Let's start out by making it clear that I am all in favor of women acoustic singer/songwriter types. Holly Near still makes me smile (though unlike some people, I no longer get excited about seeing her in concert) (we love you, Mom). The first time I heard the Indigo Girls singing "Closer to Fine" on the radio, I had to pull over and write down the name of the song and the band, I loved it that much. For god's sake, I'm going to see the Roches this month.
But you can't keep up with everything, and somehow I've never gotten around to Dar Williams, which is kind of odd, because K and her girls are way into her, and I know people who know her, and I've been hearing about her since way back in the day when she was playing tiny clubs and college campuses in New England.
Be that as it may, however, I never consciously heard a Dar Williams song until this morning when the DJ on the acoustic radio show said, "Next up is one of our most requested songs during this season, Dar Williams' 'The Christians and the Pagans.'" Dar Williams, I thought, I should pay attention. So I did.
I try to keep things positive on this blog.
OK, that's a lie, I don't try to keep things positive at all. But I do prefer to talk about things I like, or things I really hate for lots of good reasons. I certainly don't hate Dar Williams, and I think I'd like to like her, and really I have hardly any grounds on which to feel one way or another about her.
But that is one annoying song. Annoying squeaky-breathy voice, annoying strummy guitars, annoying smarmy lyrics. Ugh.
Bring on the hardcore. Please.
3 comments:
I have tried and tried and tried to like Dar Williams, but I just can't get behind that voice. Gah.
Not that you'll necessarily like her any better in other songs, but that's one of the one's I find incredibly annoying. It's sort of sanctimonious in a way I can't handle. The rest of that album (Mortal City) is either breathtakingly sad (February, Iowa) or funny as hell (The Pointless Yet Poignant Musings of a Coed, which ends with the line, "And my ex-boyfriend can't tell me I've sold out/Because he's in a cult/And he's not allowed to talk to me.")
And The Green World is just amazing.
It sounds like this isn't the only thing you disliked about the song, but the recorded version is way overprocessed.
Please do try some other songs, yes. If her voice or her guitar playing isn't your taste no matter what the song, then it isn't your taste. But, yes, she does have some fantastic lyrics out there.
Post a Comment