Closer When She Goes February 26, 2009

I’ve always liked listening to this one, and it made perfect sense that it would appear on an EP rather than a regular album due to its length, but it’s just never felt like a real song to me.  It’s just verse-chorus-verse-chorus DONE!  The lyrics are all pretty good, and I feel like they were definitely onto something really cool.  I’m not sure why it was never made into a full-length album track, though.  I always think about that when I hear it, and I’d be lying if I said sometimes it makes me feel just a little bit shortchanged.  The Halloween EP has one pretty good song (“Halloween”), one really great song (“Funeral Marching”) and what sounds like a demo that they threw on for the sake of having three songs. 

A nice listen, but it always leaves me wanting more.  (And not in the good way)

Dear Chicago February 11, 2009

I’d put this one in my top three Ryan Adams songs.  I love the heavy reverb on the guitar and vocals, the way he hammers-on the third fret of the high E string during the “I’m sorry about the every kiss” part…  I just feel this recording perfectly captured the moment.  Everything about it is so open and empty, it’s stirring to hear it.  Just the way he sounds weak when he’s admitting all of these things to someone who has left him is enough to move you.  And you get the impression that she either:

A) Isn’t listening
or
B) Isn’t there at all

He tries to make it sound like he’s moving on, seeing other girls, etc.  But eventually just gives in and admits to her that he’s been thinking about suicide and how desperate he really is.  Of course, at the end he goes back to being defensive by saying “I think I’m falling out of love with you.”  Whether or not he really means it is up for debate, though. 

Such a brilliant, haunting song…

Jesus (Don’t Touch My Baby) January 27, 2009

While there are some Ryan Adams songs that I’ve never really cared for, I think this is the only one I actively dislike.  A lot of the songs on Demolition are of great quality and wouldn’t have been out of place on an album or EP.  This one should have been left as an outtake, though.  It was obviously left off of the record for a reason… 

While the song is obviously quite deep, I really don’t feel it.  I mean, the lyrics simply aren’t that good (“You’re in my arms and I kiss your heart”) and are sung in a really creepy low voice that just doesn’t sound natural.  The music is tiring and sounds like something anyone could put together on Garageband, with the occasional drum/guitar backing a long, slow synth line.  Really, I think I just prefer my Ryan Adams songs being performed using acoustic guitar and no keyboards/computer effects.

Answering Bell January 24, 2009

The first Ryan Adams album I got was Gold, and there were two tracks I had heard before I bought it: “New York, New York” and “When The Stars Go Blue.”  When I hit “Answering Bell”, it felt really familiar to me even though I knew I hadn’t heard it before.  I think that was the intended, with the whole “modern classic” approach to the album.  With its charming swagger and waves of powerful backing vocals courtesy of Adam Duritz (Counting Crows), I feel like “Answering Bell” fall in the same category of “Let It Ride”: this song sounds so complete. 

If you listen to “Just Saying Hi” demo found on The Suicide Handbook, it’s clear that the recording is really lacking.  It’s completely lacking the sexiness and power found on Gold.  I think this is, of course, due to the fact that the organ, electric guitars, and awesome banjo intro aren’t there.  It almost sounds like something pulled off of a radio broadcast and just doesn’t have the same amount of soul found on the album version.  Like I say about all Ryan Adams outtakes/b-sides: it’s nice to have them. (Even if they aren’t as good as the finished version)

These Girls December 19, 2008

While looking at this song, I’m going to have to compare it to the lyrics in the first version of the song that appeared on the Destroyer Sessions collection of demos.  This song was the same structurally and instrumentally, but there is quite the difference in the lyrics.  Before I get started, I’d like to say I’m more than just a little disappointed that the only time it was performed live (as far as I know) was the hard rock version shot in the room full of Christmas lights around the time of the Easy Tiger release. (note: I know “Hey There, Mrs. Lovely”, as the song was previously known, made some appearances live back in the day)

With the differences, let’s start with the first verse.  In the officially released version, he sings “I’m the Matchbox Cars you buy and burn in your backyard”, but in HTML the line is: “I’m the plastic three-inch armies you destroy.”  They’re both followed with the awesome line “I’m the monster underneath your bed you ain’t afraid of yet.”  It’s like he’s saying that he’s going to cause problems for this girl, but right now she only sees the good in him.  That’ll change, though…  For the better first verse, I’m going with “Hey There, Mrs. Lovely.”

The second verse differs quite a bit.  “Hey There, Mrs. Lovely” goes like this:

You used to only want your two front teeth
Yeah, Christmastime, It came, It went
And you ended up with me
We started playing Twister with our tonuges
We probably should’ve scrapped the game and gave ourselves some hugs

“These Girls” is entirely different.

I used to pick up shells cast off the reef
One Christmas I got a funeral
And they handed me the receipt
How many lies I tell without my tongue
Get twisted into memories ’til I believe in some

This one isn’t so easy.  The line about “playing Twister with our tongues” is pretty weak, but I prefer the first half of the second verse from “Hey There, Mrs. Lovely.”  They’re both enjoyable songs, but I can only imagine how amazing it would be if the highlights from each were combined into one.  While there are some other differences between the two, like the chorus  (“Dry your eyes with cinnamon and pears” confuses the hell out of me…  Seriously…)  I’ll stay absolutely content with having both versions.  After all, you can never have too much Ryan Adams…