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October 20, 2008
CMJ Jukebox: Fight Bite
Most of the names on the just-posted flyer for this Saturday's ridiculously awesome End of CMJ show have been dominating the New York buzz circuit for a hot minute now. I'd been gushing about High Places and Crystal Stilts before I got them to play Neon Lights shows, even. So, I'll put a pin in touting the continued radness of known quantities, and take a second to get acquainted with Fight Bite, a Denton, TX, duo who've not yet appeared in the grubby environs of our most-frequented haunts. Of course, they are no stranger to the East Coast's digital embrace; Stereogum was an early claim jumper, and they occupied some real estate in last quarter's podcast. In advance of their physical arrival and opening set at the Yard on Saturday, I talked with Leanne and Jeff about some songs that hold consistent appeal for them, and the title track from their debut LP, Emerald Eyes. As you'll quickly notice, Leanne is acting as Fight Bite press secretary, though Jeff had dark, shadowy influence on the selection from behind the scenes.
Berlin - "Take My Breath Away"
Jeff K: It's hard for me to hear this one with new ears, after childhood Top Gun watching. Is this a long-held favorite, or a more recent epiphany?
Leanne: Top Gun came out when I was one so I must have become familiar with this song years later perhaps at the dentist office, grocery store, or crackling out of one of those speakers disguised awkwardly as a rock formation. I remember how the songs driving theme (executed on what sounds like a colossal Jew's harp) arrested me. what a melody! The drums and stunning vocals are what have sustained my affection for this epic ballad over the un-topgun-tainted years. I love shameless love songs.
Ellie Greenwich - "You Don't Know"
JK: This one is from that massive Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found box set that came out a few years back. Obviously that's a fantastic set, but it's pretty overwhelming. I had a hard time digesting all that material, let alone come to many conclusions about the girl group genre. Did you feel that way? What made this track stand out for you among so many?
L: The dynamism of this song is really what gives me chills. The vocal performance is never restrained while the music goes melodramatically from being austere and placated to boisterous and grand! The Girl Group era is one of my personal favorites and one that Jeff and I return to time and time again when arranging pieces. They're some of the sweetest and most satisfying songs I've found. And besides..life is too short and expensive to be underwhelmed by music.
the Carpenters - "Yesterday Once More"
JK: OK, so three in, and we've got a blatant female pop vocalist theme going. Do you think you're more influenced by bright, open-throated singing than by bands and singers who might use their vocals in more oblique, less intelligible ways? Would Karen Carpenter be wasted singing through haze on a 4AD record?
L: I'd give my left breast to hear more gifted vocalist "waste" their talent in such a way. They do something I can't with my mini mouse, asthma ridden voice, but the bottom line is that taste is more important than talent. Karen had both, arguably. The only time she fails to impress me is when i hear The Carpenters cover a song I love. I'll just say that This Mortal Coil's stunning rendition of 'Another Day' strikes me as very similar to Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel's performance of the same song (Kate Bush being a rather notoriously up front strong vocalist and the 4AD super group apparently favoring form over content). The execution differs in style and production but This Mortal Coil definitely ignoble this piece even if not every phrase is as legible.
...and on one of theirs...
JK: Is a vocal duet more like a conversation or a symphony? Do you want these voices to interact on an intellectual/emotional level, or purely as sounds in a mix?
L: "Emerald Eyes" was a real collaboration for us. Jeff composed the chord structure and i wrote the lyrics. Together we embellished the tune adding melodies and layers of percussion and strings. Jeff often refuses to sing so I came up with a fool proof plot to get his voice on the recording. How about a harmony? He couldn't refuse. The song is about a deceased close friend of mine I never got to say goodbye to. I have pictures and memories but i cannot for the life of me remember what color his eyes were. It's kind of therapeutic for me to imagine that i have the luxury of running into him mid song and us sharing some brief duet.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at October 20, 2008 12:30 PM
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