The Joke – Brandi Carlile

The General and I were talking recently about how disposable music seems to have become. Except for the boldest of hipsters among us – the kind who listen to bands that are not yet invented and eschew everything but vinyl – there are very few ‘liner note’ devotees anymore. I have often been surprised when my own boys know very little about a musician they admire. I’m not talking about being able to recall what colours the band members like here but rather, more basic stuff like, say, their names or nationality. Instead it seems to be just a bit of fleeting interest they have downloaded and may soon forget about.

Similarly, quality of sound seems not to matter in the slightest as it once did: in high school alone, most boys I knew (and dated!) were knowledgeable and somewhat wild-eyed about all-things-hi-fi, speaking nimbly of woofers, separation and obscure record labels. (Alternative Tentacles, anyone?) Many of us listened carefully, sitting cross-legged between two monolithic speakers to fully experience Robert Plant’s breathy promises or the orgasmic train bit of Bowie’s Station to Station where you could literally feel the ensuing freight build-up passing through your brain. We also took careful note of Ferry’s gritty footsteps and click of the car door opening at the onset of ‘Love is the Drug.’ Again, The Yoof of Today are quite content to listen to a song via their phone and call it a day. (Shakes cane indignantly at audience).

Perhaps it is not surprising to note that one of my favourite movies is John Cusack in ‘High Fidelity’ sigh …

Anyway, a long intro to say that I have meant to write about Brandi Carlile’s ‘The Joke’ for some time now and obviously I get this is not a new record but it is SUCH brilliance. Like Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ it absolutely soars with plaintive, minor chord keening. Brandi Carlile herself seems fresh, sincere and intelligent and recently took part in a tribute to one of her personal heroes, Joni Mitchell which was stunning and well-received. For me, Carlile manages to channel the painful, nostalgic catch in the voice associated with a Patsy Cline vocal – but it’s delivered with a modern, no-nonsense twist and fueled by simple, powerful lyrics.

I cannot get enough of this song. I recently had it on repeat the entire time it took me to make Spaghetti Bolognaise from scratch. (The non-al dente version!) I will also report that I can now listen without weeping, deeply, but that may be subject to change.

It’s that good.

Favourite lyrical phrasing? “I have been to the movies.”

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