when twee gets creepy

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twee-py? anyway that "la ballade of lady & bird" song by keren ann and bardi johannson (jesus, they must as well be named pixiebelle fruitykins & mumbley-tumtucker for christ's sake) anyway it's this little acoustic dreamy thing and then they have a little conversation in sped-up helium type voices (I know! I know!) but anyway it's like this 'waiting for godot" kind of thing where they're not sure where they are or who they are or what's going on... but it's actually really disturbing... like some weird audio tape made by two kids holed up in the closet of a commune where all the adults have OD-ed all over the house or something... its cree-py.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the creepiest twee song is Belle and Sebastians version of "O Come O Come Emmanuel". Also, the transitional My Bloody Valentine (on 'Ecstasy & Wine' and some of the 'You Made Me Realise' EP tracks), is exceptionally twee-py.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Twee is always creepy.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

so throw her off the bridge
just toss her in the stream
she's bound to come between us
you know the girl i mean
it's time we were together
it's clear that i'm the one
so throw her off the bridge
we both know it's gotta be done

(stalker twee-py?)

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 19:34 (twenty-one years ago)

http://ron.unique.cc/keane.jpg

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 19:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I dig Lady & Bird for that reason(couldn't be the songwriting~zing!), and come to think of it, several other twee faves use slight creepiness to good effect(Broadcast, Aisler set, Kelly Slusher). Speaking of communes, this song does actually would have sound at home on the Tilsammans soundtrack, you nailed it. Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about, best movie I saw in 2002(?)

― tremendoid, Wednesday, 25 August 2004 19:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Jeez, Fritz. That whole website is tweepy.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Um, that's not you, right?

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

O COme Emmanuel(one of my favorites, not the live one though, their singing is atrocious) is actually über-earnest, which can be mistaken for creepiness, but it does have that nico-ish blank stare drone thing going on a little bit

― tremendoid, Wednesday, 25 August 2004 19:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Family Circus is a work of evil.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

CocoRosie?

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

ALL TWEE IS CREEPY. Seriously. It's part of the package. Name me one example of NON-creepy twee.

― n.a. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 20:09 (twenty-one years ago)

i like how the dude just floats through the screen when you click that link, pleasnt plans - no, it's not me, unfortunately... I just randomly googled that

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 20:12 (twenty-one years ago)

i never considered the sea urchins particularly creepy, but perhaps that's just me

xpost

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 20:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I find twee snoozably boring. Creepy might just spice it up a bit, keep me awake.

xpost

funny you should mention Sea Urchins, probably the only "twee" band I can say I really like.

― Bimble (bimble), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 20:20 (twenty-one years ago)

and oh yeah tilsammans was exactly what iw as thinking of, what a great movie

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

twee + creepy = edward gorey.

twee + lusty... now that's a little dilemmarred.

― msp (msp), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 21:03 (twenty-one years ago)

"rummy rummy on my tummy it feels yummy"
-- Calvin Johnson

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 21:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I wouldn't really be inclined to label Black Tambourine 'twee' as much as I would just... American Shoegaze or something.

― OCP (OCP), Thursday, 26 August 2004 08:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Genesis P-Orridge rules this thread

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 26 August 2004 09:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I wouldn't really be inclined to label Black Tambourine 'twee'

I'm pretty sure that writing a song about The Pastels = Twee, especially when it involves a crush on one of the band members. Add murder to the mix, and I think it fits on this thread pretty well.

― Ryan WS (fffv), Thursday, 26 August 2004 09:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Having a crush on a member of the Pastels is neither twee nor creepy - blind and stupid possibly

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 26 August 2004 09:39 (twenty-one years ago)

what are you talking about? pastel is like a greek god!

― dave amos, Thursday, 26 August 2004 09:55 (twenty-one years ago)

a saturnine, sensitive adonis!

― dave amos, Thursday, 26 August 2004 09:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Like an ancient relic from a bygone age of mythology and legend, you mean? Indeed.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 26 August 2004 09:56 (twenty-one years ago)

no one is gonna mention Lisa Germano? Okay, I will. And Lisa's curdled nursery rhyme stuff on some of her albums always made me think of Buffy St.Marie's 'Little Wheel Spin & Spin".

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

broadcast and pram should both probably get a mention in here somewhere too

― rentboy (rentboy), Thursday, 26 August 2004 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

which always makes me think of kristin hersh. cuz creepy crones can be twee too!

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 13:57 (twenty-one years ago)

and melanie too with the babytalk. and i think of melanie when i listen to keren ann.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 13:57 (twenty-one years ago)

and there aren't too many people more twee than Melanie.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 13:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Twee + creepy = Andre 3000, Lolly and Mac And Me.

