A Lullaby to Bellow

I have a confession to make: I don't listen to tons of music. I mean, I listen to more than the average bear, but not the way I used to. Nowadays I usually use music to break up the podcast playlists on my iTunes. Here's a little something from Cake, here's an NPR show; here's an Adam Galinski song, here's the Adam Carolla show; here's an oldie from the Rolling Stones, here's the latest from Dan Savage. I'll openly confess that I tend to skip over some songs to get to the next show, so when a song I've never heard causes me to stick around and listen, it piques my interest.

Today between Stuff from the B-Side and This American Life was the song "Playhouse" by Beat Happening off of their 1989 album Black Candy. I was given the CD by a friend of mine who classified it as "twee-pop, but in a good way," which is a phrase I don't often hear from him. Honestly, I've never heard anything nice about twee come out of his mouth, and yet, here he is, standing above me with a copy of Black Candy.

Now, I wouldn't call myself a twee pop aficionado, but I know what I like. Calvin Johnson's deep voice adds an air of menace to the simple, coy lyrics of "Playhouse," "Other Side," and "TV Girl." The one-two punch of the childlike lyrics and Johnson's unusual delivery calls to mind other, more modern artists like Wayne Coyne and Jack White; except where the latter's voice can explode into childlike rage and the former's can explode into childlike exuberance, Johnson remains at an even keel. This works to his benefit since the understated, lo-fi sound of Black Candy is one of the album's main charms and the main reason I keep coming back.


"Playhouse" by Beat Happening
"Other Side" by Beat Happening
"Gravedigger Blues" by Beat Happening
From the album Black Candy
Visit them online at subpop.com