As Smart as We Are - Hardcover

One Ring Zero

3.53

15 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1932360425 ISBN 13: 9781932360424

Publisher: Soft Skull Press, 2004

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Building on a unique project started by the "art rock" band One Ring Zero, this compendium of lyrics written by literary types includes contributions from Paul Auster, Margaret Atwood, Dave Eggers, Neil Gaiman, Rick Moody, Myla Goldberg, Denis Johnson, A. M. Homes, Jonathan Lethem, and Amy Fusselman.

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About the Author:

One Ring Zero is Michael Hearst and Joshua Camp. Based in New York City, they perform regularly at venues around the city including The Knitting Factory, Galapagos, and Tonic. They recently performed at the Whitney Museum of Art, at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park, and at the Central Park Summer Stage with George Plimpton and Paul Auster. One Ring Zero has shared billings with Cibo Matto, Medeski Martin and Wood, Thurston Moore, The Magnetic Fields, and The Roots among others. One Ring Zero has received grants from The Virginia Commission For the Arts and The National Endowment For The Arts. Their music has been featured in dance concerts, films and animations, fashion shows, and NPR programming including This American Life and The Next Big Thing.

From Publishers Weekly:

Michael Hearst and Joshua Camp, a pair of musicians with a penchant for eccentric music and truly eclectic instrumentation, are the driving force behind this album, featuring lyrics by 17 established writers, including Margaret Atwood, Paul Auster and Neil Gaiman. Infused with theremin loops and klezmer tonalities, the music sounds like it’s being cranked out of a hurdy-gurdy by a carnival freak. Or perhaps like a cross between They Might Be Giants and the Squirrel Nut Zippers at their most difficult. In short, it’s not for everyone. But there are times, as in Auster’s "Natty Man Blues," when the approach comes together without being overbearing. Denis Johnson’s Southern-fried "Blessings" features pointedly ironic lyrics like, "Bless now/ The cancer of the bone, the last light making/ Beautiful the poisons in the sky." Myla Goldberg has a bit more fun, with Syd Straw crooning lines like, "When you’re made of clay/ Just avoid the rainy days." As Fiona Maazel, who writes excellent, jaunty commentaries for each song, muses about Jonathan Lethem’s "Water": "As smart as we are, we have no idea what this song is about." Listeners will find that thought a familiar refrain.
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