You won't get much older

I get a bad feeling about this song. Same way I do with Jim O'Rourke's entire Insignificance album, right down to the cover. Which isn't to say I don't enjoy it immensely. Just the opposite. It's all succulent a.m.-inspired pop, with enough twists and distortions to give it a weird perspective on its '70s roots. This track embodies that triumph. It kicks off like some cousin to Edie Brickell's "What I Am" and has the sort of texture and warmth you want to burrow into for the winter.

But O'Rourke's never one to let you have it easy. He's brilliant, but he doesn't give the sense that there's any pleasure in his art. And so music that seems like it should be enjoyed without guile begins to feel like a stalking horse, like he's trying to commit murder via sugar overdose. I've heard enough of his harsh, avant stuff to make me think that something really malevolent is going on underneath these cozy sounds. And that's before you even start to get into the nihilism in the lyrics. I hope he's gotten a little less full of contempt. Or at least I hope at least he's quit smoking by now.

Jim O'Rourke - Get a Room