Shotgun Jimmie - "Bar's Closed". Dan wrote about "Late Last Year", from Shotgun Jimmie's Transistor Sister, about two weeks ago. But I am not convinced that everyone in all of the world has yet bought this album, Jimmie's third solo outing, and his first great triumph. Honestly friends, this record is generous and funny and it is possibly ludicrous how much I dig it. "Late Last Year" is the opener and "Bar's Closed" is the closer, and even though this is the record's denouement they do it in two verses and 1 minute 42. Throughout Transistor Sister, Jim channels all kinds of sloppy and beautiful rock'n'roll, words like lucky quarters and impromptu secret handshakes. It is 16 tracks in 30 minutes. It is a lake full of rainbow trout. "Bar's Closed" contains possibly my favourite lyric in years, silly & stupid & somehow encapsulating everything about a certain feeling. I wrote about it when I saw Jim play Sappyfest last year, when he played this song live with a bashful twinkle in his eyes:
Shotgun Jimmie plays songs about holding hands, running in packs, beers in pockets. He has an acoustic on his lap and a kick-drum at his feet. It is potato-chip-crisp guitar pop, and it is utterly outstanding. "They say that you are what you eat," he sings, "and I feel like I musta ate a king."Also, there's flute.
But Shotgun Jimmie, what about us? How do we feel? Here's how: We feel like each of us just got high-fived so hard that our finger-bones shattered. We're all nursing our poor hands, & grinning.
Transistor Sister is released by the homegrown You've Changed Records. Buy it now. If you own a major American indie label, if you like Kurt Vile and Stephen Malkmus and Neil Young, you should send this man a suitcase of money and release it down south. See Shotgun Jimmie on tour throughout Canada this spring. Read about him at his blog or Herohill (and hear another song). I know I've been crowing about a lot of music in these early months of 2011, but oh things are wonderful.
Destroyer - "Poor In Love". Destroyer sings, "Apocalypse, oh", or maybe he sings, "Apocalypso", a neologism formed by apocalypse and calypso. This ambiguity alone is enough to persuade me that we should put Dan Bejar's face on all of our currency. [buy, on vinyl preferably, with its crazy extra song]
(photo is of Ali vs. Williams, 1966)
Ali vs Williams, 1966. So all those laptop-looking things are actually portable typewriters. Sweet.
Posted by John Governale at February 24, 2011 1:16 PMYes! Yes! Yes!
This is exactly the way this record should be reviewed. I keep thinking to myself that I'm over-reacting with how much joy this album brings me....but nope, I think it's the right reaction. Jimmie is national treasure. This album should be loved and loved and loved. It that great, that's all there is to it.
Posted by Tyson at February 24, 2011 3:36 PMI didn't think it was possible for me to like "Poor In Love" more than I already did. Thanks for proving me wrong.
Posted by TimK at February 24, 2011 8:40 PMthis photo is a supreme perspective. I can't stop looking at it.
Oh, the music is stellar also.
I miss Shotgun & Jaybird
Awesome beat and lyrics....loved the song....
Posted by josephine at March 28, 2011 8:41 PM
