Song of the Day #1,732: ‘Step’ – Vampire Weekend

vampire_weekend_stepI’ve been in a drought when it comes to discovering new music.

Going back a couple of years in my iTunes library, I see a lot of new releases by groups that I’ve followed for ages.

Aimee Mann, Ben Folds, Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Ron Sexsmith, Fiona Apple… lots of old favorites. Not a lot of new ones.

Continue reading

Song of the Day #1,731: ‘Carnival’ – Natalie Merchant

natalie_merchant_tigerlilySomehow I made it through 1,730 Songs of the Day without once featuring a solo Natalie Merchant track.

I guess that’s not completely surprising given that Merchant’s solo career isn’t (wasn’t?) exactly earth-shattering, and in my defense I have featured three 10,000 Maniacs songs, but it does feel like an oversight.

Continue reading

Song of the Day #1,730: ‘When the Ship Comes In’ – Bob Dylan

timestheyareachangingApologies to Amy, who recently requested that I not post anymore Bob Dylan songs.

I’m not sure why she picked on poor Dylan, who hasn’t made many appearances on the blog lately (only two this year, though admittedly one was less than a week ago).

I hope today’s song, a standout from The Times They Are A-Changin’, will get a pass. If the Random iTunes Fairy serves up more Zimmerman tomorrow, that’s another story.

Continue reading

Song of the Day #1,729: ‘Skylar Diggins’ – DeeYouDouble

skylar_digginsI’m a huge Miami Heat and NBA basketball fan, but I don’t have any interest in either college basketball or women’s basketball, let alone women’s college basketball.

So I was caught off guard earlier this week when SportsCenter did a segment on Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins, the senior who just became the school’s all-time leading scorer after a monster semifinal game against Kansas.

Continue reading

Song of the Day #1,728: ‘This Movie’s Way Too Long’ – Josh Rouse

josh_rouse_happiness_waltzIt’s been six years since Josh Rouse released a proper solo album along the lines of his stellar mid-career trio, Under Cold Blue Stars, 1972 and Nashville.

He followed his muse (and his wife) to Spain after 2007’s Country Mouse, City House and released one half-Spanish album and a couple of sleepy EPs. And while those records had their moments, they just didn’t feel like the Josh Rouse I love.

Continue reading