My Top 1000 Songs #591: Obscurity Knocks

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

Kick out the jangles, mother******! Scottish alt.pop act Trash Can Sinatras (aka Trashcan Sinatras) have released charmingly endearing tunes for a couple decades now, but "Obscurity Knocks," the opening track on their 1990 debut Cake, remains a definitive introduction to the band. The Smiths comparisons are unavoidable, but for those of us who love Johnny Marr's treble-happy strumming but can do with a whole lot less Morrissey--yep, that's me!--it's a perfect substitute. Got that sweet sound and lyrical verbosity, wedded to an overwhelmingly melodic little hook.

Frankly, the same LP's "Only Tongue Can Tell" is probably every bit as good, but there's something about this particular tune--maybe just being the first thing I heard when I dropped the needle on the vinyl--that I'll forever associate with a particular time in my life, pivoting into the 90s in the midst of the claustrophobic delayed-adulthood of law school, accompanied by that delicious treble. (See also, e.g., The Sundays' "Here's Where The Story Ends.")

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