Seth's #7 - "Girls FM" by Happy Birthday

"Girls FM" by Happy Birthday

Seth

"Girls FM" is a perfect slice of indie-pop from Sub Pop's Happy Birthday. Opening with a grungy guitar that sounds like it cost ten dollars playing through an amp that probably cost five. Lead singer Kyle Thomas's nasal bleat chirps out the lyrics about relationships damaged by lack of communication and understanding. As the drums come in and the song moves to the chorus, Thomas's voice is backed by an angelic-sounding harmony from drummer (and Tune-Yards' sister) Ruth Garbus. The whole song is a three-minute joyride through insanity.

The (glorious) chorus "I'm always on the same frequency, Girls FM, Girls FM/and everybody's lookin' like a girl to me, Girls FM, Girls FM" is the addled raving of a troubled mind. (Coincidentally, it's also something that I like to repeat when I'm drunk.) Thomas's narrator is so confused by loneliness that he's pretty much snapped. The fact that Thomas sings the lines like he's coming off an acid bender adds to the unease. It's the most fun that psychosis will ever be.

Of course, the contrast between the jaunty scuzz-pop music and the darkness of the lyrics is something I'm biologically programmed to respond to. I'm always a sucker for a three-minute "Girls are making me crazy!" song. (One of my friends, upon hearing this for the first time, said "This sounds like something Seth would think.") Driven mad by desire is one of my favorite artistic tropes and the music is textbook guitar pop. So maybe Happy Birthday tricked me, but it's nice to enjoy your misery.

Andrew

First off, I'm terrible.  I allowed a busy schedule and a cataclysmic case of food poisoning to throw me off my game.  But I'm back.  Mea culpa, mea culpa.  I've seen people in movies use that phrase in similar situations, so I think I'm probably using it correctly.

When I first heard this song I thought it was the Kinky Wizards, the fake band comprised of two skater punks in the movie High Fidelity*.  Which is to say, I thought it was joke music.  On first listen, Thomas's voice sounded like a parody of a listless punk singer.  But the song has grown on me.  It doesn't blow my mind or make me want to dance but the simple melody and occasional time-signature changes make for a deceptively catchy** song.  And, well, I can sign off on the message.

At the end of the day though, the song feels a little done by rote.  The verses are pretty straightforward and the instrumental transitions in between verse and chorus give you plenty of time to know exactly what's coming.  The growly-voice breakdown late in the song serves as an interesting diversion, but even that feels a little phoned in.  But then again, maybe I'm saying this because I've listened to the song 30 times in the last week.  Ultimately, this song, while not a favorite of mine, piques my interest as to what this Vermont trio will do in the future.


*Which is apparently actual Chicago band, Royal Trux

**I'm going to eventually come up with new synonyms for "catchy" to describe music, I promise.