Gonna Crush This Little Boy

I spent the better part of yesterday driving around to record stores looking for Des Ark's debut from earlier this year, Loose Lips Sink Ships. It all started just before noon; I was listening to various mp3s that had amassed on my desktop. I checked the properties on a random file, only to find that it was 29 seconds long. Not expecting much, thinking it would be an easy delete, I clicked it on up and this is what I got:

Des Ark - "Some Are Love [Clip]"

Can you believe that? 29 seconds, every one of them brilliant. Here are those kick-ass lyrics again, for those of you who don't listen to the words:

Take what you can carry and the rest we will destroy
This summer's gonna wreck us, gonna crush this little boy

This sent me into quite a tizzy, the likes of which I haven't known in a while. I like to think that first line is a reference to Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". The way Aimee Argote sings these two lines, especially the word boy, gets me every time. And that's a lot, I must've listened to this clip at least 29 times. And so the search began...

I set out scouring the web for the rest of the song, but it was nowhere to be found. I did manage to find this other song though.

Des Ark - "Jesus Loves You (But Yr Still Comin Home With Me Tonight)"

It may not be as great as that "Some Are Love" clip, but it does have one of the best titles ever, right? All the same, it didn't satiate me. Into the trusty automobile I went...

My search ended later that night when I found Loose Lips Sink Ships at Everyday Records in Seattle, used no less. Took it out to the car, threw that baby into a glowing slit in the dashboard and...ah, satisfaction! It's like the scenes in the old Looney Tunes cartoons when someone's ass or head is on fire and all of a sudden they find snow, minus the steam. And yes, I know I could've payed 99 cents or what have you and had instant gratification, but I'm old school, y'a mean: if you don't have to work for it, it probably ain't worth it.

So, here's the full version of "Some Are Love".

Des Ark - "Some Are Love"

Does it live up to the promise? You bet your sheets it does. Obviously I've only listened to the full album a few times, but this band is onto something special. God willing, they've got a long, expectation-defying career ahead of them. I don't want to get all sacriligious on y'all, but if they keep at it I can see myself caring about them as much as I care about (moment of silence) Sleater-Kinney. Okay, maybe not as much, but up there. Aimee's voice is intensely emotive, used as a caress or a weapon as she sees fit. Tim Herzog sounds like a monster on drums, I'm looking forward to seeing dude live, which will be in just a few days if these tour dates hold true:

8.17.2005 Phoenix Theatre - Petaluma, CA
8.19.2005 Loveland - Portland, OR
8.20.2005 The Vera Project - Seattle, WA
8.22.2005 Lo-Fi Cafe - Salt Lake City, UT
8.23.2005 Rock Island - Denver, CO
8.24.2005 Jackpot Saloon - Lawrence, KS
8.25.2005 Sokol Underground - Omaha, NE
8.26.2005 Triple Rock Social Club - Minneapolis, MN
8.27.2005 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
8.28.2005 Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
8.29.2005 Buffalo Icon - Buffalo, NY
8.30.2005 The Middle East - Cambridge, MA
8.31.2005 Wallingford American Legion - Wallingford, CT

All these dates are with Engine Down and Bella Lea, two bands I've never heard. Good luck.

P.S. About the name, most references to the band call them Des_Ark, but they don't seem to refer to themselves as such on their website or in their liner notes. My advice is choose whichever one you like the most and roll with it!