Matt Ryan, guitarist with Philly hardcore supergroup Bitter Branches, told us all about Nation of Ulysses' “50,000 Watts of Goodwill" from Plays Pretty For Baby...
Matt Ryan: Plays Pretty For Baby was a mind-blower for teenage me. On this song in particular, almost everything about Tim Green’s guitar is an enigma. First, a blast of feedback that ends with deep sea whale chirps. How does he get this sound? There’s a dissonant intro, then the main riff.
This riff snakes around in an odd time signature, sliding between double-stops and single note lines. It hooked me, though at the time, I couldn’t wrap my head around what he’s playing — the time signature, or even what separates his part from the other guitar. He’s a bit buried in the mix, which shouldn’t be a good thing, but ends up adding to the overall sense of mystery and tension. I’d never heard anything like it at the time.
The chorus guitar part offers a great pay off, again catchy, but odd. Did the song just move to a waltz? And drop the last beat? To this day, I still chase riffs like Tim Green’s on this song. It’s the ideal mix of riffs that draw you in, confuse, and still ultimately serve the song by adding up to something strong and cohesive.
Bitter Branches' "Pity Party" is out now. The Let's Give the Land Back to the Animals album is out Friday, March 6 via Equal Vision Records.
Photo by Michelle Mennona
