Mac Demarco… Return of the etc
Song review: Mac Demarco – “Passing Out the Pieces”
Published on March 3rd, 2014 | Jonny Abrams
Marc Demarco’s new LP Salad Days is out on April 1st, so join Rocksucker scribe Jamie Steiner in running the rule over the track “Passing Out the Pieces”…
Wow – after the slew of hits from Mac Demarco’s 2 album, who would’ve thought the Mac Daddy could come up with another lip smacking number of the calibre of “Passing Out the Pieces”?
This song stomps to a marching beat like that of a New Orleans funeral brass band and it immediately gets to work worming its way into your skull. If Droopy or sad clowns wrote music, it would sound like this.
Punctuated by breathy, bass stabs of synth-tuba and echoing harpsichord arpeggios, its forlorn tone reminds one of The Beatles’ “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” with shades of the melancholia exercised in The Kinks’ “Death of a Clown”.
The mournful arrangement beautifully frames the lyrics:
Watching my life passing right in front of my eyes / Hell of a story, oh is it boring? / Can’t claim to care, never been reluctant to share / Passing out pieces of me, don’t you know nothing comes free?
DeMarco’s scribbles seem to be referencing his experiences of media exposure and relative fame, presumably intensified since Pitchfork and MTV conspired to take full advantage of his music blog/hipster friendly persona and make him the indie poster boy for all women aged between 17 and 30 who dream of becoming the muse of a rock star and for all men aged between 17 and 30 who harbour residual adolescent homosexual urges for figures of idol worship.
Imagine being onstage at a Pitchfork music festival with all those hungry eyes feasting on every pound of your flesh – how many flannel shirts and beanie hats do you risk being suffocated by?
Back to the single. It’s just exquisite, so stop reading this crap and hit play.
Rocksucker says: Five Quails out of Five!
Mac Demarco’s new album Salad Days will be released on April 1st through Captured Tracks.
You can buy Salad Days on iTunes and on Amazon.
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
