Monthly Archives: April 2011

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Song of the Day #1,020: ‘Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John’ – Belle & Sebastian and Norah Jones

Belle & Sebastian sing duets as a matter of course, with three or four of their seven members sharing vocals on most of their albums. Lead singer Stuart Murdoch often trades lines with Sarah Martin or (previously) Isobel Campbell as well as Stevie Jackson.

But on a couple of occasions, Murdoch has teamed up with somebody outside the band. One was the EP track ‘Lazy Line Painter Jane,’ on which Scottish singer Monica Queen laid down a spirited vocal track that threatened to blow Murdoch’s thin whisper right off the tape.

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Song of the Day #1,019: ‘If I Never See Your Face Again’ – Maroon 5 & Rihanna

I started Duet Week with two gentlemen of advanced age sharing the mic, but the rest of the week will feature pairings between men and women. And the first of those is this very steamy match-up between Rihanna and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine.

I recently read a Rolling Stone interview with Rihanna in which the writer gushed about how impossibly gorgeous she is in person — unlike many celebrities who turn out to be a product of PhotoShop and packaging, Rihanna’s presence is amplified in the flesh. Where do you sign up for that guy’s job?

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R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now

“20th century, collapse into now,” Michael Stipe says in the final moments of R.E.M.’s latest album, Collapse Into Now. And it’s a fitting coda, as this album feels like a look back at all the things R.E.M. did so well in the 80s and 90s.

It’s been 13 years since drummer Bill Berry left the band, and Collapse Into Now is the closest they’ve come since to sounding like who they used to be. It doesn’t come close to the heights of their best work — how could it? — but it’s a rewarding listen that suggests 2008’s blistering Accelerate was indeed the wake-up call it sounded like.

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Song of the Day #1,018: ‘The Last Laugh’ – Mark Knopfler & Van Morrison

Back in the early weeks of the Song of the Day series, I did a theme week on duets. I wrapped up with Mark Knopfler and James Taylor singing the title song of Knopfler’s Sailing to Philadelphia.

Nearly a thousand songs later, I’m doing another week of duets, and I’m kicking it off with a track from the same album.

This time it’s Van Morrison joining Knopfler on ‘The Last Laugh,’ another stellar song from one of the most underrated albums of the 2000s.

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Song of the Day #1,017: ‘Little Atoms’ – Elvis Costello

I’ve been lucky enough to see Elvis Costello in concert four times. Every one of the shows was simply amazing.

The first was on Halloween night, 1999, in Sunrise, Florida, and like the SOTD’s from yesterday and today, it featured just Costello on guitar and Steve Nieve on piano. The 39-song (!) set list is posted here and I believe it might have been submitted to that site by my cousin (though certainly there were other “Heathers” who attended the show).

Song #39 on that list, ‘Couldn’t Call it Unexpected No. 4,’ was delivered “off mic” by Costello in one of the most intimate moments I’ve ever witnessed at a live concert. He was about ten feet away, belting out the song with no accompaniment.

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