Is it a crooner, is it a beatnik, is it someone hiding from the rain in a dustbin? If you’ve found yourself torn between which of these three to pick, there’s some likelihood that you’re listening to a Tom Waits song.
I have long been a devotee of Waits’. Ever since I first picked his seminal Rain Dogs album out of my father’s CD collection and found myself transported in a haze of shanties and clanking percussion to Singapore, a downtown train, and the inside of a broken clock, I’ve never quite found my way back. He is one of those artists who makes it onto almost every playlist I make.
But for all my adoration, I can recognise that Waits is not for everyone. More than once, I’ve played his gravelly, outlandishly distinctive voice to friends and been met with a look something akin to confused revulsion – maybe even shame, in me and my questionable taste.
But whatever you think of his music, I’m about to make the case that one of Waits’ albums is among the finest ever recorded, at least when it comes to testing a pair of speakers.
Mule Variations was released in 1999, and displays almost the full gamut of Waits’ creative range. Certain of the album’s tracks expand on the industrial, clunky wilderness of his 1992 album, Bone Machine, while others show a tender, poetic songwriter delving deep, to produce ballads of tear jerking sincerity.
The albums themes range from a serial killer’s neighbour speculating on what he’s doing in there, to religious commercialisation and the freedoms and ills of homelessness. Most significantly, in this instance, the stylistic variance of the album is as broad as the thematic.
So, let’s take a closer look at a few choice songs, and what they might be able to tell you about your speakers.
To begin at the beginning, Big In Japan, the album’s opening track, throws us straight into the deep end, with a distorted sample of Waits vocalising over booming percussion played on the rusted petrol tank of a truck. Yes, really.
With a production style that veers further towards pop music than any other song on the album, the punchy brass, distorted guitar, and warbling drums of Big In Japan are sure to test the rhythmic acuity of your system, especially in situations with a lot of loose, reverberant low-end thrown into the mix.
Two tracks later, Hold On, occupies a seismically different space. With a more traditional, country music sound and clean vocal processing, this track tells the story of someone reminiscing about their long lost love.
Whenever I am testing a pair of speakers, I find myself glad of the warm, paired-back arrangement of Hold On, principally because it shines a light on a system’s handling of subtle dynamic shifts, which are a crucial component of an overall sense of emotion. If I can come away from Hold On without choking up a little, then I can be sure the speakers aren’t telling me everything I need to know.
There are also some interesting spatial features on Mule Variations. Chocolate Jesus, for instance, was recorded outside, in a completely anechoic setting. As such, this track is an informative listen in terms of understanding the impact that the room is having on the speakers you are listening to.
Fortunately, our test rooms have all been acoustically treated, so they don’t contribute much in the way of a sonic signature, but no room is perfect and this song will highlight the sound of the space you are listening in. Another benefit of the song’s al fresco recording environment, is that instruments should feel placeable to a pin-point if your speakers are set up for optimal stereo imaging.
One of the more devastating songs on the album – and in Waits’ entire discography, for that matter – is Georgia Lee, a piano led ballad telling the tragic story of the 1997 murder of Georgia Lee Moses, a 12 year old girl from California.
The piano and bass in Georgia Lee should land with gentle, but impactful weight, while the piano, in particular, ought to allow your speakers’ midrange to prove its worth. This track should feel rich and warm, but without sacrificing the subtle ebbs in dynamics that make all the difference to its emotional fluency.
Whether you are streaming, listening on vinyl, CD or over the radio, there are certain common traits to each of the songs on Mule Variations that should go uncompromised. For evaluating high frequency detail, the raspy nature of Waits’ vocal throughout the album will put your tweeters to the task, while the band should sound punchy and engaged, even in the midst of their most tender moments.
Not only is Mule Variations an excellent entry point for those who haven’t yet explored Waits’ discography, showcasing the full breadth of one of alternative music’s most eccentric and sensitive songwriters, but it is, for all of the above reasons, a prime crash course for testing speakers. If you’re a Waits fan looking to put your new system to the test, give Mule Variations a whirl.
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