today’s album a day was tom waits – rain dogs.
tom waits is a legend to some folks. some people might only recognize him from being an actor in movies, because he’s had small parts in a ton of movies and a few large parts in some jim jarmusch films.
he’s an important musical figure, though – and like people like coltrane or david bowie or george jones, i don’t think i need to bother with much biography.
musically he is for a specific taste. he has a harsh, gravelly voice that often feels incongruous to some of his more poetic lyrics. his music has shifted styles a bit over the years. but if you’ve heard him once, you probably would never forget him.
this album is a strange mix of new orleans type jazz, tin pan alley songsmanship and part bluesy rock. it feels rough and experimental. overall it sounds as gritty as his voice. it’s not for everyone. but i’m one of the people it works for, most of the time.
and they all pretend they’re orphans
and their memory’s like a train
you can see it getting smaller as it pulls away
and the things you can’t remember
tell the things you can’t forget that
history puts a saint in every dream
below is the opening song from the disc, singapore, with hand drawn animation. nice job!
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