Photo by RJ Gordon

Despite Starbucks coffee cup drama and society’s standard, yearly debates over the celebration of Christmas, I’d argue that Thanksgiving tends to reveal itself as the most uncomfortable holiday of the year.

Between displays of drunk uncles, bickering aunts, apathetic cousins, and the barrage of uncomfortable topics broached by family members that share a meal maybe twice a year at most, Thanksgiving tends to leave a crater of awkwardness before pumpkin pie is served. Luckily, even shouting matches over “I think I am a nice person” Donald “A lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive” Trump can be drowned out and Stove’s Is Stupider arrived this past month like a cornucopia of noise-cancelling riffs sent from the Thanksgiving gods.

Although Dinosaur Jr. comparisons followed Steve Hartlett with his previous outfit, Ovlov, Is Stupider feels like a more direct descendent to J. Mascis’s laconic musings and earworm riffs than anything previous. Hartlett prods the world around with endless questioning and wandering on Is Stupider, which strangely feels like a relief after being attacked with job and student loan questions. Most importantly though, songs like “Wet Food” perfectly capture the woozy feeling of aging, whether it’s making the leap from the kids table or considering your place on this stupid planet.

This week, we looked at “Food” in a Tryptophan-induced haze, bringing football ringtones, essential songs of fall, and… uh, Green Day along for the ride.

#14 – “Wet Food” by Stove

Tim: So how was this second listen after, you know, post-Thanksgiving stupor?

Dad: You know, I thought that was one of the more poppier songs you’ve had me listen to, which is not a negative comment. I really like that song. In fact, at the beginning, I could’ve sworn it was Green Day.

Tim: Oh wow, really?

Dad: Yeah, I cannot believe it. It was a great tune, very well put together. The musicians were real good; I liked that drum beat. I really like that strum style too, that “duk-duk-duk-duk” on the guitars. At some points, I felt it was a little Springsteen-ish too. The only negative comments I’ll make is the ending; I wanted more of a triumphant ending, but it kinda fizzled out. And then the singer during the prolonged notes there was, uh, kinda losing it.

Tim: Would you picture him on The Voice doing this?

Dad: [laughs] He would not be on The Voice, no.

Tim: So not that poppy, but…

Dad: No, but it was very good, very catchy tune. I could definitely see that getting played on a radio station… it passed the toe-tapper test! I got a question though: the song was called “Wet Food”, but I didn’t hear one line about wet food. Did I miss it?

Tim: I think it’s a play on another band on the same label as Stove named Palehound. They put out an album called Dry Food this year, so I think it’s just him messing around.

Dad: Ahh, I didn’t know if the guy just likes gravy on his stuff or something.

Tim: It’s a perfect Thanksgiving song! You can kinda tell from a band named Stove that names are meant to be taken a little lightly.

Dad: There’s so many weird names out there; that doesn’t bother me. Actually, the Red Sox have a term called the Hot Stove League where, in the general store days, all the old guys would sit around the store’s hot stove in the winter and predict trades. They’d tell stories, start rumors about who they should pick up… it’s all conjecture though. In fact, look it up, but I think there’s a Hot Stove jam session for music and baseball fans. Maybe that’s where they got it from?

Tim: I’m not sure about them being inspired by baseball jam sessions; I’ll look into that. I think I read that they got it from combining the songwriter’s name, Steve, with his old band’s name, Ovlov, which is just Volvo spelt backwards.

Dad: Oh… Ovlov sounds like some kind of anatomy part.

Tim: [laughs] Dare I ask where an ovlov would be located on a body, Dad?

Dad: It sounds like a lady’s… uh, never mind. And the name of the album is Is Stupider?

Tim: Yep, so it reads ‘Stove is stupider’, like, than Ovlov. Do you think it’s stupid?

Dad: Nah, bands these days are just trying to be different…

Tim: Like who? What are some wacky band names?

Dad: Bearing in mind that I mostly listen to country, most artists I like just use their names. It’s just Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, but then you show me the bands with the weird names like, uh, that band from Worcester you liked in high school? Four Year Strong, something like that? What the hell does that mean? And then there was an award show not too long ago and Fall Out Boy was on it. What’s a fall out boy?

Tim: [laughs] Fall Out Boy was a superhero on The Simpsons!

Dad: I didn’t really watch that show. It was the suckiest show to ever suck… isn’t that what Homer used to say? D’oh?

Tim: Oh my god, Dad… let’s back to the song. When I sent this one to you, I said it reminded me of a good song to play in the Fall. Are there specific songs you go for around Thanksgiving?

Dad: Usually, the football theme songs or something like that. Fall isn’t a season I think of a particular genre or type of song. You asked me that in the email and the only thing I could come up with at the time was The Mamas and Papas’ “California Dreamin”. It’s kinda not in my era, but it’s got the line about all the leaves of Fall. Or it’s like, “all the leaves are brown” or something.

Tim: Wait, you sit around and listen to, like, the Monday Night Football theme in your free time? Like, not while watching a game?

Dad: Sometimes. It was my ringtone for a while. It’s kind of funny because I looked up Thanksgiving songs and it had, like, four results. Meanwhile, Christmas songs have, like, ten thousand pages. Thanksgiving really got the short end of the stick other than the Turkey song that Adam Sandler does.

Tim: Yeah, you played that one yesterday. Man, the jokes are so aged on it. Like, I think there’s jokes about Betty Grable and Sammy Davis Jr. in there that just fly right over my head.

Dad: Well let’s play it for next week’s song and I’ll teach you! [laughs] Well actually, doesn’t Green Day have a Fall song?

Tim: “Wake Me Up When September Ends”, I think you’re referring to?

Dad: Yeah! There you go! How come that didn’t make my Google search? But yeah, the Stove song reminds me of “Wake Me Up When September Ends” a bit, so maybe that’s where the Fall connection is coming in.

Tim: Oh god, I hope not. Okay, final rating and thoughts on this one?

Dad: Honestly, probably a B+. If the guy’s voice was a bit better, I’d give it an A. Other than that, I’d say ‘good job, stupid!’