drive-by truckers

Playlist #214

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Happy Tuesday! We’ve eased into June and the last couple of weeks of the school year here in Northern Virginia. We’re down to just half days now, and you can tell the students are really ready to just be done with it all. I also have a new closet! It should be able to sustain the weighty heft of all of our clothes, unlike the previous, crappy closet. Here’s some songs.

  1. Matt Berninger, “Times of Difficulty”: It seems that all the forward momentum the National albums used to have was saved up for the lead singer’s new solo album, Get Sunk. The songs on it are catchy and remind me of when the National weren’t just a drone-y, sad-sack band with lots of keyboards and a drum machine, but a drone-y, sad-sack band with lots of guitars. I like guitars.
  2. The Minus 5, “Blow In My Bag”: I’m reasonably certain the title refers to someone trying not to hyperventilate, not the contents of Scott McCaughey’s luggage. Reasonably certain.
  3. Earth, Wind, and Fire, “Boogie Wonderland (feat. The Emotions)”: One of the quintessential disco songs. It’s got a beat and you can dance to it.
  4. The Faces, “Three Button Hand Me Down”: I don’t think I’ll ever be able to write a song that rocks as hard as this song Rod Stewart wrote about a hand-me-down jacket.
  5. The Animals, “Gonna Send You Back To Walker”: It’s one of those songs about a girl who saw the bright lights of the city and decided to never, ever stop partying. Honestly, I get it.
  6. Linda Ronstadt, “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me”: The way she just rips through this song like a woman on fire never fails to entertain and delight me.
  7. John Mellencamp, “Right Behind Me”: At some point in the past fifteen, twenty years, John Mellencamp stopped trying to be relevant and just started writing strange little songs about whatever the hell he wanted to. And I’ll admit, I love it. He did a whole album like it was straight out of the 1950s, with improvised recording set-ups and carefully-placed single microphones to pick up all the instruments (and voices!) all at the same time. It sounds fantastic, and this song is a stellar example of it all.
  8. Rufus Wainwright, “Going To A Town”: As with Rufus, I am also tired of you, America.
  9. Josh Ritter, “Golden Age of Radio”: I dig me some Josh Ritter, even if his most recent couple of albums have sounded rather bland and uninteresting to me. This song reveals that the man knew what he was doing from the very start, and I really kinda wish he’d get back to this looser, more country sound.
  10. Drive-By Truckers, “Decoration Day”: Sure, Decoration Day was technically last week (we call it Memorial Day now), but there’s never a bad time to listen to this song.

Playlist #209

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It’s Monday again, somehow. Time continues forward. SOL testing starts this week at my school, so we’re stuck in one class each day for two periods instead of one. I’m thinking the kids are gonna get real sick of my dad jokes before that time ends.

  1. Dire Straits, “Your Latest Trick”: It’s one of those classic ’80s songs with saxophone solos in it.
  2. Elvis Presley, “Run On”: I’d only ever heard the Johnny Cash (and, by extension, the Gaslight Anthem) version of this song, which is slower and more menacing. Elvis’s version sounds like a tent revival on speed.
  3. Kenny Rogers & the First Edition, “Just Dropping In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)”: Kentucky-Fried Kenny was apparently a bit…psychedelic back in the day? I somehow never realized he’d done this song, but it’s groovy.
  4. Drive-By Truckers, “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac”: I love story songs, and ones based on reality (Carl Perkins really did win a Cadillac from Sam Phillips) are just always pretty great. And no one really does them better these days than the Drive-By Truckers, who have such an eye (and ear) for detail.
  5. Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, “Born Secular”: Such a sad, deep song, driven by that drum machine loop and the big chords on the piano. There really isn’t a bad song on that album.
  6. Nanci Griffith, “This Old Town”: Oklahoma is littered with towns like the ones this song is about: small, isolated communities that should have shut down years ago, shoud’ve become ghost towns a dozen times over, but still somehow cling to life and continued existence. Most of them are built around the local public school, actually.
  7. Tom Petty, “Crawling Back to You (Alternate Version)”: The original version of this song remains one of the absolute best on his best album, Wildflowers. This alternate take feels looser and somehow sadder.
  8. Bruce Springsteen, “O Mary Don’t You Weep”: The Seeger Sessions collection is such a strange aberration in Springsteen’s catalog. It’s loose and celebratory and fun, without the dozens of layers of post-production and overdubs and the agonizing over mixing and mastering that usually accompanies a Bruce production.
  9. Van Morrison, “Almost Independence Day”: While the guitar riff sounds almost like “Wish You Were Here,” the song’s other Pink Floyd connection is the length – it’s over ten minutes – if not the thematic content. Van sorta goes on a rambling, stream-of-consciousness sort of thing over the course of the song, but it sounds amazing. The low buzzsaw of that keyboard (or is it a cello or a double bass? I honestly don’t know) that cuts through occasionally gets me every time, and I wish I could figure out how he got that tone out of it and how I could duplicate it.
  10. Collective Soul, “Shine”: So apparently the entire album this song is off of was just the demos the lead singer did on his own, playing all the instruments himself. The little “yeah” before the chorus was sung through a toilet paper roll, which is a hilarious bit of trivia with which to impress your friends.

