Happy Monday, folks! It’s 2026, and a Republican president has started a war in the Middle East. Again. How long do we think this one will last? Here’s some songs.

1. Bill Callahan, “Another Song”: I’m never really 100% sure what a Bill Callahan song is about. It’s about songwriting, maybe? But probably not, really. It’s just a good, very spare song.
2. Old 97s, “Wreck of the Old 97”: You can’t go wrong with the Old 97s covering Johnny Cash, especially if the song is this self-referential in retrospect.
3. Iron & Wine, “In Your Ocean”: New Iron & Wine is good. Whole new album, very good. Go listen.
4. Andrew Bird, “Capital I”: At this point, I’m not even sure calling it “the song that became Imitosis” is 100% correct. Maybe it still is? I dunno, feels like it’s taken on a completely different identity all its own by this point.
5. Roy Acuff, “Wabash Cannon Ball”: Sometimes I just like songs about trains, okay?
6. Radiohead, “The National Anthem”: I would get up and gladly sing along if this was the national anthem.
7. Temple of the Dog, “Hunger Strike”: Did you see a hungry person stealing bread? No, you did not, ’cause you are not a fuckin’ narc.
8. Green Day, “Brain Stew”: That chunky guitar riff could help me coast the rest of the way through this day. I hope.
9. Dire Straits, “Romeo and Juliet”: You’d feel bad for Romeo if his come-on line was better, I think. I mean, even I — a man who is known for having 0 game — can come up with something better than, “You and me, babe, how about it?”
10. The Decemberists, “Sons and Daughters”: Sometimes you just need a song sung in the round. It’s true.