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July 12, 2005
Cantaloupe Rinds and Saltwater
Golden Birds - Thermometer
Golden Birds were an association find: they played a show out in Berkeley with the incomparable Wind-Up Bird, and any band performing with Joseph Grimm is at least worth checking out. Turns out they're not only quite good, but are also engaged in an intensely cool project right now.
The Golden Birds are trying to play all 50 states, in the space of 51 days. Grueling probably doesn't even begin to describe it. But that's not the best part: their aim is to play on the steps of the Capitol building of each state, unamplified, at dusk, and for free. Today they'll be in Boise, Idaho, and if all goes well, they'll end up playing on the steps of the Capitol on the 23rd of August. Make sure you check their itinerary to see if you can still catch them on their (and this isn't hyperbole, in this case) epic tour.
'Thermometer' is a suspension bridge, with thin, cold guitar lines supporting the weight of the song (also figuring prominently are some amazing cut-up sounding drums, which give the track a little bite). On the surface and at the start, this is a song that seems to be about someone with a kind of monstrous tic in their maxillofacial muscles- but lyrically speaking, 'Thermometer' is really a sort of triptych. The TMJ struggles of the first character give way to a small, tender love note sandwiched in the middle, which then dovetails nicely into a weird but moving tangent about a girl who "carries a thermometer in her purse, and/Strain in her face from always bracing against the worst, she/Says everyone has a secret love affair with a malady, yeah/So don't take it out on yourself". The second to last line in that verse is perhaps the most romantic articulation of Munchausen's Syndrome that I've ever heard. Let me say: this song is very, very pretty. You will not be disappointed.
Golden Birds are fairly prolific, and are releasing (they'll have it with them on tour, soon) a new EP, called "Transamerica", which you can sample (two songs) on their website. 'Thermometer' is taken from their full-length album, "Carrier" (which was incidentally the old name of the band), which is available right here.
Posted by Kevin at July 12, 2005 09:29 AM
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