It’s Friday baby and I got to see Spose, The Humans, Jarv, and the Palmer Squares last night in Cambridge, and it was awesome. All around everyone killed it, but seeing Spose was the highlight of the night.
During the show, he played one of my all time favorite songs, Alternative Radio. So without further ado, welcome Spose and The Humans to the series.
Alternative Radio is the fourteenth song off Sposes 2015 album, Why Am I So Happy? It’s actually one of five songs on the album that doesn’t include a feature. The other ten tracks feature other Maine artists like Dave Gutter, Shane Reis, and Kristina Kentigian.
Spose is kind of able to flex his musical versatility by making an alt rock song with rap lyrics throughout. In his career this isn’t uncommon, especially on his new album Get Rich or Die Ryan, but it’s beyond impressive.
The light guitar used throughout the song give it great balance. It really works best in the final verse when Spose sings about having his first kid and what that has meant to him.
The song goes through Sposes life and some of the hardships he has encountered, but the one thing that continues to help him pull through is listening to alternative rock songs. ‘
He begins the song talking about a messy argument between his parents where one of them calls the other a cunt. He was able to escape into the house and listen to the 1991 Nirvana album, Whatever Nevermind.
“We were hoping for some better times, Kurt Cobain said "Whatever, Nevermind".
The next verse highlights another morning where Spose hears an argument going on. This time, it’s when he is ten years old and getting ready for school.
He hears the fighting, so what does he do? He goes right back into his room to listen to a man who recently shaved his head and is rocking silver pants. Spose throws on Today by the Smashing Pumpkins.
“I turned my radio up all the way, And Billy said "Today's the greatest day".
What I find pretty cool is how much of an influence the Smashing Pumpkins have on Spose and it came from him trying to keep his mind off his current situation as a kid.
Just over a year ago, Spose made the Jay-Z and Smashing Pumpkins mashup, Marcy Projects and the Infinite Sadness which was a huge hit and phenomenon in the music community.
The next two songs that the King of Maine references are still from his childhood. The second verse begins with Spose singing about his middle school girlfriend who he didn’t really talk to, but they wrote each other notes, so of course they were in love.
Well, one day twelve year old Ryan Peters was rocking a Weezer tee when his girlfriend gave him a new note. It read “We’re done”. Heartbroken Spose had to ride the bus home, but one thing helped his mood. It was El Scorocho by Weezer on the bus speakers.
“It said "Goddamn you half Japanese girls" (She wasn't Japanese but still)”.
In the same verse, Spose fast forwards to when he’s fifteen with his boy Zack B. After smoking and drinking some Absolute Vodka, they found themselves puking.
In between them getting crossed and then grounded, they jammed out to the Pixies. “We were quite fucked up off Absolute Vodka and weed, Listening to The Pixies”.
The final verse, Spose is singing as a twenty four year old when he has his first kid and then when he goes on tour. He sings “I miss her when i'm out on tour, Singing interstate love-songs” referring to the song Interstate Love Song by the Stone Temple Pilots.
He sprinkles a few more references in with “I said "Loving is what I got" I said "Remember that". This is the chorus to Sublimes song What I Got.
The other one he gets in to the third verse is “It's a Bittersweet Symphony When you think of me” talking about the Verve song Bittersweet Symphony.
In the fourth verse, Spose gets one more alt rock reference in with “I never quit getting lit like my own worst enemy”. This of course talks about a song I recently covered, My Own Worst Enemy by Lit.
Just an all around great song about the power of alternative rock.
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