With only two months left in the year, I’m starting to compile my list of 2013’s best songs, which I’ll kick off in the middle of December.
I’ve never been completely satisfied with my criteria for the year-end list, but it works well enough. I limit myself to one song per album (though not per artist, if a particular artist has released multiple records) and I choose the songs that had the greatest impact on me personally, not necessarily the culture.
Sometimes the iTunes “randomness” is downright creepy.
A week ago I wrote about the difference in quality between Adele’s first and second albums, and this week the Random iTunes Fairy serves up a track from her debut to either prove or refute my point.
I’d argue that this little ditty completely supports my description of the album, 19, as a “bore.”
I feel about Belle & Sebastian the way Pulp Fiction‘s Vincent Vega feels about Europe — they’re similar to other alternative bands but just a little bit different.
It has something to do with the makeup of the band, I’m sure. Seven members, several of whom trade off lead vocals, playing traditional rock band instruments as well as cellos, violins and plenty of woodwinds. You’re pretty much guaranteed to have a unique sound given that lineup.
I had planned to finish out this week with a cut from Elton John’s newest album, The Diving Board, produced by T Bone Burnett and described as a return to John’s piano-bass-and-drums sound of the 70s.
But I can’t find a clip of ‘My Quicksand,’ the track John singles out in Rolling Stone, on YouTube. I did stumble upon a fan covering the track with his best Elton John impersonation, but it’s not quite the same.
One thing I’ve always liked about Elton John is his appreciation and championing of other artists. Whether it’s Rufus Wainwright or Eminem, John isn’t shy about proclaiming his love for the music of others.
In his Rolling Stone interview with Cameron Crowe, John says his 2001 album Songs From the West Coast was inspired by the alt-country sound of Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker.
Meet Me In Montauk 