Back in 2004, I downloaded a song called “22 Grand Job” by a band whose name I’d read somewhere or other. It immediately became my most often played mp3 and I spent a lot of time hunting down more information about these Rakes guys. It’s pretty well known around these parts that The Rakes are now one of my very favorite bands and it all started with “22 Grand Job”.
I was totally blown away by this track. At the time, there was nothing else quite like it. You could dance to it, but it talked about job salaries, for god’s sake. It had a driving beat that made your heart pound but still sounded like a day at the office. “22 Grand Job” was first conceived by Alan Donahoe after a job interview, as he told the BBC: “I thought I had the job but I didn’t. But I was walking down the street singing ’22 Grand Job in the city that sounds nice, 22 grand job in the city that sounds nice’ over and over.”
After two full albums, The Rakes are still at their best when they are dissecting the steaming pile of blah that is everyday life, from going to work hungover and stinking to reading ridiculous tabloid headlines. But as much as I adore everything they do, they’ve not yet topped this classic.
The Rakes – 22 Grand Job
Filed under: Classics, Music Tagged: | Indie, Rock, The Rakes
