Here’s another in the long line of random tracks culled from Elvis Costello’s many reissues.
I’ll be honest, I would probably never hear these songs if it weren’t for Random Weekends. It’s not that they aren’t worthy… I just don’t have much patience for bonus tracks in general. That’s like watching deleted scenes rather than a favorite movie.
I started this non-theme week with a Ben Folds Five song and I’m finishing it with a tune by Guster. As it turns out, I’ll be seeing both of these bands in concert (along with the Barenaked Ladies) next month. So maybe this turned into half of an unofficial theme week after all.
I’m excited by idea of seeing Guster in concert. I don’t think their drummer plays exclusively with his hands anymore, but even absent that quirk, they have always struck me as a the sort of group that would dial things up creatively in a live performance.
In looking for good songs to feature this week, I was surprised to see that I hadn’t posted a Belle & Sebastian song for 6 months, and only two in the past year.
I was even more surprised to learn that I’d never featured today’s SOTD, ‘My Wandering Days Are Over,’ one of Belle & Sebastian’s signature songs and a favorite of mine.
Every year I set aside a few weeks in late December to recap my favorite songs of the year. It’s the one blog feature that I actively think about throughout the year — deliberately holding off from posting certain new songs because I know they will likely factor into the best-of series.
But sometimes I get bitten. It sounds funny, but occasionally I’ll post a song before I realize how much I like it. Or I’ll post a track in my “songs of summer” week only to discover that it’s also one of my favorites of the year.
The latest issue of Rolling Stone gave a rare 5-star review to John Fogerty’s new album, Wrote a Song For Everyone.
The record features Fogerty performing some of his most famous songs as duets with an eclectic mix of stars. The acts range from country artists such as Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson, to rockers Dawes and Foo Fighters, indie jammers My Morning Jacket and even diva Jennifer Hudson.