― R.I.M.A. (Barima), Thursday, 26 August 2004 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, eat your animal crackers
'Cause my mother told me so long ago,
"If you eat your animal crackers,
The children in Europe won't starve anymore".
Hahaha hahahaha hahaha.

Oh I love eating icecream,
Chocolate, vanilla and butter pecan,
But I best love animal crackers
'Cause I love helping my fellow man.
Yeah, I eat more crackers than anyone can
Hahaha haha.

(I forgot the words.... ONCE! Thank you!)

Once I went on a diet
(that's the freudian part, is it, when I forget it)
Once I went on a diet
A carbohydrate diet ain't nice
'Cause you can't eat animal crackers.
So, I'm gonna stay a fatty for all of my life,
Hahaha hahaha.
But some people think that fatties are nice, yeah.

Did you ever hear of Alice's restaurant?
I eat at Alice's restaurant year after year.
She makes an animal cracker pizza, ha
And she gives animal crackers out free with the beer.
Oh, let's give Alice a great big cheer.
She knows the age...
Ah, animal crackers are in this year!
Ha ha hahaha.
Oh, lalalalala lala lala

I wrote this song in Columbus, Missouri.
I was... had a day off, so I, I wanted to go to the country,
and that wasn't very difficult because the country was...
Columbus, Missouri is the country.
And I walked outside my door and I saw a big cow and I said,
"Oh, moo, you know, don't you, you know that I don't eat cows?"
And the cow didn't say anything except: "Mmmm, Melanie".
And so, and so I wrote him this song,
and I wrote it really for all the cows.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

but really you have to hear melanie say the word "beer" as 'Bee-ah' to do it justice.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 14:02 (twenty-one years ago)

She probably means Columbia, MO.

― mike a, Thursday, 26 August 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

also, claudine longet owns this thread

cute frech popstress with twee voice sings twee songs then brutally murders skiing boyfriend

― rentboy (rentboy), Thursday, 26 August 2004 14:04 (twenty-one years ago)

grrr see: also, claudine longet owns this thread

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drp300/p358/p35810bliiw.jpg

how do you post images on here anymore?

img src doesn't work nor does i

― rentboy (rentboy), Thursday, 26 August 2004 14:05 (twenty-one years ago)

actually, blossom dearie might be the reigning queen of twee.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 14:06 (twenty-one years ago)

acually, you know who OWNS this thread: Patience & Prudence. If you don't believe me, look them up.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 14:06 (twenty-one years ago)

April March - 'Sugar'

― R.I.M.A. (Barima), Thursday, 26 August 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

i always seem to enjoy these threads that belittle twee artists and then i wind up finding
a band that i like (in this case, broadcast) lumped in with the other twee people... and...
i get sad...
but i am surprised that no one has yet mentioned mirah... who while sometimes lovely,
often sounds quite insane. i would say twee people going crazy is about the most
distressing global trend other than extremist religious fundamentalism... and actually
they're not that disimilar when viewed in a certain light.
joanna newsom's voice is creepy. it has a certain unmentionable connotation to it, to me.
that microphone's 'live in japan' record has moments where i fear for the safety of
phil elvrum and those around him... though my girlfriend thinks it's all a front.

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Thursday, 26 August 2004 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)

A K Records band should call themselves "Blossom Dearie."

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 26 August 2004 15:26 (twenty-one years ago)

jangly MBV had a very twee song called 'Paint a Rainbow' - well, twee until you figure out that the lyrics are about necrophilia. made me spill my fizzy ribena, i can tell you...

― zappi (joni), Thursday, 26 August 2004 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

caresse p-orridge's cover of "are you experienced" could be considered creepy twee i suppose.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

but i am surprised that no one has yet mentioned mirah... who while sometimes lovely, often sounds quite insane.

In part because she frequently sings about sex in a childlike voice. Calvin invented that shit.

― mike a, Thursday, 26 August 2004 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

are daniel johnston and jad fair tweepie?

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 16:00 (twenty-one years ago)

"ALL TWEE IS CREEPY. Seriously. It's part of the package. Name me one example of NON-creepy twee."

Field Mice & Pastels aren't creepy.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 16:01 (twenty-one years ago)

... only their fans are

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 26 August 2004 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, I'm a fan! Well, alright, maybe i'm a little creepy.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 16:19 (twenty-one years ago)

are daniel johnston and jad fair tweepie?

god yes

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 26 August 2004 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Necrophelia makes you "Spill your fuzzy Ribena", zappi?

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Thursday, 26 August 2004 18:11 (twenty-one years ago)

'fizzy' obv. Takes a few weeks to become fuzzy.

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Thursday, 26 August 2004 18:11 (twenty-one years ago)

the first trembling blue stars album is a little creepy. whoever referred to kristin hersh as a creepy crone needs a good smack.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Thursday, 26 August 2004 18:52 (twenty-one years ago)

whoever referred to kristin hersh as a creepy crone needs some good smack.

just say no
HERION KILLS!

