Music
The Best Record Paul McCartney Wouldn’t Make
Paul McCartney – Flowers in the Dirt (Remastered)
Parlophone
March 2017
In 1989 Paul McCartney released Flowers in the Dirt, a record I played to death due to the inclusion of songs co-written by Elvis Costello. In my book, these are two of the best living songwriters, period, end of sentence, cap on the pen, close the book, burn the book, but save the pen. You may need it later, maybe in 2017, 28 goddamn years later when the remastered record has been re-released including nine original demos recorded by Paul and Elvis all those years ago.
Paul has spoken a lot about how Costello/McCartney had some eerie similarities to Lennon/McCartney. Two brilliant songwriters facing each other writing on acoustic guitar, Paul left handed, John and Elvis right handed – a mirror image. And Costello, who learned about harmonizing from Beatles records, was the perfect sonic foil to McCartney. So much so, that these demos are downright Beatlesque – something McCartney avoided like the plague throughout his post-Fab Four output. Kudos to Elvis for coaxing that genius from Paul, whose previous record (Press to Play) has its moments, but doesn’t stand up to the best records of the era like Graceland by Paul Simon or So by Peter Gabriel.
These demos are downright Beatlesque.
Paul sums it up by saying he ultimately didn’t want to make “an Elvis Costello record,” although he agrees the demos are likely better than the released versions. They are. Raw and fresh, recorded hastily after multiple three hour writing sessions, warts and all. Demos for So Like Candy and That Day is Done stand beside some of the Beatles best work. I shit you not.
So, how is disc one?
Uhm… it’s still great, but there’s a noticeable lack of a cohesion, let’s be honest. It’s several albums kinda smushed together. Beatleseque tracks like My Brave Face are side by side with the plaintive yet bombastic We Got Married (with David Gilmour soloing), which is a few tracks ahead of the dancey experiment Où Est le Soleil. In between you have some solid tracks like the earnest Put it There and the cheese-fest How Many People. But hey, it’s Paul McCartney, even his worst songs outshine most artist’s best work.
It’s not too late for these guys to make a great record together. Put your ego aside, Paul. The clock is ticking, mate. Kanye can wait.
Janita’s newest album Here Be Dragons is another in a progression of finely crafted hymns for the empowered. Whether by love, as in the silky “I Do,” or by subverting expectations, in the Beatlesesque “Not What You’re Used To,” Janita draws on lessons learned during a positively unique career that spans decades and continents. We caught up with Janita on the heels of her latest single “When It’s All Up To You” to find out three songs she’d love to have written.
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Elliott Smith — “L.A.”
This is one of my favorite songs by Elliott Smith. I listened to the full album Figure 8 a lot while I was writing the songs on my new album, and it was a huge influence on me both melodically and lyrically. This song in particular has also informed some of the production choices we made later, like the heavier guitars you hear on my song “Not What You’re Used To.”
“L.A.” is incredibly melodic, but there’s an elusive, haunting quality to it. It feels like you’re always trying to reach it, catch up to it somehow. The backing vocals accentuate that feeling. In my mind, the song paints such a vivid picture of the ephemeral, fickle nature of L.A., and the similarly transient nature of the main character. Elliott Smith himself? I don’t know exactly how he does (did) it, but I’m certainly in awe of it.
Radiohead — “There There”
So hypnotic. So badass. Could the production possibly be any cooler? The melody is intricate and beautiful, and I can relate to the lyric from every which angle: as the singer, as the one being sung to, and whether in love relationships, friendships, or with total strangers. The subject matter simply comes up in life in so many ways all the time… I recently tried to express similar notions as I was writing a song, only to remember that it was already done here perfectly. Goddammit.
Punch Brothers — “Julep”
This song is simply magical to me. It’s made me bawl my eyes out at a Punch Brothers concert two separate times. It’s like that viral video that was circulating some years ago of a baby moved to tears when her mom sings a sad tune. I’m that baby when it comes to this song. It simply hits some sort of primal button in me and keeps pressing it until the very end.
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While you’re at it, check out Janita’s video for “Digging in the Dirt,” a funky and faithful rendition of the Peter Gabriel classic.
Jay Som’s Melina Duterte and Palehound’s Ellen Kempner join forces as Bachelor – a musical powerhouse whose new record Doomin’ Sun drops May 28th on Polyvinyl.
Kemper and Duterter recorded the album during two weeks of mutual appreciation in California. Three visceral singles have been released in the lead-up, including the Pixies-flavored “Stay in the Car” and the sprawling “Anything At All.”
Bachelor has also announced the Doomin’ Sun Fest, a one-day livestream featuring Tegan & Sara, Courtney Barnett, Adrianne Lenker, Jeff Tweedy, Japanese Breakfast, Julien Baker, and more.
Two men that look suspiciously alike meet outside a fictitious Brooklyn hot-spot – six feet apart.
MC Krispy E: Very nice to meet you. (squints) Have we met before?
Electronic Device: Maybe?
MC Krispy E: Is the rest of the band joining us?
Electronic Device: (pause) I am the rest of the band.
MC Krispy E: You are Electronic Device? What’s that about?
Electronic Device: Uhm, yeah, it’s like a pen name. You know what that is, right?
MC Krispy E: I have some idea.
Electronic Device: It was actually the name of one of my dad’s companies back in the day before…
MC Krispy E: (looking at his watch) Wonderful. So… it says here you have a new single called “All Things Come to an End” inspired by the death of your brother.
Electronic Device: Yeah, after my brother died I recorded songs as a form of therapy in his old bedroom in Staten Island.
MC Krispy E: And now I read that you have cancer. Am I supposed to feel extra sorry for you?
Electronic Device: Uhm…
MC Krispy E: It sounds like this album is going to be super depressing.
Electronic Device: It’s not, I swear. I was looking for some happiness while recording these songs, there’s not much of an agenda beyond that.
MC Krispy E: What kind of music is it?
Electronic Device: I wasn’t really thinking about influences while recording, but listening back I hear some Concrete Blonde, some Cracker.
MC Krispy: So bands no one is interested in?
Electronic Device: What the hell, man?
MC Krispy: Sorry, it’s almost like I can’t help it. What’s the single about?
Electronic Device: I hate saying what a song is about because everything is up for interpretation.
MC Krispy E: Humor us.
Electronic Device: I can say that “All Things Come to an End” has multiple narrators, some of which are unreliable.
MC Krispy E: (stares)
Electronic Device: And that one day I was at my Dad’s house and when I turned the corner into the hallway my Dad thought I was my brother for a moment, which was super sad because of course I couldn’t be.
MC Krispy E: And then you wrote a whole song about that.
Electronic Device: I guess so. When you put it that way…
MC Krispy E: (yawning) Tell us when the single come out.
Electronic Device: The single is out now. The album comes out in 2021.
MC Krispy E: Well, good for you. And good luck with that cancer thing.
Electronic Device: Yeah, you too.
MC Krispy E: Thanks. What?