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saying , “ Although you ’ re bright , light and easy – you ’ re light of spirit – you come to me like nightfall , you fall like night , so we ’ re mixed up together , you and I , sort of metamorphosed .” Which is this idea that in darkness , you don ’ t know where one person begins and one person ends . So it ’ s the art of shape-shifting , and it ’ s a dark art . So I suppose it ’ s looking at the act of being in darkness and leaning into the idea that something of you is lost or is melted into that space . And it ’ s playing also with the mindset , I guess , of De Selby , who is a character from a surrealist Irish novel , “ The Third Policeman ,” and “ The Third Policeman ” is worth a read – it ’ s an early 20th-century sort of “ Alice in Wonderland ,” about a person ’ s journey through the infinite and then trying to make sense of it . And De Selby is this character in it that he keeps referencing in his own footnotes , in his own personal monologue , who ’ s somebody he wants to write his thesis on and have it published . And De Selby is a fictional philosopher-scientist , part genius , part lunatic , who sees the world through kind of a child ’ s “ Alice in Wonderland ” logic . So it ’ s just a nod to that . But I don ’ t want to ruin the book for anybody .
IE : What is the Gaelic word following the “ Warm Climate ” title , “ Uiscefhuaraithe ”? HOZIER : ( Speaks it rapidly ) It ’ s an Irish word which I did not know existed ! There ’ s a line in the song that there are some things that no one teaches you , and I studied twelve years in school learning the Irish language , and there are some wonderful words , these wonderful , creative , interesting words that don ’ t fall into that school curriculum . And what this is describing is you can pick up a rock from a river , and you can sense that it ’ s very cold ; it ’ s gonna be cool . But you are also sensing that coldness has been given to it by water , and uiscefhuaraithe describes that trace or that character of something . That it is cold , but it ’ s cold by water . Like a cave wall – something that has a coolness , but it ’ s a coolness that can ’ t be separated from the dampness or the water or the moisture that ’ s in it . So to someone from a warm climate , that ’ s literally what the word is , and it ’ s describing parts of , or memories of , growing up in a climate that is very wet and quite cold , and that being something that just gets into you .
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IE : The cut “ Anything But ” references the Mississippi and sounds like you stumbled into an impromptu zydeco-folk festival . Discuss . HOZIER : Actually , yeah – there are a lot of bodies of water in that , too . But what ’ s fun about that song is that the verses sound on paper like they ’ re describing nice things that you would want to do for somebody . Like , “ If I was a stampede , you wouldn ’ t get a kick ,” or “ If I was a
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riptide , I wouldn ’ t take you out .” But those are Irish sarcastic ways of saying that you don ’ t want anything to do with somebody that you reject . So it sounds like a love song , and yet it ’ s actually about trying to put distance between yourself and somebody else as quickly as possible . That ’ s why it falls into the circle of fraud . And by referencing the Mississippi , I was trying to give it scope .
IE : In “ Abstract ,” you note “ The rain that you slept through .” And , going back to unusual , little-known words , I like the fact that there is actually a word for that ephemeral smell of rain or sunlight on the concrete , which dissipates almost immediately . I can ’ t remember what it is , though . HOZIER : I believe it ’ s Petrichor ? And it ’ s a beautiful thing that there is a word for it , for sure . And to smell the rain that hits either soil that ’ s dried out after a semi-drought , there ’ s this gas that ’ s released , all these nitrates that are released from the soil after rain hits it , and you can really smell the Earth sort of changing a little bit
photo by Barry McCall
when rain hits it for the first time in a long time , and there ’ s something really special about that .
