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#689: Simon & Garfunkel – Keep the Customer Satisfied

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Heard Bridge over Troubled Water for the first time in 2013, I think. Not the song, but the full album. This was during a time when I was feeling down and should have been focusing on preparing for my A-Levels. But whilst studying for exams in subjects that I didn’t necessarily care for, I took the time to listen to a load of albums that are considered to be classics.

‘Keep the Customer Satisfied’ is the fourth track on Troubled Water, and is a sonically joyous song about being exhausted by the seemingly endless touring that Paul Simon experienced. The first verse is pretty self-explanatory. Simon feels good now that he’s home, and the chorus just explains that he’s just doing his job but still gets the occasional verbal abuse from people who don’t care for his music. He plays with the narrative in the second verse by singing about an altercation with a deputy sheriff who’s giving him hassle. This may or may not have happened to him in reality, though I think it’s just a scene that visualises some of the stress he felt at the time.

He and Art Garfunkel both sing the lead vocal in unison with their iconic harmonies included. The track is carried by a bass that flows all over the place, climbing and descending in scales and generally setting a driving tempo and rhythm. Things are taken to another level when that brass comes in. Initially arriving in a few short blasts, it’s in the little “whoa-oa-oa” section where those biting horns set up this astonishing wall of sound.

This has been a favourite of mine from the album for a long time now. Never hear people comment/discuss/talk about it that much. Though on an album that also has ‘The Boxer’, ‘The Only Living Boy in New York’ and its title track…. you can’t blame anyone.

#673: Wolfmother – Joker & the Thief

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I haven’t listened to any new Wolfmother material in years. Not saying I was the biggest fan of the group in the first place. But when two original members left and the new album then was going to be called Cosmic Egg, that’s where it lost me. The albums they’ve made since the self-titled debut may well be quite for all I know, but probably wouldn’t hit as hard as that first record.

‘Joker & the Thief’ is a track from that album. It was also released as a single, the last one – at least in the UK – if I remember right. Its video (above), featuring the cast of Jackass due to its inclusion in Jackass Number Two, was played regularly on MTV2. That’s pretty much how I got to know it. But it was another hit in a long run of great singles from the band that urged me to get the whole album.

After seeing/hearing it so many times on television, it’s quite difficult to get down into the nitty-gritty of what makes the song good. It’s just a great hard rock song. A bit Led Zeppelin-like in the way they take a character and describe them in a way that makes them seem far out and cosmic. I also like that there’s no bass guitar in the track, instead being replaced by a keyboard that works equally as well. It’s quite different to what you’re normally used to.

#666: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Jenny & the Ess-Dog

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Near the end of Stephen Malkmus’ first album as a ‘solo’ artist is ‘Jenny & the Ess-Dog’ – a tale of two people who couldn’t be further apart on the social spectrum in terms of age (Jenny is just 18, the Ess-Dog (Sean) is 31) and upbringing but ultimately like each other enough to have a sweet relationship.

They listen to Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms album together and buy a pet – a dog – as some couples tend to do. Unfortunately, Jenny goes to college and the relationship eventually fizzles out leaving the two individuals to embark on their separate journeys.

The song is very easy-going and upbeat in its delivery, driven by a climbing/falling vocal melody backed by warm, sunny guitars and child-like keyboard patterns that guide each verse along. ‘Jenny’ is another track on the album that I always felt mirrored the freedom that Malkmus felt upon the split of Pavement in 1999. There was no track like this on Terror Twilight, and I guess he felt that he could with ease with the burden of his old band off his shoulders. This could have been a radio hit if he wanted it to be.

Its music video above has nothing to do with its lyrics as is the usual for a lot of Malkmus-related music videos though that shouldn’t take anything away from the song’s quality. Charming in its own strange way.

#658: The Strokes – Ize of the World

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It’s an emotional time. This is the last entry in the “I” section. This has taken two years to do. And I started this again having gone on a bit of a hiatus. I’ll go on a bit of a break after this one. I’ll certainly be back a lot sooner though. So many more songs to go. Plus there are barely any songs for ‘J’.

And to close it out is ‘Ize of the World’, the phenomenal track by The Strokes, found on First Impressions of Earth in 2006. There are a lot of times on this album where Julian Casablancas pushes his voice to the brink. It’s the first one on which he properly screams, or at least properly goes for those high notes with his chest. He goes for those types of vocals on ‘Vision of Division’ where, in my opinion, he doesn’t sound too great. However, it’s on ‘Ize’ where he executes those really well.

It’s a very intense track. Like it’s the backing music to the end of days or something. When I was younger I had these images of my head of people lying awake in bed, fearing of near-death, trying to make up for lost time but it’s too late as the city gets wiped out and there’s nothing left.

That’s really not what the song is about though. It’s more Casablancas’ feelings on modern society, how we survive in these dire times and what we could do to better ourselves. His points and observations are set to great guitar interplay between Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi (as is the usual in any Strokes song); the track alternates between calm verses and powerful choruses before building in intensity as it nears its end before ultimately disappearing out of existence. Kind of takes your breath away the first time you hear the studio trickery. I think it’s one of the most important songs on this album.

So that’s it. The I’s are done. Hope you enjoyed reading each entry. J’s will come soon. See you lat

#655: R.E.M. – It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

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If I were to take a guess, I think I sing this song the same way that the majority of people who know it do. The first three lines are easy as pie, then every verse that follows is just a lot of words smushed up together into a one note melody which is then followed by the very memorable chorus.

‘It’s the End of the World’ is one of R.E.M.’s most well known tracks, one of their most played too – to the point that it may be overplayed for some people. But I only started properly listening to R.E.M. last year. I had heard the song maybe two… three times before? I’ll say five at most. And that was when its video was shown on TV. And in Chicken Little. Actually listening to it with headphones was a very different experience.

‘End of the World’ is the sixth track on R.E.M.’s fifth album, Document, released in 1987. It is not my favourite album of the group’s but this song right here is one of its highlights. The uploaded video above takes all the weight out of the audio quality though which is a shame. When those thunderous drum rolls come in at the beginning, the energy never dips from there. It’s four minutes of relentless, driving momentum. And though I never succeed in enunciating every syllable in the quickfire verses, it’s always fun to try. As said earlier, it doesn’t really matter because it has a hell of a chorus that’s not related to what goes on in those verses in any way.

Going through R.E.M.’s discography (which I had to when I found out they were actually very good) there were a few things I picked up on, especially in their earlier albums. They had a knack for great melodies. And the triple vocal harmonies of Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Bill Berry added a layer that made the band’s songs even better when they were utilised. Melodies and harmonies are present on this track… a few countermelodies too. There’s always something new to pick up on in this track every time I hear it. It’s such a thrill. It’s quite disappointing when it starts to fade out at the end, wish it could go on for ages.