$$_	Previous entry: "I was thoroughly dazzled"
$$_	Main Index
$$_	Next entry: "Shawn stole the TV!"

wednesday | october 12 | 2005

The Two Wise Men

I saw this band called Pale Horse and Rider open a show last night and I had this incredible sense of deja vu when singer/songwriter Jon DeRosa played his song "Annabelle." It's about some cracked out party girl that he probably fucked and then felt sorry for long enough to write a song. It reminded me of "Lua" by Bright Eyes, about the cracked out party girl that singer/songwriter Conor Oberst probably fucked and then [PARTIAL POST: VISIT THE SITE TO READ THE REST AND SEE PICTURES] I saw this band called Pale Horse and Rider open a show last night and I had this incredible sense of deja vu when singer/songwriter Jon DeRosa played his song "Annabelle." It's about some cracked out party girl that he probably fucked and then felt sorry for long enough to write a song. It reminded me of "Lua" by Bright Eyes, about the cracked out party girl that singer/songwriter Conor Oberst probably fucked and then felt sorry for long enough to write a song. But really these aren't even songs, they are gifts, aren't they? How lucky these women are (or rather we all are!) to hear such wisdom imparted in these insightful tributes written by such thoughtful, worldweary men.

Compare and contrast:

DeRosa:
Death of synth-pop / White girls dance hip-hop / In a library loft / Where hipsters build walls / You're in like a lion and out like a siren / Ooooohhhh Annabelle / You look like hell / and I can tell / you're looking for more.

Oberst:
You’re looking skinny like a model with your eyes all painted black / You just keep going to the bathroom always say you’ll be right back / Well it takes one to know one, kid, I think you’ve got it bad / But what’s so easy in the evening, by the morning is such a drag / I’ve got a flask inside my pocket we can share it on the train / If you promise to stay conscious I will try and do the same / We might die from medication, but we sure killed all the pain / But what was normal in the evening, by the morning seems insane.

Are we moved by this? Are these songs anything more than condescending machismo? How much wisdom can you acquire from fucking Williamsburg cokewhores? How many women do you think have slept with DeRosa and Oberst because they write songs like these? Is there a cycle happening? I will leave you to ponder these questions while I go try and reclaim the three minutes I lost last night listening to this bullshit.

RELATED: Someone at PopMatters sort of agrees with me.

[posted by Frank]