This is the fifth Random Weekend song from the Hunger Games soundtrack, a compilation of songs “inspired” by the 2012 film.
This was a worthy collection, featuring contributions from Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Arcade Fire, Glen Hansard, Maroon 5 and Kid Cudi, among others. Today’s track comes courtesy of the great Neko Case, who wrote two songs for the film but had only one selected for the soundtrack.
The Random iTunes Fairy serves up a lot of interesting songs. But I didn’t realize until today’s selection popped up just how rarely she delivers something I really love.
Usually, my reaction to the first notes of the random song is something akin to “huh.” As in, there’s an artist I haven’t thought about much lately. Or, I wonder how this album wound up in my iTunes library?
It has now been 5,000 posts and nearly 14 years since I wrote my first Song of the Day entry back in July of 2008.
That post was about The Smiths’ ‘I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish,’ a title I picked because I somehow knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I’ve chosen a cover of that song to mark today’s milestone.
Today’s random SOTD, ‘Wigwam,’ appeared on Bob Dylan’s 1970 album Self Portrait, considered by many the worst release of his career.
The version posted today is from The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971), a compilation featuring alternate tracks from Self Portrait and its follow-up from the same year, the much better received New Morning.
The new tracks do away with excessive overdubs and correct other lamentable production decisions, unearthing the far more promising album buried beneath the original Self Portrait.
It’s been more than two years since I last featured a Vampire Weekend song on the blog — a whole pandemic!
It’s been just shy of three years since the band released a new album. 2019’s Father of the Bride, their fourth release, was the first without founding member and co-songwriter Rostam Batmanglij. The left lead singer Ezra Koenig to carry the creative weight, a role he seemed to relish.
But no new music since.
Meet Me In Montauk 