"I've been driving around. / Can't believe I'm getting older." Yet another ID-this-song question.
January 4, 2011 6:17 AM Subscribe
"I've been driving around. / Can't believe I'm getting older." Looking for a vaguely Red-House-Painters-sounding song with these lyrics that some coworkers of mine used to play. This would have been around 2001, in SE Michigan.
It's not "The Drugs Don't Work" by the Verve, is it? It doesn't have those lyrics, but the meter and the mood seem to fit.
posted by Clambone at 7:15 AM on January 4, 2011
posted by Clambone at 7:15 AM on January 4, 2011
Response by poster: I'd be shocked if it was anything by the Verve. The way I remember it, it was a very loose, sparse, under-produced record.
Idaho seems more plausible.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:19 AM on January 4, 2011
Idaho seems more plausible.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:19 AM on January 4, 2011
Response by poster: ...though it looks like a lot of Idaho's lyrics aren't online, so I think this is still an open question, at least until I can give their albums a listen. But yeah, the song I'm looking for is somewhere in that slowcore-ish vein.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:27 AM on January 4, 2011
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:27 AM on January 4, 2011
Is it a Bedhead or New Year song?
Here's a long shot: is it Sun Kil Moon's cover of "Neverending Math Equation"? It's Mark from Red House Painters, and there's a line about feeling "so damn old". It's from 2005, though.
posted by HerArchitectLover at 7:39 AM on January 4, 2011
Here's a long shot: is it Sun Kil Moon's cover of "Neverending Math Equation"? It's Mark from Red House Painters, and there's a line about feeling "so damn old". It's from 2005, though.
posted by HerArchitectLover at 7:39 AM on January 4, 2011
Response by poster: I'm quite certain that this was already out in 2001. So, no, not "Neverending Math Equation" — though hey, good song!
AFAICT it's not any of the Bedhead or New Year songs with lyrics online. Beyond that I can't say — I'm not really familiar with either band.
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:53 AM on January 4, 2011
AFAICT it's not any of the Bedhead or New Year songs with lyrics online. Beyond that I can't say — I'm not really familiar with either band.
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:53 AM on January 4, 2011
Could it be Landslide by Fleetwood Mac? Covered by Smashing Pumpkins in 1994 and the Dixie Chicks in 2002.
posted by Georgina at 11:17 AM on January 4, 2011
posted by Georgina at 11:17 AM on January 4, 2011
Response by poster: Heh. No, definitely not Landslide, though the similarity in themes is cute.
FWIW, I actually jotted the lyric down in 2001 when I first heard it, so while there's a chance I misheard a word or two (could it be "can't believe we're getting older"?) I'm definitely looking for that specific lyric and not just like "Hey there was this one song about cars and aging."
Also, I'm pretty certain it was slowcore — or a particularly draggy instance of that lo-fi Midwestern Connor-Oberst-y folk-pop thing that was going around back then. This was definitely not a big-name alternative radio rock band or anything like that.
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:25 PM on January 4, 2011
FWIW, I actually jotted the lyric down in 2001 when I first heard it, so while there's a chance I misheard a word or two (could it be "can't believe we're getting older"?) I'm definitely looking for that specific lyric and not just like "Hey there was this one song about cars and aging."
Also, I'm pretty certain it was slowcore — or a particularly draggy instance of that lo-fi Midwestern Connor-Oberst-y folk-pop thing that was going around back then. This was definitely not a big-name alternative radio rock band or anything like that.
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:25 PM on January 4, 2011
I've been listening to every Idaho album I've got and can't seem to find it. I think I hear the voice singing in a slightly sweeter tone - maybe neil halstead of Mojave 3?
I'm going to hear that song three years from now, and I hope I can find this question.
posted by notsnot at 5:49 PM on January 4, 2011
I'm going to hear that song three years from now, and I hope I can find this question.
posted by notsnot at 5:49 PM on January 4, 2011
Response by poster: Well, it's good to know I'm not crazy. (Or at least, it's good to know that notsnot and I are crazy together.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:39 AM on January 6, 2011
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:39 AM on January 6, 2011
Best answer: This question has been chewing at me for the past couple days, and it actually inspired me -- after years of lurking -- to register a MeFi account, so I hope my response is helpful.
Around 2000, Dayton, Ohio-based two-piece band Swearing at Motorists released an album entitled "More Songs From the Mellow Struggle" (link to Amazon page with mp3 previews of tracks). The song I am thinking of is called "The Difference Between Listen and Feel" (track 10), and it just so happens that the Amazon preview of that track contains the lines you may be talking about: "I was driving around / Can't believe I'm getting older".
So, based on the lyrics, the dates, and obscurity of the band (their biggest claim to fame is a loose connection to Guided By Voices, and I've only been able to find lyrics online for more recent Swearing at Motorists albums), I think this song could be what you are thinking of.
The only problem, though, is that I don't think this band's music would be considered "slowcore." Lo-fi and Midwestern and pop would describe it, probably. This song in particular has abrupt tempo changes and some loud anthemic guitar (not present in the preview) that reminds me more of late-90's Built to Spill and Modest Mouse, rather than Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon. [But as an aside, tracks 12 and 14 do have a Sun Kil Moon feel to them (I think).]
posted by mean square error at 12:37 PM on January 6, 2011
Around 2000, Dayton, Ohio-based two-piece band Swearing at Motorists released an album entitled "More Songs From the Mellow Struggle" (link to Amazon page with mp3 previews of tracks). The song I am thinking of is called "The Difference Between Listen and Feel" (track 10), and it just so happens that the Amazon preview of that track contains the lines you may be talking about: "I was driving around / Can't believe I'm getting older".
So, based on the lyrics, the dates, and obscurity of the band (their biggest claim to fame is a loose connection to Guided By Voices, and I've only been able to find lyrics online for more recent Swearing at Motorists albums), I think this song could be what you are thinking of.
The only problem, though, is that I don't think this band's music would be considered "slowcore." Lo-fi and Midwestern and pop would describe it, probably. This song in particular has abrupt tempo changes and some loud anthemic guitar (not present in the preview) that reminds me more of late-90's Built to Spill and Modest Mouse, rather than Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon. [But as an aside, tracks 12 and 14 do have a Sun Kil Moon feel to them (I think).]
posted by mean square error at 12:37 PM on January 6, 2011
Eagerly awaiting nebulawindphone's reply -- this has been bugging me all week!
posted by HerArchitectLover at 3:31 AM on January 7, 2011
posted by HerArchitectLover at 3:31 AM on January 7, 2011
Response by poster: Ha! Oh man! Yes, that's the one. I'd totally forgotten about the second half of the song! You're right, it's pretty spiky and not really RHP-ish at all once it gets going. But this is unmistakeably the right thing. Thanks!
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:14 PM on January 7, 2011
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:14 PM on January 7, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by notsnot at 6:59 AM on January 4, 2011