Duluth Song of the Year: "They're Never Wrong"

Duluth Song Of The Year: “They’re Never Wrong” Little Black Books (Black Out)

Andrew Olson

Reader Weekly

So you are sitting driving frantically around town wondering what you should buy for that young Duluthian on your list. Or maybe, while driving through Morgan Park, you decide that one more Christmas song will send you over the edge. The answer to your Christmas quandary is to buy The Little Black Books’ newest album, Black Out.

If you don’t have a copy of their new CD, you cannot possibly understand. Sure, my quotes on their music are construed every which way, but the music is too good to let those little things hold anyone back. Mark Lindquist is leaving town soon and this could be his last ode to Duluth.

The song that really stopped you while listening to the album is entitled, "They’re Never Wrong." The lyrics on that tune are the best I’ve heard in local music for some time. I had to email Mark to ask him for them. It goes a little something like this:

"She overdoses on the manic panic, she’s old school and so mod, she’s got the beer brigade tucked deep in her i-Pod.

She’s painting punker signs on a bridge in Cloquet, she doesn’t know what it means, I still think that’s okay...

I don’t tell her she’s wrong we gotta help her along...etc.

He takes his daddy’s car, with cassettes after dark, he always sings alone driving through Morgan park, he wants to go to all the parties, he’s a junior and he’s so bored, and he wants to start a band that sounds like Dinosaur.

I don’t tell him he’s wrong, I wanna help him along...etc.

They met over pinball at Aladins’ arcade now they’re making out in a back booth at Louis’ cafe’, he’s thinking about moving to the St. Paul caves, she knows they’ll end up in a bar band on the Iron Range, I don’t tell them they’re wrong, we gotta help them along... "

It’s an acoustic number and Chunk (drums) plays the brushes for added effect. It sounds like a mix (from my skewed perspective and depending on what is being played constantly in the media) of "Rubber Soul," “Skinned", a tune off Blind Melon’s Soup or even The White Stripes acoustic numbers they throw in to fill an album. The point of the song is that kids make stupid mistakes, we all did, but we need to support them and help them along. It is poetry mixed with great musicianship.

Recently Mark decided that the acoustic version wasn’t enough for the people of Duluth, so he recorded the song electrically. It now highlights the harder side of the band while still retaining the bravado of what the song is acoustically. The new release is only available on vinyl for the most eccentric music listeners out there. Both the CD and record are available at the Electric Fetus. This is the must have for the rocker in your family!