― rentboy (rentboy), Thursday, 26 August 2004 18:55 (twenty-one years ago)

d'oh!

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Thursday, 26 August 2004 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, don't get me wrong cuz I love them to death, but Kristin and Buffy and Lisa can or could be awfully witchy when they wanted to be.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 26 August 2004 19:17 (twenty-one years ago)

what about the vaselines? kinda creepy in an inseparable rural boy-nerd & girl-nerd way.

how about pooh sticks? they're not very creepy

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Thursday, 26 August 2004 19:41 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.sympathyrecords.com/catalogue/images1/SFTRI115.gif
non-creepy twee

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Thursday, 26 August 2004 19:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd have to disagree.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 26 August 2004 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Young people, they turn me on

― lawrence kansas (lawrence kansas), Thursday, 26 August 2004 19:49 (twenty-one years ago)

^from "Young People" by the Pooh Sticks

― lawrence kansas (lawrence kansas), Thursday, 26 August 2004 19:56 (twenty-one years ago)

why would you name your band the pooh sticks? easily one of the worst band names ever. and definitely creepy.

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Thursday, 26 August 2004 20:02 (twenty-one years ago)

he's got a smiley face on the bottom of his shoe!

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Thursday, 26 August 2004 20:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Rentboy so OTM.
If I remember correctly, the young gay blowjob scene set to B&S' "The State I Am In" in "Storytelling" was pretty creepy. Actually, most of the intersections between the band's score and Solondz' film were both creepy and twee.

― Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog (Ben Boyer), Thursday, 26 August 2004 21:28 (twenty-one years ago)

hey firstworldman I love Broadcast something awful...then again I like most twee in general(or at least don't have a rockist aversion to it) so you may still find something depressing to take away from my original statement. How can I forget Joanna Newsom, her voice evokes a devout matron of a family of cannibal homesteaders, or something? She's awesome, needless to say.

― tremendoid, Thursday, 26 August 2004 21:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm sorry, I understand that twee fans often like Broadcast, but I really don't find anything twee about their music! Pram a little bit, but not Broadcast. I think they're more then an indie-pop band with electronic creepiness borrowed from the United States of America, I think their songwriting, production, melodies etc, put them outside the realm of how I'd define twee.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Saturday, 28 August 2004 23:31 (twenty-one years ago)

the puddle fit this decription, maybe only cause i keep picturing george henderson cruising junior high schools for chicks. he's probably a great guy but he has that look.

― keith m (keithmcl), Sunday, 29 August 2004 00:56 (twenty-one years ago)

parts of the last word by chuck and mary perrin are like this. it makes me think that there must have been another side to the 60s before they morphed into the 70s. the way the note quoted by joan didion in slouching towards bethlehem is creepy...

― youn, Sunday, 29 August 2004 03:45 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

Tiny Tim creeps me the fuck out. Anytime I see a picture of him or hear his recordings.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 24 September 2006 19:43 (nineteen years ago)

Twee is always genius.

Oh, OK, I guess Teletubbies may be an exception....

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 25 September 2006 17:49 (nineteen years ago)

eight years pass...

Preamble: This show takes place in a dive bar in the shittiest neighbourhood in town...

The little show that could returns hosted by Emma Cooper. Bring a friend, your jammies and we bring the pillows and blankets for fort building! Come early and help us build a fort in which we will tell stories, jokes and share music.

Come at 8:00pm to help build the fort. We need anyone who is a BlanketFort Architect, or anyone who was a child, ever.
Show starts at 9:00pm and the show is free!

Our lovely performers are: (lap drumroll please...)

Chris Griffin - This funny human tours around the country telling jokes and can now add 'BlanketFort' to his credentials. His rambly style leads you to interesting or funny or all of the above.
Mark B. Hughes - Just off of opening for Doug Stanhope and being featured in 'Exposed', a naked stand up show here in VanCity, Mark brings a great perspective to his storytelling.
Shlomo McPeake - What can and has been said about this man really doesn't do him full justice. How could it?

plus more to come...

Have we talked about how the food is really GOOD at The Astoria? Tacos for $2.50 are a favourite. Plus now you can drink cheap beer in a fort. Adulthood never tasted so sweet.

#BlanketFort cause we are modern...

― everything, Tuesday, 30 June 2015 16:22 (ten years ago)

That is basically something out of IASIP

― rahrah avis (imago), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 16:54 (ten years ago)

A little surprised the hashtag isn't #BwankieFowt.