Playlist #202

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Mondays just keep happening, don’t they? And on the heels of Daylight Saving Time starting up again, so I got to drive to work while it was still nighttime today. Woo. Here’s some songs.

  1. Jason Isbell, “Foxes in the Snow”: I knew that a solo acoustic album could be powerful and beautiful and heartbreaking, but Jason Isbell just keeps showing me how far you can take such a simple conceit. The title track here is bouncy and thoughtful and just absolutely perfect.
  2. The Goo Goo Dolls, “Sympathy”: I’m a sucker for strummy acoustic numbers, especially when they also feature a mandolin. Who knew the Goo Goo Dolls could deliver?
  3. The Flaming Lips, “Do You Realize??”: This song always makes me cry.
  4. Drive-By Truckers, “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac”: Carl Perkins didn’t need no Grammy, he just needed that Caddy.
  5. Phosphorescent, “Revelator”: I have finally discovered what I want my own musical sound to be, and it’s basically this.
  6. The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”: Watched a long-form video essay this weekend on “Progressive Soul,” which is classic Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Isaac Hayes, and – I’d argue – at least this particular track from The Temptations. It has the same emphasis on the groove and the rhythm section that those other Progressive Soul musicians had, and it’s a damn-good song.
  7. Hurray for the Riff Raff, “Pyramid Scheme”: Why do I feel like this could just be about MLM?
  8. Chris Smither, “Visions of Johanna”: You know me, I love a Dylan cover, and this one’s pretty solid.
  9. Van Morrison, “Once In a Blue Moon”: Late-period Van can still deliver when he wants to.
  10. Fleetwood Mac, “Seven Wonders”: I do have a soft spot for ’80s Mac. Is it as good as anything from Rumors or even Tusk? No. Is it still good, well-crafted pop-rock? Oh my, yes.

Playlist #200

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Happy Monday, folks. We’re almost to the end of February, which means next week is March: the month of my birth! That’s beside the point, though. Here’s some songs.

  1. Joel R.L. Phelps & The Downer Trio, “Lost Continent”: Heavier than my usual fare, I’ll be the first to admit. I blame John Darnielle for this one, as he’s the guy who was talking about this album on BlueSky the other day. I kinda love the idea that love is a lost continent. It’s a brilliant metaphor, I think.
  2. Role Model, “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”: This one isn’t my fault, either. Poppier than usual, but with a bit of twang and slide guitar, and a sing-along chorus that is pretty damn infectious.
  3. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Room at the Top”: This is one of the most beautiful songs Tom Petty ever wrote, and it’s just heartbreaking as you get to that last verse. “Yeah, I keep doing those things on TV, I love you/Please love me, I’m not so bad/And I love you so.” And then the whole band kicks back in for that last chorus. Gets me every time.
  4. St. Vincent, “Broken Man”: St. Vincent does fantastical things with every new album, and I’m kinda here for it, honestly.
  5. David Gray, “A Clean Pair of Eyes”: I honestly can’t say why, but I really love David Gray’s Lost Songs collection. There’s just so much good stuff here.
  6. The Rolling Stones, “Honky Tonk Women”: Some days, you just need a little honky tonk in your life.
  7. Drive-By Truckers, “Everybody Needs Love”: Still one of the best songs the band has ever written, with such a simple message.
  8. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Someday Never Comes”: How John Fogerty could write such a heartbreaking song, I’ll never know.
  9. Bob Dylan, “Song To Woody”: How do you tell your hero they’re your hero?
  10. Mavis Staples, “Eyes on the Prize”: This woman has lived through so much, has sung so many amazing songs, and her version of this old tune still grabs me and holds my attention every time.

