ac newman

Playlist #192 and #193: M’Shelby Mix Edition

/ xeyeti / Leave a comment

Happy…Monday? Wait, that can’t be right. Monday? Well, stranger things have happened other than me posting a playlist on time. For instance, today also happens to be my 18th Wedding Anniversary. Yay, our relationship is old enough to vote! Here’s a double playlist of some songs that I think my wife would love. I’ve been curating a playlist for her on my phone for years called M’Shelby Mix, and here’s the latest iteration.

  1. The Pixies, “Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf Mix)”: Probably the definitive version of this particular tune. Slowed down from the original, given a slight air of menace, and just a killer drum beat.
  2. Arcade Fire, “Intervention”: Gotta love the church organ.
  3. AC Newman, “Take On Me”: Newman doesn’t aim for quite the same glass-shattering falsetto in the chorus, but the slowed down, acoustic-driven version he turns in sounds just as good as anything a-ha ever did.
  4. Elliott Smith, “Baby Britain”: Favorite line is a toss-up between “We knocked another couple back/Dead soldiers lined up on the table/Still prepared for an attack/They didn’t know they’d been disabled” and “The light was on but it was dim/Revolver’s been turned over/And now it’s ready once again/The radio was playing “Crimson and Clover.”
  5. The Flaming Lips, “Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading with a Suicide Bomber)”: A sneering indictment of Bush-era foreign policy.
  6. Rilo Kiley, “Does He Love You?”: A sordid tale of love triangles and whether or not he’d ever really leave his wife for you. Why would he, though?
  7. Phil Collins, “In the Air Tonight”: If there’s a better drum fill in existence, I don’t know about it. Oh, to be able to go back and hear this song for the first time.
  8. The National, “Slow Show”: Probably Michelle’s favorite song by the National. And it’s a banger. I love that guitar chord progression. Wish I could get my voice low enough to actually sing it.
  9. Josh Ritter, “Golden Age of Radio”: We both sing along at the top of our lungs when this song comes on. It might as well be part of our marriage vows.
  10. Iron & Wine, “Such Great Heights”: Postal Service cover done with such delicate heartache and beauty that you forget there’s another version of this song out there.
  11. The Four Tops, “Bernadette”: Shouted backing vocals are always fun.
  12. The Cure, “Just Like Heaven”: Given her adoration of stuff from the ’80s, it should come as no surprise that Michelle loves the Cure. I’ve grown to tolerate most of their stuff, though this song I really do actually enjoy.
  13. Tom Waits, “Hoist That Rag”: What can I say? Michelle likes pirates and pirate songs.
  14. They Might Be Giants, “She’s An Angel”: This song always makes me think of Michelle. I know she digs TMBG, and likes this song, but she said it couldn’t be our song because it’s too one-sided and doesn’t reflect her feelings for me. And, y’know, I get it. But it’s still a song that makes me think of her.
  15. Better Than Ezra, “Rosealia”: Michelle also really digs the ’90s, and especially Better Than Ezra. This one is another sing-along song.
  16. Pearl Jam, “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”: Acoustic Pearl Jam? More entertaining and worthwhile than you might think!
  17. David Bowie, “Life On Mars”: Did you know he wrote this after Frank Sinatra didn’t accept some lyrics he wrote for “I Did It My Way”? It’s true! It’s why the two songs have such similar chord progressions.
  18. Weezer, “Say It Ain’t So”: Far better than that song about him hitting on a lesbian.
  19. Bruce Springsteen, “Candy’s Room”: Probably Michelle’s favorite Springsteen song. It’s got amazing drums and a beautiful piano line, so I get it.
  20. The Magnetic Fields, “Nothing Matters When We’re Dancing”: This is our song. We eloped and didn’t have a wedding reception, much to our chagrin, but if we did have one, this would’ve been the first song we danced to. We have a poster with the lyrics of it hanging up in our living room.

