Tuesday, January 29, 2008

State Fair Music Blog

Here are three years at the fair that will be unforgettable.

2007: Spoon “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”: My family took the exact wrong shuttle to take if you wanted to avoid cattle vehicles and other shuttles. We sat on the shuttle for about an hour waiting to get into the fair, giving me the opportunity to hear the funky sounds of this album. “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” had its subtle saxophone flourishes entrench themselves in my brain while “Don’t You Evah” evoked the soulful side of Spoon.

2004: Iron & Wine “Our Endless Numbered Days”: This year my family took the U of M shuttle. Sam Beam’s soft voice and lyrics of our bodies’ ashes in “Naked As We Came” provoked existential emotion. “I’m Minnesotan? I’m at the fair, of course.”

200x: The Breeders “Saints”: “I like all the different people / I like sticky everywhere / Look around / You bet I’ll be there.” Kim Deal’s timeless lyrics about fairs are an undeniable ode to the summer classic. It is mandatory listening anytime you get that special carnival polo out.

Summer’s ready when you are.

No comments: