I like weird music. I think I’ve made that fairly clear over the course of this project. Well, that’s not entirely true. I don’t like music just because it’s weird. I like good music, and if it happens to be something that I consider weird, it gets some brownie points for that extra creativity.
Okay, I’ve obviously confused myself a bit…slow down Jacob, small words…simple thoughts.
Anyway, the off-the-beaten-pathiness that is NRBQ (New Rhythm and Blues Quartet’s) At Yankee Stadium is the inspiration for that rambling introduction. It’s not weird like what I normally mean by weird, though (oh man, here we go again). Bear with me for a second. When I describe music as weird, I usually just mean something of the indie variety that doesn’t conform to the standard rock band setup. tUnE-yArDs—weird, Panda Bear—weird. NRBQ—shouldn’t be weird. It’s 4 guys playing conventional instruments.
They’re weird, though. On At Yankee Stadium, NRBQ drags you through about every genre in music, and you’ll love every minute of it. Heartfelt ballad? Check. Standard rock? Yup. Johnny Cash cover? Indubitably. A little jazz? Fo shizzle. Hell, even some rhythm and blues gets thrown in, believe it or not.
It’s this strangeness that’s so appealing, though. You never have any idea where this band is going to go next, which really adds to the intrigue of the record. I know that I’ve hated on bands that can’t stick with a single sound, but that’s because I’ve never heard a band pull it off. NRBQ is the exception.
Swole Ear 