"Low Man" - Alberta Cross

Sky, Highway, Prairies and Me

I write most of my blogs while driving.  Not literally, just in my head. I pick a song I want to write about and I play it over and over again until I'm inspired.  I don't do a whole lot of driving, but every week I do make my trek to "The Lake".  "The Lake" is about an hour from doorstep to doorstep and the easiest, breeziest drive I ever have to do.  Almost the entire hour drive is just sky, highway, prairies and me.  During my drive to "The Lake" I do alot of thinking and tend to make most of my decisions.



I originally wanted to blog about "Bonfire" by Alberta Cross, but apparently I'm jumping the gun as the song hasn't even been released to iTunes or CD yet.  I downloaded a whole smack of songs by Alberta Cross, not only because I heard them on "Californication" (and as a rule I like anything related to Hank Moody) but because I really like the wailing, melancholy drawl of the lead singer, Petter Ericson Stakee.

Alberta Cross

In a weird sort of way "Low Man" reminds me of wind, trees, lakes and loneliness.  The lyrics are howled more than sung. He feels "a million miles away" from the woman he loves.  That's the funny part about being with someone.  Sometimes you feel more lonely with them than you ever do alone.  Another funny thing is when you get used to being alone you don't necessarily feel lonely.  It's almost scarier to think of yourself with someone than without.  When you're alone there's no one to disappoint or argue with.  On "Grey's Anatomy" in one of Meredith Grey's endless monologues something she said really made sense.  I filed her monologue like an old librarian, waiting for the right blog post to use it in.

"There's a reason I said I'd be happy alone. It wasn't 'cause I thought I'd be happy alone. It was because I thought if I loved someone and then it fell apart, I might not make it. It's easier to be alone, because what if you learn that you need love and you don't have it? What if you like it and lean on it? What if you shape your life around it and then it falls apart? Can you even survive that kind of pain? Losing love is like organ damage. It's like dying. The only difference is death ends. This? It could go on forever."

Woman, I feel I feel a million miles away
Ocean I've been praying, I've been praying all the way
Woman, I've seen I've seen visions passing away
Ocean I've been trying, I've been trying all the way


Oh, the feeling ain't that strong
And all this fear from carriers along
Oh, low man

How can I be wrong, if the decision's already made
Woman I feel I feel a million miles away
Woman I've been trying, I've been trying all day
How can I be wrong, Oh I feel a million miles away

Oh how feeling ain't that strong
And all this fear from carriers along
Oh, low man
Oh, low man

When this feeling ain't that strong
All this fear from carriers along
Oh, low man 

"3 Rounds And A Sound" - Blind Pilot

In my opinion HBO is the new MTV. HBO shows such as "True Blood", "Entourage" and "Californication", are all excellent sources for new music. MTV focuses more on pop songs while music featured on HBO shows tend to give more exposure to a variety of genres, especially Indie.

Dreamy Duchovny

I had never really given David Duchovny a second thought until I saw him in "Californication". I mean everyone knows him as "Mulder"  from the "X-Files", but this show casts him in a whole new light. The show follows the main character, "Hank Moody", as he tries to raise his daughter, get back together with his ex-wife, and have sex with everything in-between. Duchovny's character is the stereotypical player. He is inappropriate and immature yet handsome and charming. He sleeps with anyone with a pair of boobs, but does it in a way that never seems deceitful or wrong.

In one particular episode his ex-wife catches him sleeping with (3) other women. One of the women's husbands calls Moody ,"A girl whisperer". He is in awe that no matter what Moody does, he can never seem to do wrong. Moody's apology is that, "he had the best of intentions". I really liked that line. I think that there are two kinds of "assholes". There are the kind that intentionally do things to hurt people, and then there are the kind who have the "best of intentions", and unintentionally hurt someone. I would like to think I fall mostly into category #2.

The scene where Moody apologizes to his ex-wife is where I first heard "3 Rounds and a sound". It was an incredibly suiting song for Hank Moody's character. The song was also played on an episode of "Chuck". Blind Pilot is an indie band from Portland, Oregon, that made if big in 2008 with their single "Go On, Say It". Following the success of their single they toured on specialty bicycles made to carry their instruments, from Bellingham, Washington to San Diego, California. In 2009 they released "3 Rounds and Sound" which featured the song of the same name.

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Marilyn Monroe

It was driving me crazy trying to figure out the meaning behind the songs' name. I finally stumbled upon an interview where Israel Nebeker, (Lead Vocalist) said that it's a Chinese custom to give someone "3 rounds and a sound" as a wedding gift. For example a clock, a spool of thread, a bicycle rim and a radio. The theory is that newlyweds will need practical things to start their lives together. Israel said he wrote the song when his cousin asked him to learn "Our Song" by Conor Oberst to play at his wedding. Israel liked the song and the idea of having "a song". He wrote the song hoping evenutally that he would have someone to share the song with. It's funny that he drew inspiration from Oberst because before knowing this, I had thought that this song reminded me of to "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes, which I previously blogged about.

My favorite line of the song is, "You're the one I want, to see me for all the stupid shit I've done." Because that's when you know you really love someone right? When you realize that you love them despite all the "stupid shit" they do. They incorporate "for better" or "for worse" into wedding vows for a reason. Marilyn Monroe said it best, "I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, than you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."

They're playing our song

They're playing our song
Can you see the lights?
Can you hear the hum?
Of our song

I hope they get it right
I hope we dance tonight
Before we get it wrong


And the seasons
Will change us new
Be the best I've known
And you know me
I could not be stuck on you
If it weren't true
I was swimming
My eyes were dark
Til you woke me
And told me that opening is just the start


It was
Now I see you, til kingdom come
You're the one I want
To see me for all the stupid shit I've done
Soil and six feet under
Killed just like we were
Before you knew you'd know me
And you know me
Blooming up from the ground
Three rounds and a sound
Like whispering you know me
And you know me

So this was our song
This was our song
I still see the lights
I can see them


And the criss cross
Of what is true won't get to us
Cause you know me

I could not give up on you
And the fog of what is right
Won't cover us cause you know me
I could not give up a fight

Soil and six feet under
Killed just like we were
Before you knew you'd know me
And you know me


Blooming up from the ground
Three rounds and a sound
Like whispering you know me
And you know me