Remember Last.fm?
No offense to people still working at Last.fm, but it seems dead. It was like Pandora, except Last.fm consistently found me new music. (Why did Pandora ALWAYS want to play Heads Will Roll?) One day I got an email from Last.fm saying my trial had ended and I didn’t even know I was on trial. I never went back.
Last.fm is where I first heard The Blow.
I was painting my daughter’s bedroom green in 2009. We were converting our attic office into a bedroom for a 2.5 year old. Her soon to be born brother was taking her room. Those kids are 17 and 19 now.
I love the peace and mindlessness of painting a room. You can see your progress. It changes everything about the space. It’s inexpensive. I like to get all my painting gear ready, spread out the drop cloth, put on some music and get to work. And one day in 2009 painting a room green, I heard Khaela Maricich sing about being in love with someone in a place she can’t go.
“Your depths made a pressure
That punctured my works
And all your fluids couldn’t tolerate the force of my thirst
I love the place where we shared our tiny grace
But just because it’s real don’t mean it’s gonna work”
True Affection‘s finger snaps, bells, and slow bouncing beat make you feel like you’re under water. Khaela’s voice wanders up and down as she breaks up with someone she loves but can’t be with. I always imagine a mermaid or a giant squid. It’s sad and beautiful and good advice.
Paper Television was released two days before my 28th birthday on October 24, 2006. The reviews were good 20 years ago.
Pitchfork: 8.3 “she’s got a heart that doesn’t want to go out and get hurt in the world, but she’s trying to talk her heart into going out anyway– is wildly endearing“
AllMusic: 4/5 “the Blow’s avant-pop leanings have been refined with more structure, more rhythm, and more hooks, resulting in a sound that, interestingly, is more forward-thinking than the group’s more concentratedly experimental early work… Paper Television is exciting and accomplished, the album where the Blow goes from being interesting to being addictive.“
I laughed re-reading Pitchfork’s review when they said, “Bechtolt– a cracked-laptop wizard who, as YACHT, has been pulling a similar beats/karaoke/dance routine live for three or four years.” The modern slang for cracked is someone who is good at something, but in 2006 they meant a glitchy sound as if his laptop was broken.
Pitchfork ranked Parentheses #55 on their list of 2006’s best songs and said, “for anyone who’s ever wondered what it would sound like if the Shangri-La’s had laptops and USB keyboards” and “I admit it: Sometimes I just appreciate hearing her say she’ll be there for me if I ever break down sobbing at the grocery store“
I ranked it #7 when I wrote about my favorite albums of the decade in 2009 but it’s one of the only entries on the list that has stuck with me through 2026. I’m still finding ways to connect to it after thousands of plays. I’ve listened to it so many times I can tell when someone else is listening to it from their earbuds at a distance.
In 2018 I saw The Blow at Johnny Brenda’s on their tour for Brand New Abyss and after the show I bought a tshirt from Khaela. I told her across the merch table that she was my favorite band and she asked my name and she said, “Oh, Ben Garvey? The guy who keeps tweeting at us?” She came around the table and gave me a hug. My brain accepted the person who wrote all this wonderful music that meant so much to me was right there. I felt like my ghost went through the ceiling and my body melted through the floor. I felt like I traveled across the universe. I felt 5 years old and 105 years old. It was completely unexpected. I didn’t feel nervous before that and then went from 0-100. They say don’t meet your heroes, but fuck that. I met David Lynch and I met Khaela Maricich.
Paper Television’s tracks are vulnerable, empowering, horny, shy, and a little bit broken. Bonjour Jeune Fille is a perfect song to liven up the Touch Tunes in your local dive bar. Eat Your Heart Up was on my running mix for years when I could still run. I still mime the apple crunch sound on Pardon Me when it comes on. I think The Big U is about having a threesome with God? There’s something for everyone. Even music to paint to.