The Sporting Life

A few years ago Nobunaga made me a Sea and Cake compilation when I was just getting into the band. I had heard Nassau and was blown away. The Biz had become my Saturday Morning album and Nobunaga had created a comp to expand my horizons with the band. Everything on the comp lived up to my expectations of the band, but one song blindsided me hard. “The Sporting Life” was like nothing I had heard from the band. It wasn’t the type of song I was looking for from the band, yet it was one of the few songs you come across that you instantly fall in love with. It had everything I wanted in that one slinky bass line. It made me feel freer, made me drive faster, made me want to see the band live!

Last Friday, Nobunaga dropped another batch of musical goodies in my lap, including the new Decemberists album which I’ve been dying to hear, but hadn’t bought. I’ve go quite a wish list right now (soon to show up on the blog), much of which I need to wait to buy since the money has flown freely lately and many shows are coming up. Overall, the album is good, but it’s uneven: great songs bookended by some fat. One of the good songs, actually THE great song, is a little number coincidentally called… “The Sporting Life.” Not a cover of The Sea and Cake, it is nonetheless another song that I immediately feel in love with on first listen. A quick, staccato strumming of the guitar, a galloping drum line from “Meat is Murder” era Smiths breaks the silence before the organs and horns come in and Colin shows his ongoing affair with all things British as he sings of failed athletic prowess in the same vein as Belle and Sebastian’s “Stars of Track and Field” or Morrissey’s “Michael’s Bones.” Pure pop glory.

All of that to say, Nobunaga, thanks again for sharing your Sporting Life and giving me two of my favorite musical experiences!