Gone but Not Forgotten

VS

#6 Bear vs. Shark- Terrorhawk vs. #11 Desaparecidos- Read Music/Speak Spanish

I mourn the loss of Bear vs. Shark almost every day. That obviously sounds extreme, and I don't pretend that they mean as much to me as people or pets or world leaders or anything, but they released two nearly perfect albums and called it quits just as I was truly discovering how much I loved them. Bands never ask you whether you care if they go away, selfishly, they just do. And Desaparecidos aren't much better. While bandleader Conor Oberst obviously is still making copious amounts of music, none of his output as Bright Eyes (or, I assume, his new self-named material) has the punch, politically or emotionally, as his one foray into rock with Desaparecidos. Two great bands who made three total albums and then went the way of the Dodo, or some other bird that no longer exists.

The Arguments: I think these two albums are the most similar two I've done so far, which is surprising in that one of the great things about Bear vs. Shark is that they don't sound like anyone. They are sort of hardcore, and sort of post-punk, and definitely have a political bent on Terrorhawk (I mean, what else could that title mean if not a "hawk" for terror, rather than war...and song titles like "Entrance of the Elected"...its political right?) and supposedly were strongly influenced by early emo and indie bands like Texas is the Reason and Husker Du, but really, i can't actually compare them to anyone. And I can't quite pinpoint why I love them so much. The lyrics are pretty much completely inscrutable, like and angry Pavement or something, but then you think they start to make sense, that a line like "And either side of paper is erupting a snake/You're boarding planes to Oakland in the pouring rain/Well every drop will count when they tally it up" start to make a strange sort of sense and a bizarre near-profundity, and really, the point is that they are couched in some of the most driving music I have ever heard. The power in the music plus the depths of emotion in the lead singers' wail/scream/whisper (depending on what the situation calls for, and on this album especially, they nail 2 minute punk song, piano ballad, and everything in between. And it all makes sense.) This is a band that never fails to make me feel more alive when I listen to them...I want to jump up and scream and howl and shout, but always in a good way. I know I'm writing way more about the band than the album, when but a band limits itself like they have, its hard to separate the two...I love this band, both albums, and while this one is ranked lower and has its own section (I'll get to Right Now... eventually) what they accomplish is very similar, and is sorely missed. I don't pretend everyone would like this album, but I think anyone who likes anything remotely similar owes it to themselves to at least try it out.

Read Music/Speak Spanish is, wait for it...yet another concept album! And a great one at that (are there bad ones? undoubtedly, though not on this blog). This particular song cycle (and i think those two terms aren't actually interchangeable the way I use them, though I think it is applicable here) is a look at wealth and politics in America, and how that shapes relationships and the world around us, particularly looking through the lens of Oberst's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and the development/stripmalling/gentrification thereof. And unlike Terrorhawk, much of Read Music is quite blatant in its politics...the song "Greater Omaha", which is basically a line by line indictment of that idea, starts with a recorded argument between Oberst and a friend discussing the indignities of strip malls and, gasp, a Starbucks opening in a place they used to hang out. Another song is titled simply "$$$$", and features samples from (presumably) real infomercials. And finally, its hard to find a song that is more pure vitriol against modern America then "Happiest Place on Earth" (the song starts "I want to pledge allegiance to the country where I live/I don't want to be ashamed to be American" and goes on to posit ideas like "Our freedom comes at their expense/Make sense does it?/Dollars and cents"). And, as an avowed liberal, its pleasurable to listen to the anger, to get wrapped up in the arguments and the angst that I share over the injustices Oberst describes over distorted guitars. But the strongest parts of the album are where he tones it down and gets a little personal, on the two-track relationship story "Man and Wife, The Former (Financial Planning)" and "Man and Wife, The Latter (Damaged Goods)" which from each of the title characters perspectives tells the story of the beginning of their relationship, through the lens of their money troubles, and of the end, and how focus on money is to blame, and no longer enough. For my money, "The Latter" is the best song Oberst has ever written, and considering how much I used to love Bright Eyes, that's saying something.

The Score: As good as Read Music/Speak Spanish is, and it's very good, I think I've made it clear how very, very much I love Terrorhawk, even if I can't really articulate why. It's just one of those things.

Terrorhawk d. Read Music/Speak Spanish 95-81

Representative Tracks: