Every year or two, the Random iTunes Fairy serves up a cut from Jackson Browne’s 1993 album, I’m Alive.
And every year or two I’m reminded what a beautiful and lasting piece of work it is.
Today’s song is particularly lovely, and further proof (like the whole album) that break-ups make for the some of the most emotionally resonant music.
The Random iTunes Fairy does like to repeat herself on occasion, and this week she’s following up last weekend’s Maroon 5 post with another cut from the band’s debut album, Songs About Jane.
My remarks from last week remain true seven days later… this album represents the best work Maroon 5 has done to date and I wish they’d return to this sound.
Today I’m wrapping up the first week of what I think has been a successful new feature on the blog — exploring a brand-new album for the first time through Song of the Day entries.
The album in question is Courtney Barnett’s Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit, and its first four songs have all been good to great. Let’s see if she can close out the week on a high note, with track #5, titled ‘Depreston.’
My first listen to Courtney Barnett’s Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit has been rewarding so far. And now we arrive at a 7-minute track called ‘Small Poppies.’
Few songs are worthy of a 7-minute running time. Even ‘Hey Jude’ is about three minutes too long. And ironically, this seems to be the least wordy track on the album so far. Will Barnett earn those minutes with this track? Let’s find out…
The first two songs of Courtney Barnett’s new album are very similar. Fast, streamlined, heavy on bass and drums, lots of lyrics more spoken than sung. Approaching Song Three, I wonder if we’ll get more of the same or if we’re in for a stylistic shift.
I’ve heard great albums that hit basically the same note throughout, and great albums that land all over the place. I don’t even have a preference for one over the other. But it’s always interesting to find out which kind of album a new one is.
