Happy Monday! Remember, I’ve got CD copies of Three Chords and Some Compelling Lies available! Just email me at crookedhalo42 [at] gmail dot com to get it arranged. And now, a playlist:

1. Postmodern Jukebox, “Rude (Featuring Von Smith)”: My preferred version of this song. Not that there’s anything wrong with Magic!’s reggae-tinged original, just that I like the rhythm and vocal styling of this version better.
2. The Gaslight Anthem, “Boxer (Acoustic)”: It’s the constant “Ooh oohs” in the background and the hammer and anvil percussion on this one that get me.
3. Billy Bragg & Wilco, “When The Roses Bloom Again”: There’s always something about war songs and songs of unlucky soldiers that gets me right in the gut. This one is no different.
4. Bob Dylan & The Band, “Odds And Ends (Take 2)”: It’s fun to hear these guys tearing through a song just for fun.
5. Bruce Springsteen, “Ain’t Good Enough For You”: Speaking of fun, was there any band more fun that the E Street Band in the late 70s? I can’t imagine there was.
6. Cat Stevens, “Father And Son”: Why do songs about messed up father/son relationships always affect me so much? My relationship with my own father is pretty strong, I like to think. It’s better than the one the narrator has with his own son here, at any rate. Maybe I’m just a sucker for heartstring-tugging sob stories.
7. Augustines, “When Things Fall Apart”: Where do you go when everything falls apart? Aside from the grocery store to buy snacks, I mean.
8. Justin Townes Earle, “The Saint Of Lost Causes”: If ever there were a song for teachers, this is probably it.
9. The Minus 5, “Wasted Bandage”: “Dear physician, won’t you heal yourself?” Classic line. Scott McCaughey writes so many lines that are all this good in every single song, and it’s unfair to the rest of us out here trying to be clever.
10. Jet, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”: I just like how uptempo this number is. Gets me all excited and hopped up just listening to it.