After the ascension of Devendra & Co., when I hear "freak folk" I hear "bank," so even though Joanna distanced herself from that "soulless, mindless, watered-down, image-obsessed, artless stab at John Fahey or Marc Bolan or Karen Dalton or Donovan or Vashti Bunyan," it's not surprising to find The Milk-Eyed Mender's closer "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" selling us checking accounts. It's a beautiful song, and the commercial tries to use it to a super emo degree. Still, it's not quite clear how this will get me to open an account at HSBC. The basic storyline: Environmentalists are protesting a group of lumberjacks about to chop down some old, big pines; it turns out one of the protesters "knows" one of the guys with one of the chainsaws. The final tagline: "We recognize how people value things differently. So what we learn from one customer helps us better serve another." You'll see.
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(Via Videogum)
Of course the story takes place in the woods. Pretty dramatic. In this current economic situation you'd think she'd be happy her partner has a job, even if it does involve wrecking forests. As silly as it is, the commercial reminded me of the Newsom song, which I hadn't listened to in a while. Remember the beautiful finale? "I do as I please / Now I'm on my knees / Your skin is something that I stir into my tea / And I am watching you / And you are starry, starry, starry / And I'm tumbling down / And I check a frown / It's why I love this town / Well, just look around / Just see me serenaded hourly / And celebrated sourly / And dedicated dourly / Waltzing with the open sea / Clam, crab, cockle, cowrie / Oh will you just look at me." OK, we will.