IE : Listening back to this album , what conclusions did you come to over the pandemic and beyond ? HOZIER : There ’ s a lot of reflections on the album that are very personal , and some that are old , deep memories , like in “ Someone From a Warm Climate ” – early childhood experiences of learning how to warm a bed in the cold of winter . And that ’ s just an experience of a lot of people in Ireland – or any cold climate – you go to bed in winter , and it ’ s going to be cold , you know ? And the Irish way is described in the song . A lot of people do hot water bottles , but I never had that as a kid – your breath does the job if you cover yourself with a blanket . But it ’ s definitely reflecting a lot of personal stuff on the album , and I changed up some styles on this
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LITTLE FEAT Sailin ’ Shoes ( Deluxe Edition 3xLP ) Dixie Chicken ( 50th anniversary Deluxe Edition 3xLP ) ( Warner Records / Rhino )
These two albums represent Little Feat at their most influential , at first exploding with unfocused potential and then becoming simultaneously transformed and fully realized . The albums remain staples of any collection of classic rock music . The pair are being offered in expanded standalone editions timed with the 50th anniversary of Dixie Chicken ’ s release . Both include an LP recut from original master tapes , a second platter with previously unreleased developmental material , and a third platter featuring a complete live set . Also included are LPsized booklets with essays , photos , and liner notes . Dixie Chicken launches with its evergreen title track . The song rides an irresistible New Orleans second lineinspired groove from the opening notes . The elements include Delaney & Bonnie veteran Kenny Gradney ’ s bass , Sam Clayton ’ s conga , drummer Richie Hayward ’ s relaxed and assured pocket , and Bill Payne ’ s saloon hall piano . Lowell George enters with a gruff-voiced tale of a Southern femme fatale and exits with fluid slide guitar playing and scat vocal . Essential songs like the tale of doomed love “ Two Trains ” and the saucy but frustrated “ Fat Man in the Bathtub ” follow suit , overflowing with the sound of a tightly-knit band playing live in the studio . They ’ re never in a rush , and always respond to one another . Guitarist Paul Barrere is in synch with the Stones-y portrait of a working girl “ Walkin ’ All Night ,” co-written and co-sung with Payne . The album is filled with cheeky double entendre . “ Eloquent profanity , it rolls right off my tongue ,” confesses George during “ Roll Um Easy .” The song was joined by road-shot vocalist Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night . Outtakes reveal different facets of seven of the album ’ s ten songs and offer snapshots of
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work in progress . Two tracks capture songs not included on the finished album . “ Eldorado Slim ” is written by Payne and George . The instrumental track has a tough bar-band energy displaying the band ’ s strengths in swamp-rock and blues , with Clayton ’ s conga sitting at the front of a greasy mix . George and Barrere vamp while Payne solos on Hammond organ . Barrere ’ s “ Hi Roller ( Ace in the Hole )” is a streetwise character sketch . Both were previously included on the Hotcakes and Outtakes anniversary collection released on CD in 2000 . An alternate version of “ Dixie Chicken ” that pushes George ’ s vocal forward is exclusive to this set . The seven-song concert LP captures a set from Paul ’ s Mall in Boston on March 1 , 1973 . The band digs into spirited versions of “ Two Trains ” ( featuring Payne ’ s glistening Wurlitzer piano ), “ Walkin ’ All Night ,” and a raucous “ Fat Man in the Bathtub .” During George ’ s stage banter preceding “ On Your Way Down ,” Hayward claims to be playing with a broken foot . To the esteemed drummer ’ s credit , the song ’ s soulful R & B vibe never falters . The set concludes with Sailin ’ Shoes cuts including acoustic strummer “ Willin ’.” Payne ’ s dazzling piano solo makes George remark “ oh my god !” in delight . George denies an audience request for “ Dixie Chicken ,” which is a shame , but the frontman explains that it ’ s because he wants to dedicate “ A Apolitical Blues ” to Howlin ’ Wolf . George ’ s riveting slide guitar solo might just make you forget you wanted to hear the then-new title cut . 1972 ’ s Sailin ’ Shoes finds George and company on the path toward Dixie Chicken , with several of the essential ingredients in place . George ’ s vocal and guitar , Payne ’ s organ and piano , and Hayward ’ s scene-setting drums fuel favorites including the title cut , retooled truck driver ’ s tale “ Willin ’” ( soon covered by Linda Ronstadt on her Heart Like a Wheel album ), and the Chicago blues-styled “ AApolitical Blues ” replete with wailing harmonica . The band choogles atop Hayward ’ s shuffling beat through “ Tripe Face Boogie ,” swapping solos between George ’ s slide guitar and Payne ’ s Wurlitzer . “ Cold , Cold , Cold ” is a swampy blues rocker leaning on George ’ s urbane storytelling , but the band ’ s easygoing New Orleans funk style wouldn ’ t emerge until the addition of Gradney and Clayton . The third element here evident on the enduring “ Willin ’” is roots / country music , which factors into George ’ s lyrical approach . “ Trouble ” is a brief folk ballad stuffed with bad news . “ Easy to Slip ” reflects upon a failed marriage and the struggle to forget what could have been . Sailin ’ Shoes has been described as too diverse for its own good . That was probably true for the contemporary charts but makes the album a great jukebox collection today . The manic “ Teenage Nervous Breakdown ” takes a Leon |