Singles Mixer #6: "Lady, You Shot Me" by Har Mar Superstar

You broke my one rule, you treated me cruel...

Hello again, music fans! Welcome to Singles Mixer #6!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Singles Mixer column, here's the story. On the occasion of Minnesota musicians releasing singles of note, we ask one of our regular contributors to give us their take on the song. As is the case with our Songs Of The Week column, the song is reviewed and then given a score of 1-5.

Last week Minnesota native Har Mar Superstar released the song “Lady, You Shot Me,” the lead single from his new album Bye Bye 17. We asked the perpetually-available TCDroogsma to give us his thoughts on the song.

So, Droogsy, thoughts?

On first listen to “Lady, You Shot Me,” the question that comes to mind is, “has Har Mar Superstar finally grown up?”

Now, that's not a fair question. Anybody who's been around the Twin Cities music scene long enough is well familiar with both sides of Sean Tillman. As Sean Na Na ,Tillman has been making poppy, hook-laden indie pop sporadically for years. And over the course of three full-length albums and a handful of EP's he's proven repeatedly that he is capable of subtlety, nuance, maturity, and a keen eye for observation. Unfortunately, this often-brilliant work has led to little more than cult fandom and headlining gigs at places like The Kitty Kat Club & The Whole.

Har Mar Superstar, on the other hand, has always trafficked in synth-y, funk-y, sex-drenched rave ups. Oh, the songs are still packed with hooks (the man knows how to make a song stick), but the lyrics have, on occasion, veered close to novelty. On the strength of those hooks, bump-and-grind jams, who's-in-on-the-joke curiosity, and the eternal appeal of a chubby guy in a Speedo, Har Mar Superstar became, well, a star (especially in Europe), finding his way to headlining gigs in New York City and buddying up with the likes of Karen O.

Even though the two sides of Sean Tillman rarely met in the middle, they always shared one common trait: killer hooks. Neither of these two acts would have succeeded if Tillman didn't have a knack for earworms that most songwriters would kill for (he was famously enlisted to write a song for Britney Spears, the excellent “Tall Boy,” which she rejected and he eventually just recorded himself.)

True to form, “Lady, You Shot Me” goes for the gusto right off the bat. One quick drumroll and next thing you know the horns are blaring and Tillman is wrapping his voice around the latest in a long line of classic hooks. The surprise is in the lyrics to the chorus. “Lady, you shot me, on top of all the tears you brought me. You broke my one rule, you treated me cruel,” is devoid of any sort of irony or detachment. After a career built at least somewhat on setups and punchlines, “Lady, You Shot Me” is refreshing in that, for the first time I can remember, people downloading the “new Har Mar Superstar single” and waiting for the joke are going to be disappointed. More than likely, they'll be surprised the the guy who wrote “Almond Joy” could put out something like this.

While that chorus is what grabs your attention, it's the verse that gives the song its staying power. The tempo picks up, there's some nifty guitar pickin', and Tillman sounding like the happiest heart-broken guy ever. Perhaps the most telling line in the whole song comes in this verse, as Tillman tells his ex, “I'll get back in line behind the other guys, there's a chance you'll let me back into your heart.” The Har Mar Superstar we all know would never have taken this approach, likely choosing to walk away, tell her that she's the one missing out, and then having sex with her sister.

The track as a whole has a definite throwback feel to it (a marked departure from the dance-funk that makes up most of the Har Mar Superstar catalog). Tillman finds the soul in his voice that he's only hinted at in the past (notably on another jilted-lover track, “Alone Again (Naturally)”) and spends most of the song sounding like Julian Casablancas doing an Otis Redding impression. That's a compliment. He sounds assured & confident, knowing just where his voice can go and how to use it best. Vocally, he's come a long way from Dance 'Til Your Baby Is A Man.

Still, in addition to Tillman's excellent vocals, the song's texture is provided by the musicians manning the horns and guitar. Both instruments sound like they came straight out of Nashville circa 1975, bold yet rough, aware that they're playing a role. Stars but not the star. Despite the Nashville sound, they don't call to mind old Al Green records as much as The Replacements “Can't Hardly Wait,” another song that featured an artist making an unexpected push toward maturity. Maybe that's just a Minnesota thing, but I don't think so. Much like Paul Westerberg found a new voice in some old soul (and the old soul in his voice), Tillman sounds like he's reaching for something and the horns are there to push him along.