Playlist #146

/ xeyeti / Leave a comment

Happy Monday, folks! I hear Taylor Swift won the Super Bowl yesterday, so good for her. And in her rookie season, too.

  1. Dr. Dre, “Still D.R.E. (featuring Snoop Dogg)”: That intro is iconic, but maybe if you’re embarrassed to seen listening to a song that drops the n-word as frequently as this one does, find the clean version?
  2. The Decemberists, “Burial Ground”: It’s new Decemberists! It sounds exactly like what you think a Decemberists song would sound like. Your mileage with such a thing may vary.
  3. Coldplay, “Clocks”: I dunno, it’s just such a wistful, sad song to me for some reason. Not even really sure it’s intended to be a sad song, but that’s the tone I’m picking up.
  4. The Greencards, “Marty’s Kitchen”: Ever wanted to hear some of the fastest damn guitar, fiddle, and mandolin playing you’ve ever heard? This is the song for you.
  5. Jenny Scheinman, “I Was Young When I Left Home”: A Bob Dylan cover? On one of my playlists? It’s more likely than you’d think!
  6. Neko Case, “That’s Who I Am”: From the darkly gothic Ghost Brothers of Darkland County musical (written by John Mellencamp, T-Bone Burnett, and Stephen King). It’s sly and clever and has a good bounce to it. I want T-Bone to produce one of my albums someday.
  7. A.C. Newman, “Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer”: I was on an A.C. Newman kick last week, listening through Get Guilty and Shut Down The Streets several times.
  8. Phil Collins, “I Wish It Would Rain Down”: When I was a little kid and this song came out, the main draw was the Eric Clapton guitar part. Now, that’s the part of the song that makes me cringe. God, Eric Clapton, how come you turned out to be such a sleezebag?
  9. Rhett Miller, “The El”: I’ve been thinking about Rhett and his main band, the Old 97s, a bit lately. Probably because they have a new album coming out soon (notification of which was accidentally dropped early by Stephen King).
  10. Sheryl Crow, “My Favorite Mistake”: I wonder if her least-favorite mistake is that one duet with Kid Rock.

Playlist #37: Covid Edition

/ xeyeti / Leave a comment

So, as must come to pass eventually for all, I’ve gotten sick. I’ve gotten Covid. I blame Tennessee. But I have not forgotten you, and in my fever-hazed mind, I have put together a playlist for this week.

  1. Neko Case, “Fever”: So actually, I had a fever late last week, but it broke pretty quick and I’ve been fine since then. The Wife, on the other hand, keeps getting fevers of upwards of 103.
  2. MC Hammer, “U Can’t Touch This”: Please keep your distance, I might still be contagious.
  3. The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”: Did you not hear what I just said? Stay at least six feet away at all times. Further, honestly, if you don’t mind.
  4. AC Newman, “Miracle Drug”: I’ll admit, I think the vaccines are pretty damn amazing and I’m glad I got them. If there were something I could take right now to get rid of feeling like garbage, I would.
  5. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Something In The Air (Live)”: What, another Tom Petty song, after last week? Yes. It’s on-theme.
  6. Toad the Wet Sprocket, “Something’s Always Wrong”: I’ve felt like crap since last Wednesday. It’s always something new.
  7. They Might Be Giants, “I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die”: There’s still lots I want to do before I’m ready to kick the bucket, and I hope I get old enough to do at least most of them.
  8. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, “The Pharmacist v. The Secret Stars”: I’ll be honest, I really like Ted Leo and I mostly chose this song because his backing band is called the Pharmacists.
  9. Spoon, “Everything Hits At Once”: I was fine last Tuesday. Woke up Wednesday feeling kinda meh. By Thursday, I was spending the entire day asleep because I felt absolutely awful.
  10. Van Morrison, “And The Healing Has Begun”: Given Van’s recent bizarre rants about Covid and lockdowns and whatnot, it seems a little silly to include him on this playlist, but I do feel like I’m on the mend now. Still definitely not 100%, but improving every day.