Boston shoegazers Gollylagging told us about the riff, beat and bassline that floats their boat...
Riff
Built To Spill
"Some"
Jules Skiffington: I really like the opening riff on "Some" by Built to Spill. It just reminds me of glass shattering or someone falling down the stairs in a really eloquent way where they fall down the stairs but land in a like ballerina style pose at the bottom. The first 9 or 10 notes are explosive both melodically and sonically but the melody itself is really pretty. I think Doug probably really liked that riff too when he recorded it because he plays it with a lot of swag and passion. It's so sick. I could write a lot about it. I love how it jumps around in register and shifts focus to the low fuzz happening there. I also love how it contrasts with the sparser verses, it’s just really cool.
Beat
"One More Hour"
Andrew Garas: On "One More Hour" by Sleater-Kinney, I think Janet Weiss perfected playing with feeling. While the beat is fairly simple, it brings so much character into the song without ever feeling too flashy. It has an odd syncopation at the beginning that perfectly fits in with the guitar riff, but at the same time, would not be the most obvious thing to play. The take also feels incredibly live and in the moment, something I always try to capture in my playing in the studio. The verse parts feel very loose, while the chorus part feels incredibly tight. It’s one of my favorite drum parts of all time and I love how Janet plays.
Bassline
Horsegirl
"Anti-Glory"
Joey Lorant: A good bassline is versatile. In “Anti-glory”, Horsegirl’s bassline is a lot of things. It’s a driving accent for the drums. It’s a complementary call and response with the guitar. It’s the droning floor of the chorus. What’s always struck me is how she can achieve all this with very little rhythmic variation. The bass seems simple in this song, but it weaves between the other instruments in a way that’s not distracting, but uplifting. I keep going back.
Gollylagging's "Jackknife" is out now.
Photo by Renee Newman
