Pink Moon
It's taken me too long (as it always seems to when I listen to good music for the first time), but I'm listening to Nick Drake's Pink Moon. It's beautiful music. It's not like the music I normally prefer, with complex arrangements, orchestration, harmonizing, solos, and so on. It's just a man and his guitar, reminiscent of Joni Mitchell. As I type this, I wonder what it is about Nick Drake that makes him enjoyable, whereas I can't listen to Jack Johnson without yawning.
The problem with a guy like Jack Johnson (or whatever singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar you like) is that he's formulaic. His songs are nice to listen to, I guess, if you're not really interested in thinking about what you're listening to. But it's my job to think about what I'm listening to. Music doesn't reach its full potential if you're not being an active listener. Jack Johnson's success owes itself to the fact that most people aren't active listeners of music. He's got a soothing voice and all, but his melodies never go anywhere, his chord progressions are basic and repetitive, and his lyrics are boring as fuck.
I enjoy this Nick Drake album because it's the exact opposite of all that, except for the voice being soothing part. Drake's voice is smooth as silk. Listening to Pink Moon is like coming home from a long day and sinking into a sweet leather couch. His guitar lines are fantastic--they're only on an acoustic guitar, but they move. He fingerpicks stories. There's no repetition, ever. Even if he's maintaining just a few different chords, he uses a ton of variation to keep the harmony mixed up.
Like I said, it's my first time listening to the album, and I don't usually pick up lyrics the first time around. But I'm not picking up any stilted metaphors like "makin' banana pancakes" or "bubbly toes." Those are gimmicky and lame. They don't imply anything at all. And now I'm listening to Joni Mitchell's Blue and wondering how someone gave Jack Johnson a recording contract. This shit is gold.
The reason I wanted to write about Pink Moon is that I'm always looking for the right mood music, and I can never seem to pick it out. But Pink Moon would be perfect for a late-night drive. The next time I'm home with nothing to do late at night, I'm going to put on this album and just drive around. Preferably in the rain, but that's not a must.
So yeah, anyway...give it a listen.
The problem with a guy like Jack Johnson (or whatever singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar you like) is that he's formulaic. His songs are nice to listen to, I guess, if you're not really interested in thinking about what you're listening to. But it's my job to think about what I'm listening to. Music doesn't reach its full potential if you're not being an active listener. Jack Johnson's success owes itself to the fact that most people aren't active listeners of music. He's got a soothing voice and all, but his melodies never go anywhere, his chord progressions are basic and repetitive, and his lyrics are boring as fuck.
I enjoy this Nick Drake album because it's the exact opposite of all that, except for the voice being soothing part. Drake's voice is smooth as silk. Listening to Pink Moon is like coming home from a long day and sinking into a sweet leather couch. His guitar lines are fantastic--they're only on an acoustic guitar, but they move. He fingerpicks stories. There's no repetition, ever. Even if he's maintaining just a few different chords, he uses a ton of variation to keep the harmony mixed up.
Like I said, it's my first time listening to the album, and I don't usually pick up lyrics the first time around. But I'm not picking up any stilted metaphors like "makin' banana pancakes" or "bubbly toes." Those are gimmicky and lame. They don't imply anything at all. And now I'm listening to Joni Mitchell's Blue and wondering how someone gave Jack Johnson a recording contract. This shit is gold.
The reason I wanted to write about Pink Moon is that I'm always looking for the right mood music, and I can never seem to pick it out. But Pink Moon would be perfect for a late-night drive. The next time I'm home with nothing to do late at night, I'm going to put on this album and just drive around. Preferably in the rain, but that's not a must.
So yeah, anyway...give it a listen.
posted by Kevin A. Doran at 1:15 AM
1 Comments:
formulaic is not a word
Post a Comment
<< Home