John Ostby, lead vocals, keyboards
Eric Fa… Read Full Bio ↴SPYMOB
John Ostby, lead vocals, keyboards
Eric Fawcett, drums, vocals
Brent Paschke, guitar, vocals
Christian Twigg, bass
How do you describe a year in which your band toured the world, played on a gold-selling record, performed on "The Late Show with David Letterman," scored radio and MTV airplay, garnered critical acclaim, shared stages with everyone from David Bowie to Jay-Z and recorded its debut album?
"I call that a really good year," says vocalist John Ostby, whose group Spymob hit it big in 2002 as the backing band for Neptunes side project N.E.R.D. For the average artist, such achievements usually mark the summation of an entire career -- if they're lucky. Spymob, however, is just getting started.
Their eagerly awaited debut album Sitting Around Keeping Score glows with the absorbed influences of Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, Jellyfish and Split Enz. It's also the first rock album released on Star Trak, the new Arista subsidiary founded by the Neptunes.
About the Neptunes/N.E.R.D. collaboration, Ostby says, "It changed our world. One day we were playing hole-in-the-wall gigs in our hometown of Minneapolis and the next we're touring Europe and performing on BBC's 'Top of the Pops.' It's the kind of stuff you dream about from the day you learn to play, but not something you can plan."
Pharrell Williams, however, had it all mapped out. The visionary Neptunes producer foresaw endless possibilities after hearing Spymob's much-buzzed-about demo. "They reminded me of the music I grew up with," he says. "Their songs sounded like Steely Dan crossed with the Meters and Prince and it just blew me away." Williams sang Spymob's praises to his attorney, who, unbeknownst to him, already represented the band. Meetings ensued, ideas were exchanged and excitement built as Williams told Spymob drummer Eric Fawcett, "I'm gonna blow Spymob up. Everyone is gonna know who you are."
After asking Ostby to lend backing vocals to the Neptunes-produced Kelis track "Mr. UFO Man," talk of a more serious collaboration began. It all came together in June of 2001, when Williams and partner Chad Hugo decided to re-cut N.E.R.D.'s debut In Search Of... using live instrumentation. The two-man hit factory, whose multi-platinum producing credits include Nelly, Mary J. Blige, Kid Rock and dozens more, had their pick of star power and A-list session players. They chose Spymob. "Those guys were integral to the making of the album," says Williams.
Rolling Stone agreed, praising In Search Of... by writing, "Credit has got to go to (Spymob bassist) Christian Twigg and Eric Fawcett for supplying Search with dexterous, downright joyful bass and drums." Entertainment Weekly applauded the Neptunes' decision as well, writing, "...the gamble paid off. In Search Of... has a crackling vigor missing from the first stab, and its melange of genres makes for music unlike anything else around."
Anything up until now, that is. Spymob raises the ante with Sitting Around Keeping Score, a boundary-busting album that swings and sways with seductive flair. Nine of Sitting Around Keeping Score's 12 cuts were produced by Stephen Lironi (Black Grape, Hanson), while Minneapolis-based Alex Oana produced the title track and "Walking Under Green Leaves." Appropriately, the band produced and recorded the spare and compelling "I Still Live at Home" at their home studio.
When someone suggested that the Neptunes re-mix one of the album's tracks, Williams laughed. "Chad and I are usually brought in to fix all kinds of things on records," he said. "We didn't want to touch this one at all." Adds Hugo, "Pharrell and I were inspired to form the Neptunes because of our love for old soul, jazz and rock records. I get that same feeling of excitement and energy when I listen to Spymob."
"Their attitude toward music is refreshing," says Ostby. "There are plenty of producers out there who just want to put their stamp on records, but Pharrell and Chad are mature enough to know that if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Though Spymob's sound evokes classic rock and soul-music icons, they keep their grooves current by incorporating loops and samples into songs built on vintage instruments. Says Fawcett, "John has an old Rhodes piano, our guitarist Brent uses a vintage Fender Strat, our bassist Twigg plays a Fender Precision Bass and I play old Ludwig drums. Those vintage instruments have a warm sound, which makes the songs sound really rich."
At the heart of the band's sound is Ostby, whose supple voice, unique phrasings and reflective meditations lend depth and color. In his lyrics, he reveals a singular perspective full of irony, optimism and reverie. In "It Gets Me Going," Ostby turns the seemingly mundane life of a family dog into a deliciously ironic tale set to a rollicking pop song colored by buoyant piano lines, bold Hammond riffs, soulful guitar fills and subtle electronic nuances. The perked-up "Thinking of Someone Else" begins with a broken toe before its protagonist wanders into a dreamy remembrance of childhood and his mother's nurturing. In "2040," Ostby imagines domesticity in a not-so-surreal future. Belying its effervescence, "National Holidays" is a poignant and heartbreaking look at a divorced couple's custody of their only daughter. The sleek "German Test Drive" transports listeners from their late-model Corollas and Civics to the cockpit of a sports car on the Autobahn. He also imagines the life of a NFL legend in the final track, "Joe Namath." "Our job is to take John's quirky witticisms and observations about the world and wrap them in music you can move your ass to," says Fawcett.
