yo la tengo, “no water”
from: new wave hot dog, 1987
“A dirty street outside my room, papers swirl around
Not a soul on a night of gloom tries to stop a howl
Another day on a dismal beach, a seagull turns and flies by
The waves seem so high and fierce, break and crash back down
If the worst should happen or if it takes all day
Or if the sun turns grey and cold
Violent wind, come blow me down
Ring chimes with a haunting air
The curtains whoop and the dogs, they growl
Otherwise a silent town”
Like many records this is a lost one. Forgotten from a catalogue that isn’t well known anyway. Ira Kaplan is one of the planet’s great guitarists, capable of wildly fluctuating sonic colorations that make stunning songs. My favorites display his transcendent moodiness. The notes fly up and often look back down at earth with a sad elation.
Ira Kaplan
“Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age.”
