These are the Random Weekend selections I most enjoy — little blasts from the past that give me an excuse to catch up with an artist I’ve long ago forgotten.
Josh Joplin Group made a (very) minor alternative splash at the turn of the millennium, releasing an album called Useful Music that is among the better examples of that late 90s alt-rock sound.
Best Songs of 2013 – #11
Another Self Portrait, the latest installment of Bob Dylan’s great Bootleg Series, goes a long way toward redeeming Self Portrait, widely considered Dylan’s worst album.
Or at least it makes you wonder about the album Dylan might have released had he gone in a different direction.
Best Songs of 2013 – #12
Here’s the Josh Rouse song I alluded to during the most recent Random Weekend.
Rouse has always reminded me of Paul Simon, even before he started dabbling in exotic rhythms. He has a similar knack for infectious melodies, usually based around an acoustic guitar with occasional horn flourishes. Stylistically, much of Rouse’s discography could fit comfortably on Simon’s early solo albums.
Best Songs of 2013 – #13
I think Miranda Lambert has been around long enough now for me to consider her one of the most consistently great singer-songwriters I know.
Through four solo albums and two records with Pistol Annies, the woman has yet to release a bad song. And she’s delivered a boatload of truly great ones.
Best Songs of 2013 – #14
My only previous exposure to Arctic Monkeys was a clip I posted on the blog because of its nifty one-take video. That song, ‘R U Mine?,’ was ok but nothing special.
But ‘Do I Wanna Know?,’ one of my new discoveries, made an instant impact.
