You Could Never Truly Understand

Chicks On Speed “MySpace” – There’s only going to be a brief window of time before some of the references in this song sound very dated, but how could you ever write a meaningful song about online culture without doing that? “MySpace” is a gleeful yet ambivalent romp that critiques the ephemeral, amorphous, and often crass nature of the web while also pondering its benefits and acknowledging that the internet can be pretty damn fun. There’s a lot of smirking and irony, but there’s also a great enthusiasm and affection for a virtual space that they somewhat accurately describe as a “big party” where “everyone’s got their interests.” Even when there’s a slight implication of finger-wagging, it’s obvious that the song is basically pro-internet, just the same way that I can say that there are things about and places in New York City that I dislike, but I generally love the place and what it represents. (Click here to buy it with the new issue of Plan B and here for the Chicks On Speed MySpace page.)

Kelly Slusher “Be There” – Split singles only really make sense when the songs on both sides of the disc have a complimentary relationship, and this is very much the case for the 7″ from which this selection is taken. Backed by another tiny, brittle track from Friday Bridge, Portland-based songwriter Kelly Slusher matches and nearly surpasses her colleague in terms of unassuming prettiness and nearly uncomfortable intimacy. Both songs draw the listener into a private place that feels slightly wrong, if not totally inappropriate. Friday Bridge’s song is almost unbearable in the way it simulates the feeling of accidentally reading the mind of some shy, quiet stranger. Slusher’s track feels less like an invasion, and more like someone that you barely know oversharing and spilling their guts in a moment of desperation and loneliness. (Click here to buy it from Surreal Ceremonies.)