MILB: "Hell" by the Squirrel Nut Zippers

There are times when you hear a song that is obviously tongue in cheek, but realize it would fit in very well in an old fashioned Fire and Brimstone Baptist tent revival in Alabama.  You can almost feel the heat and humidity coming off this song.  I like it a lot.

The first time I heard about The Squirrel Nut Zippers I was in College.  They were lumped into the nascent "Swing" revival happening in the mid-to-late 1990s, but this group was more than Big Band Swing.  They had a bit of everything.  Harlem Hot Music, Klezmer, Delta Blues, Swing of course, and a bit of calypso.  It was an amazing blend, and one that should have gotten more traction.  If I'm honest, they didn't do too badly.  They played President Clinton's inaugural, had a stint on the Tonight Show and a platinum album, so that's not too bad.  Still, they should be played more often then during Halloween in the States.  Plus, the name of the band comes from a headline about a guy that got drunk on moonshine, climbed a tree and wouldn't come down.  (The type of moonshine is apparently called Nut Zipper.)

Now, onto the song.  "Hell" is supposed to sound like a street corner preacher trying to reach out to the lost souls about what happens when people die.  The dramatic telling of how things will be in hell definitely takes me back to Revival! time in the South.  You'll hear them talk about how horrible hell is, and how everyone that goes there is tormented forever and ever.  Also you won't be able to hide anything in eternity, because everyone will know.  The lyrics are very demonstrative:

"This is a place where eternally/fire is applied to the body/ teeth are extruded and bones are ground/ and baked into cakes which are passed around."

or:

"Beauty, talent, fame, money, refinement, top skill and brain/ but all the things you try to hide/ will be revealed on the other side."

You can almost picture a man with a magnificently coiffed head of hair, a sharp suit, and an organ playing in the background, saying these things, right?

Moving on from the message, the use of live musicians, and a throwback sound to the early 20th century, gave this song a real "new" feel.  That sounds strange, but it was comfortable but different.  I personally liked it.  But then again I liked bands like Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, so take that what you will.

Go listen to the song if you haven't heard it.  If you have, listen to it again.  The musicianship is great, the singing definitely sounds like something from the 20s or 30s, and it even has the call and response which gives it a Cab Calloway sense.  Love it.  (And listen for the very ending where you hear someone say, "I broke the chandelier."  Random, but funny.)

Give it a try everyone.  You might surprise yourself and find your toe tapping.