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The CHIRP Blog

Tyler Clark presents: Local Mythologies writesTop Five Paisley Underground Songs to Remind You Spring Exists

Meteorological spring began four days ago, but in Chicago, winter stubbornly remains. While we wait for the last holdouts of frost and snow to retreat, let's check out five songs from one of the sunniest subgenres of the past 40 years. Predominantly found in Los Angeles and select points north during the early 1980s, the Paisley Underground found bands revisiting the acid-streaked sounds of the late '60s with the brashness and insistence of the snottiest '70s punks. The result is a sound well-suited for this restless time of year, and the sunny days that will, eventually, follow. 
 



1) The Three O'Clock, "She Turns to Flowers" (1982)

I went to grad school in Washington, DC, and people in the neighborhood where I lived did spring right. Most of the houses were occupied by single families from the city's doctor/lawyer/consultant class, which meant they had the cash and climate to construct ostentatious gardens. Once March rolled around, my walk to work was suddenly lined with dozens of flower shows in miniature (the best of which featured a concrete goose statue whose outfits changes according to the nearest holiday). In six years of Chicago springs, I haven't found a comparable experience, but this song (recorded by PU stalwarts The Three O'Clock when they were still called Salvation Army) comes close to replicating that wild mixture of a warm sun, a day off, and the smell of hyacinths in the air. 



2) Game Theory, "Bad Year at UCLA" (1982)

My favorite Chuck Klosterman observation comes from his coverage of the 2007 Final Four in Atlanta. In one dispatch, he compared the practice habits of the four remaining teams (Florida, Ohio State, UCLA, and Georgetown) on the Friday before their decisive match-ups. His conclusion: "Judging from this 50-minute encounter, it looks like playing basketball at UCLA would be just about the greatest experience any human could possibly have." Scott Miller went to UC-Davis, which may explain the shade thrown in Westwood's direction on Game Theory's debut Blaze of Glory. However, "Bad Year at UCLA" retains a sunny sound beneath those lyrics, one suitable as a soundtrack for other great experiences, like opening your windows for the first time since October. It's also appropriate for this year's UCLA squad: at 18-12, the Bruins are in serious danger of missing this year's NCAA tournament. 



3) The Rain Parade, "This Can't Be Today" (1983)

AllMusic's Denise Sullivan refers to the songs on The Rain Parade's 1983 debut Emergency Third Rail Power Trip as "sleepy music," and she means it as a compliment; in hindsight, the band's adherance to the woozier ends of the psychedelic sound served as a testing ground for frontman David Roback, who would eventually go on to bigger things as one-half of Mazzy Star. Further evidence that her conclusion is on point: tracks like "This Can't Be Today" are perfectly calibrated for warm-weather naptime, blending sitar-style drones with swaying vocals that can lull you into the best kind of mid-afternoon couch snooze.


4) The Dream Syndicate, "The Days of Wine and Roses" (1982)

This winter was pretty light on the snowpacalypse-level weather events that usually contribute to cases of cabin fever, but as soon as Daylight Savings Time starts, I'm planning my first field trip of the season. Maybe I'll go book-shopping in Hyde Park, or head down to Pilsen to finally try Don Pedro Carnitas. No matter where I head, I'll probably take this song by the Dream Syndicate with me. Not only does singer Steve Wynn fill the track with an updated version of Dylan's rambling delivery from songs like "Tombstone Blues," but the tempo is also perfect for taking fast, confident strides around a Chicago that's finally done with snow. 

 

5) The Bangles, "The Real World" (1982)

Before the magic of major label money turned the Bangles into a slick hit-producing machine, Susanna Hoffs and company were just the Bangs, a group whose abbreviated catalogue served as a sonic blueprint for the girl-rock explosion of the last half-decade or so. Instead of adding Best Coast or Vivian Girls records back to your phone this month, try out Bangles, the band's 1982 debut EP soon reissued by I.R.S. In five short songs, the LA foursome cuts their girl-group harmonies with pure nervous energy. "The Real World" is the best of the lot, two-and-a-half minutes of jagged-edged pop designed to be played loudly, joyously, and repeatedly. 

 

 

 

 

 

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