Nate Denver's Neck - Prepare to Die
(King Crab)
Nate Denver is the kind of guy I like to support. It makes me happy to see
that this guy has a record deal, even (or perhaps especially) on a new indie
label. I know of some other bands or artists who don't have record deals
yet that operate on the same (or a similar) aesthetic as Denver, and I
appreciate, respect, and enjoy them as well. This is the kind of lo-fi,
homemade pastiche record that is immediately endearing no matter how much
"talent" went into it. It sounds like your friend just gave you a CD and
said, "Hey, listen to this, I had fun making it," and you can't help but
enjoy it, because he's your friend, and you know he's got a good sense of
humor, and he's a good guy. It's like Ween at their most innocent, or Rob
Crow at his goofiest.
Prepare to Die is half instrumental MIDI sequencer (with the
occasional sample from a phone message or a TV show), and half low-key folk
tunes with simple, bizarre lyrics. The melodies of the folk songs are
extremely catchy, sung quietly against some bouncy rhythm guitar with
references to heaven, hell, death, monsters, and bloodbaths.
Some sample lyrics from the opener, "Blood Guzzler," one of my favorite
tracks: "I have not destroyed my heaven, I have not destroyed my hell/ But I
do not want to go to either/ I do not believe in either/ But if I had one
that I have to go, I think it will be hell—oh no/ And that's one place I
do not want to go/ And when I have a place that I do not want to go/ Then
that's exactly where I go/ Where I don't want to go is where I seem to go."
Profound? Humorous? Interesting? I'd say so. There are many lyrics that are
just as quotable, and many moments that are enjoyable and pleasantly
unexpected, but if this kind of record is for you, you can discover them for
yourself.
Overall, it's a record that I expect to keep and listen to whenever I want
that warm feeling that people are still making music because it's a fun
thing to do.
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