulted in it being released as the album’s first single.

If I tried to explain on here what I think ‘Rattled by the Rush’ is about, it’d probably be a waste of your time and mine. And no matter what Genius might have to say about it, I think this song is one of those occasions where the lyrics are just what they are and don’t have to be interpreted to any length or depth. There’s a clear stream of consciousness technique to them, the second verse in particular is a favourite of mine in terms of the rhyming and the words used in general, with ideas of one line running into a different idea in another (“cross your t’s, shirt smell”), and the words are accompanied by this stop-starting rhythm that makes it all sound very awkward, like it’s struggling to get going, before cascading into these heavy guitar breakdowns after the choruses. It’s a strange, strange song for sure. Especially one to choose for a first single. ‘Grounded’ was right there. But you’ve got to give it to Pavement for sticking to their principles.

The music video for the song caused some controversy back in the day. The band chose the guy who directed their former drummer’s ‘Plant Man’ music video to do the same job with ‘Rattled…’ (If you have questions about that linked song, don’t ask.) Band members mentioned that it wasn’t the greatest experience filming the video, and when it was shown on MTV2, it was banned for making people too dizzy because of the constantly spinning/zooming in and out camera work. An additional music video was made to make it more “pleasant” to watch, where the original video is shown on a bathroom tile next to a grotty bathtub. Fair to say, the track deserved better in terms of visuals.

#1092: They Might Be Giants – Rat Patrol

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Until 2007’s The Else, They Might Be Giants’ 1996 album Factory Showroom had the distinct characteristic of being the album by the band with the fewest tracks on there, a mere 13, compared to the 18, 19 or even 38 that fans had become so used to. I’ve built it in my head that the reasoning for the reduction in numbers was a reaction to Showroom‘s predecessor John Henry, which had 20 tracks, but was also almost an hour in length – almost a double album in TMBG respects. They Might Be Giants recorded many more songs than those that eventually appeared on Showroom, a few of appeared a few years later on 1999’s Long Tall Weekend, the group’s equivalent of Physical Graffiti in that it included new songs and oldies from previous album sessions that’d been left on the cutting room floor. ‘Rat Patrol’ was one of those Showroom outtakes.

Before ‘Rat Patrol’ ended up being the two-minute minor-key, almost heavy, hard-rocking Linnell-sung composition that it is, the original demo recorded for it revealed much more simpler beginnings. Sometimes played on their Dial-a-Song service, the recording is John Flansburgh singing the lyrics a capella in an kind of showtime-y fashion. Clearly a lot of fleshing out needed to be done. Flansburgh once stated that the track “caused quite a bit of division-even among those within the inner sanctum of TMBG”. Why it caused the division, we’ll never know. But somewhere along the way, decisions were made to let John Linnell take the lead vocal (Flansburgh sings in unison with those high-pitched backing vocals) and turn the track into a thrilling ride with dueling/harmonising guitar lines and dramatic piano/guitar vamps.

According to the band’s great Wikipedia-esque fansite, the ‘rat patrol’ phrase was taken from an American TV show of the same name that aired between 1966 and 1968. Not the first time that television has influenced a song or two by the Giants. And I’ve always sort of imagined this track being the very dramatic theme song for a TV show that’s waiting to be made. It probably wouldn’t work too well though. There’s something very menacing and almost frightening about this track. It’s also described in a TMBG document as ‘witchy rocker’, and I can understand, it is quite spooky. Like that lingering falsetto note by Linnell at the end that echoes off into the distance and eventually into silence. I wouldn’t want to hear that at night when I’m walking home alone. It’s a shame this didn’t make it onto Factory Showroom. I’d have had it as a hidden track after ‘The Bells Are Ringing’ to bring a more mysterious end to proceedings. What do I know about album sequencing, though.

#1091: The Automatic – Raoul

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Whoa, whoa, whoa, this is the first time I’m talking about The Automatic on here? That just doesn’t seem right. It’s very much the truth, though. Anyone who doesn’t know who The Automatic are, they’re one of the countless, many, multitude of indie bands from the UK that appeared really from out of nowhere during the mid-2000s. They released three albums, one would follow with a little less success after the other, and what was meant to be a temporary break starting in 2010 became clear that the band was never going to get back together any time soon after a few years had passed. Today’s track, ‘Raoul’, is taken from their 2006 debut Not Accepted Anywhere, which also included their signature tune ‘Monster’ and ‘Recover’, which will get its own post on here very soon from what I can tell.

‘Raoul’ is the second track on that album, was released as the band’s second single ever and was also the second song of the group’s that I got to know. After hearing/seeing another song of theirs before on MTV2, which I took note of immediately ’cause I liked it so much, maybe some months or so had gone and there appeared a new music video for this new single. So many times on here, I’ve been able to recall to the best of my ability how I felt when hearing a particular song for the first time. Whether I was impressed or had my doubts. When it comes to this one though… I’m sure I thought it was good, and that was about it. It did the job. I don’t think I liked it as much as the single that came before it, but I liked it enough that I was intrigued by what the band would come up with next. Or at least whatever the equivalent of “intrigued” is to the 10/11-year-old that I would have been at the time.

