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Song of the Day #1,515: ‘Sing It Again’ – Beck

Today we arrive at another of those ‘Oddball’ misfits whose music I enjoy despite the fact that it sounds like nothing else in my collection.

Beck defies categorization not just among my musical preferences but in general. Early in his career, he blended an alternative singer-songwriter style with hip-hop and electronica, but was just as comfortable releasing an acoustic folk album. He followed the kaleidoscopic pastiche of Odelay with the somber mope balladry of Mutations, then shifted gears again with the dance party of Midnite Vultures.

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Song of the Day #1,514: ‘Easy Way Out’ – Elliott Smith

A couple of weeks ago, I singled Aimee Mann out as the poster child for melancholy music. Well, she ain’t got nothing on Elliott Smith.

At least Mann has a dry sense of humor (hell, she even had a cameo in The Big Lebowski). Smith, on the other hand, writes music just perfect for wrist-slitting.

I mean that quite literally — Wes Anderson chose the Elliott Smith song ‘Needle in the Hay‘ for a scene depicting an attempted suicide in The Royal Tenenbaums. Top that, poseurs!

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Song of the Day #1,513: ‘Honey Hi’ – Fleetwood Mac

How do you follow Rumours?

Fleetwood Mac released that 1977 classic to universal critical and popular acclaim, and did so on the heels of their self-titled album, which though overshadowed by Rumours, is just as jam-packed with essential material.

In 1979, at the peak of their popularity, and also the peak of the personal turmoil that had become part of their daily existence, Fleetwood Mac released Tusk.

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Song of the Day #1,512: ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’ – Annie Lennox

I’ve always been dismissive of people who say things like “I like Bob Dylan’s music, I just wish I could hear it sung by somebody else.”

For me, Dylan’s voice is as much a part of his music as the chords, lyrics and instrumentation. While an occasional cover can be interesting, I no more want to hear Dylan’s catalog sung by others than I want to watch a foreign film dubbed into English.

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Song of the Day #1,511: ‘Invisible’ – Michael Penn

Time for some more ‘Pure Pop,’ this time in the person of Mr. Michael Penn.

Penn’s biggest influence has always been the ultimate pop band, The Beatles, and he’s never really strayed from his winning formula.

From the “Romeo in black jeans” exuberance of his first and only hit, ‘No Myth,’ to the last track of his last album, 2005’s Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947, Penn has delivered one hook after another, demonstrating talent and consistency that his more famous contemporaries would kill for.

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