“Too Drunk to Dream,” which you can download free and legally here, is the first release from Distortion, the new pink album by The Magnetic Fields.
Here’s a clip of them performing it live March 3rd in LA, after about 45 seconds of typically awkward stage banter. It’s a little sloppy (it’s supposed to be, right?), and the sound quality isn’t great, but it’s a good way to hear the song sans distortion, and after a verbal 4/4 count given by Claudia.
It’s an (invertedly) charming tune, playfully capturing the lyrical sentiment in the distorted sounds of the perfectly crafted (yes, “structurally simple”) pop-song style, which is an imprecise but acknowledged tribute to The Jesus and Mary Chain’s 1985 debut album Psychocandy.
The introduction (of the song, not the stage banter), lacks the regularity of the the song’s verse and chorus alternations. The unison singing does move predictably, though, in how it outlines chord tones that propel it to alternating half and full cadences. And, well, it’s repetitive.
But then how does it sound so sloppy and almost non-metered? “Sober …” we count in 4/4? “Shit-faced …” we slip to 3/4? No, we can’t hear it that way. In fact, I was disappointed when I finally admitted to myself that, if we were gonna transcribe the intro, it would surely yield some combination of 4/4+3/4, 3/4+4/4 repeated, regardless of the expressive pauses for breath and subtle rushes. But “7/4″ is far too regular an interpretation for how we hear the introduction.
No one, once sober, would much like to analyze a video taken of themselves while drunk. What was smooth becomes clumsy. Suave? Forced. We’re supposed to listen to the introduction as though we are drunk, then, aren’t we? Perhaps that’s why it’s in unison: it’s a drunk drinking song–as opposed to, for example, “The Beer-Barrel Polka,” which is far too sober.
Thanks for sharing, Liza. I caught these last week on Copy, Right? I wonder if Stephin Merritt has heard them. Word is he created The 6ths as a quasi-tribute band to himself since he liked to (so tragically) think no one else would ever do it.
Tangents for the Chasing
If you’re interested, you can download a .zip file of a Mag Fields tribute album an acquaintance of mine produced by clicking here.
Thanks for sharing, Liza. I caught these last week on Copy, Right? I wonder if Stephin Merritt has heard them. Word is he created The 6ths as a quasi-tribute band to himself since he liked to (so tragically) think no one else would ever do it.