01 July 2008

all these songs kind of have reverb...sort of...

i'm trying to spend more time listening to music. it's good medicine. and on facebook, i've been putting up themed lists. but, i realize not all of you are on facebook, so i'm blogging it here, as well. forgive the repetion, if it applies to you.



also...check out the new look!! do you like it? i'm still trying to decide. thankfully, changing the template is lots easier that painting a room. and by room, i mean kitchen. and by kitchen, i mean that i have been painting mine. i think i should take a look at my coffee intake...wow.



at any rate, this is kind of a long list...and not nearly exhaustive. pretty much none of these songs have anything to with each other, except that i find a consistant sound that runs through each of them--at least they sound that way to me. they aren't ranked in any specific order. and they fit on two cds...if you want one, let me know...



1. everyone gets a star--albert hammond, jr.
the drummer from the strokes makes a pretty good front man, himself. this song caught me the first time i listened to the album, and i think i had this song on repeat for a week.


2. dreams--the cranberries
the summer i learned to drive, my grandfather bought a p.o.s. vw rabbitt convertible, that took a quart of oil a week. i learned to drive on the lot next to our house, and i played this cd, bob marley and the wailers, and neil young over and over. it was the greatest summer of my life.


3. just like heaven--the cure
the cure was emo before emo was real. i love this song. LOVE IT.

4. we're not right--david gray
i discovered david gray the year i lived/worked in dc. his first american album always reminds me of the smell of snow, and being on my own for the first time, ever.


5. ordinary world--duran duran
this song is in a class by itself.


6. in my room--(beach boys cover) grant lee buffalo
great song, great treatment. i like the super distortion on the guitar track.


7. goodnight and go--imogene heap
summer 2006, i worked at my old summer camp. all summer long...it was hot, and hard, and i cried a lot in my room at night. this song made me want to dance. still kind of does...


8. choctaw bingo--james mcmurtry and the heartless bastards
james mcmurtry is unapologetically monotone. and that drives some people crazy. i just love the story he tells.


9. you are trying to break my heart--jonatha brooke
ryan and i discovered her at almost the exact same time. this is a great song, because it's simple. and her voice is great. and i know just how she feels on this one. just.


10. van lear rose--loretta lynn
this song woke up an entire generation to the genius of the coal miner's daughter. she's always been a favorite of mine. and the fact that jack white is on this one makes it extra super good. LOVE jack white...


11. no need to cry--neko case
one of the best voices out there, i think, neko case reminds me of patsy cline, and her lyrics are outstanding. furnace room lullabye is one of the best albums i've ever purchased...not a bad track on it.


12. go places--the new pornographers
favorite. song. ever.


13. failsafe--the new pornographers
i cannot listen to this car on the way to work, because i should never drive that fast on 410.


14. sunshine (cover) paul westerberg
GREAT song, and paul westerberg has such a distinctive voice, and does a great job on this cover. and yes, i know it was on the "friends" soundtrack. how do you think i heard it...i hate that i own that cd...


15. prince caspian--phish
senior year in college...there are a lot of stories. this song is featured in two or three of them. it's definately on the soundtrack of the movie of my life.


16. here comes the flood--peter gabriel
this song...wow. peter gabriel is one of my favorite artists, because he's musically literate, and he writes some incredible lyrics. this song reminds me of a line from thomas merton, about the voilence that's inherent in the lives of activists. it's really amazing.


17. what's the frequency, kenneth?--rem
this song and "go places" would definately make my desert island album, hands down. it's old vintage rem at their college radio finest. and i can't understand 80% of what's being said.


18. killing the blues--robert plant/allison krause
i kind of hate that this song is now a clothing store jingle, but am stoked that more people are being exposed to this great single. such a sweet harmony...makes me want to snuggle up in my down comforter and take a nap.


19. dear chicago--ryan adams
another song that kind of makes you hurt so good. like someone is pulling your guts out of your nose, but in that good way. i know...bizarre.


20. always on your side--sheryl crow
i always feel like i need to apologize for liking sheryl crow...but i really do like her, and i really do love this song. it's kind of like how i felt about my ten year high school reunion.


21. day too soon--sia
hopeful, happy, and one of those songs that i needed to hear 7 or 8 times before i really liked it. i really like it.


22. last day of our aquaintance--sinead o'connor
i can't overstate my emotional attachment to o'connor's music. seriously. it's not something i'm terribly proud of, because she's kind of a freak. but man...wow. and the last quarter of this song blows my mind.


23. smoke and ashes--tracy chapman
this song makes me want to cry everytime i hear it. it's so good. and i get it.


24. running to stand still--u2
the joshua tree is one of those albums that i can listen to and never skip a single track. and every song reminds me of something. this song reminds me of driving through mississippi and hatching out a plan to restart my life.


25. you are my face--wilco
i heard this song for the first time at austin city limits festival last summer. i thought it was one of the greatest songs i'd ever heard performed live. the studio track is a shade less good, but still wonderful. i secretly want to have jeff tweedie's hippy granola babies.


26. shotgun willie--willie nelson
this, oddly enough, is my favorite willie nelson song. no, really. it is. i remember hearing this song at floore's country store with my mom the night before my nephew was born. it was a good show made better because the tickets were free.


27. new slang--the shins
yeah, yeah, i know, freaking garden state changed my life, too...whatever. i hate that i like this song. but i do like it. a lot.


28. jane says--jane's addiction
another college track with stories of it's own...and a marimba!




next week...a whole list of songs that are firmly in the "guilty pleasures" column. get ready to lose what respect you have for me...there are some doozies...




mil besos, amigos--
rmg



2 comments:

The Paralegal said...

love the new format. as well as any mention of me. :)

cory said...

First off, don't hate that you like The Shins. WTF??? It WAS life-changing, and they're incredible. Not unlike Natalie Portman's tightly-wound ass.

Secondly, I can't believe you mentioned Dear Chicago. For me to name my favourite Ryan Adams song (much less my favourite song of all time) is like asking an alcoholic which sip tastes the best. But I gotta say, gun to head...it's this one. For so many, many, many countless reasons.

And finally, Albert Hammond, Jr. is not the drummer of The Strokes. That position belongs to one Fabriccio Morretti. Mr. Hammond is the rythym guitarist (and son of acclaimed 70's singer songwriter Albert Hammond "It Never Rains in Southern California")...and when your rythym guitarist writes albums as good as he's made, you gotta pretty strong band there don'tcha? In fact, that album steadily held my vote as album of the year for 2007. Front to back, it's more than solid. Great tunes...AND his new one drops in a week!

Good topic you muppet.