Life Is Wide
This week’s song, “Life Is Wide,” is a good hardworking song, not trying to get uppity or too big for its britches. The title is a nod to Big Star’s “Life Is White.” (Yes, that’s two Big Star shout-outs in two weeks.) Don’t know how much the two songs have in common, aside from inscrutable … Continue reading
I Tried to Look Away
I’ve gotta say that I laughed more while working on “I Tried to Look Away” than I have for any other song in 52 Teeth history. It totally turned on me! No matter what I tried to add, it just kept getting worse and worse. It must be some kind of titular curse, because the … Continue reading
Endorsement: Kate and Anna McGarrigle
I’ve gotta take a pause from songwriting and/or Allen Toussaint fetishizing and switch the subject of my gaze to another celestial object: the McGarrigle sisters, Kate and Anna. Perhaps you don’t know them at all, or perhaps you know them only as Rufus and Martha Wainwright’s mother and aunt, respectively. In my family, our introduction … Continue reading
Little Liberties
On Friday night, Lara and I got to see Allen Toussaint play — the first time I’d seen him perform solo. He was phenomenal, and his set list was lighter on cheese, and heavier on ’70s deep-cut masterpieces, than when we saw him last year with his full band. At both shows, he closed with … Continue reading
Sun in Rain
“Sun in Rain” is a song I’ve had kicking around, semi-unfinished, for a while. This was the week to post it because, in its reverb-drenched condition, it makes for a nice tribute to My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James (aka Yim Yames), whom Lara and I went to see tonight. He gave an incredible performance … Continue reading
Fortune Teller
I have no idea what “Fortune Teller” is about, but I’ve always believed that the writer of a song is not necessarily the best equipped to divine its meaning. Here are some theories about its secret subject: 1. Toni Preckwinkle (winner of the Democratic primary for Cook County Board president, and almost certain to win … Continue reading
Free Pass #1
Hello 52 Teeth Nation — With prodigious sobs and self-deprecating shudders, I hereby announce my failure to carve out recording time this week. I have learned a powerful lesson, which is the following: Do not expect to get anything done if you plan on doing it after work on Sunday night, before you go to … Continue reading
Wild Fences
I had sixty minutes today to write and record “Wild Fences“. Some weeks are just like that. In fact, I was on my way to writing an apology post, letting you all know that I’d work harder next week. But then I got kind of excited by the idea of having to churn out product … Continue reading
Feel It Anyway
My New Year’s resolution is to have more patience (there’s my Guns N’ Roses obsession again), with myself and others. I get so impatient so many times every day, my practice opportunities are almost limitless. Over the weekend, Lara and I attempted to construct a large IKEA bookshelf called the Bergsbo. (This was our Friday … Continue reading
52 Teeth: Baby Teeth On-Line 