SONG OF THE DAY (#211)

'obscurity knocks,' by the trash can sinatras

the trash can sinatras were always a popular band in the lohrke household. my sister, morgan, was probably even a bigger fan than i was. these were days when KOHS [orem high school's student-run radio station] was easily the best radio station in the state and riding down to will's pitt stop on our beach cruisers for a 32 oz beverage was a integral part of a typical summer afternoon. i even remember riding my bike up to crandall audio back when it was on the bottom floor of an old house on 800 n. in orem and buying the sinatras debut album, 'cake.' this was, what, 1990? man, i'm old.

so yeah, my love affair with the sinatras goes back almost twenty years. but it's funny 'cos even when i listen to them now i never have the feeling of nostalgia i get when i listen to other bands from that period. maybe it's because there's a timelessness about the sinatra's songs. they sound just as great and relevant now as they did then, particularly 'obscurity knocks.' it was the sinatra's first hit and it's easy to see why [it's also where i first learned the Amaj7 chord!]. aside from the perfectly chimy guitars, melodies, and harmonies, it established francis reader as a ridicuously clever lyricist. if you don't believe me, check out the lyrics to 'obscurity knocks' [talk about great word play, unusual rhyming patterns, and stupid good imagery]:

always at the foot of the photograph -that's me there
snug as a thug in a mugshot pose, a foul-mouthed rogue
owner of this corner and not much more
still these days i'm better placed to get my just rewards
i'll pound out a tune and very soon
i'll have too much to say and a dead stupid name
though i ought to be learning i feel like a veteran
of "oh i like your poetry but I hate your poems"
calendars crumble i'm knee deep in numbers
i've turned 21, i've twist, i'm bust and wrong again
rubbing shoulders with the sheets till two
looking at my watch and i'm half-past caring [probably my favorite line. ever. in any song.]
in the lap of luxury it comes to mind
is this headboard hard? am i a lap behind?
but to face doom in a sock-stenched room all by myself
is the kind of fate i never contemplate
lots of people would cry though none spring to mind
though i ought to be learning i feel like a veteran
of "oh i like your poetry but I hate your poems"
calendars crumble i'm knee deep in numbers
i've turned 21, i've twist, i'm bust and wrong again
know what it's like to sigh at the sight of the first quarter of life?
ever stopped to think and found out nothing was there?

they laugh to see such fun
i'm playing blind man's bluff all by myself
and they're chanting a line from a nursery rhyme
"ba ba bleary eyes - have you any idea?"
years of learning i must be a veteran
of "oh i like your poetry but I hate your poems"
and the calendar's cluttered with days that are numbered
i've turned 21, i've twist, i'm bust and wrong again
ought to be learning, twist, i'm bust and wrong again
i feel like a veteran, twist, i'm bust and wrong again
calendar's cluttered with days that are numbered
and i know what it's liketo sigh at the sight
of the first quarter of life.

amazing stuff, that.

though the sinatras' output has been sporadic at best, they've released three incredible albums. i checked out their website this morning and it turns out they're in studio working on their fifth studio album. 'cake' has long since been deleted, but if you're interested, you can snag it here [it's the japanese version with shloads of b-sides]. i was lucky enough to see them when they strolled through town in october of '04. here's hoping they come back.

i promise you'll love the trash can sinatras. your satisfaction's guaranteed.

→ the trash can sinatras: obscurity knocks / video
→ the trash can sinatras: only tongue can tell
→ the trash can sinatras: got carried away [from 'weightlifting,' 2004]
→ the trash can sinatras: hayfever [from 'i've seen everything,' 1993]