The song is an ode to the owner of the sandwich shop where the band would go to get away from periods of heaviness and tension in the studio. But ‘Raoul’ is also meant to symbolise that centre of freedom that people may go to and find solace in when their day-to-day routine is starting to get to them a little bit. The band go see Raoul, and after doing so make the decision to ‘go back to work’, which is repeated until the song’s end. After the band’s success with ‘Monster’ making the top five in the UK singles chart, the decision was made by their record label to re-release the song in 2007 to capitalise on the momentum. Either the song was remixed or re-recorded. In the end, to me, it didn’t sound as good as the original. Got a fancy new music video for it, though.

#1090: Pavement – Range Life

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Along the line, Pavement’s ‘Range Life’ became one of my favourite songs from the group’s 1994 Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain album. But there was once a time where I really didn’t care for it at all. After being convinced that Pavement could be one of the best bands ever after only hearing ‘Cut Your Hair’, ‘Shady Lane’ and ‘Stereo’ – in that order too – I went to seek out some of their other tunes that may have music videos on YouTube. This was a long, long time ago. Probably 2008 time, so much, much younger and a lot more foolish in terms of myself. ‘Range Life’ was there, I listened, and I’m sure I didn’t make it through the entire thing. It was almost five minutes long, which to a 12-year-old me seemed an eternity. But importantly the melody seemed to just meander and not go anywhere in those verses. And those reaches for the high notes in the choruses sounded like the singer wasn’t even trying. What was it all about? I didn’t get it. It took a few years after to come back to it that I eventually understood.

‘Range Life’ is the tale of a narrator, most likely Stephen Malkmus writing about himself, who’s the singer in a good, ol’ rock-n-roll band and tired of the constant touring and cycle of clichés that come along with the rock-n-roll lifestyle. He looks over the horizon and thinks about another way of living, one where he’s free to roam and doesn’t have to think about when his next rent payment is due. The trace of country rock I think adds to the idea of easy living and searching for those bigger horizons. So when Malkmus does reach those high notes with his voice breaking and all on the ‘Raaaange liiiife’ choruses, it’s not because he’s not trying. In fact, he’s trying very hard. Not saying he’s in pain when he’s singing it, but I think it’s meant to symbolize some sort of mental pain, like it’s signifying the strong urge to break away that’s eating away at him. But in the end, it’s not meant to be seen as song that’s sad or emotional. On the contrary, there are some incredibly relatable and witty lines in here, the most notable one being where Malkmus disses The Smashing Pumpkins. This act would begin a rivalry that people comment on to this day.

I think the track really solidified itself in my eyes upon finding a live performance of it by the band on HBO’s music television series Reverb. Bear in mind, the year’s 1999 so Malkmus was already thinking of ending Pavement during this time, so there’s much more of a couldn’t-give-a-fuck-vibe on his part than usual. Some marijuana may be involved in there too. More importantly though, the track is delivered with a lot more punch than in the original recording. Plus, Malkmus goes even deeper in the Stone Temple Pilots and Smashing Pumpkins lyrics in the final verse, referring to the former as the ‘Stone Temple Nothings’ and almost making a slight at D’arcy Wretzky’s plastic surgery for the latter. It’s pretty funny stuff, the crowd have a laugh at it too.

#1089: Beck – Ramshackle

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Beck’s Odelay is a trip of an album. With the help of the Dust Brothers production team, Beck puts forward 13 tracks, the majority of which are layered, sort of off-kilter with a hip-hop influence, propelled by loops and samples and other audible oddities that keep its momentum going and at the very least make every song on there interesting to listen to. Some would consider it a 10/10. A classic. I wouldn’t argue with them. However, Odelay initially started out a totally different project, one where the songs within took a more acoustic and subdued route. ‘Ramshackle’ was one of those numbers recorded in those beginning sessions and chosen to close out the final LP, acting as the slow, sobering comedown after the album’s party has ended.

I myself didn’t really appreciate ‘Ramshackle’ until revisiting Odelay again sometime in 2017. It had been in my iTunes library for years up to that point. ‘Devils Haircut’, ‘Hotwax’ and ‘The New Pollution’ were already firm favourites of mine. But the album was just sitting there, and it had been a while since I’d listened to it in full. When ‘Ramshackle’ arrives, 47 or so minutes in after a conveyor belt of one upbeat track after another, the sudden appearance of upright bass and slowly strummed acoustic guitars are a total mood shifter. So slow, you feel like you might just start sinking into whatever you’re sitting in as the music continues. But it makes the dynamic that much more emphatic. Also helps that the melody Beck chooses to sing the lyrics inserts itself almost immediately. Wouldn’t be wrong to say it’s nearly nursery rhyme-like in its simplicity.

I have no solid idea what this song is about. What I see when hearing the music and listening to the lyrics is this sort of lone ranger type going through this shell of a town, looking at the waste around him and just going on his way because he’s meant to roam. There’s a western, cowboy theme here that I get, which I don’t know is felt by anyone else. That’s what I’ve been going with anyway. I think it may be about the weariness of life in general, how the big and small things can get us down. Our possessions, relationships, living our days until we pass away and go on to another plane of existence. Or not. Like all the other songs on Odelay, the meanings within lyrics aren’t all that obvious. The focus is more on how the words sound together and the imagery they convey. Whatever the meaning is here, it’s nothing to get pent up on. The track calms me down, and sometimes that’s what we all need.