Ducksy’s Video Vault
Musician and songwriter Ducksy unearths some marvelous musical gems from the world of YouTube
2nd Grade – “Strung Out On You”
A great single taken from the group’s latest album Easy Listening. A future power pop classic with a catchy guitar riff!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHEjcVCTaxU
Mo Troper – “I Fall Into Her Arms”
A wonderfully retro low fi production and a gripping Beatlesque melody. Check out Mo’s album MTV, which, in my humble opinion, is one of the finest of 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7YdTx-oCRQ
South Hill Experiment – “Chameleons”
An excellent psychedelic track! I was very impressed by the video which features actual singing chameleons! The track also includes some gloriously funky bass playing which is a real added bonus for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkM6LhCgw1Qbass
The Heavy Heavy – “Miles and Miles”
A fabulous musical travelogue, slightly reminiscent of 1970s pop (it makes me think of some of Eric Clapton’s earliest solo material and groups like “Middle Of The Road”). The duo’s Mamas and Papas type harmonies win me over every time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Q07rusb4w
Garbage – “Stupid Girl”
This week’s classic cut. Released in 1996, it has deservedly become a classic over the years. It was written by all four members of the band (Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig) and uses a drum sample from The Clash’s “Train In Vain” and percussion part from REM’s “Orange Crush”. According to lead singer Shirley Manson the song is an "anthem for a girl who won't settle for less than what she wants…it’s really about squandering potential, [it's] our version of Madonna's 'Express Yourself', but a little more subversive."[9]
Interestingly, she later added: "A lot of females still find it difficult to find their own voice in society. It's just that women have a different set of problems from men... [it’s] a song of reproach to a lot of people we know", both male and female... we could have called it 'Stupid Guy,' but we thought another song about a strident female dissing a guy would be tedious."[12]
Marker’s bassline has a really hypnotic quality and he reputedly based it on James Jamerson’s classic licks from the Motown era. The core of the song is Erikon’s jangly, menacing guitar hook which lingers on in your memory long after you’ve heard it.
Given the song’s quality, it is unsurprising that it was a sure fire hit with critics. . Select's Ian Harrison called the song "Duran-like", describing it as "mighty doomy pop neatly tailored to enhance one's natural discontentment."[57] Vox magazine's Craig McLean called it "malignant, dirty, devious, sneering pop",[58] while Metal Hammer's Pippa Lang compared Manson's "ever-so-sexy, sibilant" vocals to Trent Reznor's.[59] Kerrang! described "Stupid Girl" as "a classy piece of predatory pop perfection that wields an iron punch beneath it's [sic] velvet glove."[4]
The video has also taken on a somewhat mythical status. Directed by Samuel Bayer, it was inspired by the title sequence from David Fincher’s 1995 film Seven. To compliment the delightfully brooding nature of the song, Bayer cut the film into pieces and soaked it in his bath, applying deliberate fingerprints and abrasions to the footage before putting it back together by hand.[53].
He later explained: “Film is generally treated like this pristine canvas…if it's scratched, it's considered ruined. I wanted to add to the excitement of "Stupid Girl" with a really organic video, something that had a handmade quality."[111
Looking at the video now, nearly thirty years later, he certainly accomplished what he set out to do!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9eNTgAuMls
David “Ducksy” Moynihan is a singer – songwriter from Cork, Ireland. For more information about his work, go to: http://ducksymusic.com/
His latest record: “What Is Yet To Come” is currently streaming on Spotify.
