10 Albums Death Cab for Cutie’s Nick Harmer Thinks Every Bass Player Should Own
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The post 10 Albums Death Cab for Cutie’s Nick Harmer Thinks Every Bass Player Should Own appeared first on Consequence.
We’re still slapping along with Consequence’s Bass Week. Today, for our latest edition of Crate Digging, Death Cab for Cutie’s Nick Harmer shares the 10 albums he believes every budding bassist should own. Check out our 100 Greatest Bass Players list and our bass-themed mini-crossword, and stay tuned throughout the week for lists, artist-driven content, games, and more.
It is a damn near impossibility to create definitive “Best of” or “Essential” lists — a Sisyphean task that will always accidentally forget to include someone and spark heated arguments — but they sure are fun to make, so here I go.
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Before I launch into my list of ten essential albums, I feel a few qualifications are important to make. Firstly, I am not including inarguably brilliant works by icons like James Jamerson, Carol Kaye, John Entwistle, Paul McCartney, Chris Squire, Tina Weymouth, Larry Graham, Geddy Lee, Tony Levin, and on and on, purposefully. Most fellow bass players celebrate these (and many, many more) legends and probably already own their catalogs too. Secondly, I’ve deliberately narrowed my list down to highlight bass players who made albums that have had and continue to have a strong impact on me personally. These aren’t unknown bands to most, these aren’t undiscovered albums to many, but I do think these albums aren’t celebrated for the bass playing as much as they should be.
Naturally, as my indie/alt/rock is my wheelhouse, this list is weighted in those genres. And finally, most notably, this is an incomplete list, I’m already feeling guilty about who I’ve not included. So, disclaimers out of the way, in no particular order I give you: 10 Essential Albums Bass Players Should Own.
Soul Coughing — Ruby Vroom (Bassist: Sebastian Steinberg)
A band that grew out the free jazz, spoken-word explorations of the mid-90’s, the real secret sauce here is the rhythm section of Sebastian Steinberg and Yuval Gabay. The upright playing of Steinberg, while rooted in jazz, sort of morphs into a qusai-hip-hop, drum and bass adjacent form in these songs. What is particularly worth noting is how perfectly balanced Steinberg’s lines are here between rhythmic and melodic, making for some instantly memorable bass parts. I sure do wish these dudes could have found a way to keep exploring their odd, yet compelling lane of music together. I’m certain they had more to say but I’m thankful for what they were able to.
Essential Tracks: “Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago,” “True Dreams of Wichita,” “Screenwriter’s Blues,” “Uh, Zoom Zip.” Check out the band’s follow up, Irresistible Bliss, too. Tracks like “Super Bon Bon,” “Soft Serve,” and “Lazy Bones” are a further continuation of Sebastian Steinberg’s outstanding bass playing.
Jane’s Addiction — Nothing’s Shocking (Eric Avery)
I could go long on the bumpy arc of this band, but for now I will always argue that their first two albums, Nothing’s Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual, were exciting and powerful antidotes to the pop culturally dominate late-80’s hair rock until the Seattle scene exploded. And for my money, a key component that set them most apart at the time was the bass playing of Eric Avery. Sure, Farrell had pipes and Navarro could shred, but Avery’s musical touch brought those two away from Sunset Strip and into the skate park. For all the celebrity of his bandmates, Eric Avery is the quiet hero and his contributions to Nothing’s Shocking holds up as some of the best rock bass playing period. Melodic, full of hooks, indelible tone, exceptional feel, but I digress. I fell in love with the bass guitar learning how to play Eric’s parts on this album. Through him I began to understand how the bass could support and stand out without stealing the spotlight and being overly flashy.
Essential Tracks: “Up The Beach,” “Ted, Just Admit It…,” “Summertime Rolls,” “Mountain Song.” The follow-up, Ritual de lo Habitual, and tracks like “No One’s Leaving,” and “Three Days” are all further proof of Eric’s talent.
