Having made the trip from Boston down to suburban Philly well over a million times now, I think I can safely say I am an expert on all things Connecticut and New Jersey. I mention this because I have lately been listening to a lot of the band Wrens, who are quintessential Jersey. What do I mean by that? Well, I am sure you’ve seen Sopranos, and have your own vague understanding of what it is like to live in New Jersey from that. Some of the songs from the album The Meadowlands remind me of the Sopranos, those prototypical New Jerseians.
My guess is that Christopher would really dig this album. It very much rocks, and is perfect for getting pumped up when you have to go out and do a killing. Not that all people from Jersey are killers, but I can assure you from peeping into other cars on the Garden State Parkway that a lot are.
You can’t understand a lot of the words on this album, which I think is for the best. In one of the songs where you can catch a verse or two (“Happy”), they come across as very sappy. Skip that song, unless you find yourself especially moved by lyrics from bands like Seam. It’s a shame, because the song would otherwise be great if they were singing about something else, something I don’t know, a little more Jersey.
Let’s go shoot some gangsters,
Guys from Johnny Sack’s crew!
Kablammo—Kablammo!
Tony sent me—
Aside from that song, I have really been hooked on the other songs. Sometimes the inaudible singer sounds to me very much like another largely inaudible singer I used to listen to, that being the guy from one of my favorite all time bands Metal Flake Mother. One of the guys from this band went on to be part of Squirrel Nut Zippers, who were kind of big for a while. That was a good band, but Metal Flake Mother was a great band. To the best of my knowledge they only had one album, which I listened to 2322 times during the summer of 1992 (a very close second was the Television Personalities’ The Painted Word). Nobody I knew had heard about them really, by the Carolinians I knew adopted a reverential attitude towards them. Apparently they were even better live, which sucks, because I never got to see them. They opened for Cracker that summer but it was a 21+ show. I was bummed.
You’ll note that I have spoken at length about some bands and I have yet to attempt to really describe them. I don’t believe in that shit. If you want some jerk-off typing variations of the words: “conveyers of pure pop confection,” “pop sensibility,” or whatever, tough luck.
One more thing, it wouldn’t be fair of me to mention a good New Jersey band without reminding the reader that The Feelies are the best ever band from Jersey.
A few notes on baseball:
If you are looking for a team to pull for this year, go with the Phillies. This year’s team is the best they’ve ever had. I can hear the grumbling about ’80, but after you see what Cole Hamels has up his sleeve (the second best left arm in baseball) you’ll all be converted. I expect the congratulatory emails to start flooding in by June. Sorry Mets fans, your rotation cannot compete with ours. I know this is nothing new, and that a lot of people are picking the Phils this year, but even the people who are, I think, are neglecting Hamels. Sure they think he is good, but I am here to tell you that he is more than good, he will be fantastic. I am confidently predicting a sub three era and at least 18 wins. You heard it here first.
As always, I am hoping that my distant cousin, Mark Prior, comes back from injuries this year, and shakes things up in the central.