The title of Har Mar Superstar's new album is Bye Bye 17 and it's easy to see why “Lady, You Shot Me” was the first song released off it. I can't help but think that the “17” in the title is less about Tillman growing up (he's done plenty of that as Sean Na Na) and more about the average age of his audience. Trust me, I was a young man when “Baby, Do You Like My Clothes?” came out. It was a blast then, but not something I find myself listening to at 31. “Lady, You Shot Me” definitely gives me the impression that Bye Bye 17 is the first Har Mar Superstar album I can listen to as an adult and make a connection with. I didn't need another version of “Body Request” to drunkenly sing along with anyway.

“Lady, You Shot Me” stands out as the closest Tillman's two personalities have come to sharing a song. Is he growing up? Not necessarily. More accurately, he seems to be growing into his skin, letting his “personalities” finally blend together. By letting a bit of Sean Na Na seep into the Har Mar Superstar side of things, maybe it'll finally get to the point where Tillman is known more for his remarkable talent then his schtick. If not, well, Speedo's are cheap and plentiful.

Final Score: 4/5

There you have it, folks. “Lady, You Shot Me,” the lead single from the new Har Mar Superstar album Bye Bye 17 reviewed and filed away.  Bye Bye 17 will be released April 23rd.

For more TCDroogsma, be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found right here on Newest Industry hosting our weekly Flatbasset Radio podcast.

For more Newest Industry, be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we have a Facebook page here. Trivial as it seems, stopping by and giving us a “Like” is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Singles Mixer #5: "Just Make It Stop" by Low

You see I'm close to the edge, I'm at the end of my rope...

Hello again, music fans!  Welcome to Singles Mixer #5!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Singles Mixer columns, here's the scoop.  Whenever we find new singles from Minnesota bands we task one of our regular contributors with reviewing them.  As is Newest Industry policy, all singles are given a score of 1-5 (whereas albums are rated 1-10).

This time around we asked TCDroogsma to give us his thoughts on Low's new single "Just Make It Stop" from their upcoming album The Invisible Way.

TCDroogsy, thoughts?

How you feel about “Just Make It Stop” likely depends on how you feel about the recipe that Low has perfected over 20 years.

There are typically three things that define Low:

01. Instrumentation that makes as much use of the empty space as it does of the instruments.

02. Alan Sparhawk's distinctive, fragile vocals (often times complimented by Mimi Parker).

03. Lyrics that are somehow universal & personal, allowing the listener to find themselves in nearly every song.

“Just Make It Stop” only hits on one of these three ingredients. Lyrically, this song fits nicely into the Sparhawk/Parker canon. The lyrics are vague enough, with many of the couplets addressed to the “you” that always seems to be saying and doing things to fuck with people. Hell, even the titular “it” is never really addressed. The world? Time? The omnipotent, overbearing “you” (or, maybe, “them?”).

Regardless, when you sign up for the music of Low you sign up for that sort of lyrical content. There's something to be said for a band that can write songs that everybody can relate to in their own way.

Now, on to those other two ingredients.

I fully realize that Alan Sparhawk is not the “lead singer” of Low in the traditional sense. Still, when releasing the first single from a new album, it's a bold move to shelve the singer who is, to the casual fan, the voice of the band. I'm not complaining here, it's just a surprising left turn. I think Parker has a great voice and absolutely carries the song. Whether it's years of sharing the microphone with Sparhawk or my inability to separate new Low songs from my expectations, Parker manages the same aggressive fragility as her sometimes co-singer.

Which brings us to the instrumentation.

What's the one thing that casual indie rock fans know about Low? That they're slow and quiet. Obviously “Just Make It Stop” is neither of those things. It's actually a pretty rollicking affair considering who's playing the instruments.

Much has been made about the fact that The Invisible Way was produced by Jeff Tweedy. Admittedly, I didn't put a whole lot of stock into his involvement (though, as a Wilco & Low fan it did breed some curiosity). I was hoping that the lessons learned about spacing and silence during A Ghost Is Born and Summer Teeth would translate to “Low with a Wilco twist.” Rather, if this single is any example, we're being treated to “Low plays Wilco.” Rather than an experiment in organic, live silence (I feel so pretentious just typing that), “Just Make It Stop” has much more in common with the country-tinged feel of Being There.