Playlists #164, #165, and #166

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As you read this, I’m somewhere between Virginia and Oklahoma, headed back to the land of my birth for my grandfather’s funeral. He passed away this weekend, and it’s kinda left me gutted. I’m glad I got to see him over Father’s Day weekend, and that he was in good spirits at the time. It’ll be nice to remember him that way.

Anyway, I’m combining three playlists into one today, because I’m behind a bit and I put together a big playlist to get me to Oklahoma. Here’s thirty songs.

  1. David Gray, “A Clean Pair of Eyes”: Early David Gray just hits different. It’s folkier, more acoustic, and very introspective. I dig it.
  2. Louis Armstrong, “Mack the Knife”: There is no better moment in music than when Louis throws it to himself for the trumpet solo at the end.
  3. Bing Crosby, “Swinging on a Star”: One of the best songs about the importance of education ever committed to tape.
  4. Ryan Adams, “Desire”: Yeah, the guy has diarrhea of the recording studio, and some of the crap he’s pulled over the years is rather reprehensible, but he does occasionally write and record good tunes.
  5. Mavis Staples, “Eyes on the Prize”: Leave it to Mavis to turn a Civil Rights Standard into a bluesy banger.
  6. Greg Feldon, “Incoming”: On one of my (many) recent trips back from Oklahoma, I spent the better part of a day driving up I-81 listening to this song on repeat until I had it memorized. It’s a good song.
  7. The Rolling Stones, “Honky Tonk Women”: Poor Mick just can’t even have an easy one night stand, can he?
  8. James McMurtry, “Choctaw Bingo”: It’s something of a standard “driving to Oklahoma” song for me at this point. It pops up on lots of playlists, because it’s a good song and it’s kinda long.
  9. Mark Knopfler, “Cannibals”: There are no cannibals anymore, are there, Mark? I think some folsk would beg to differ with a knife and fork, sir.
  10. Rilo Kiley, “More Adventurous”: Such a beautiful, forlorn sort of song. I’ve always loved it.
  11. Big Red Machine, “Renegade (feat. Taylor Swift)”: I’d be okay with Justin Vernon and Taylor Swift doing more duets for the next decade or so if they’re up for it.
  12. Ben Caplan, “Down to the River”: Did you know you needed more klezmer-inflected folk music in your life before you heard this song? Because I didn’t, but I obvious do need more of that in my life.
  13. Hank Williams, “Honky Tonk Blues”: This man knew from hard living, not that you’d know it from his songs necessarily. If he were alive today, he’d put the rest of the country music scene to shame, I’m pretty sure.
  14. The Mountain Goats, “Training Montage”: An amazing song if for nothing else than the line, “I’m doing this for revenge.”
  15. Neil Young, “Downtown”: I do enjoy it when Neil, the godfather of grunge, rocks out with Pearl Jam in tow. It’s a good time.
  16. Van Morrison, “Give Me a Kiss”: Old school Van was always top notch, as this song proves.
  17. The Wallflowers, “Misfits and Lovers (feat. Mick Jones)”: If you’re gonna do an album that sounds heavily indebted to the Clash, it’s probably a damn good idea to get a member of the Clash to guest on it.
  18. Tom Waits, “Chocolate Jesus”: Sacrilicious.
  19. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Angel Dream”: Can we talk for a minute about the run Tom Petty had between 1987 and 1999? He released Full Moon Fever, Into the Great Wide Open, Wildflowers, the She’s the One Soundtrack, and Echo, all bangers. All classics. Name me band in the past thirty-five years that’s had a string of records that good.
  20. Toad the Wet Sprocket, “Are We Afraid”: A quieter, more reflective moment from their odds & sods collection In Light Syrup.
  21. Pearl Jam, “Better Man”: I think I mentioned a few weeks ago how the Seven Mary Three song “Water’s Edge” is just a 90s rewrite of Richard Marx’s “Hazard,” and this song is just a rewrite of the final verse of Bob Seger’s “The Fire Inside.”
  22. Peter Gabriel, “Washing of the Water”: How does this man create such consistently interesting and provocative music? It’s wild.
  23. Paul McCartney & Elvis Costello, “My Brave Face (Original Demo)”: Two great tastes that taste great together, as it turns out. Elvis brought out the sharper side of McCartney (for a given value of sharper, since McCartney long ago filed off everything to smooth edges).
  24. Drive-By Truckers, “Everybody Needs Love”: An anthem for our time. Everybody does need love.
  25. Descendents, “‘Merican”: Another anthem for our time, this time about the true history of our country and how some folks just don’t want to see everything.
  26. The Dead Weather, “Hustle and Cuss”: It’s nice to see a Jack White project where he kind of takes a backseat to the proceedings, mostly just playing the drums and occasionally singing (like on this track).
  27. David Bowie, “Modern Love”: Dance-pop-era Bowie usually isn’t my favorite, but this song rocks.
  28. Calexico, “Guero Canelo”: Do I understand a word in this song? No. Does it still slap? Yes.
  29. Bob Dylan, “Song For Woody”: Another appropriate “traveling to Oklahoma” song. Woody is a state treasure, or damn well ought to be.
  30. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Someday Never Comes”: One of the saddest songs that John Fogerty ever wrote, if you want my opinion. It’s dark and bittersweet and sad and longing, and it hits in just that right spot every time.