Fugazi — The Argument (Joe Lally)
A band whose myth, ethics, and stature only grow as the years pass. What can I say about Fugazi that hasn’t been said better by someone else? What I can say is check out the absolute fire bass playing of Joe Lally on the mic-drop of a final (?) album, The Argument. A remarkable thing about Fugazi’s music is how Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto are able to create so much dissonant musical tension and harmonic release. Constantly. Relentlessly. It’s fierce and emotive music, sometimes even aggressively uncomfortable, other times calm and introspective, but listen to how Joe draws a line through it all. Truly a study in the grounding, foundational necessity of the Joe Lally’s bass playing in this band.
Essential Tracks “Cashout,” “Life and Limb,” “Argument.” And, if these tracks get you going, I whole-heartedly insist on adding Fugazi’s entire discography to your collection. And then learning the bass line to “Waiting Room,” because it should be a requirement of owning a bass.
Pinback — Summer in Abaddon (Armistead Burwell Smith IV)
Underrated and inactive until the surprise festival announcement this summer, Pinback is overdue for massive rediscovery. Every bit as musically inventive and catchy as other west coast indie bands like Grandaddy and Modest Mouse, they never quite became centered in the conversation as I feel like they deserved. But let’s talk about the bass playing! Smith is effortlessly essential to the melodic structure and arrangement of these songs, it’s clear they were written not with Smith’s bass parts added on top, but with his bass parts in their very DNA. Smith’s choices of when to step forward and when to step back, when to highlight a chord or a change or when to offer counterpoint, are just remarkable. Impossible not to smile while listening to him play.
Essential Tracks “Sender,” “Syracuse,” “Fortress, 3X0.” But also, as I said, rediscover it all, their whole discography is worth the time. Special shoutout to the track “Loro” off their first album for another earworm of a bass line by Smith.
R.E.M. — Green (Mike Mills)
It’s been a long tradition in my band that about once a year we have a dust up about the ranking of R.E.M.’s discography. Life’s Rich Pageant has claimed the number one spot for a long stretch, but, oh wow, the list and opinions gets heated after that. I unwaveringly argue that Green is in the number 2 slot and a huge part of my argument is Mike Mills’ bass playing on it. I’ve always admired how in R.E.M. everyone has such a specific role and lane in their music that if you try to remove one member and their contributions, the whole thing falls apart. But that individual space leaves a lot of open room to fill too, which is where Mills shines most. His bass lines shift and move, they carry a unique momentum through each song dotted with clever fills, rhythmic punctuation, melodic hooks and most impressively, he never overplays. Oh yeah, and he sings too!
Standout Tracks: “Get Up,” “Orange Crush,” “Turn You Inside-Out,” “Hairshirt.” But yeah, add Life’s Rich Pageant too, I insist. Heck, might as well add their whole catalog while you’re at it and get back to me with your ranking.
The Dismemberment Plan — Emergency & I (Eric Axelson)
Death Cab for Cutie had the honor and privilege of touring with The Dismemberment Plan in 2002, and to this day I think about how fortunate I was to be able to watch and study Eric Axelson’s bass playing every night. I marveled at not only how he played the bass but how he played with the bass, how much fun he was having darting notes in and out and around his bandmates. Thankfully, this album captures that raw energy too and Eric’s playing on this album is just chef’s kiss, peak perfection. What strikes me most is how every single song has such an individual and unique identity, both rhythmically and melodically, and in a lot of these songs the bass line IS the hook. I’m hyped that they are reuniting for this summer’s Best Friends Forever Festival, I IMPLORE you to make time for their set, I can guarantee it will be one of the best of the day.
Essential Tracks: “Memory Machine,” “What Do You Want Me To Say?,” “Spider in the Snow,” “Back and Forth.”
Warpaint — Warpaint (Jenny Lee Lindberg)
If you’ve ever had the thrill of seeing Warpaint play, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the way Jenny Lee moves on stage while she plays, how her whole body expressed in her playing. The bass lines she writes and plays are an extension of that physicality, these are bass lines you simply cannot sit and play, you have to get up and move with them. It helps that Stella Mozgawa has the sickest feel on drums, but Jenny Lee’s playing locks in perfectly here, a vital companion to the movement of the whole album. Lindberg’s bass lines slide, they bounce, they sneak, they push and pull, like a force with teeth, alive and hungry. The effect is hypnotic in the best way.
