Category Archives: song of the day

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Song of the Day #4,191: ‘Never Talk About It’ – Tift Merritt

Merry Christmas, everyone! My best to you and yours this holiday season.

Now, back to the music.

Best Albums of the 2010s – #3
See You On the Moon – Tift Merritt (2010)

Yesterday I mentioned the “best of the 2010s so far” list I compiled five years ago. On that lineup, Tift Merritt’s 2010 See You On the Moon showed up at #9.

It’s a great illustration of how time can enhance (or diminish) the power of a piece of work that the same album now sits at #3.

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Song of the Day #4,190: ‘September’ – The Shins

Best Albums of the 2010s – #4
Port of Morrow – The Shins (2012)

When I listed my top albums of the decade so far back at the end of 2014, The Shins’ Port of Morrow claimed the top spot. Five years later, it’s lost none of its lustre.

Frontman James Mercer parted ways with his band’s original lineup prior to writing and recording this album, and kept the Shins name despite tackling the project as essentially a one-man band.

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Song of the Day #4,189: ‘Everlasting Arms’ – Vampire Weekend

Best Albums of the 2010s – #5
Modern Vampires of the City – Vampire Weekend (2013)

Here we go. This week I will reveal my five favorite albums of the last decade. Three of these appeared on my list of “best albums of the decade so far” back in 2014, though in slightly different order. The other two were released during the past five years.

At #5 is the third album by Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City. This was the band’s final album with multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij in the lineup, and it remains their best work to date.

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Song of the Day #4,188: ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’ – Shelby Lynne

Shelby Lynne’s 2008 album Just a Little Lovin’ is a tribute to Dusty Springfield, with Lynne covering nine songs popularized by the late English chanteuse.

Lynne drew comparisons to Springfield after her 1999 album I Am Shelby Lynne (a great one to check out if you haven’t already) and was later encouraged by Barry Manilow, of all people, to record a collection of Springfield’s songs. Lynne shelved the idea but returned to it several years later.

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Song of the Day #4,187: ‘Are You Down’ – Lucinda Williams

This track, from Lucinda Williams’ 2001 album Essence, is a perfect example of that record’s spare, haunting loveliness.

Like many songs on the album, ‘Are You Down’ has few lyrics and a whole lot of atmosphere. The interplay of guitar and drums on this track has a distinct Dire Straits vibe, which is certainly a good thing in my book.

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