Post all of them here: all those tiny moments, sounds, intonations, jingles, and riffs in Soul Asylum's music that may seem insignificant at first but can make all the difference in a song. The tinier the better!

Here are some of mine:

• The way that Dave pronounces the "A" in "cracks", at 3:17 in Whatcha Need. That's why you just have to love his voice!
• The single first note of Cradle Chain. It starts the song off with an almost otherworldly feel that never fails to catch your attention.
• The slight, almost unnoticeable, sound of someone (presumably Dave, or is it an effect or a guitar?) sounding "Uooh" right before "Remarkably incredible, incredibly unforgettable" at 2:17 in All the King's Friends. (Yes, I know it is incredibly obscure and weird, but somehow I've always noticed it and thought it a crucial part of the ending of that song.)

Alternate name for this thread: "The thread for people who listen to Soul Asylum too much."

Alternate name for this thread: "The thread for people who listen to Soul Asylum too much." ... well Said

Stranger is obviously a phenominal song. The way Dave sings/ screams "stranger" (during the middle part of the song) in that gravely/ gruff way is what really makes this song for me. I wonder if he can still "hit" it today?

There is a change in the intensity of Dave's voice during the chorus of Oxygen on TSL, and that makes all the difference in that song to me.

Peace,
Carol

there are way too many little moments to list them. it's hard to find a song that i cant say "i love this part" about. now i'm going to have to actually listen to some music just to take part here. it's always some obscure little thing, some sudden moment of emotion or intensity, change in tone or little guitar noise. dave doing something amazing with his voice. now i'm gonna have to seek some out

The way Dave partly sings, partly shrieks "want" in 'Want this, I want that" after the line "nothing I can't live without" in Something Out of Nothing.

And speaking of shrieks, the shriek followed by the "unh" in Growing Pain is pretty awesome.

In live recordings of Ain't That Tough (which was performed far too infrequently, in my opinion), I love the way Dave barks out "what? what? what?" in that breathy staccato way toward the end of the song.

I know those examples aren't actually tiny, but I just love those moments. There are plenty of others, but I'll probably have to hear the songs before I remember them.

This isn't really "tiny" but I think I'd like "The Game" a whole lot more without the "do do do" stuff.

Tied to the tracks...Grant's cowbell; absolutely makes the song for me. (I think it's a cowbell)

The double meanings in a song...
Nothing attracts a crowd; like a crowd...

And some are like customers and some are like patients
She'd have gone back to school if she'd just had the patience

And when you just can't handle one more panhandler
It leaves you wishing for change (change/ cash for the panhandler or change meaning wishing we didn't have "poor" people)
Fast car to take you away

The Jew's harp heard faintly in the background during the second half of Twiddly Dee.

The beginning to Artificial Heart. The use of the instruments make it sound like a heart pumping, a circular saw (as shown in the music video).

The pause in Creatures of Habit (first time I heard it, I thought my brand new Candy CD was scratched).

Not really part of the song, but always stands out to me: Dave's cough at the beginning of Never Really Been.

There's definitely a lot more; but these were the first to come to my mind.

I've mentioned some of these on the various Favorite Song threads, but, of course, there are always a few more.

"A Little Too Clean": I love the way they just start funking out on guitar right after Dave sings, "a little too clean, a little too clean, a little too clean."

"The Sun Maid": The way the music sounds like a child's music box, then about two-thirds of the way into the song, the strings take on a distorted, almost warped-record sound as if the music box is winding down. The way Dave's voice changes when he sings "She's such an old maid / She never gets laid." (Cheeky bastard! )

"Promises Broken": That first "Take me home." Also, the line "befriended by the enemy . . . one more time."

"Bittersweetheart": It's a cornucopia of Pirnerisms from beginning to end. My favorite part, though, is "Are you in there? Are you beating? / beating me up 'til I'm bleeding / How much blood can you spare?"

Monolith Maniac wrote:The pause in Creatures of Habit (first time I heard it, I thought my brand new Candy CD was scratched).

Me, too.

mystic_spiral_3 wrote:This isn't really "tiny" but I think I'd like "The Game" a whole lot more without the "do do do" stuff.

Have you heard the live version on After the Flood? They use a different arrangement -- no "do do do" stuff, different instrumentation, and Dave's voices cracks a few times, which gives the performance a more soulful feel that plays up the complicated emotions implicit in the lyrics. Anyway, you might like this version better.

CrazyLittleWoman wrote:

mystic_spiral_3 wrote:This isn't really "tiny" but I think I'd like "The Game" a whole lot more without the "do do do" stuff.

Have you heard the live version on After the Flood? They use a different arrangement -- no "do do do" stuff, different instrumentation, and Dave's voices cracks a few times, which gives the performance a more soulful feel that plays up the complicated emotions implicit in the lyrics. Anyway, you might like this version better.

I know I have, but not in awhile. Chances are I probably do/would like that version better. Maybe it's time to give that cd a listen...