Haughty Melodic
Encyclopedia
Haughty Melodic is an album
by Mike Doughty
released on May 3, 2005. Doughty described the album as "a bunch of songs about yearning and redemption and happiness and hope." The album's sound is dense, stuffed full of multi-tracked guitars, horns, keyboards, and Doughty's own voice multiplied over himself in harmony; a departure both from the sounds of Soul Coughing and Doughty's solo acoustic work.
It was gradually recorded over the course of two years at the home of producer Dan Wilson
(of Semisonic
). In contrast to his previous stripped-down releases, Doughty brought in many other musicians to record Haughty Melodic, including multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, upright bass player John Munson
, and N.E.R.D. drummer Eric Fawcett
.
On Amazon.com, iTunes, and other places online that carried listener reviews, the record was either trashed with indignant one star reviews that decried it as overproduced, or defended passionately by fans that lavished four or five stars on it. Some fans, many new ones brought in by the single "Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well"—peculiarly, a radio hit based on a scene from Haruki Murakami
's novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
—were struck by the imagery drawn from Doughty's recovery from drug addiction, and the album's themes of loss and redemption.
The album's arduous process began when Doughty flew out to Minneapolis
to collaborate with Wilson on a bridge for his anti-WTO
song "Busting Up a Starbucks." Wilson and Doughty had been set up by their mutual manager, Jim Grant. The two wrote the song "American Car," and made simple demos of guitar, piano and drum machine, which inspired Doughty so much that he tapped Wilson to produce a full album—despite the fact that he had no label and would have to weave recording sessions periodically in Wilson's busy schedule.
Doughty would fly out to Minnesota every few weeks for a session—a few days here, a couple of weeks there—and as the album gradually took shape it departed from those initial, sparse demos; in the time between sessions Doughty and Wilson would conceive new parts, new instrumentation, ideas for replacing one part for another. Doughty has remarked that he felt tortured by the stop-and-start process of constant re-examination, but in the end believed that the album achieved a kind of perfection through the time and scrutiny.
, co-founder of the ATO Records
label on which the disc was released, contributed vocals for "Tremendous Brunettes."
The album's title is an anagram
of Michael Doughty.
This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com
's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.
The album's cover is fileteado porteño, a traditional Argentine decorative art. It was done by famous Buenos Aires
artist Alfredo Genovese
.
Sessions, these versions of the songs are extremely hard to find.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Mike Doughty
Mike Doughty
Mike Doughty is an American indie and alternative rock singer-songwriter. He led the band Soul Coughing in the 1990s, and in the 2000s, became a solo artist...
released on May 3, 2005. Doughty described the album as "a bunch of songs about yearning and redemption and happiness and hope." The album's sound is dense, stuffed full of multi-tracked guitars, horns, keyboards, and Doughty's own voice multiplied over himself in harmony; a departure both from the sounds of Soul Coughing and Doughty's solo acoustic work.
It was gradually recorded over the course of two years at the home of producer Dan Wilson
Dan Wilson (musician)
Daniel Dodd "Dan" Wilson is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, Grammy-winning songwriter and producer...
(of Semisonic
Semisonic
Semisonic is an American alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1995. The band consisted of three members: Dan Wilson , John Munson , and Jacob Slichter...
). In contrast to his previous stripped-down releases, Doughty brought in many other musicians to record Haughty Melodic, including multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, upright bass player John Munson
John Munson
John Munson is a Minneapolis musician who is best known as the bass player for Semisonic. He was also a member of Trip Shakespeare during the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Trip Shakespeare:...
, and N.E.R.D. drummer Eric Fawcett
Spymob
Spymob is a pop rock band, from Minneapolis best known for their appearance on the 2003 Star Trak Entertainment compilation The Neptunes present Clones, with the song "Half Steering Half Eating Ice Cream." They also provided backing instruments for N.E.R.D.'s 2002 debut In Search Of......
.
On Amazon.com, iTunes, and other places online that carried listener reviews, the record was either trashed with indignant one star reviews that decried it as overproduced, or defended passionately by fans that lavished four or five stars on it. Some fans, many new ones brought in by the single "Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well"—peculiarly, a radio hit based on a scene from Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami
is a Japanese writer and translator. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered him critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize and Jerusalem Prize among others.He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature...
's novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
is a novel by Haruki Murakami. The first published translation was by Alfred Birnbaum. The American translation and its British adaptation, dubbed the "only official translations" are by Jay Rubin and were first published in 1997...
—were struck by the imagery drawn from Doughty's recovery from drug addiction, and the album's themes of loss and redemption.
The album's arduous process began when Doughty flew out to Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
to collaborate with Wilson on a bridge for his anti-WTO
WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity
Protest activity surrounding the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which was to be the launch of a new millennial round of trade negotiations, occurred on November 30, 1999 , when the World Trade Organization convened at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington,...
song "Busting Up a Starbucks." Wilson and Doughty had been set up by their mutual manager, Jim Grant. The two wrote the song "American Car," and made simple demos of guitar, piano and drum machine, which inspired Doughty so much that he tapped Wilson to produce a full album—despite the fact that he had no label and would have to weave recording sessions periodically in Wilson's busy schedule.
