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Song of the Day #2,637: ’24’ – Lana Del Rey

lana_del_rey_honeymoonI’ve always said that pretty much any Lana Del Rey song could be a James Bond theme. Her music is so lush and seductive, so retro romantic, that it’s made to play against floating silhouettes of guns and naked women.

It’s no surprise, then, that the Bond producers asked Del Rey to write a song for their latest film, Spectre. They wound up passing on her contribution in favor of Sam Smith’s ‘Writing on the Wall’ (big mistake, IMO). Today’s SOTD is assumed to be the track she wrote for the film (Spectre is the 24th Bond movie, and the musical and lyrical content are certainly in the ballpark). It would’ve worked like gangbusters.

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Song of the Day #2,636: ‘So There’ – Ben Folds

ben_folds_so_thereAfter a dry spell for new music, I’ve recently picked up three very good and very different releases. I’ll feature a song from each this week.

First up is Ben Folds, who last graced us with The Sound of the Life of the Mind, his reunion album with Ben Folds Five. Since then, he has delved into classical composing and his new disc, So There, features his first fully instrumental work.

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Song of the Day #2,635: ‘Masters of War (Live at Brandeis University)’ – Bob Dylan

dylan_brandeisThis performance by Bob Dylan of his classic protest song ‘Masters of War’ took place at Brandies University in 1963. The concert took place just weeks before the release of Dylan’s second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, before he became a star.

These tapes were unearthed decades later during some house cleaning by the son of Rolling Stone co-founder Ralph J. Gleason.

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Song of the Day #2,634: ‘Freaks and Geeks’ – Childish Gambino

childish_gambinoThis 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.

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Song of the Day #2,633: ‘Constant Craving’ – k.d. lang

kd_lang_ingenueThis 2-week dive into the albums ranked highest by critics in 1992 has been a bit discouraging. I’ve discovered a whole lot of murky and loud alternative rock that, for my money, is best left in the dustbins of history. Also a couple of rap albums and an extended disc of ambient noise.

So I’m happy to finish the span with a refreshingly melodic and resonant cut from k.d. lang. Lang followed her country crossover masterpiece Absolute Torch and Twang with 1992’s Ingenue, a full-on dive into adult contemporary territory.

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