Jersey Calling’s Parasocial Playlist: “Twisted Paradigm”

This is a recurring guest feature with Sean Breslin of Jersey Calling. TGEFM does not accept paid content, and we are publishing this feature because it’s pretty awesome.

Last month Jersey Calling released our fourth LP, Parasocial Security. Now that we’re through the grueling recording process, I wanted to take stock of the various influences that got us here, and how our songs fit into some of my favorite music. In conjunction with the record release, I’ve been building playlists around each track off the album. These playlists can include both songs that inspired a specific track that Jersey Calling created, or simply contain the same themes or elements behind their own meaning.

Currently live over at Spotify is the playlist created around our song “Twisted Paradigm.” For deeper insight, provided below are a list of each track (accompanied with either audio or video), along with commentary on why it is included, and how it strikes a chord. The “Twisted Paradigm” playlist skews a bit toward classic pop & rock, and what’s more classic than two people breaking each other’s hearts? 

Jersey Calling – “Twisted Paradigm”

Lead singers and Jersey Calling power-couple Josh Kates & Victoria Maffei-Kates wrote this one together. “We were inspired by past relationships and the highs & lows that come with them,” Josh told me. “In the end, they wind up feeling more like an addiction than actual love.” Musically, we kept this song simple so Josh & Victoria could take center stage. But, the addition of mandolin & banjo gives the music a gentle lift throughout that creates the space for the vocals to tell the story.

Andrew Bird & Fiona Apple – “Left-Handed Kisses”

This song is a journey. It starts with a declaration, then a disagreement, which then devolves in circles itself, sweet and pained, in partial phrases that don’t always link up. The song builds and falls back, and Bird & Apple often seem to be singing past each other, neither necessarily bothering to listen to the other but still somehow landing together for some truly sublime harmonies. It perfectly encapsulates the frailty of a relationship that never really clicks. 

Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”

If I controlled the universe, Stevie Nicks would have left Fleetwood Mac in the late 80s & joined the Heartbreakers as a permanent member right before Petty’s resurgence heading into the 90s (just imagine her vocals on “Free Fallin’”). I think Petty & Nicks both bring a sense of weariness and wisdom to their vocals, with that fallible humanity. Nicks sings “I didn’t know what I was getting into,” but you know she did. We all know what we’re getting into, and we do it anyway.

Paula Abdul – “Opposites Attract”

OK, this one isn’t about heartache, but about a relationship that finds a way despite differences. And yes, it’s silly & the gender roles in it are … dated, to say the least. But, this is probably the first song I remember hearing that was a conversation between two singers, and it so successfully uses the tension between the two vocalists to drive the song’s energy. And, 35 years after its release, this song is still a bop. I challenge you not to sing along.

Billie Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones – “Long Time Gone”

Armstrong & Jones released Foreverly, a collection of Everly Brothers’ songs mostly from their Songs Our Daddy Taught Us record. What I like about the male/female harmonies in this – aside from their obvious beauty – is that it gives both partners the right to their aggrieved feelings. And, like so many rocky relationships, you can hear just how similar both are feeling, that simmering bitterness that turns hard to resentment. It’s packaged in such a homespun melody that it almost feels comforting, if not for the imminent break. 

Alison Krauss & Robert Plant – “Please Read the Letter”

First, Alison Krauss is a treasure of a songwriter and vocalist, and I think her voice’s fragility pairs well with Robert Plant’s, which has aged remarkably well and still carries its Zepplin-era swagger. I love this song because it’s about that futile attempt to give your broken heart one more chance to explain itself, to have the last word that somehow might make all the heartache go away, or at least give the narrative some kind of resolution. 

The Dropkick Murphys – “The Dirty Glass”

This song is a brawler, a straight-up fight between two lovers – with an obnoxious friend interjecting for good measure. It’s a drunken disaster, filled with all the things people say when they absolutely do not give a single fuck anymore. And it rips.

Fleetwood Mac – “Silver Springs”

Apologies for the repeat artist, but in my defense – it’s Stevie Nicks. “Silver Springs” was left off of Rumors, but was a staple in the Mac’s live shows & finally was released as the single from 1997’s The Dance, Fleetwood Mac’s reunion live album. The video of this live performance shows just how intensely Stevie is still feeling this song, as she leans on her mic stand and sings directly to the song’s subject, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. For his part, Buckingham offers an understated guitar solo as a response, an echo of the melody that confirms the truth in every line Nicks sings.

Steve Earle – “You’re Still Standing There”

Finally, a duet about the long haul. Love is an endurance sport, and Steve Earle is joined by alt-country goddess Lucinda Williams for this track that finds each vocalist standing steadfast for the other. It tracks the obvious highs & lows, but the song allows this relationship to work because neither will give up. The song tells of commitment that isn’t stubborn, or demanding. It just is. And those of us lucky enough to find that in a partner recognize it in this song.