music group, “be”

In 2000, Doghouse Records released Encapsulated, a tribute album of sorts to the Kentucky band Metroschifter. For Encapsulated, Metroschifter main man Scott Richter sent out his recordings to some of his favorite bands with the hopes that they would cover them in their own particular style. It’s the sort of endeavor for which the term “vanity project” was invented, and yet the album turned out to be the best of Richter’s career, despite the fact that he didn’t even play on it.

There are numerous standout tracks, most notably by Scandinavian post-hardcore legends Refused, Philly goth-emo badasses Ink & Dagger and Jawbox offshoot Burning Airlines. But the best track of all is by a band that I have never been able to find out anything at all about: Music Group.

Music Group’s “Be” on Encapsulated is a very tender, ’60s-ish track. The guitar is tremolo’d and reverb’d, echoing out simple chord strums in a staccato stutter; the bass is easy and trotting, dancing around the main melody with playful aplomb; and the vocals are scratchy and searching — I’ve been trying all morning to think of a comparison and I’m having trouble coming up with much aside maybe an indie Rod Stewart. “Be” sounds like what Big Sur looks like, the kind of place that inspires instant nostalgia, a very keen awareness that this is a memory not to be forgotten.

“Be” has been one of my mixtape staples for years, ever since I first heard it while working college radio in Virginia, and it’s one of those songs that every single person has gravitated towards — it’s not hard to hear how special and unique it is. For a wistful or melancholy mood, it cannot be beat.