Monday, July 13, 2009

Hey Ian, have you ever heard this?

One of those great, gloomy yet infectious post-punk singles that came out of nowhere and went straight back there, Clock DVA's "4 Hours" has haunted my ears for decades. This is the first time I've ever seen any footage of the group live. They're pretty faithful to the record, except for the weird sort-of harmonies on the chorus. First time I heard this on the radio, I wondered "how do you even begin to write a song like this?" It must have fallen into place unconsciously. Certainly the band themselves never came up with anything else like it again.

12 comments:

Righteous Bubba said...

I have this disorder about pretend voices. They always make me think of Vince Neil.

J Neo Marvin said...

Pretend as in lip-synching? I'm pretty sure it's live.

Righteous Bubba said...

Maybe I mean "adopted" voices, you know, like the Cookie Monster voice.

J Neo Marvin said...

I think he's more Master Thespian than Cookie Monster. Works for the song.

Ian Schultz said...

I downloaded the album which was on ages ago but never listened to it, don't have the file anymore so I never heard it before but it's very impressive. I need to try to find it, it looks like the cd has been long out of print so it will be download.

I think my dad saw Clock DVA once or twice.

J Neo Marvin said...

The singer reminds me of your dad a bit. In a good way.

IanSchultz said...

The singer of Clock DVA has Jim Reid's hair or is it the other way around...
http://aprilskies.amniisia.com/jamc-gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=895

and speaking of Clock DVA, I went and saw the tribute show to Nick Sanderson of Clock DVA (the drummer in one line-up) also the drummer in The Gun Club, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Freeheat (Jim Reid's really underrated post-JAMC band, buy there album, it's ace) and the JAMC, British Sea Power (shit UK indie band) and Black Box Recorder played.

Righteous Bubba said...

I think the only thing I had by them was on The Industrial Records Story. I think this was my fave off that though.

Righteous Bubba said...

A rock opera in which, at one point, a planet and its sky sing a duet.

http://new-worlds.org/ps/

J Neo Marvin said...

Nick Sanderson...for a guy I know almost nothing about, he certainly played in a lot of bands I like.

IanSchultz said...

Nick fronted a really good band as well... Earl Brutus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt2AqIxc84s

C. Stuart Schellberg said...

"Certainly the band themselves never came up with anything else like it again"...

I'd lean to "Sensorium", but I quite overplayed it back in the day. Leaning now towards "Consent" from "White Souls in Black Suits", but that's the difference between us, as William Bennett would say. Thanks for sharing.