Nothing Painted Blue
Nothing Painted Blue is an American indie rock band, sporadically active si… Read Full Bio ↴Nothing Painted Blue is an American indie rock band, sporadically active since the 1990s, led by songwriter Franklin Bruno. Bruno and drummer Kyle Brodie have been the only constant members, as the remainder of the lineup has undergone a number of changes throughout the band's existence. They formed in 1987 in Los Angeles and released their debut LP, A Baby, A Blanket, A Packet of Seeds, in 1990.
The band sometimes spelled their name as "Nøthing Painted Blue" (abbreviated "ØPB"), a use of notation for the empty set in mathematics. References to mathematics are common in their songwriting and iconography (Bruno's undergraduate degree was in mathematics; he is currently a visiting professor of philosophy at Northwestern University); for example, their 1998 record was named after the Monte Carlo method. The cover of the same album depicts pins scattered randomly on a surface, an apparent reference to a probabilistic method for approximating pi. Their album Placeholders features a song called Can't f(x), an abuse of mathematical notation for the song's refrain, "can't function."
The band's name apparently comes from one of Ann-Margret's lines in the 1964 film Kitten with a Whip: "How come you think you're such a smoky something, when you're so nothing painted blue?"
Bruno's compositions are known for their intellectually quirky sound and lyrical cleverness. Though Nothing Painted Blue has not achieved the level of cult status that contemporaries like Pavement and labelmates Guided By Voices did, many fans insist that they deserve a place in the canon of '90s underground rock, especially on their 1994 album Placeholders, which is often viewed as an unheralded masterpiece.
The band sometimes spelled their name as "Nøthing Painted Blue" (abbreviated "ØPB"), a use of notation for the empty set in mathematics. References to mathematics are common in their songwriting and iconography (Bruno's undergraduate degree was in mathematics; he is currently a visiting professor of philosophy at Northwestern University); for example, their 1998 record was named after the Monte Carlo method. The cover of the same album depicts pins scattered randomly on a surface, an apparent reference to a probabilistic method for approximating pi. Their album Placeholders features a song called Can't f(x), an abuse of mathematical notation for the song's refrain, "can't function."
The band's name apparently comes from one of Ann-Margret's lines in the 1964 film Kitten with a Whip: "How come you think you're such a smoky something, when you're so nothing painted blue?"
Bruno's compositions are known for their intellectually quirky sound and lyrical cleverness. Though Nothing Painted Blue has not achieved the level of cult status that contemporaries like Pavement and labelmates Guided By Voices did, many fans insist that they deserve a place in the canon of '90s underground rock, especially on their 1994 album Placeholders, which is often viewed as an unheralded masterpiece.
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Nothing Painted Blue Lyrics
A Longer Leash Not to coin a phrase/but play it as it lays Make…
Back In Town I heard that she was back in town/but I haven't…
Cornstarch You're like a critic/who wasn't sent a presskit You can't…
Dry Spell Winter is a solipsist It can't believe that spring exists…
Emphasis I know you live in the world I know you do…
Houseguest Mailman came while you were out I was sleeping at your…
Human Shield If I had an ounce of charm I would take you…
One Who Fell I had an atom smasher/I was using it to mow…
Ropeburn Jessica's got a ropeburn Jessica's sliding down Je…
Self-Contained I can take/can take rejection I can make/the moments pass…
Striver With a smile like a crease in the shirt of…