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Song of the Day #3,925: ‘Come As You Are’ – Nirvana

Love the Marvel Cinematic Universe or hate it (and I love it), you have to give credit to producer Kevin Feige for pulling off such an extraordinary feat of extended storytelling.

Twenty-one movies over ten years, with the granddaddy of them all — Avengers: Endgame — due in just a few weeks. A huge slate of perfectly cast stars popping up in multiple films in either lead or supporting roles. A talented slate of writers and directors who have brought their own sensibilities to individual films while maintaining the threads that tie them all together.

It is a unique cinematic achievement.

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Song of the Day #3,924: ‘Shallow (Live at the Oscars)’ – Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga

I’ve been tied up with the latest Decades series for the past few weeks, so I never got a chance to chime in on the Oscars. Don’t worry, that ship has sailed, and I don’t plan to revisit this year’s Academy Awards at this point.

But I did want to take a minute to acknowledge one of my favorite moments from the ceremony: Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s performance of ‘Shallow.’

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Song of the Day #3,922: ‘Da’ – Nil Lara

Nil Lara is a Miami musician who my wife and I saw live a few times back in the 90s. His early self-released albums and EPs were excellent.

Lara signed with a major label in 1995, releasing a self-titled album that collected his best work in more polished (and less effective, IMO) form. He didn’t put out another album until 2004’s Da, on which today’s SOTD is the opening track.

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Song of the Day #3,921: ‘Melancholy Mood’ – Bob Dylan

Here’s Bob Dylan sounding better than any man of his age and limited vocal range has a right to on a cut from his 2016 album of standards, Fallen Angels.

Before those vocals kick in, we get a full minute of sublime instrumental work. One element of Dylan’s recent covers albums that goes underappreciated is how amazing his backing band sounds. This handful of rock musicians — the same group who back him up on tour — bring nuance and grace to standards that were often recorded with full orchestras.

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