Pure Indie : Thunderegg
January 28, 2006
A day after devoting an entire post of homage to the true spirit of indie, I get a package in the mail. I knew it was a CD since I don’t get any other kind of package, but this one was heavy. I’d say it felt like a triple CD collection, but I was wrong, it was an eight CD collection and a book to boot! What I got was Open Book : The Collected Thunderegg, 1995-2004. If you didn’t already know, Thunderegg is a musician/school administrator who comes to us from the latest musical mecca, Brooklyn. The book that accompanies the CD is 108 pages long complete with a table of contents, lyrics, index of song titles and index of first lines (a true first). And like any good songwriter and writer for that matter Will Georgantas gives his listeners and readers a good witty ‘hook’. Here’s a sampler of my favorites (in alphabetical order thanks to the index):
- Cop on a horse, cop on a horse, he’s the pride of the force,
- Dextromethorphan, dime-store paregoric,
- Double-date Brad, didn’t want to make Rebecca feel had,
- He built a bed based on what she said,
- I depend upon being depended on,
- The American standard is slipping and it’s all your fault,
- Walking in my wet shoes on the way to Saturday,
- You told me you were born a human race,
What is also great about this collection of eight albums, eight hours and bonus tracks is the honesty behind it’s creation. As Will himself explains:
Open Book is only possible thanks to big changes in the music world: the flexibility of being an independent artist, the efficiency of mp3 files, the low cost of home recording, and guerilla marketing through music blogs and tons of free downloads. At the same time, it’s an actual physical object that people can hold in their hands. . .
This collection is admirable. The songs are smart, playful, melodic and masterfully crafted. At times you hear traces of They Might Be Giants, The Meat Puppets or even Yo La Tengo. Nonetheless, Thunderegg is everything indie was meant to be.
Thunderegg : Will Bite
Thunderegg : The Building of the Bed
Thunderegg : Endless Screw
Thunderegg : You Showed Them to Me
Thunderegg : There Should Be Wheels On Everything
