too much typing—since 2003

9.18.2006

a big big boat

Self is a band (more or less: Matt Mahaffey often records everything himself) currently caught in the all-too-usual label limbo: label owns masters to latest CD, refuses either to release the CD or relinquish the masters. (As a wise man once said, "You can't fight City Hall...except with a bomb.")

Anyway, despite that, over at the band's fan site, there are approximately 7,396 mp3s for download - mostly b-sides, demos, live tracks, etc. Among these are two parodies (downloadable from the site at this page).

"Moronic" is the less effective of these two: its somewhat smug tone is an example of the most irritating occasional aspect of Self's recordings, its target is just a tad obvious, and the resentment seems misplaced. However, it (inadvertently?) points out that, divorced from its original singer's hairpulling vocal mannerisms, the song is pretty damned catchy. I believe Dante described a circle reserved in Hell for creators of exactly such combinations of attraction and repulsion.

"Titanic" (can you tell when these two tracks were recorded?) works much better, both because the fit between the source and the subject of the parody seems more apt, and because rather than being snarky it's just goofy. Of course, it does kind of ruin the original for me...in that I suspect I'll always hear these lyrics instead.

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