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Toledo Talk   (musing about Lake Erie West and beyond)
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Why doesn't Obama have The Decemberists on his iPod?

First, Colin Meloy's IQ is surely a multiple of Ludicris's. And, second, The Decemberists actually have something substantial to say about the state of world politics - not that I agree with them, but at least their work is built on complete sentences.

I guess the racist, misogynistic and morally bankrupt hip hop crowd is more desirable to Obama than the Portland coffee house crowd. Too bad. To me, it really makes McCain's Britney/Paris commercial ring true.

I may be somewhat biased. The Decemberists have already cemented their place as my signature band of this decade as the Pixies did in the 90s and XTC in the 80s.

created by babbleman on Aug 02, 2008 at 10:14:06 pm     Comments: 17

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Comments ... #

He should indeed have The Decemberists on his iPod, as well as Interpol, Band of Horses, and LCD Soundsystem. Good post Babbleman

posted by pink_slip on Aug 02, 2008 at 10:42:38 pm     #



Yeah - I always worry about what the President likes musically.

Life. Seek one.

posted by Ryan on Aug 02, 2008 at 11:37:37 pm     #



how do we know he doesnt have them on his ipod?

posted by upso on Aug 03, 2008 at 12:19:06 am     #



i love the decemberists too btw...

posted by upso on Aug 03, 2008 at 12:19:45 am     #



Barack Obama's iPod includes Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, Jay-Z

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/25/obama.music.ap/

posted by jhostetler on Aug 03, 2008 at 12:24:06 am     #



  1. Obama a fan of Dylan's "Maggie's Farm": "It speaks to me"
  1. Obama on rap: Genre has smashed barriers, but concern about some lyrics

posted by jhostetler on Aug 03, 2008 at 12:25:03 am     #



Doesn't owning an ipod speak of a lack of sophistication when it comes to music?

posted by charlatan on Aug 04, 2008 at 06:54:18 am     #



Depends on how snobby you are.

posted by jhostetler on Aug 04, 2008 at 09:51:32 am     #



OK, who would be on GWB's Ipod?

posted by McCaskey on Aug 04, 2008 at 10:32:23 am     #



if i had an iPod, the decemberists, dylan, and xtc would all have significant space. the pixies were broken up by 1992 - yes/no? seems the breeders were together by 1993?

posted by enjoyeverysandwich on Aug 04, 2008 at 12:04:20 pm     #



OK, who would be on GWB's Ipod?

John Fogerty: Centerfield
Van Morrison: Brown-Eyed Girl
Stevie Ray Vaughan: The House is Rockin'
The Knack: My Sharona
Blackie and the Rodeo Kings: Swinging from the Chains of Love
Country stars Alan Jackson, George Jones, Kenny Chesney
Classic rockers Eric Clapton, Robert Palmer, Bryan Adams

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4435639.stm

posted by Ace_Face on Aug 04, 2008 at 01:11:31 pm     #



I have Decemberist's "Picaresque" on my iPod, but it is a little to precious for my tastes. And that's saying something because I like all those sensitive bands like Shins, The National, Band of Horses, Belle and Sebastian, etc.

posted by Ace_Face on Aug 04, 2008 at 01:20:48 pm     #



It seems a lot of folks fall into the radio lobotomy taste in music, especially ipod owners who seem to be into trendy gigabytes rather than quality. But tastes are mass marketed and the music tweaked to cater to larger audiences via compression, slower beat rates, voice synths, etc.

But then again I own the Marky Mark, Joey Lawrence, and Color Me Badd's discographies for their pure aural aesthetic beauty and poignant arrangement.

posted by charlatan on Aug 04, 2008 at 02:12:44 pm     #



the pixies were broken up by 1992 - yes/no?

Yes - 5 years, 5 albums and they were done. But they ended up pretty much forging the style that grunge would use into the rest of the decade - specifically the dynamic between quiet verses against screaming choruses. eg. Nirvana / Foo Fighters.

Curt Cobain said this about Smells Like Teen Spirit:

"I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies."

posted by babbleman on Aug 04, 2008 at 02:48:49 pm     #



Frank Black is still making music, though...

http://www.frankblack.net/

posted by jhostetler on Aug 04, 2008 at 03:00:33 pm     #



Yea, they've been touring for the last severeal years. On a related note, Kim Deal is from - and still lives in - Dayton.

posted by babbleman on Aug 04, 2008 at 03:41:24 pm     #



Ace, I know what you mean - I have a pretty low threshold for sensitive bands too. For me though, The Decemberists stand out because they seem to nail every angle - lyrics, composition, performance, production.

And I love the whole 19th century thread that runs through everything. Colin Meloy cites the Pogues' Rum, Sodomy & the Lash as an influence and no doubt that's where it came from.

posted by babbleman on Aug 04, 2008 at 03:58:13 pm     #