Clem Snide

People Under the Stairs, “Same Beat (The Wesley Rap)”

Fun DMC is such a good album name.

Clem Snide, “Some Ghost”

After a ten year break between releasing any music under the name Clem Snide, Eef Barzelay released Forever Just Beyond in 2020, and it’s a delight. Probably my favorite of his releases since Soft Spot. The songs are sweet, the production is intimate, and it’s all melancholy and warm and cozy. It’s a lazy nap in a sunbeam, with maybe a wistful dream drifting through your head.

Prefuse 73, “Eve of Dextruction”

Way, way back in probably 1995, I remember making fun of some prehistoric website where someone clearly wanted to be a music reviewer but had no idea how to approach it. He attempted to a bunch of songs, but after writing a sentence or two for the first couple tracks, he just devolved into saying “CLUB BANGA” for the rest of the songs. And that simple phrase, all-caps, CLUB BANGA, has stuck with me now for twenty seven years or whatever. A friend and I used to just text that phrase to each other sometimes, and it never failed to hit.

I need some more high concept entries here. Something where I can actually have a connection between the elements. I’m stymied, of course, by my format. And the fact that I write these as I play the songs, so I don’t know what the next song will be as I’m writing about the current song. I guess I could play all five and then write?

Judy and the Loadies, “I’m Not Drunk”

OK, I swear, I was going to try it, and then that terrible trombone bit happened, and I had to mention it. I’m sorry, I’ll try again tomorrow!

Periphery, “The Gods Must Be Crazy!”

Just pure progressive metal here, with the clean singing and studio wizardry that are hallmarks of the genre. This stuff can be really hit or miss for me - for every Coheed & Cambria or The Ocean that hit for me, there’s a, uh, Periphery that doesn’t connect. It’s hard for me to put my finger on why, exactly, other than maybe the songs. This feels to me like it exists only as a showcase for instrumental prowess.

Andrew Bird, “Pathetique”

Bird Songs collects all three of Andrew Bird’s early records, when he was still recording as Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire. The first two records, Oh! The Grandeur! and Thrills, have a very old-timey feel, very similar to what the Squirrel Nut Zippers were making. The third record, The Swimming Hour, was really his breakthrough record, melding his older sensibility with more modern songwriting, with pretty special results. If you haven’t heard the records, this collection is a monster deal. If you, say, already have all three records and then pre-ordered this compilation without knowing what it was, it’s less of a bargain.

Rancid, “Ruby Soho”

As an unabashed Operation Ivy guy, I was always a little disappointed with Rancid. They always just seemed a little more dour, a little less tuneful, and a little less fun. That said, the album of Rancid’s that I like enough to listen to pretty often is …And Out Come The Wolves. Just listened to it earlier today, actually!

Clem Snide, “I Got High”

This song is from The Meat Of Life, which I think is the better of the two albums from the second incarnation of Clem Snide (the other being Hungry Bird). It’s a warm, comfortable album, with the usual sweet (and subtly dark) songs from Eef Barzelay. It’s not the album to start with, but it’s a solid record.

milo, “pure scientific intelligence (quantum)”

This track sounds like at least three different songs being played simultaneously, which is delightful.

Bananagun, “Out of Reach”

One of the things that the Internet promised us is that we’d be connected to people all over the world, opening up new cultural horizons. That’s mostly worked out by allowing all the worst people in the world to find each other, which isn’t exactly a positive development. However, it did connect me to multiple folks in places like Australia and New Zealand, who sometimes recommend music to me like Bananagun. So, I guess it’s all a wash.

Infesticons, “Night Night Theme”

Infesticons is Mike Ladd and some assorted helpers, making grimy underground hip-hop. Gun Hill Road came out in 2000, and is chock full of noise, gritty beats and loops, and frankly uneven rapping. It’s an interesting album, I think, but not really a great one.

Note that there’s a couple minutes of silence in the middle of today’s track, and then there’s an un-named instrumental bonus track. I’m delighted that the era of CD hidden bonus tracks is over.

Today!

Clem Snide, “Donna”

Long time reader/listeners (both of you!) know that I’m a huge Uncle Tupelo stan, but my favorite alt-country album isn’t one of theirs. It’s probably Your Favorite Music, Clem Snide’s second album. Thanks to their willingness to stretch out and leave space for Eef Barzelay’s intimate delivery and elliptical lyrics, the entire album manages to create a mood of melancholy without really giving you a specific reason for it. It’s a little disorienting that way, but then you get to the end, and you want to give it another spin.

It’s our birthday! I posted the first Five Songs one year ago! In that time, assuming I’ve gotten my tagging right, I’ve posted 313 of these things, meaning you all have gotten a minimum of 1,565 different songs (plus a few bonuses along the way). NOT BAD. I’m still thinking about what to do for the second year of Five Songs. I might retire this thing, because it is a fair bit of work for something that is usually looked at by a number of people I can count on one hand. But, at the same time, it’s still fun, usually.