In an article called Me, On Shuffle for Esquire magazine, Chuck Klosterman compiles “all the best parts of all the rock songs I consistently enjoy the most, in the hope of figuring out whatever they have in common” to define “a unified field theory that defines what I like about sound.” Turns out, not much. But it’s an amusing read for any music freak who’s ever struggled with the idea. And hey, who hasn’t?
• The acutely sleazy guitar lick Mick Mars plays behind the beat on Motley Crue’s “Ten Seconds to Love,” particularly from :30 to :44 on that track.
• The vocal sequence from Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” where she sings and talks to herself at the same time, which starts at about 2 minutes and 30 seconds into the song.
• Pretty much all the bass playing on “Paperback Writer” and “The Ballad of John and Yoko.”
Plus, there are audio snippets. Although they’re provided in the annoying AIFF format — really?
I was hoping he’d end the article with the alternate question that I’ve toyed with in the past, “What moments of what songs really speak to you?” I personally think it’s more fun to see what quirky things people love over watching them analyze the commonalities between those things. But it was an interesting read… Those conversations are fun!