― Piggy Soup (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 16:56 (ten years ago)

#hardpass

― harold loltemyer (rip van wanko), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 18:27 (ten years ago)

Another event from these scenesters. Maybe this should go in a different thread (rolling hipster studies maybe) - I wouldn't call this creepy per se as it doesn't involve building blanket forts in the country's poorest neighbourhood, but for fuxake people. Some of them are in their forties...

A romantic sunset acoustic rock concert

hop on your bicycle and come to trout lake park.
fill your growler and pack a picnic.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
FREE CAKE FOR EVERY CREATURE
~Pop tunes about books from Philadelphia~
freecakeforeverycreature.bandcamp.com

I TRIED TO RUN AWAY WHEN I WAS SIX
~dreamy bedroom guitar jams from Philadelphia~
blastreality.bandcamp.com

ROSE MELBERG
~local dreamboat~

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

~find us in the trees on the north east side of the lake
~ok jeff ok will be rotating through his extensive cassette tape collection
~i will make light snacks and have picnic blankets available
~bring your dogs that like kids and your kids that like dogs.
~$$$$ for the touring bands
~be chill / be discreet
~bring your pals

― everything, Tuesday, 30 June 2015 18:43 (ten years ago)

Just scrolled through that Free Cake for Every Creature bandcamp. Should go over well with the autonomous sensory meridian response crowd.

― how's life, Tuesday, 30 June 2015 18:49 (ten years ago)

~be chill / be discreet
~bring your pals

― rahrah avis (imago), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 18:50 (ten years ago)

+ Rose Melberg
- an event where Rose Melberg couldn't be more perfect a featured performer

― Turn That Pout Inside Out! (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 18:55 (ten years ago)

ok jeff ok?

― soref, Tuesday, 30 June 2015 18:56 (ten years ago)

A few years ago Rose enetered a scene spiral where she now only plays in backyards, picnics or (if you're lucky) unannounced at the bottom of the bill to 5 bands you've never heard of.

― everything, Tuesday, 30 June 2015 19:01 (ten years ago)

she def transcended twee in the earlier Softies days, this is an unfortunate development

― harold loltemyer (rip van wanko), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 19:10 (ten years ago)

https://youtu.be/wO4ZA7ezlEg

― Pheeel, Tuesday, 30 June 2015 20:02 (ten years ago)

fill your growler and pack a picnic.

In Scotland growler is another word for vagina

― paolo, Tuesday, 30 June 2015 20:23 (ten years ago)

just saying

― paolo, Tuesday, 30 June 2015 20:23 (ten years ago)

haha seeing that ad for a show at the astoria makes me regret aggressively pruning my facebook last year

― doug ellin (Lamp), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 20:30 (ten years ago)

Misread thread title as "when tweedy gets creepy", and I thought, "Which is rather often, come to think of it."

― austinato (Austin), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 20:37 (ten years ago)

a few years back the tweepop folks in my locale did something v similar sounding to that park one and managed to get Calvin Johnson to play (cf thread title), a whole afternoon of it was way too much but the setting kinda worked for him at least

― there was a lot of beer and people doing sit ups, (laughs) (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 21:21 (ten years ago)

four years pass...

Patience and Prudence are hot again
https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/tiktok-song-tonight-you-belong-to-me.html

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 28 August 2019 15:58 (six years ago)

How do I know this song? Must be an ILX thing?

Also I have no idea what tiktok is

― kinder, Wednesday, 28 August 2019 18:31 (six years ago)

sideways from Ghost World, maybe? I love patience and prudence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn8BGyz6ihA

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 28 August 2019 18:52 (six years ago)

The girl group genre is rife with this stuff. Search Little Peggy March's My Teenage Castle Is Tumbling Down. Also from Patience & Prudence We Can't Sing Rhythm & Blues.

― Seething, Pathological Hatred of Oldies Radio (I M Losted), Wednesday, 28 August 2019 22:08 (six years ago)

"My Teenage Castle Is Tumbling Down" is great. I'm not sure what makes any of these old songs creepy (or even "twee")...

― Stub yr toe on the yacht rock (morrisp), Wednesday, 28 August 2019 22:18 (six years ago)

Mo Tucker singing I'm Sticking With You

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Friday, 30 August 2019 19:57 (six years ago)

Mo Tucker, "creepy"? NEVER. Hm.

― Seething, Pathological Hatred of Oldies Radio (I M Losted), Friday, 30 August 2019 23:02 (six years ago)

two years pass...

Happy 80th Birthday Claudine Longet!!

― Josefa, Sunday, 30 January 2022 07:24 (four years ago)

Wow this is very dark (an SNL sketch from 1976 called "The Claudine Longet Invitational")

https://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75rski.phtml

― flamboyant goon tie included, Sunday, 30 January 2022 14:43 (four years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8IOKKG_PAQ

― bulb after bulb, Sunday, 30 January 2022 15:32 (four years ago)

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