case/lang/viers

Playlist #119

/ xeyeti / Leave a comment

Hey, folks! Sorry this is late, but time and house hunting make fools of us all.

  1. case/lang/viers, “Atomic Number”: Still a heartbreakingly beautiful song. These three women sing with so much soul and urgency that it’s hard not to fall in love with the song.
  2. Cat Stevens, “Father and Son”: What always cracks me up about this song is when Cat Stevens sings, “Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy,” and I’m just like, dude, you’re all of 22 when you recorded this song. I have t-shirts older than that.
  3. The Chicks, “Gaslighter”: I’m a sucker for a female empowerment song, especially one as rowdy and fun as this one.
  4. The Clash, “Rebel Waltz”: It’s an actual waltz from The Clash. It has a harpsichord in it.
  5. Courtney Barnett, “Pedestrian At Best”: “I think you’re a joke, but I don’t find you very funny” is one of the best put-downs since Dylan’s “Positively 4th Street.”
  6. Daniel Lanois, “Where Will I Be”: I like the murky atmosphere this guy develops in all his songs.
  7. Elliott Smith, “Oh Well, Okay”: If I can one day be half the singer, songwriter, or guitar player that Elliott Smith was, I will be able to die a happy man.
  8. Foo Fighters, “Cold Day In The Sun”: An acoustic Foo Fighters song? In this economy?
  9. Hem, “Great Houses of New York”: Every song by this band has a sweeping, panoramic, cinematic feel to it, and I love them.
  10. Huey Lewis & the News, “You Crack Me Up”: You know that band your dad always talked about making with his buddies, but it was really just an excuse to get together in the garage and drink some beer and jam on the weekends? That’s Huey Lewis & the News. And they remain glorious.

Playlist #10

/ xeyeti / Leave a comment

This past weekend was my mother’s birthday! Now, it is to my great shame that I really do not know much about my mom’s musical tastes. I know growing up that she listened to Simon and Garfunkel and Barry Manilow (ew), but beyond that? It’s just a big ol’ shrug emoji from me. So, with that in mind, I’ve compiled a list for this week that contains songs I think my mom would appreciate. It’s mostly Swedish death metal (kidding!).

  1. Alexi Murdoch, “All Of My Days”: So if I’m completely honest here, I first heard this song in a commercial. And really liked it! I like the guitar work especially. It’s a very simple song, but quite lovely despite (or maybe because) of that.
  2. Greg Feldon, “Incoming”: Strummy acoustics? Check. Heartfelt, earnest singing? Check. Semi-country-ish tone and style? Check. Yup, this song checks a lot of boxes for me.
  3. Sara Bareilles, “Armor”: “You think I am high mighty, mister?/Wait ’til you meet my little sister” is just a badass line.
  4. The Shins, “Gone For Good [Alternate Version]”: I like this stripped down version of the song, possibly even more than the usual album version. Sure, it lacks the pedal steel and the high and lonesome harmonies, but it makes up for it with a more subdued reading of the lyrics.
  5. Simon & Garfunkel, “Cecilia”: I can’t tell you if this is my mom’s favorite Simon & Garfunkel song. It probably isn’t. But it’s fun and I dare you to not sing along with the chorus. You can’t, can you? Of course you can’t.
  6. Tracy Lawrence, “Time Marches On”: This is the sort of song country music does best. The lyrical content is simple, tells a story, and focuses on a family as it ages through the years. I really dig it.
  7. Lake Street Dive, “Bad Self Portraits”: I’ve been drawing and cartooning for decades now. Every single drawing I’ve ever done of myself is a bad self portrait, so I can relate to this song.
  8. case/lang/viers, “Best Kept Secret”: Yeah, I could’ve gone with the soaring “Atomic Number” instead, but I really like this song and the whole “guitar teacher saves the world” vibe it has going.
  9. David Gray, “Stella the Artist”: Is my mom an artist? Not with pencil or paintbrush or chisel. But that woman can bake a batch of cookies that’ll make you see God.
  10. Semisonic, “Gone To the Movies”: A sad song about a sad man in a snowbound apartment who was just listening to the Wallflowers and thinking about a girl. Haven’t we all felt that way at some point? Okay, probably not, but still, it’s a good song.