Essential Tracks: “Keep It Healthy,” “Love Is to Die,” “Disco/Very,” “Feeling Alright.” If you’re feeling these tracks, be sure to check out her playing on the rest of the catalog too, like the track “Radiate Like This” is hot shit, and oh! and their new single “Common Blue” has some more recent displays of Lindberg’s killer bass playing and, and, and…
Bedhead — Transaction de Novo (Kris Wheat)
If there is a “less is more” school of music, Bedhead are doctoral professors of it. Their ability to choose and place each note perfectly is unmatched and beautiful to behold. To unpack the bass parts on this album is to appreciate the patience and restraint of Kris Wheat’s playing. His bass lines are exactly the right notes at exactly the right moments, always, and the sparse guitar work of Bubba Kadane and Matt Kadane would be incomplete without it. Which is one of a bass player’s sweet spots, in my opinion: so necessary that you would notice it not being there, but almost invisible when it is.
Essential Tracks: “Exhume,” “More Than Ever,” “The Present.”
Built to Spill — Keep It Like a Secret (Brett Nelson)
The center of Built to Spill is and will always be the vocals and guitar work of Doug Martsch, it’s not Built to Spill without those components. But those skills and spotlight have, at times, overshadowed the contributions of the other key players that have come and gone over the years. Keep It Like a Secret is certainly not an overlooked album, but I think it’s worth celebrating this album through the lens of Brett Nelson’s bass playing. Right from the first track, “The Plan,” just listen to how Nelson covers the whole fretboard. There’s a whole other song happening in Nelson’s hands and the album just launches like a rocket from there. On Keep It Like a Secret, Brett Nelson is always a twin to Doug’s playing, every bit as essential to how the songs evolve and resonate emotionally and every bit as dynamic and crucial to the melodic impact of the entire album.
Essential Tracks: “The Plan,” “Bad Light,” “Else,” “You Were Right.”
Sonic Youth — Goo (Kim Gordon)
Few images of bass players performing stand out in my mind more than Kim Gordon standing center stage holding a Gibson Thunderbird just being a force of nature. Goo was the album that finally made it to the small Washington town where I grew up, so it has left the deepest impression on me moving forward. I can remember my music world view suddenly and violently opening up when I heard what Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo were doing with their guitars on Goo, independently, in tandem, in invented tunings, on parts of the guitar that didn’t seem meant to be played. Oh the chaos they created and harnessed was like nothing I’d ever heard. And while Moore and Ranaldo’s musical approach is deeply intellectual and thought provoking, the gravity of Sonic Youth, the emotional center, the part that dug its claws into me, was Gordon’s bass playing. While her other bandmates made the room spin, Gordon threw me a life preserver, gave me a rock to hold on to for dear life. Her lines cut right through the noise, made it make sense, gave it real dimension and musicality.
Essential Tracks: “Tunic (Song for Karen),” “Kool Thing,” “My Friend Goo,” “Titanium Expose.” Be sure to check out Rather Ripped for a later era banger of an album that also highlights Gordon’s brilliance.
BONUS ROUND: The Cure — Disintegration (Simon Gallup)
Obviously, most bass players probably already own and love this album, I’m absolutely not claiming The Cure has not been given their due praise and worship. HOWEVER, my admiration of Simon Gallup is a huge reason I am a bass player to begin with so of course I’m going to include him. If for any reason you’re unfamiliar with Simon Gallup and his work, pick up a bass guitar, put this album on and get to work learning these bass lines. If by the time you reach the end of Disintegration you aren’t feeling the deep call to join a band and make music, then I’m not sure what else there is to talk about. Ok, you’re very right, there is plenty else to talk about… Still, these are some timeless, incredible bass lines, no?
Essential Tracks: “Pictures of You,” “Lovesong,” “Lullaby,” “Fascination Street,” “Disintegration.”
10 Albums Death Cab for Cutie’s Nick Harmer Thinks Every Bass Player Should Own
Nick Harmer
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