Tuesday, July 5, 2011

"Trinket"

Song Title: "Happy Right This Second"
Artist: Trinket
Search Term: "Trinket"

"Happy Right This Second" is lovable indie twee-pop that's uncomplicated, catchy, and perky without succumbing to the nettlesome gawkiness of weenies like Tullycraft or All About Chad. Heather Stanfield nasally exults over the things that make her feel fleetingly content: Tiny dogs, grippingly pointless television, and novelty consumer goods. What keeps the song from being overly cornball, though, is the bridge's acknowledgment of a deeper dissatisfaction underneath: "If I try not to dwell on it/Perhaps I can put a spell on it/Be happy for two seconds in a row/Then I'll be the happiest person that I know." It's delivered with such a boppy, honeyed melody that it's clearly intended to be more funny than cynical, but I feel like it gives the song a glimmer of a weightier idea--something about American attempts to keep our collective malaise at bay by continually tossing distracting new toys at it--while still being unaffected enough to allow that those little pleasures can sometimes make life worthwhile regardless of what else is going on in the world, beyond our control. (Tiny dogs are awesome.)

Sadly, I can find no information about Trinket's body of work beyond this song, which was included on a compilation entitled Alright, This Time Just the Girls. I'd love to hear more from them, but if this song was a one-off single and remains the band's only recorded legacy, then they batted a respectable 1.000 in their career. (NB: There exists a different band with the same name, but by all accounts they sound like the Goo Goo Dolls, so we shall count our blessings that our unscientific search yielded the track from the preferable Trinket.)

6 comments:

  1. Oh, dear. I like the concept a lot, but that voice is making me want to punch something.

    Happy birthday!

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  3. Her voice is an acquired taste, I grant you. I find it charming, but then I would.

    Thanks for the birthday card and kind wishes! Hope you have had a lovely day as well!

    (Previous comment removed to fix a typo.)

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  4. LisaLouWho Who Is Not Only TwoJuly 8, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    I submit that un-twee prosaic lingo like "I'm not sure that technically it's a dog at all" also contributes to its undercutting of cornballitude.

    Cool you're doing this. I just made a feed for it for my near-obsolete reading option. :)

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  5. P.S. It's a great song.

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  6. That's a good point too. Glad you liked the song! And I hope you continue to enjoy this blogthing!

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