Song of the Day: "(Do Not Feed the) Oyster," Stephen Malkmus
Today's song is 4 years old, but I swear I have good reasons for posting it. First, Stephen Malkmus' new album is 67.4685 percent completed. I think that fact alone justifies revisiting the ex-Pavement frontman's songbook. But if that's not enough, here's reason No. 2: He's awesome.
Taken from his sophomore solo album, "Pig Lib," "(Do Not Feed the) Oyster" is a great example of Malkmus' knack for avoiding the obvious both lyrically and musically. I won't pretend to know if lines like "Do not feed the oyster/ Under a cloud/ He'll suck you like a seagull/ Into the sound" are meant to be taken seriously, but I do know Malkmus sounds pretty good when he's singing them. I also know the song features a heap of Malkmus' quirky guitar playing. Whether it's the eerie, ringing intro, the vaguely bombastic instrumental break or the woozy chording in the verses, Malkmus never settles for stock riffs.
-- David Marchese
The Song of the Day is also available as a podcast. (Subscribe: iTunes or RSS)
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Audiofile logo by: Aris Blevins
