Okay, I’m going to say it. I don’t think people will like it, but it needs to be said: I’m just not that into the Long Winters.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike them, nor do I think those who do are wrong. I just can’t get excited about them. And I’ve been trying for years. Back in 2002 and 2003, when pretty much everyone NEAR Puget Sound was in love with these guys, I gave them a listen and (with one exception) just didn’t see what the fuss was about. However, that exception was so good that I went to see them live, and bought When I Pretend to Fall, just so I could hear it:
Scared Straight
It starts with that goofy organ riff and then the drums kick in. And then, the horns and its off to the races. The call-and-response chorus is pure bliss and the 30-second section that starts at 3:07 is absurdly good. All told, this is one of my favorite songs of the past few years, which only makes it more frustrating that I can’t seem to enjoy anything else by the band.
Part of it is that John Roderick’s voice, while perfectly suited to a limited type of song (such as “Scared Straight”) grates on my nerves in a lot of other contexts. And part of it is that I get this claustrophobic feel about a lot of their songs. By which I mean the tone and beat tend to be very repetitive and live within a very narrow band. And I just keep waiting for the song to bust free and it never does. Which is very unsatisfying. Finally, their lyrics are often great but sometimes make me cringe just a little.
For a little more context, here’s my second favorite Long Winters song:
The Commander Thinks Aloud
This song, about the Columbia shuttle disaster exemplifies my mixed feelings about the band. Some of the problems I talked about above are dealt with extremely well here. Roderick’s voice is almost perfect, especially when it almost breaks (at 40 seconds “from here I can touch the sun” and at 1:08 “the Tropic of Capricorn is below” for example). As for my concern about dramatic and melodic arc, it could hardly be better. It slowly builds from the peaceful and joyous imagination of returning home until it peaks at 3:06 with one of the finest moments in music the last few years: “can you feel it we’re almost home?” The optimism, the hope embodied in his voice is heartbreaking, since we the listeners know all too well what is about to happen.
So what’s the problem? Well, it sounds a little silly but I just can’t get past the way Roderick sings “yay” after every line. Why “yay?” Who says “yay” that isn’t 5 years old? It just…sounds wrong. If he would just say “yeah” instead, it would be so much better. It’s neurotic on my part, but I can’t help it.
My other complaint is that it doesn’t go anywhere after this. The final two minutes are simply a repetition of the line “the crew compartment’s breaking up.” I’m not sure how I wanted it to end, but I know that this isn’t quite right. No reflection, no life-flashing-before-your-eyes, nothing? It’s a little weird for me because I actually met one of the people on the Columbia. Only in passing (he was the father of a friend), but I shook his hand only a month before the flight.
That doesn’t mean I know anything about it of course. It’s just that this is a real person, a real memory for me. I can’t let it be so depersonalized (“the crew compartment’s breaking up”). Maybe it’s asking too much, or maybe I’m coming at it wrong and the line works perfectly for others. All I can tell you is that it doesn’t feel right to me.
So anyways, their third album Putting the Days to Bed was released last month. Like most of their other work, I can perfectly understand why other people really enjoy it but just can’t quite get there myself. It’s enjoyable and I’ll certainly keep listening to it as the year goes on, but I’m still waiting to get it.
As a sample, this is my favorite song on the record and a pretty good representation of what they’re about: