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Song of the Day #1,799: ‘Careful’ – Guster

guster_keep_it_togetherI started this non-theme week with a Ben Folds Five song and I’m finishing it with a tune by Guster. As it turns out, I’ll be seeing both of these bands in concert (along with the Barenaked Ladies) next month. So maybe this turned into half of an unofficial theme week after all.

I’m excited by idea of seeing Guster in concert. I don’t think their drummer plays exclusively with his hands anymore, but even absent that quirk, they have always struck me as a the sort of group that would dial things up creatively in a live performance.

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Song of the Day #1,798: ‘My Wandering Days Are Over’ – Belle & Sebastian

tigermilkIn looking for good songs to feature this week, I was surprised to see that I hadn’t posted a Belle & Sebastian song for 6 months, and only two in the past year.

I was even more surprised to learn that I’d never featured today’s SOTD, ‘My Wandering Days Are Over,’ one of Belle & Sebastian’s signature songs and a favorite of mine.

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Song of the Day #1,797: ‘Ya Hey’ – Vampire Weekend

vampire_weekend_stepEvery year I set aside a few weeks in late December to recap my favorite songs of the year. It’s the one blog feature that I actively think about throughout the year — deliberately holding off from posting certain new songs because I know they will likely factor into the best-of series.

But sometimes I get bitten. It sounds funny, but occasionally I’ll post a song before I realize how much I like it. Or I’ll post a track in my “songs of summer” week only to discover that it’s also one of my favorites of the year.

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Song of the Day #1,796: ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” – Creedence Clearwater Revival

creedenceThe latest issue of Rolling Stone gave a rare 5-star review to John Fogerty’s new album, Wrote a Song For Everyone.

The record features Fogerty performing some of his most famous songs as duets with an eclectic mix of stars. The acts range from country artists such as Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson, to rockers Dawes and Foo Fighters, indie jammers My Morning Jacket and even diva Jennifer Hudson.

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Song of the Day #1,795: ‘On Being Frank’ – Ben Folds Five

bff_sound_life_mindI’ve been doing a lot of theme weeks in recent months. I like the structure they provide and, I’ll be honest, it’s easier to come up with five songs per week around a specific theme than to write five discrete posts.

Still, I sometimes like the chance to throw out five unrelated songs to make five unrelated points — even if the point is as simple as ‘I like this song.’

So I’ll do that this week. (Wait, did this just become a theme?)

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