Damon Krukowski & "The New Analog", Opinions on Low Cut Connie, and Lydia Loveless
In a world becoming increasingly digital, Galaxie 500 co-founder and author Damon Krukowski says we need to hang on to aspects of analog media. Damon joins hosts Jim and Greg to talk about the value of noise, liner notes, and his book The New Analog.
Damon Krukowski
Between your phone, your computer, your music, digital media is so common place you likely don't even think about it. Damon Krukowski, author and member of Galaxie 500 and Damon and Naomi, thinks we should be more selective. In his new book The New Analog Damon argues that aspects of analog "need to persist" in the digital world. Two concepts key to his argument are "signal" - the message in a phone conversation and "noise" - the sounds from the street as you speak on your cellphone. Digital media allows us to easily ignore the noise and focus just on the signal, Damon says we need to pay attention to both. He talks with Jim and Greg about a concept he calls Thick Listening - "listening to the signal framed and enriched by noise." You hear the song, but you also hear the sound of the recording studio, the producer talking, etc and it all results in a better experience. Ultimately, Damon doesn't think analog trumps digital, but both have their benefits and need to be considered together.
Thick Listening
Greg and Jim expound on Damon's idea by providing some of their favorite examples of tracks that benefit from Thick Listening.
Greg
- The Flamingos, "I Only Have Eyes For You"
- Matthew Sweet, "Girlfriend"
Jim
- Brian Eno, "Sombre Reptiles"
- The Flaming Lips, "There You Are"
Dirty Pictures (Part 1) Low Cut Connie
Low Cut Connie is a bar band at its roots. According to Greg, Dirty Pictures (Part 1), their fourth album, is the closest the band has come to "matching the energy of one of [their] stage shows". Jim says that their version of Prince's "Controversy" "make[s] a song that great and a sound that signature their own".
He also says that Low Cut Connie is part "bar room shtick, with a lot of melody and a message".
"C'mon, children, rip it up," lead singer Adam Weiner commands on "Revolution Rock ‘n’ Roll", while "Death and Destruction" tells of a world teetering on the brink of disaster. Greg says that Weiner returns to his cabaret roots in "Forever". Both Jim and Greg dig it and give it a Buy Itrating.
Hooked On Sonics: Lydia Loveless
At age 14 Lydia Loveless was living in Columbus, Ohio, trying to find her way around a bass guitar as she played in bands with her sisters. The song "Put It On You" from the now defunct New York rockers The Fever changed all that. For our segment Hooked on Sonics, Lydia tells us how that song changed her approach to playing bass, inspired to her to start writing songs, and ultimately led to a career singing about "miserable, unrequited love."
Featured Songs
- Frank Sinatra, "It Was A Very Good Year," September Of My Years, Reprise, 1965
- Beach Boys, "Here Today," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966
- Galaxie 500, "Listen, The Snow Is Falling," This Is Our Music, Rough Trade, 1990
- Frank Ocean, "Channel Orange," Thinkin Bout You, Island Def Jam, 2012
- Damon & Naomi, "False Beats And True Hearts," Walking Backwards, 20/20/20, 2011
- The Flamingos, "I Only Have Eyes For You," Flamingo Serenade, End, 1959
- Brian Eno, "Sombre Reptiles," Another Green World, Island, 1975
- Matthew Sweet, "Girlfriend," Girlfriend, Zoo Entertainment, 1991
- The Flaming Lips, "There You Are," In a Priest Driven Ambulance, Restless, 1990
- Flying Lotus, "Zodiac Shit," Cosmogramma, Warp, 2010
- Low Cut Connie, "Death and Destruction," Dirty Pictures (Part 1), Contender, 2017
- Low Cut Connie, "Revolution Rock n Roll," Dirty Pictures (Part 1), Contender, 2017
- Low Cut Connie, "Controversy," Dirty Pictures (Part 1), Contender, 2017
- Low Cut Connie, "Forever," Dirty Pictures (Part 1), Contender, 2017
- Lydia Loveless, "To Love Somebody," Somewhere Else, Bloodshot, 2014
- The Fever, "Put It On You," Red Bedroom, Kemado, 2004
- Soundgarden, "Black Hole Sun," Superunknown, A&M, 1994
- The Partridge Family, "Echo Valley 2-6809," The Partridge Family Sound Magazine, Bell, 1971
- The Globetrotters, "Rainy Day Bells," The Globetrotters, Kirshner, 1970
- The Beagles, "Looking For the Beagles," Here Come The Beagles, Harmony, 1967
- The Beets, "I Need More Allowance," Doug, Nickelodeon, 1992
- Michael Jackson, "Black or White," Dangerous, Epic, 1991
- C.W. McCall, "Convoy," Black Bear Road, MGM, 1975
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