Thursday, April 24, 2008

Lend Me Your Ears

From In the New Old-Fashioned Way and The Vegetable Kingdom EP

In the New Old-Fashioned Way would not be complete without this track, which I believe was added as an after-thought since it was not included on the promo version of the record. Likewise, I think that it loses power if its only place had been in the center of The Vegetable Kingdom EP. Placed at the beginning, as the lead-in to the band’s masterpiece, Seth Timbs steps out of his usual role of himself and becomes like a Greek chorus, setting the stakes and giving us some thoughts on love and life that are separated from the confines of any particular relationship. He calls us simply to listen as he puts some perspective on existence, with lessons gleaned from Father Time and Vincent Van Gogh no less, before we embark together on our journey. This one song unwittingly adds a whole different dimension to the record as it points us toward universal truth before sending us on to songs about the Earthly and mundane: driving, dying, drinking, sleeping and hurting.

The live mp3 presented here if from July 3rd, 2004, when Seth Timbs played a solo set before bringing up a full band. I love this performance because of the speed with which he’s playing it, and the way he sounds like he’s truly having a good time while playing it.

Download Live mp3

3 comments:

DUSTY NUGGETS | CLARENCE DUFFY | BEEF WELLINGTON said...

When I was high as a cloud, I didn't know just how loud I was being
I let the dishes burn out and let the cigarettes pile up to the ceiling...

Good times.

Jakob Dorof said...

one of the band's finer works. brilliant song, great track 1, and some of seth's coolest lyrics.

Anonymous said...

top five track one side one:

cherub rock - siamese dream
race for the prize - the soft bulletin
rockin stroll - its a shame about ray
welcome to the working week - my aim is true
lend me your ears - in the new old fashioned way

"something simple? like the beatles? beethoven? track one side one of the 9th symphony??"

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