Cardboardasaurus

Today I will be conducting a little experiment. More on that later. On to the oddments!

Track list:

1. The Soft Parts - unerring melodic scents - christine is pristine

Comments: Pleasant. If elementary school kids were as good with the name-rhyming as the soft parts seem to be, the insults would be much more interesting. And potentially less hurtful, but whatever.

2. The Cripple Lilies - la bete - carnations

Comments: Soft, soothing, ladysinging.

3. Chet - flight against darkness - don't let your cruel heart count me in

Comments: So deliciously mellow. I want to run through remembered fields of wheat in slow motion. Aaaah.

4. The Sea and Cake - everybody - coconut

Comments: Played for its 'Waitress' appropriateness. Sort of. Pie, cake, I like them both. And both could potentially have coconut.
I LOVE this. Predictably.

5. The Great Outdoors - food, booze and entertainment - too many jennifers

Comments: Ooh sad. sounds like maybe there were too many Jennifers, he dated all of them, and they all broke up with him, one at a time, each more horribly than the last.
Oh, pickup. Too many g.d. jennifers! Sing it sister!

AND NOW: an experiment. I've noticed lately that many groups have decided to release their CDs with minimalist packaging. Namely, the rough, undyed brown cardboard sleeve with foldover cover. Before the show I pulled FIVE of these from the playlist shelves. I'm sure if my eyes were better I could have pulled more, but hell, who wants to hear more than five anyway? Okay. So now I'm going to play them back to back and try to discern whether there is a band type associated with this brown cardboard approach (not my wildest hypothesis ever, but what the hell). Here we go.

6. Goodnight Streetlight - the curfew bell - mesmer

Comments: so slow and instrumental. And yet I love it. Is that wrong? This sounds like music to have an amusing and quirky revelation to. Like when the guy got in the tub and discovered density. Yes. That's it.

7. The Phonemes - there's something we've been meaning to do - snowshoes

Comments: Oh, I'm sensing a common theme already. And it is: amplified acoustic guitar. Also, making me feel mighty relaxed. I like how the singing grows subtly, and kind of has a threatening undertone, like "yes, I will soothe you, but you'd better pay attention in case I bite your neck after." This is honestly very pretty, and I'm sure no neck-biting was involved.

8. Gowns - red state - cherylee

Comments: This is piano and soothing, but with some electronically produced sounds thrown in. I feel that it's building toward something... please stand by... oh, key change! We're now having a piano recital underwater. Float away on a sea of pain and fluffy pink dresses. And now singing. Makes Catpower sound hyperactive.

9. The Line Atlantic - the subhuman condition - public transit

Comments: You knew I was going to play the song about public transit, right? Have we met? Hm. Anyway. My hypothesis on this was "hey, they're from Edmonton, I assume they're full of vigour, that economy is booming!" Hell no, I was terribly wrong. This is more sad piano. Come on, there are crazy people on public transit! What, do they only ride it at 2am? Ridiculous. But it conforms to my misery hypothesis, so, uh, go me?

10. Unknown Instructors - the master's voice - this black hat is rage

Comments: Yeow, with the yelling! I like the drums. So, so much wackier than any of the other cardboard bands, and therefore extremely refreshing.

CONCLUSION - Everything in moderation. Including misery and brown cardboard.

11. Maybe Smith - animals & architects - I fight birds

Comments: Have accumulated recent cache. With the accent on the 'e'. I like them.