what having babies will do

For those who don't know me well, it's time for full disclosure (literally, not the kickass Fugazi song). When it comes to underground music, I have a terrible case of DC-philia. I have yet to determine whether its due to my completely valid idolatry of Ian MacKaye, my geographical proximity, or the disproportionate amount of sheer innovative awesome the DC scene has produced. Likely its a healthy mix of all three.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, today's song is not by a DC artist per se, but someone long involved, if peripherally, in the scene. Ben Davis made a name for himself in bands like Sleepytime Trio and Milemarker, who played screamo before it was co-opted by mall punks and made "accessible" with least-common denominator pop-punk guitar hooks and lyrics that conjure up all the 7th-grade love letters I never sent. I'm looking at you, Hawthorne Heights. From the Sleepytime Trio's humble beginnings at JMU in Harrisonburg, Davis' bands made a name for themselves locally and far beyond.

Davis eventually grew up, toured solo for a year, made a baby, and in 2000 released a gem of an LP called The Hushed Patterns of Relief on Arlington's own Lovitt Records, for whom I have loads of respect. His solo work eschews the cathartic intensity of his hardcore past, yet still sounds like the product of a full, collaborative band with hints of Pinback and Elliott Smith among others. "What Drifting Will Do" lives up to its name with it's coasting Middle Eastern-esque melody and psychedelic guitar work. I'm going to avoid dirty three-letter words and say that emotional doesn't necessarily mean pathetic. Here's proof.

Ben Davis - What Drifting Will Do