Tuesday, March 15, 2005
somebody give me my oxygen
Brainiac "Fucking With the Altimeter"
After the death of their lead singer in 1997, members of Brainiac eventually formed Enon, a band that I regard with complete indifference. I have no opinion on Enon; I know they exist, I’ve heard several of their songs, but no impression has ever been made upon me. I am impervious to them. And, truth be told, I mostly am/was to Brainiac, as well. I bought Brainiac’s Bonsai Superstar album in high school, on account of the presence of the song “Fucking With the Altimeter”, and generally have never thought too much of it. "Fucking With the Altimeter" is pretty amazing, though. It's one of those songs, like “Make-Out Club” and Railroad Jerk’s “Rollercoaster”, that I got hooked on through constant airplay on WRAS. I used to hear it three or four times a day for a stretch back in 1994, and it very quickly got stuck in my head. It sounds more malevolent than most metal songs. Between the looped samples, Tim Taylor’s creepshow whisper, and his Bobby McFerrin percussion on the left channel, “Fucking With the Altimeter” not only stood apart from the rest of the stuff on 88.5 at the time, it's also distinct from the rest of Bonsai Superstar. Throw in a catchy chorus that sounds like Westing-era Pavement and you’ve got a song that still does its job eleven years later.
Brainiac "Fucking With the Altimeter"
After the death of their lead singer in 1997, members of Brainiac eventually formed Enon, a band that I regard with complete indifference. I have no opinion on Enon; I know they exist, I’ve heard several of their songs, but no impression has ever been made upon me. I am impervious to them. And, truth be told, I mostly am/was to Brainiac, as well. I bought Brainiac’s Bonsai Superstar album in high school, on account of the presence of the song “Fucking With the Altimeter”, and generally have never thought too much of it. "Fucking With the Altimeter" is pretty amazing, though. It's one of those songs, like “Make-Out Club” and Railroad Jerk’s “Rollercoaster”, that I got hooked on through constant airplay on WRAS. I used to hear it three or four times a day for a stretch back in 1994, and it very quickly got stuck in my head. It sounds more malevolent than most metal songs. Between the looped samples, Tim Taylor’s creepshow whisper, and his Bobby McFerrin percussion on the left channel, “Fucking With the Altimeter” not only stood apart from the rest of the stuff on 88.5 at the time, it's also distinct from the rest of Bonsai Superstar. Throw in a catchy chorus that sounds like Westing-era Pavement and you’ve got a song that still does its job eleven years later.