I realize that this all makes me sound like a curmudgeon who wants his Low to sound like Low. There's a grain of truth to that, as I really do love the band's work. More accurately, I'm a bit disappointed that rather than pushing toward the sound explored on Drums & Guns (a masterpiece in my book), Low seems to be pushing toward sounding like everybody else. For a band that spent twenty years carving out a niche that was theirs and theirs alone, “Just Make It Stop” sounds more like compromise than evolution.

Final Score – 2.5/5

There you have it, folks!  TCDroogsma puts Low's new single "Just Make It Stop" square in the middle of the rankings.

For more information on Low's new album The Invisible Way and their upcoming tour, be sure to visit their website here.  They can also be found on Twitter (@LowTheBand).

For more TCDroogsma, be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found here on Newest Industry hosting our weekly podcast Flatbasset Radio.  Be sure to tune in each week, as winter's slowly causing him to lose his mind.

Of course Newest Industry also has a home on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1).  Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Stopping by and giving us a "Like" is a free and highly effective way to support the blog. 

Singles Mixer #2: "To Young Leaders" by Guante & Big Cats!

"We are more than the sum of our parts..."

Hello again, music fans!

It's election day and we thought it would be appropriate to do a write up on one of the most politically charged tracks to come out of the Twin Cities this year (which is really saying something).  We put TCDroogsma back on the case and asked him to give us his thoughts on the first single from the new Guante & Big Cats! album You Better Weaponize.

TCDroogsma, what'd you think?

First things first, I'm not super familiar with the work of Guante & Big Cats!  I know (and love) their single "The National Anthem" from a couple of years back.  I'm also kind of familiar with Big Cats! production work.  That track, "Get Gone" by Homeless, and "1" from his solo album For My Mother is pretty much the extent of my knowledge.

All that said, let's dig in to this new single.

The Twin Cities hip-hop scene has been wearing its politics on its sleeve all year long.  "To Young Leaders" definitely has more in common with the anarchist vibe of We Don't Even Live Here than with the "we can fix this broken system" message of Mourning In America.  Unlike the aforementioned "The National Anthem," which was more of a lamentation of a broken country, "To Young Leaders" is a cry to finish breaking what's already broken and start the rebuild.

Guante's MC style definitely has its roots in his career as a spoken word artists.  It's not hard to imagine that this song would carry nearly as much weight even if it was presented a capella

"Remember, a poem is worth more than a prayer
A prayer is a quiet conversation
A poem is an incantation
A fireball from your fingertips
It's something out of nothing..."

To that end, the similarity between his rapping style and the style of Sage Francis (another MC with roots in spoken word) is clear.  It becomes evident when, rather than a hook, the chorus of the song finds Guante abandoning his flow to speak directly to the listener, capping it off with the rallying cry, "You better recognize, you better weaponize..."

If the goal of the lyrics is to inspire anger at not only the political system, but at the capitalist American system that feeds our culture, mission wholeheartedly accomplished.

Big Cats! does his part to soundtrack this anger by digging deep in the low end.  I don't mean to compare this song to "The National Anthem" again, but it's hard not to notice that, production-wise, "To Young Leaders" picks up where "The National Anthem" left off.  That track was built around some dusty piano samples and those same sounds open this track.

However, when the piano drops out and the keyboards and bass come in, it's the aural equivalent of the feeling many people have felt over the last couple of years.  No longer concerned with the dusty concept of "fixing the system" from within, the focused, pointed keyboards and fuzzed out bass indicate that the time for talk has passed and the time for action is now.

If "To Young Leaders" is indicative of the what we can expect from the rest of You Better Weaponize then this is going to be a banner year for righteous anger in hip-hop.  Who says the Minnesotans are passive-aggressive?

Final Score - 4/5

You Better Weaponize, the new album from Guante & Big Cats! is out today and available via Strange Famous Records. They'll be playing at record release show November 9th at Hell's Kitchen.

Thanks to TCDroogsma for stopping by and giving us his thoughts.  For more TCDroogsma he can be found on Twitter and/or Instagram (@TCDroogsma) or on his personal blog Flatbasset.

Newest Industry also has a home on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) which you can follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  We also have a Facebook page here which you can stop by and "like" if you, umm... like us.