Spymob's story begins nine months after Fawcett and Ostby's graduation from Minnesota's St. Olaf College, where the two roomed and played in a band together. Ostby was contemplating a career in film scoring in Los Angeles, while Fawcett had been accepted into a PhD program in the history of science at the University of Wisconsin.
"I didn't think I was going to form another band," Ostby says. "But that's where my heart was." He called Fawcett, played him some recently written songs, and the two agreed to return to Minneapolis and form a new band. "We were on a Blues Brothers mission from God," laughs Fawcett.
Once home, they met up with Brent Paschke, the guitarist who would help bring their developing sound to fruition. Ostby says, "I was coming from a background of pop music centered on the piano-stuff like the Beatles and Burt Bacharach, and also soul stuff like Stevie Wonder, Gamble and Huff and the Philly sound. Brent came in with a rock and funk feel, sort of like (Red Hot Chili Peppers axeman) John Frusciante. I think the fusion of piano-pop with the more aggressive, unorthodox guitar was key to forming our sound." A longtime friend and former classmate of Paschke's, bassist Christian Twigg, cements the group's lineup with his driving bottom-end groove.
What's the secret to the band's across-the-board appeal?
Says Fawcett, "We're willing to go to weird places musically to find inspiration, that's who we are.
I Still Live At Home
Spymob Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I got a funny feeling
Deep inside.
We had some things in common
You said you been out of the whole scene for a while.
I guess we're supposed to meet
It said so on the printed sheet
I still live at home.
I still live at home.
It's not so bad
A door leads down to my basement bedroom from outside.
Upstairs,
They don't care when my friends
Drop by for surprise visits
Late at night.
I guess we're supposed to meet
It said so on the printed sheet
There's just one thing that you should know...
I still live at home.
I still live at home.
If we went back to my place,
I would light up scented candles.
No one would dare disturb us
We'd be all alone.
And if things did get serious,
It would be convenient
To walk right up the stairs
And have you meet my folks.
I guess we're supposed to meet
It said so on the printed sheet
There's just one thing you should know...
I still live at home.
I still live at home.
I still live at home.
I still live at home.
The song "I Still Live At Home" by Spymob tells the story of a person who is nervous but excited about meeting someone new. They have discovered some things in common but there's one thing they feel they need to tell the person; they still live at home. They describe their living arrangement as having a door in the basement that leads to their bedroom, and how it's not so bad because they can have late-night visitors without any issue. They also imagine a scenario where they could bring this new person back to their place and enjoy the conveniences of living at home, including lighting scented candles and having easy access to introduce them to their parents.
The lyrics explore the stigma of living at home as an adult, and how it can be seen as embarrassing or even juvenile. However, the singer has found a way to embrace their situation and make the best of it. They acknowledge that it may not be what others typically expect or want, but they still find a way to feel content with their circumstances. The song speaks to the idea that there is no "right" way to live and that people should feel free to make the choices that work best for them, even if they don't match up with societal expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
I read your name and interests
I checked out your profile and learned about your hobbies and likes.
And I got a funny feeling
I felt an instant connection to you.
Deep inside.
It was a strong feeling that came from the heart.
We had some things in common
We shared some similar interests and experiences.
You said you been out of the whole scene for a while.
You mentioned that you haven't been active in the dating scene recently.
I guess we're supposed to meet
I assume that we were destined to meet each other.
It said so on the printed sheet
The schedule or program indicated that we were scheduled to meet.
There's just one thing that you should know...
There's something important you need to be aware of.
I still live at home.
I haven't moved out of my parents' house yet.
It's not so bad
Living at home isn't as terrible as some people might think.
A door leads down to my basement bedroom from outside.
My room is accessible through a separate entrance outside the main house.
Upstairs,
In the main part of the house.
They don't care when my friends
My parents don't mind when my friends come over.
Drop by for surprise visits
They come unexpectedly or unannounced.
Late at night.
Even if it's past bedtime or after hours.
If we went back to my place,
If we decided to continue our date at my house.
I would light up scented candles.
I would create a romantic ambiance by burning aromatic candles.
No one would dare disturb us
We wouldn't be interrupted by anyone else in the house.
We'd be all alone.
It would just be the two of us spending time together.
And if things did get serious,
If our relationship developed into something more significant.
It would be convenient
Living at home would be practical or advantageous.
To walk right up the stairs
To simply climb the stairs to where my parents are.
And have you meet my folks.
And introduce you to my family.
I still live at home.
Just a reminder that I haven't moved out yet.
I still live at home.
In case you didn't hear me the first time.
I still live at home.
Sorry if my living situation is a dealbreaker for you.
I still live at home.
But my address doesn't define who I am as a person.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bochanable
Another great imagery comes with this song. I imagine a guy in college still living with his parents in the basement. The bedroom is filled with artifacts that tell you a lot about who lives there. I love the violins during the break/crescendo. Or is that a synthesizer. It reminds of friends I knew during the rites of passage time in life. Beautifully melancholy.
D. Brown
My favorite song on the album! Just beautiful! The vocals, instruments, lyrics...Perfection!
Witchdoctoralex Official
Tears ... can’t stop crying at all this throwback nostalgia
HAFS JAY
Super slept on album
zhiyuan li
i will buy it!
Elusory
:44 uhhhhh One on One by Hall & Oats?
Drive 2
sounds inspired by