This isn't right. I feel like I've just made the Now That's What I Call Bedhead! Vol. 1 mix. I've taken Matt and Bubba Kadane's meticulously crafted and deliberately paced albums and plundered them for the "hits." Way to go me.
Anyway, this is a collection of songs culled from the six albums of the Kadane brothers' two bands, Bedhead and The New Year. Their first band, Bedhead, started out as a slowcore outfit from Texas in the early '90's, with a sound that drew comparisons to Low and Galaxie 500. Specifically, they had both the morphine drip tempos and hushed vocals of Low and the intricate (and occasionally explosive) guitar textures of Galaxie 500. Turned out to be a pretty magical combination. All three of the band's albums received heaps of critical praise, but, from what I gather, Bedhead never managed to gain much exposure beyond the college radio circuit. In the 2000's, after Bedhead called it quits, the Kadanes roped in three fellow indie rock vets to form The New Year, which picked up right where Bedhead left off. The New Year have moved forward by dropping the alt-country and atmospheric post-rock leanings that helped to make Bedhead so enigmatic, and have instead bumped up the levels on Matt Kadane's vocals and created music that's become increasingly accessible and emotional, but not the least bit compromising.
So back to feeling weird about this mix. I think this sense of defacing a great band in trying to honor it is something that will be inescapable with some of these Yahplay mixes. No getting around it. One of the reasons I loved/love these two bands so much is that they clearly put so much thought into crafting proper albums. So, in that sense, it's impossible to give an accurate snapshot of the Kadanes' music in this type of format.
Much like Chris did in his Galaxie 500 mix, I tended to go for the louder, more immediate songs from the Bedhead/The New Year catalog, which results in a trade-off. Some of the bad: "The Newness Ends" can't possibly have the cathartic effect it does at the end of the New Year's debut, and some of the majesty that "The Present" brings to Bedhead's most understated album, Transaction de Novo, is inevitably lost. The good: Jesus Christ, these guys have some amazing songs, and I think the best are included here.
1) Folios / The New Year- The New Year / 2008
2) The Rest of the Day / Bedhead- Bedheaded / 1996
3) Living Well / Bedhead- What Fund Life Was / 1994
4) Withdraw / Bedhead- Bedheaded / 1996
5) The Unpredictable Landlord / Bedhead- What Fund Life Was / 1994
6) The Newness Ends / The New Year- Newness Ends / 2001
7) Extramundane / The New Year- Transaction de Novo / 1998
8) MMV / The New Year- The New Year / 2008
9) Romand Candle / Bedhead- Bedheaded / 1996
10) To the Ground / Bedhead- What Fund Life Was / 1994
11) Age of Conceit / The New Year- The End is Near / 2004
12) Lepidoptera / Bedhead- Transaction de Novo / 1998
13) Alter Ego / The New Year- Newness Ends / 2001
14) The Company I Can Get / The New Year- The New Year / 2008
15) The Present / Bedhead- Transaction de Novo / 1998
16) 18 / The New Year- The End is Near / 2004
17) Wind Down / Bedhead- What Fund Life Was / 1994
Total time: 72:59
Listening to this playlist makes me sleepy. Which is not a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this playlist made me notice that Explosions in the Sky share a similar sound with Bedhead. Must be a Texas thing.
I think I've come to conclusion that the lead singer of this band is the worst lead singer of any band I listen to. His mumbly, range-less voice fits the mood of many of the band's songs, but it just starts to become painful to listen to him after five or six tracks. I can only imagine how good this band could have been with a halfway decent singer, cause the musicians in the band are quite excellent, especially the guitarists.
ReplyDeleteYeah, well, obviously I disagree. Didn't you do a Galaxie 500 playlist? Jeesh.
ReplyDeleteHe's not a good singer, I'll give you that. But his voice is really innocuous--I don't know how it could be considered "painful."
The Galaxie 500 guy is kinda yelpy, but at least he actually sings his songs. The annoying thing about the Bedhead guy is that he is Mr. Mumbles. It's like listening to C. Noble for song after song.
ReplyDeleteMaybe painful is the wrong word. I've been enjoying the playlist and really like the band. But I do find myself getting irrated at having to hear his voice after a few songs. It's not fun to listen to someone who sounds like he has no self-esteem.
And even if the singer is "innocuous," my point is still valid. The singer doesn't add much to the band, and thus one wonders how much the better this already pretty awesome band might be if they had a decent lead vocalist.