I’ve always looked at music appreciation as something akin to a scholarly pursuit. I feel it is my duty as a music lover to seek out the cultural touchstones that have shaped popular music over the decades.
I might not like everything I encounter, but at least I’ll earn that opinion. That’s the reason I own several Joni Mitchell albums despite my distinct aversion to listening to any of them — I had to know what I was going to be missing.
My latest Random Weekend song comes courtesy of John Wesley Harding. ‘The Devil in Me’ is a nifty little power pop take on the themes The Rolling Stones mined so memorably in ‘Sympathy For the Devil.’
I last featured a John Wesley Harding song a little over a year ago and at the time I predicted I’d revisit him five years later. So thanks to iTunes’ random algorithm, I’m four years ahead of schedule.
Today’s SOTD represents the union of two excellent things introduced to me by my niece: Taylor Swift and The Hunger Games.
‘Safe & Sound’ is the first video released from the soundtrack to the upcoming film based on Suzanne Collins’ popular YA series. My wife and I read the books in record time after hearing our niece, Madison, rave about them and we’re eagerly anticipating the film’s release later this month.
More than 1,300 songs into this Song of the Day project, I’m still occasionally surprised to discover something I haven’t posted on the blog.
Recently, today’s SOTD — a standout track from Belle & Sebastian’s 2006 album The Life Pursuit — popped up on my car stereo and brought the same smile to my face that it always does.
“This would make a good Song of the Day,” I thought to myself, then immediately assumed it had been one already.
The Shins’ ‘Saint Simon’ popped up on my random playlist the other day and stopped me in my tracks. I’ve heard the song plenty of times but I’d somehow never realized exactly how freaking great it is.
Of the new albums being released early this year, I’m as excited about The Shins’ next record as just about anything else. James Mercer, the band’s songwriter and lead vocalist, has such a unique style that I know I’m in for something wonderful.
