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And suddenly this is August, I write with days left in
the month. Concentrating on where the days go is useless
because time is not on our side. Summer is a mindset of
those lazy afternoons that seem to stretch forever (but
they never really do). Autumn is something ending, finishing
loose ends for the year, which is just as easily saying
something beginning. So suddenly this is September...
On Belle
and Sebastian’s “Take Your Carriage Clock
And Shove It” from the Sing Jonathan David
single, Stuart Murdoch’s lyrics finally leave behind
the schoolrooms and playgrounds of his other songs. The
politics are the same, and the insults better disguised.
And the simple truth of it is that some people are just
wrong. A person reaches a breaking point and screws up
the courage for a stand. But no one is listening. “The
Loneliness Of The Middle Distance Runner” (as much
as in Allan Sillitoe’s story as in the song) plots
a different course for a misfit. On the one hand, follow
the regular course and do as told; on the other, try as
hard as possible not to do as told. Best yet, just let
them think you are on their course and know in your soul
that you have no intention of crossing the finish line
and winning the race.
Beaumont’s
“Discotheque A La Mode” is a celebration of
boogying until morning, dancing away cares and troubles.
Good enough advice when life becomes a little too heavy
and the air a little too hot. The sultry evening complement
is a cover of Dusty and Burt’s “The Look Of
Love”, playing down tempo and quiet piano twinklings.
The stars are in the sky and in your eyes. And if you
think that Beaumont is trying too hard, the point may
be lost. They may be knowingly winking, but that wink
is directed at you.
The Clientele live is a different animal than the
band on record. At shows in June in New York City, the
chugging guitar line in “Porcelain” built into
a frenzied finale. As recorded on a recent single, the
song is more sedate and relaxed. Either way their rain
soaked visions echo with an autumn air. Like remembering
being stranded and heartbroken at a deserted train station
in the English countryside where the train would not show
up for an hour if the schedule is even correct. So you
concentrate on the empty finger branches of the trees
reaching for the sun. You know it if you have been there;
this haunts you like a half finished dream.
“We’re like crystal, we break easy”: New
Order’s new single “Crystal” isn’t
about breaking at all. This is a comeback and a reminder
that being strong is a virtue. No one else is going to
bother to do that for you. The breaks will come and go;
you’ll be standing around long after that. |
| Matthew
Patrick, August 2001 |
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