I’m so glad these guys are churning them out these days!
Monthly Archives: July 2009
Song of the Day #372: ‘My Darling’ – Wilco
I don’t know if any band in my collection has had as extreme a swing in my estimation as Wilco. Once upon a time they were firing on all cylinders to such a degree that I numbered them among my very favorite bands. But that lasted for three albums. Now, three more albums later, I’m largely indifferent about them. I’ve been tempted a couple of times to check out their latest release, Wilco (the Album), but never enough to do anything about it.
I imagine this is what it’s like when you fall out of love with a woman. She goes from inhabiting your every thought to not stirring any emotion in you whatsoever. As Fiona Apple puts it in her beautiful song ‘Love Ridden’: “No, not ‘baby’ anymore, if I need you I’ll just use your simple name… only kisses on the cheek from now on, and in a little while we’ll only have to wave.”
Song of the Day #371: ‘Hey Hey What Can I Do?’ – Led Zeppelin
In yesterday’s post, guest-blogger Alex suggested that some groups remain (and should remain) rooted to the high school experience. She specifically called out Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, which happen to be the two groups I most associate with high school — and for exactly the reason she gave… I basically lost interest in them after those years.
Thinking back, I was a big (and new) Elvis Costello fan back in those days, but he has stayed with me for the twenty years since so in no way does he signify “high school” for me. Likewise, my roommate and I shared am affinity for Simon and Garfunkel, but their music has been a staple in my life before and after that period.
Song of the Day #370: ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ – Guns N’ Roses
[Note: Today’s selection comes to us courtesy of a guest blogger… my wife, Alex. Take it away, dear!]
There are songs that lose their appeal after you leave high school. Or at least they should. Every Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd song comes to mind. But whenever I hear ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ by Guns N’ Roses, especially from the beginning, I vividly remember and relish that part of being a teenager that shouts to the world: I am angry and loud and indestructible.
Song of the Day #369: ‘Now Comes the Night’ – Rob Thomas
I generally think of Rob Thomas as a decidedly middle-of-the-road artist. I don’t mean that in the MOR sense, though I suppose he is that to some degree as well, but in the sense that his music isn’t wonderful and it isn’t bad. It’s… good. And sometimes good just isn’t good enough when it comes to deciding what to listen to in a collection of hundreds of CDs.
Now I fully admit that this assessment of Thomas might be off base. Indeed, I quite like the hit songs he’s written for Matchbox 20 (‘Push,’ ‘3 a.m.’ and ‘Bent,’ among others) and you’d have to be deaf to not appreciate the smash hit ‘Smooth’ he wrote for Santana. And I really like the poppy funk (or funky pop) of ‘Lonely No More,’ the first single off his debut solo album Something to Be.
Meet Me In Montauk 