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| Image taken at Hopscotch 2010 by The Independent Weekly |
As someone who prides myself on never listening to the radio, I have recently been forced to flip it on at the most inopportune times, now that my kid is all smart and steals my iPhone from me each time we get in the car so he can play games. This disables my ability to plug it in and listen to good music when kicking it to Grammy’s house. And pretty much the only station available is a pop radio station peddling the wares of Maroon 5 and Kid Rock.
While tuning that horrible shit out, the age-old inquiry of “Why the hell do people like this stuff?” inevitability creeps in, and accessibility normally wins out before my brain moves on to why anyone would ever vote for Sarah Palin. That one never benefits from an answer.
That was a long setup. How it relates to our Jam of the Day, “The Other Shoe,” by Toronto’s Fucked Up, is the musical dichotomy the band’s music represents. Listen to the song while reading, and you will hear that the music itself is extremely accessible and melodic, and if laid out with a typical voice, would be primed for bouncing up and down. But the vocals come from Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham, who yells more than sings, and moshes relatively naked instead of dancing. This opens the door to the argument of whether or not the vocals detract from the simple beauty of the music, or if they lift it, creating something truly unique in the process. I opt for the later.
Check it out below, and let us know what you think. And if you like it, pick up the band’s third LP David Comes Alive, which is out now via Matador.