Through more than ten years and nearly 4,000 Songs of the Day, I have written exclusively about songs written and performed by other people. That’s a long time to spend as an observer.
Not many people know this about me, but I have dabbled in a bit of songwriting myself. And today, I’ve summoned the courage to post one of my own songs.
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.
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.
So many of the noteworthy albums from 1991 are loud and aggressive. From classics I’ve already covered like Nirvana’s Nevermind, Pearl Jam’s Ten and Metallica’s Metallica to lesser-known but heralded albums by Soundgarden, Fugazi, Mudhoney and Hole.
When I saw that a band called Primal Scream released a celebrated album in ’91, I assumed it would be another loud one. But Primal Scream turns out to be a much more interesting band than their name suggests. Somewhere a metal band wishes they’d gotten to that moniker first.
Uncle Tupelo is regarded as the definitive alt-country band, pioneering a blend of folk rock and traditional country sounds. Great contemporary artists like Neko Case and Jason Isbell can be traced back to the music these guys put out in the early 90s.
Uncle Tupelo’s members are better known for their follow-up efforts, as Jay Farrar went on to form Son Volt and Jeff Tweedy achieved even bigger success with Wilco. When still together, they released four albums between 1990 and 1993. Still Feel Gone was their third.
Meet Me In Montauk 