Tag Archives: here comes the cowboy

#1059: Mac DeMarco – Preoccupied

Leave a reply

Well, here’s the last representative from Mac DeMarco’s Here Comes the Cowboy album that will be featured in this long, long list. It’s been fun. Though I’ve written about ‘Nobody’ and ‘On the Square’ previously, I’d also like to send my regards to ‘All of Our Yesterdays’ and ‘Hey Cowgirl’. The latter of those was somewhat agreed to be one of the more lacking songs on the record initially upon its release almost four years ago, but hey, I like it. Had Cowboy been released in 2013, those two songs would have their own dedications. But this is where we now stand at this moment in time.

‘Preoccupied’ is the fifth track on Here Comes the Cowboy, carrying on the minimalist approach DeMarco had chosen to take when making this specific album. The instrumental’s calming, relaxed, ideal for one of those slow days – that feeling aided by the sound of birds chirping that arrives right from the song’s start and right to the end when the guitar notes have rang out to silence. Like a large majority of tracks by DeMarco, it consists of only two verses and a chorus that’s repeated twice, usually alternating with one another in the structure. That occurs many, many times on the album alone. The simplicity was something that turned a lot of listeners off this album when it was released in 2019. There are tracks on there that I don’t care for a lot myself. But ‘Preoccupied’ is one where its subtle delivery only highlights the content. Gotta appreciate those tasty licks that come in during the choruses.

The song concerns what it states in the title. Everyone’s preoccupied and whether or not they mean to be, they can’t help but show it. You could probably either take this as some sort of commentary of people being on their phones all the time, locked in on whatever’s going on on social media and forgetting the art of actual human interaction, or maybe there’s some mental health issues talk in there too. The lyrics are quite open ended, which is always nice, so there’s a lot of room for interpretation. You know, if this album had come out in 2020, during that whole pandemic/lockdown thing that was going on, I feel like it would have been appreciated a lot more. There’s a lot of stuff on this album that seems really appropriate for what was going on during that time. Clearly DeMarco was in the know about something and we were all too naive to understand.

#978: Mac DeMarco – On the Square

1 Reply

That’s right. Another dose of Mac DeMarco for you. I’m sure I wrote down my feelings about Here Comes the Cowboy on the ‘Nobody’ post a while back. From my recollection, I think they were along the lines of “I think time has been better to it,” because when it first came out the reaction from fans and critics weren’t on the most positive of sides. Even I have to admit that, coming off the usual reverb-laden production of DeMarco’s material, …Cowboy was very, very dry in comparison upon that first listen. Bare-boned to say the least. Which I think left people thinking, “Is that it?” Also, there are a couple tracks on there that maybe could have been left on the cutting room floor. Even so, its major difference is something that adds a lot of charm to it, in my opinion. And there are still some fine tracks on there that could be held up against some of DeMarco’s best.

‘On the Square’ was released as the final single leading up to the album’s release, arriving three days before Cowboy unveiling. I haven’t watched the music video maybe since the single’s release. I know it’s right up there, but that’s more for you. I remember it being a trip. There’s a few ugly pig masks in there. And I believe it was considered to be an overall metaphor of being a creature to be gawked at onstage, which was something of a running theme throughout the promotional aspect of Cowboy. Similarly to yesterday’s track, ‘Square’ is mainly synth-led. Though instead of the full, smooth buzzing chords that ‘Level’ provided, ‘Square’ sort of plods along, comfortable in its own pace, but not as strident nor comforting. Really, it’s much more downcast and minor-key. The track apparently contains many references to Freemasonry, which I definitely wouldn’t be able to provide any insight to, but overall is another song of self-reflection on the album, wondering if there’s something more out of a situation you’ve somewhat been assigned to.

Hopefully whatever DeMarco comes out with next is a much more happier affair. These past couple of years have been tough for everyone. But with his own record label and, in effect, his own rules, he probably doesn’t feel much pressure. Sure there’s something in the works, though. I think I had a sentiment along these lines in the ‘Nobody’ post too. Think I’m running out of ideas sometimes. Anyway, the song is up there. Add it to your playlists.

#938: Mac DeMarco – Nobody

2 Replies

Three years ago on this day, Mac DeMarco released ‘All of Our Yesterdays’ – the second single from what was his forthcoming fourth album Here Comes the Cowboy. That’s a nice one, was an instant download for me. Would have its own post had it not been released six years after the blog. But just under a month before came the album’s first single, ‘Nobody’, a slow burner reminiscent of his work on This Old Dog that was also accompanied by its somewhat unsettling video featuring DeMarco heavily doused in make-up to resemble a reptilian-like creature.

The decision to do that was very much in line with the song’s theme. Mac describes himself as a creature put on display for people to entertain while feeling sad inside and wishing he could go back to the way things were before, when he wasn’t known as the indie jester-type character that people seen him as up until then. The music is light and forlorn, carried by this lightly plucked guitars – both acoustic and electric – and a droning keyboard that changes notes in accordance with the chord progressions throughout. That is one lonely keyboard, but its use really ties everything together. DeMarco delivers his vocal with the usual croon, but there’s a sigh-like quality to it that makes it all the more comforting.

The sentiment of feeling like an exhibition put out for display was reflected in the other videos DeMarco made during the ‘Cowboy’ era. That whole period was marked by a few other actions of his that got people talkin’. He deactivated his social media accounts. He prevented the public from commenting on and liking/disliking his videos on YouTube. All of this really left people wondering if he was okay for a while. Then the album came out and left a majority of fans disappointed. I think time’s been kinder to it. But it’s been the longest period of time between a Mac release since Rock and Roll Night Club way back when. Hopefully that’s because he runs his own label and so feels no pressure to work on music for now, rather than he not wanting to do music at all.