The 'Gum Drop: Tune Debuts. Free Swag. Weekly.
Wednesday :: August 20, 2008

'Gum Drop Giveaway #51
Win a trip to the Iceland Airwaves music festival in Reykjavík!  Enter now »
Centro-Matic

Centro-matic - "Christmas 83 (Make Fun Of My Sweaters)"

This week's Drop comes from Texas indie rockers Centro-matic. The previously unreleased wintry tune was produced by the band and Matt Pence during sessions for double-LP Dual Hawks, which is composed of half Centro-matic songs and half South San Gabriel songs. Both bands are led by songwriter Will Johnson, who answered our questions about wrapping gifts and donning gay apparel.

This is a bleak look at the holidays. What inspired it?
Something about that Christmas was just a little, uh, drab. I remember a particularly attitude-stocked high school kid working at the wrapping table in the local mall. He was almost like a movie character or something. I had to put him in a song.

In general, was '83 a particularly chilly emotional holiday season?
Yeah, somewhat. It was the first Christmas my Ma and I spent away from our hometown and family in Missouri. We moved to Texas earlier that year. I was young, and I guess a little homesick.

What's the significant of the sweaters?
I had a real thick wool, very constricting, cabled grey sweater I was wearing around that time. I'm not sure why I chose to wear it so much. It looked just as uncomfortable as it felt. Maybe I thought I could somehow break it in to a comfort zone. Or maybe I'm just addicted to strife. Anyway, the memorable discomfort of that sweater is part of what inspired the song.

///

Dual Hawks is out now on Misra.


Download MP3
Chew On This: highlights from the last week
New TV On The Radio - "Golden Age" »
Horns and strings, synths and handclaps, a pulse of pure polyrhythm, and vocals melting all over the horizon color the triumphant first listen from the forthcoming Dear Science. We've got the album cover too, though it's not as exciting.

Everybody Hates Radiohead »
Two beloved indie rockers dissed the band earlier this week. Hold Steady's Tad Kubler thinks Radiohead "have lost the plot" while Silver Jew David Berman says, "Never before has there been a 'greatest band in the world' who had so little to say about anything.'" Don't let them get away with this! No really, it's up to you.

Nick & Norah Flaunt Their Indie Cred »
Michael Cera and Kat Dennings star in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, a new movie that features cameos from Bishop Allen and Devendra Banhart, and an indie-tastic soundtrack (with a new Vampire Weekend song). While many readers tire of Cera and debate the film's hipster appeal, one commenter hit the nail on the head: "I will maybe most likely see this movie and probably definitely love it and then deny it on Stereogum."

The 'Gum Drop is Sponsored By...
Fujifilm Z Spot Miami Contest »
Videogum editors Lindsay & Gabe take on the Fuji ZSpot MIAMI challenge! Check out their submissions for the new Z20 Logo (they're mesmerizing), and if you think you can do better, muster up your best dPaint skillz and click here to submit your own for a chance to win a trip for two to Miami.

Gabe & Lindsay's entries were super funny and you should look at them.i'm a tracking pixel- seriously, don't worry about it.  just want to see if you opened this or not.  that's all.
Unsubscribe, About Us, Privacy, etc
Unsubscribe here- we'll remove you immediately and you won't hear from us again unless you re-subscribe. We will never, ever share your email with anyone, although you can choose to share it when you enter a contest, but it's not required, and will not influence your chances of winning either way. Read our privacy policy for more. Our Terms & Conditions could probably use a good read, too, especially since it covers contests, and we've got a contest in this email. Read more about Stereogum here.