Once in a while you come across a song for the first time and you can't stop listening to it, over and over. Not in the way a song can go bad on you ("Hey Ya," "Crazy"), but in the way you still love it months and hundreds of listenings later. My current obsession is Dirty Mags by Blueboy.
I was late to the Twee Pop party, and only recently discovered Blueboy, and the label they recorded for, Sarah Records. Sarah was known for it's stable of Twee and Indie Pop bands, and Blueboy was no exception to this. Dirty Mags is a stand-out from this understanding, it's vibe and tone and carries a more harder, brit-pop, shoegaze sound. Dirty Mags was the lead track on a three song EP released on Sarah in 1995 shortly before the label shuttered.
More story and song lyrics after the jump.
Lyrically reminiscent of the forlorn Kitchens Of Distinction (see "On Tooting Broadway Station") and imagery not unlike a Fassbinder film or Joe Orton story; Dirty Mags takes these word and pictures on a sonic train of melody weaving at speed through the mountains and valleys of a shoegaze landscape. To much analogy for you? Just listen to the song. It's freakin' brilliant.
Though not a gay band, like KOD, Blueboy used visual and lyrical imagry to their advantage. Founding guitarist Keith Girdler, responds to a question posed by Juan de Ribera Berenguer, "I know that you aren't gay but Blueboy always pretend to show a gay image (the gay magazines from the Dirty Mags sleeve ... some lyrics). Is the gay one your favorite aesthetics? Do you think that the gay image is cool?"
I think this is a very hard question to answer... I would rather not to be specific. I suppose we're flirted with gay images but I don't think it is cool, it might be to some people but to most they'd rather see dull boring indiepop images of guitars and stars and girls.
The whole idea of Blueboy is to appeal to both boys and girls and I've always liked singers who are camp, amusingly so, Edwyn Collins, Momus, Morrissey are a few who spring to mind.
Dirty Mags by Blueboy
white shirt wrap-around black shades
chauffeur from outta town
i don't need to put you down
fake gold rings and tattoos
where hot red and words still sore
i'm working class not poor
he's too scared to say
the things he's feeling deep inside
he calls it cockney pride
i wanna come inside your life
oh you're so mean
i wanna come inside your life
oh your so mean
i wanna come inside your life
oh you're so mean
borstal sex never bothered you
evel knievel sniffing glue
it's what you wanted to do
as for me i'm doing fine
in the gutter with halliwell
it's time to kiss and tell
sell my story sell my soul
to a dickhead from the star
who remembers eddie shah
i wanna come inside your life
oh you're so mean
i wanna come inside your life
oh you're so mean
i wanna come inside your life
oh you're so mean.
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Comments (1)
Thanks for posting this -- I hadn't ever heard this Blueboy song, but I like their CD Unisex... here's my review of it (I guess I was wrong about the sexuality of their singer)... http://www.io.com/~larrybob/musicexp2.html#Blueboy
Posted by: Larry-bob | October 4, 2006 10:17 AM
Posted on: October 4, 2006 10:17