Friday 29 April 2011

Day 46: I'm like, totally wired.

A request from my good friend Dan Middler today, he is an awesome musician and all-round great human being.



Song: Totally Wired
Album: Grotesque (After The Gramme) (1998 CD reissue, but was also a single)

Year: I'm going to say 1981 as in the video, but it may have been earlier)


This video is great, a dark, moodily-lit Fall performing in front of a bustling crowd, this one has all the atmosphere it commands, its both fun and serious at the same time, a paean to being a bit odd and perhaps an ode to caffeine (see the line: I drank a jar of coffee and took some of these!) it has a great beat to it and the acapella vocals that begin it are great, and the backing vocals just make it for me. The lyrics are great, talk of a butterfly stomach and being a communist combined with some great literary injections.

These take the form of the lines: When the going gets weird/The weird turn pro is a Hunter S Thompson line, I've always found him to be a bit cloying, but this line is a typical Thompson line that is just truth refined. MES's vocal delivery is focused, the stutter of 't-t-t-t-t-t-totally wired' at points is great, as is his machine-gun delivery of swearing and missives in this live version is amazing.

I'd say this fits in perfectly with the feel of the album it has been attached to, it has that same fire in its belly, the same lyrical fervour and the music is similarly riled up and focused, sometimes you can just tell The Fall are firing on all cylinders and beautiful art is formed, this is one of those moments. It's almost like each album is a gig, if the right elements come together, you could get a focused, direct Fall (Grotesque, Perverted By Language) a confusing, mysterious Fall (Slates, Your Future Our Clutter) or just a confusing one (The Infotainment Scan, In A Hole, Room To Live) but they are all rewarding, I'm almost at the point where I don't want to even state a song or album is my favourite any more, there's hardly a duff moment in their whole career. What do you guys think? Does a bad Fall song exist?

4 comments:

  1. In response to your question, I don't think that a bad Fall song exists, although there are some less good renderings, if you catch my drift.

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  2. Ha! You're probably right on that score but have you heard that Smith & Blaney LP? Although not technically a Fall album it is without a doubt an absolute crock of shit!

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  3. It's called 'Smith & Blaney' by MES & Ed Blaney & it came out a couple of years ago so you should still be able to get it.

    I think this Ed Blaney fella has some musical aspirations but anybody who witnessed his guest vocal spot with the support group on last years YFOC tour will probably tell you that aspiration is as far as it goes.

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