Easy Listening is an expression that delights like a homemade grilled cheese: It satisfies a simple need with warmth and sincerity. But what 2nd Grade achieve on the song, and on Easy Listening at large, is another shiny homage to a vintage pop methodology, manicured for the 21st century with a wit and delivery that remains central to the 2nd Grade brand. Rhythmically genius but lyrically off, the song is a conflicting listen. The track’s guitar groove and dynamic vocal delivery make for an ideal earworm, but the lyrics “Give me something / Be my pick-me-up / I’m strung out on you” are tired and the addiction references are reductive turns of phrase. Gill sounds aware of this challenge on “Hands Down” when he acknowledges: “The back of the B-side is where we belong.”Īnd as catchy as “Strung Out On You” is with its handclapped beat and smiley vocals, one has to wonder if the addiction metaphor is worthwhile. Without some more variety, the album risks blending together in what can feel like one long, amorphous track. Songs like “Keith and Telecaster’’ and “Controlled Burn” hold water on their own, but at least one track would benefit from getting the lo-fi treatment for textural change-something to break up the sonic similarities that are sometimes too consistent to showcase what the band is capable of. The consistency can inspire, but much of the second half of the record, post-“Teenage Overpopulation,” can feel undercooked. The textures vary slightly, but at the end of the day, 2nd Grade does what they know best: casually serious, vocal-forward guitar pop. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Easy Listening spans 16 tracks, some clocking in at just over a minute while the most luxuriant reach three-and-a-half, well beyond the median for a historically punchy band.
#EASY LISTENING FULL#
A playlist full of Percy Faith, Hollyridge Strings, Buckingham Strings, Lex de Azevedo, Manheim Steamroller, Ray Conniff Singers, Carpenters, Michael Buble, soft piano, and more.
#EASY LISTENING FREE#
Listen to free easy listening Christmas music from your browser or on the TuneIn app. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Easy listening Christmas music is great for that cozy, peaceful night in.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. SIEGEL: Of course, back here on Earth, Muzak is most well known for playing in elevators, which for some people is like being cramped in a space capsule on your way to the moon.ĬORNISH: Now, over the years, Muzak could never quite shake its reputation for cheesy elevator music, but today, we remember the name Muzak and the music that perhaps we didn't realize was there in the first place.Ĭopyright © 2013 NPR. LANZA: And I guess also, you know, the being cramped in a space capsule on your way to the moon, it would be a little tense. SIEGEL: Muzak even reportedly played during the Apollo 11 space mission to keep the astronauts calm.
So the music really - it didn't put people to sleep so much as it just relaxed them, yet kept them alert. LANZA: It also was used in the distant early warning places up in the north where they would watch for Soviet mischief on radar and they needed to be alert.
LBJ even owned a franchise.ĬORNISH: Yes, Muzak kept you moderately entertained in both Oval and non-Oval offices, shopping malls and waiting rooms. LANZA: It was in the White House at one point. That's Joseph Lanza, author of the book "Elevator Music: A Surreal History Of Muzak, Easy Listening and Other Moodsong." Muzak first appeared as a brand in 1934, but Lanza said the company had its biggest impact in the 1960s and '70s. JOSEPH LANZA: Muzak was all over the place. It's chairman and CEO said in a statement that this marked the end of an iconic American brand, or as fast company put it, the musical equivalent of white bread. The company announced today that it will now be known as Mood, after Muzak's owner, Mood Media. SIEGEL: Muzak, best known for its inoffensive, unobtrusive, ultra-bland music is changing its brand name. From a death in the music world, now to something of a rebirth.
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