Heavy Rotation: Week Ending January 15, 2010

01. Jay Reatard – Watch Me Fall, (Matador.2009)
02. Jay Reatard – Matador Singles 08, (Matador.2008)
03. Jay Reatard – Singles 06-07, (In The Red Records.2008)
04. Jay Reatard – Blood Visions, (In The Red Records.2006)
05. Jarvis Cocker – Further Complications, (Rough Trade.2009)
06. Sonic Youth – The Eternal, (Matador.2009)
07. God Help The Girl – God Help The Girl, (Rough Trade.2009)
08. Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown, (Reprise.2009)
09. The Legends – Over and over, (Labrador.2007)
10. Lucky Soul – The Great Unwanted, (Sony Music.2007)

Allow me to be a no-duh for a second: I listen to a lot of music; and I mean A LOT. If you've been reading This Is Not Entrainment for any length of time, you know I'm not a lyrics guy. The quality of a song is in the melody, the hooks, the chorus, and, to a lesser-yet-still-important degree, the uniqueness of the music. Lyrics don’t play a large role in my decision to deem an LP “good” or “bad”. Still, I understand the weird psychic, emotional charge that any art form, including punk-infused-American-indie-rock conjures up within the human animal.

There are several songwriters who “speak” to me, whose lyrics connect with my view of life and how to live it. I have been moved by the songs and words of (to name a few) Paul Westerberg, David Gedge, Billie Joe Armstrong, Jarvis Cocker, Joe Pernice, and Jay Reatard. When I read of the passing of Jay Reatard, I felt deflated like a balloon losing its air; a deep sadness came over me.

What made Reatard so special was his undeniable wealth of talent, the ability to craft the hookiest of hooks in a most chaotic sub-genre, and write words that were as profound as they were sad, that were as hilarious as they were honest. Much like the great Paul Westerberg, he was, unfairly, deemed just a fast-and-furious punk-rock-party-animal. Oh yes, that's part of him. Indeed. But like Westerberg, his songs demonstrated there was an emotional depth (even though he didn't let on). No doubt he was an asshole as much as he was a genius (remember his backing band quitting w/out much of an explanation this past summer). I completely understand that.

For myself, I didn't lose a hero; in a weird, and surprising way (at least to me) I feel I've lost a kindred spirit. Our worlds are a million miles apart, but that's part of the magic of music – finding these weird connections. I loved his DIY ethic (something I covet but can't seem to obtain), his unstoppable energy to give every bit of life into his work, not taking time to breathe (he was so damn prolific with so much being top-notch) … even though he was obviously beat down (see his most recent hit, “It Ain't Gonna Save Me”, hell the whole Watch Me Fall LP, for example). He possessed an odd, existential wisdom in the acknowledgment of life's darkness and absurdity. That had to drive his action to cram as much into living. I love this quote that has appeared numerous times this week: “I’m just trying to get the idea out before the inspiration is gone. Everything I do is motivated by the fear of running out of time.”

My thoughts are with Jay's family, friends, and everyone he touched through his music and his life.

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