Natalie Merchant, both with 10,000 Maniacs and in her solo career, has created some of the most beautiful and emotional songs I’ve ever heard.
Her unique, emotive vocals blend so well with the well-produced acoustic piano pop. It’s music you can chill out to or cry to. Today’s Random SOTD is a great example.
Unlike movies, television and books, music is an art form that allows for passive appreciation. Many songs reward careful attention to the lyrics, the melody, the production. But some music is best heard in the background — of a dinner party, a restaurant, a club, even a grocery store.
I don’t know if it’s an insult to say that I consider Al Green a perfect passive artist. I love the man’s voice and the general vibe of his music, but it isn’t the sort of thing I’ll sit down and dissect over headphones. And I won’t play it in my car, which I consider active listening. But as the backdrop when company’s over, slam dunk.
Bruce Springsteen’s 2007 album Magic is one of the most resonant artistic commentaries on the G.W. Bush years. It’s loaded with songs about economic and cultural disillusionment and tracks critical of the war in Iraq.
Springsteen’s gift in protest songs like today’s random SOTD is to make these political issues personal. ‘Devil’s Arcade’ is told, at least in part, from the perspective of the wife or girlfriend of an Iraq war veteran. She focuses on their intimate moments, not the violence of the war, but the effect is just as shattering.
This early track by Childish Gambino is the reason Rap Genius was invented. Check out the annotation of these lyrics on that website to fully appreciate all of the double and triple meanings Donald Glover is stacking up here.
In terms of music, beat and delivery this track isn’t much to write home about but I love his ability to turn a phrase.
One thing I enjoy about Random iTunes Weekends is they allow me to dive into the back stories of songs and bands about which I don’t know much.
I own Tears for Fears’ greatest hits album, 1982’s Tears Roll Down, but I had no idea it was released a year after the band broke up. Or, more specifically, a year after founding member Curt Smith left and co-founder Roland Orzabal continued recording under the Tears for Fears moniker in his absence.
Meet Me In Montauk 