The Worst Beatle

Jeff Mangum belongs to a long tradition of singer-songwriters who can’t sing. Mangum isn’t just off-key; sometimes he misses the whole fucking note. Of course, his voice possesses a certain charm. He’s also is in a smaller tradition of singer-songwriters who aren’t talented at their instruments. He’s technically fine, but everything he plays is very simple. Spend a week learning the guitar, and you too can perform one of these fine songs.

The lyrics are psychedelic in the truest sense of the word. Intense interpersonal emotions give way to dissolution of the physical body, mixed senses, hallucinatory images, religious and archetypal imagery, and a bizarre awareness of the body and sexuality that incorporates familial feeling and notions of disgust.

From “Little Birds”:

Little birds born without a mother or a father
I can watch their bodies forming in the running water.
Now there is another in the middle of my mouth,
100 all together within me now.
Little bird little bird come into my body.

From “Rubby Bulbs”:

I need to taste your voice in my mouth.
I need to taste your voice in the air,
And I need to feel your skin against all that I retch out
And feel your voice all over everywhere.
I need to paste your skin around the mailbox
And hold the postman in your smile.
I need to fill your lungs with smallpox
And fill the glow of a sick and distorted life.
Beautiful baby
All filled with angels.

From “Sailing Through”:

The world is all coming
They're coming in millions
Billions of people too sick to believe.
And I really wanted just to be in your body,
To be in your body,
To be inside you,
And I really wanted just to be in your body,
To share in your sickness,
To shield around you.

From My Sister

Oh sister, don't be afraid of me.
I won't be nailing you down in the nursery
Just like the rest of them did
With those watery, wandering fingers that slipped
That were supposed to be glorious and fine.

All of these recordings, except “Little Birds”, comes from the acoustic session at Aquarius Records. MP3s courtesy of this fan page.

Jeff Mangum – Little Birds

Jeff Mangum – My Dreamgirl Don’t Exist

Jeff Mangum – Oh Sister

Jeff Mangum – Rubby Bulbs

Jeff Mangum – Sailing Through