the killer by glass beach is the ninth track on plastic death, the band's second album, and sits at 76k plays (album average: 200k). I have emotions on it.
the song starts with a kind of airplane-crash shooting-star noise tube down notes and crackling sounds like a fire or static overlayed on something creaking and cracking and right away I just love this sound so much. glass beach has such good sounds, separate from the music, such good "oh thats a sound and another sound!!!". and it sounds like somethings going to start. like the movie thing were 20 notes become one note and its a screal. exhilarating.
anyway when the melodic bits come in, they're shambling. the guitar is strummed and the percussion behind it feels like footsteps from a person who's not going to able to walk much longer. its a very limping rhythm. I didn't like this song that much for a long time, because the rhythm felt so heavy and kind of clumsy. but I really love it now.
j comes in with vocals. the first verse:
"in pouring rain,
the killer wanders the wet
ri-ver-bank
in sneaker tracks
to lead him back to the
folks he chased away"
the imagery in the lyrics in this song is something that stands out to me every time I listen. theres a killer there. for real.
"as foxes dodge his soles
and root through rabit holes
and underneath as nesting dolls
the tender flesh
to carry home
"
that's the prechorus and chorus. I love this song so much. there's a killer. foxes run from them. rabbits run from the foxes. its nesting dolls guys. its fucking. the same thing but smaller. nesting dolls guys. its. the stomachs. im so insane about this okay I need you to hear the emotion here. they're nesting dolls. the tender flesh. to carry home. oh my god everybodys gotta eat and provide and everybodys gotta die. and other things I cant even conceptualize. holy shit holy shit holy shit i hope the plastic dies someday.
the music is amazing too by the way. there's a little "da.. da.. da da.." like fuck yeah. short instrumental break. second verse with just as much imagery as the first:
"a trail of blood,
crimson and water spattered across
the ragged brush"
short intermission but the pattern of [first line with normal amount of syllables] [long rhythmic second line] [drawn out third line] it does somehting to me. it does something to me.
"oh, little fox,
you got caught in the teeth
of a hunter's trap"
another intermission but like... we hunt, we feed, we kill, we have to. I love. blood. also this is where the strings come in (it goes "and tore through skin and bone" *dadi dadadi dada daa du* and it's sooo good sooooo good sooooooo good holy shits it's sooooo good soooooooooo good better than sex (i'm ace).
"and tore through skin and bone,
where iron teeth take hold,
and underneath as nesting dolls,
the tender flesh,
to carry home."
that's the chorus now we got the amazing bridge. glass beach is good at so many things but they are world-class in making songs that build and change emotionally. in both albums, there are plenty examples of songs with a clear emotional change in the middle, more powerful and differently than I think i've heard any band pull it off ever. this isn't that though, it just builds and builds. the strings are in full effect and they are heavenly. I love the line "where iron teeth take hold" this song just has sooo much great imagery that makes me chew my arm off.
"as you... decide
through killer eyes,
taken by
your trembling, trigger hand
in gentle jaws,
the barrel of
your .22"
god what an ending. by the last two lines, the instrumentals have taken over the vocals almost completely, there's no way to make out the words without reading the lyrics. fuck man. your trigger hand? trembling. your gun? in gentle jaws. you caught the fox that was prowling for rabbits. nesting dolls. the final nesting doll is capitalism by the way that's halfway a joke. there's just so much emotion. jaws. barrel. your status? killer. the killer, even. I love this song so much, I love the instrumental, the lyrics, I hope you understand.
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