Doughty would fly out to Minnesota every few weeks for a session—a few days here, a couple of weeks there—and as the album gradually took shape it departed from those initial, sparse demos; in the time between sessions Doughty and Wilson would conceive new parts, new instrumentation, ideas for replacing one part for another. Doughty has remarked that he felt tortured by the stop-and-start process of constant re-examination, but in the end believed that the album achieved a kind of perfection through the time and scrutiny.
Miscellany
Dave MatthewsDave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
, co-founder of the ATO Records
ATO Records
According to Our Records was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews , Coran Capshaw, Chris Tetzeli, and Michael McDonald as a division of RCA Records...
label on which the disc was released, contributed vocals for "Tremendous Brunettes."
The album's title is an anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
of Michael Doughty.
This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.
The album's cover is fileteado porteño, a traditional Argentine decorative art. It was done by famous Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
artist Alfredo Genovese
Alfredo Genovese
Alfredo Genovese is an Argentine artist practitioner of traditional Argentine decorative art fileteado. He's best known for the cover of the Mike Doughty album Haughty Melodic, and the massive Aiwa billboard that looms over the Buenos Aires Obelisco.-External links:*...
.
Track listing
- "Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well"
- "Unsingable Name"
- "Madeline and Nine"
- "Busting Up a Starbucks"
- References: StarbucksStarbucksStarbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
, James Van Der BeekJames Van Der BeekJames William Van Der Beek, Jr. is an American television, film, and stage actor, known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in The WB series Dawson's Creek...
, TiaTia MowryTia Dashon Mowry-Hardrict is an American actress. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tia Landry on the ABC/WB sitcom Sister, Sister...
and Tamera MowryTamera MowryTamera Darvette Mowry-Housley is an American actress. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tamera Campbell on the ABC/WB sitcom Sister, Sister...
from Sister, SisterSister, Sister (TV series)Sister, Sister is an American television sitcom about identical twin girls Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell , who were separated and adopted at birth, when one day they come face-to-face after 14 years apart....
, and cities Nyack, New YorkNyack, New YorkNyack is a village in the towns of Orangetown and Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of South Nyack; east of Central Nyack; south of Upper Nyack and west of the Hudson River, approximately 19 miles north of the Manhattan boundary, it is an inner suburb of New...
, Ronkonkoma, New YorkRonkonkoma, New YorkRonkonkoma is a census-designated place on Long Island in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 20,029 at the 2000 census...
, East Orange, New JerseyEast Orange, New JerseyEast Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the city's population 64,270, making it the state's 20th largest municipality, having dropped 5,554 residents from its population of 69,824 in the 2000 Census, when it was the state's 14th most...
, Piscataway Township, New JerseyPiscataway Township, New JerseyThe township consists of the following historic villages and areas: New Market, known as Quibbletown in the 18th Century, Randolphville, Fieldville and North Stelton...
- References: Starbucks
- "White Lexus"
- References: LexusLexusis the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...
, soul and blues artists of Memphis
- References: Lexus
- "American Car"
- "Tremendous Brunettes" (ft. Dave Matthews on vocals)
- "I Hear the Bells"
- "Sunken-Eyed Girl"
- References: Kentucky Fried Chicken, ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
streets Ludlow Street and Delancey Street
- References: Kentucky Fried Chicken, Manhattan
- "Grey Ghost"
- This song was written in response to the death of Jeff BuckleyJeff BuckleyJeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
, who was a good friend of Mike's - References: Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Bob BalabanBob BalabanRobert Elmer "Bob" Balaban is an American actor, author and director.-Personal life:Balaban was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eleanor and Elmer Balaban, who owned several movie theatres and later was a pioneer in cable television... - Playing the CD on a computer that uses the GracenoteGracenoteGracenote, Inc., formerly called CDDB , is a company that maintains and licenses an Internet-accessible database containing information about the contents of audio compact discs and vinyl records. It provides software and metadata to businesses that enable their customers to manage and search...
CDDBCDDBCDDB, short for Compact Disc Database, is a database for software applications to look up audio CD information over the Internet. This is performed by a client which calculates a unique disc ID and then queries the database. As a result, the client is able to display the artist name, CD title,...
to identify track names displays the title as "Grey Ghost (Here's the hidden message. Eat your greens. Read "Everything and Nothing" by Borges. Thanks for listening. Mike)"
- This song was written in response to the death of Jeff Buckley
- "His Truth Is Marching On"
- "Your Misfortune"
Early Bootleg
Before the album's official release, an early "bootleg" was leaked onto the internet with a different tracklist and early unfinished versions of the songs, most notably: a version of "Tremendous Brunettes", which did not include vocals from Dave Matthews, as well as the song "I'm Still Drinking in My Dreams", which was excluded from the album when it was released. Like the original leak of The SkittishSkittish
Skittish is a Mike Doughty album recorded with indie rock producer Kramer in one day, July 5, 1996, and mixed on July 6...
Sessions, these versions of the songs are extremely hard to find.
- Unsingable Name
- Madeline And Nine
- Looking At The World From The Bottom Of A Well
- I'm Still Drinking In My Dreams
- American Car
- I Hear The Bells
- Tremendous Brunettes
- Grey Ghost
- Sunkeneyed Girl
- Busting Up A Starbucks
- White Lexus
External links
- Haughty Melodic lyrics and clips at MikeDoughty.com