Wreckless - A Guided Tour
A Guided Tour to Wreckless
by Kristi Wachter, Head Racerhead, Racer Records. (Please note that all descriptions were written by an unabashed fan; your mileage may vary.)
Enjoy!
-
Only You
A nice interplay between Guy's and Emily's vocals; the end of this clip is a good example of the music constantly taking off in unexpected directions.
Sound clip is taken from the first chorus.
"You alone in your parade - only you ..." -
Wreckless
An amazing song, "Wreckless" alternates between softly mused verses ("Imagine scenes where you were absent, fallen from the dreams of those you love") to driving choruses. The one featured here lets you hear the perfect blend of the band together, with the lead guitar coming in at the end.
Sound clip is taken from last chorus.
"Are you sleeping ..." -
Ruins
Michael's deft guitar licks give way to Emily's wide-ranging vocals ...
Sound clip is taken from second verse.
"Oh did you hear me, did you hear me call ..." -
Inside
A beautiful instrumental usually leading into "Badou" in their live sets. That amazing, unique thing David does with pedal steel is highlighted here.
Sound clip is taken from the first half of the song. -
Badou
A trademark Potato Eaters song. Someone once told me there really is a place called Badou.
Sound clip is taken from the bridge and chorus (if you can really say that; this song's structure isn't quite so cut and dried).
"She cried for the Queen of Angels / She cried for the little Guy ..." -
Battle-Ax
I have no idea what Guy is singing under Emily's vocals, but I think it sounds extremely cool.
Sound clip is taken from the bridge.
"We're bound to catch this ball ..." -
Dog-Eared (But Forgotten)
A great clip from a great, great song, this one on the hard-driving side of the band (at least in the choruses - listen for the vicious guitar work at the end of the clip).
Sound clip is taken from the second verse and second chorus.
"I stood alone by the thundering sea / He said 'It don't mean a thing if you can't be free' ..." -
Undertow
This is a newer song for the band, and I immediately fell in love with it. The parts of the melody featured in this sound clip stay in my head for days at a time. I think the words and the music are supremely beautiful.
Sound clip is taken from the end of the first verse.
"So before you drop into your skin and drown / will you remember how your father claimed his son ..." -
Gone
Probably my favorite song on the album. I love lyrics and often focus completely on them, occasionally even missing cool stuff in the music; but the instrumental break here is SO COOL that it was really the only possible choice for this clip. It starts with Michael's perfect little guitar run and includes some of David's unmistakable, incomparable, otherworldly pedal steel.
Sound clip is taken from the instrumental break toward the end of the song. -
CalvaryCross
A tiny little bit of their incredibly cool cover of the great Richard Thompson tune. There's something breathtaking about the way Guy sings "I've got you in my one green eye", but I couldn't include the whole song, so I took a bit near the end, where you hear Emily's and Guy's voices, distinct but blended, and David's heavenly pedal steel, and it's really rather a perfect moment.
Sound clip is taken from the last chorus.
"My god is you ... my life is you ..." -
Run Through With Daylight
Another of my favorite Potato Eaters songs, this one has some rapid-fire lyrics from Guy and, on the chorus, some of that amazing sort of yodelling thing that Emily sometimes does.
Sound clip is taken from the end of the last verse and the last chorus.
"'Cause you said you were one to stand while others come and take their place in line - I've been wasting my time!" -
Casey
A soft, lovely song, with some beautiful mandolin by Gino.
Sound clip is taken from the second chorus.
"But I will dream of you tonight / Your face stands out against the lights ..."
This page was last updated on March 3, 2004 by Kristi Wachter.