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Song of the Day #4,727: ‘Panic’ – The Smiths

‘Panic’ is one of the better-known tracks from Louder Than Bombs, The Smiths’ 1987 compilation of singles and B-sides that hadn’t had a U.S. release. Pound for pound, this album rivals any of the band’s studio releases.

The story goes that Morrissey and Johnny Marr wrote ‘Panic’ after listening to coverage of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster followed immediately by a silly pop song. The opening verses describe a chaotic scene as people react to world events, before the chorus shifts to a call to arms against the DJ whose music choices are too frivolous.

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Song of the Day #4,726: ‘Write My Ticket’ – Tift Merritt

I was surprised to see that today’s random track is only the second song I’ve posted from Tift Merritt’s 2004 sophomore album Tambourine. Even more surprising is that the first time was just last summer, when another of its songs showed up on a random weekend.

My love for Tift Merritt is well-documented on the blog, and I have featured her more than 40 times, yet somehow only two of those posts come from this album, the first of hers I heard.

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Song of the Day #4,725: ‘Transparent Soul’ – Willow

If you stopped paying attention to Willow Smith, daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, after the annoying single ‘Whip My Hair,’ released in 2010 when she was 10 years old, you might be surprised that she has turned into a fascinating young artist.

At 15, she released the arty pop song ‘Wait a Minute!,’ a real blast that picked up steam a few years later when it became a popular TikTok soundtrack. Four full-length albums followed.

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Song of the Day #4,724: ‘Sun Goes Down’ – Lil Nas X

A couple of weeks ago, I featured ‘MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),’ the latest hit single by Lil Nas X. He has since released another track from his upcoming album that I hope enjoys as much success.

‘Sun Goes Down,’ framed as a conversation between Lil Nas X and his younger self, is a heartwarming (and heartbreaking) look at the pressures of teenage life, especially for a kid who is Black and gay.

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Song of the Day #4,723: ‘Until the Sun Comes Out’ – Isla

I’m happy to see that new music is forthcoming from Josh Rouse, whose last album (Love in the Modern Age) came out in 2018. Rouse returns this summer with a side project called Isla, and a 9-track album titled The Mediterranean Gardener.

Isla is a solo effort, but different enough in sound and approach for Rouse to record it under a new name. He describes it as “improvised electronica” that he whipped together during his pandemic quarantine.

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