Playlist #161

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Tuesdays are the new Mondays, am I right? Whatever. I was hanging out with my mom yesterday, on the rare opportunity to have a family member from Oklahoma out in my neck of the woods, so today is the day for the playlist.

  1. Drive-By Truckers, “Marry Me”: It’s so rare to hear a joyous, happy song from these guys, and this one stands as one of my favorites.
  2. Soul Asylum, “Runaway Train”: On the list “90s Songs I Love to Play But Really Can’t Sing,” this one is near the top. It’s a great, song, though.
  3. Counting Crows, “Rain King”: Speaking of songs from the 90s that I love, this one never fails to get the blood pumping and me singing along. I also end up doing at least 20 over the speed limit whenever it’s on in the car, which might be a problem.
  4. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Have Love Will Travel”: On the long list of Tom Petty albums that I own and love, The Last DJ ranks pretty low (okay, at the very bottom). A recent re-listen just confirms that, while there are a few gems tucked away (the title track, “Dreamville,” “Like a Diamond,” and this particular song), it’s mostly best left forgotten as the concept album that couldn’t.
  5. Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”: One of the few Fleetwood Mac songs my wife can even stand. I, of course, like most everything they’ve done.
  6. The Wallflowers, “Bleeders”: I mostly just love the little organ flourish that starts this song off, and want to someday start a song of my own that way.
  7. Fiona Apple, “Criminal”: I also someday want to work in some Fiona Apple-style piano in a song. I have a long list of things I want to borrow and reappropriate from other musicians, as it turns out. All art is love and theft.
  8. Paolo Nutini, “Let Me Down Easy”: I oughta sue this guy for stealing my song title. And I know mentioning him will only bring my brother out of the woodwork to talk about how much of a dick the guy apparently is.
  9. Andrew Bird Trio, “Caravan”: Sadly, not the Van Morrison song, but an old jazz standard, apparently? I would love to hear Andrew Bird sing some Van. Give me that cover album, dammit.
  10. Nirvana, “Lithium”: With our use of Sirius XM in the car nowadays, we’ve spent a lot of time listening to the 90s grunge/alternative station, Lithium. They only play the Nirvana song of the same name about once a day, though.

Playlist #136

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Happy Monday, folks! It’s time for a brand-spankin’-new playlist for your ears’ enjoyment!

  1. Silverchair, “Tomorrow”: I never really listened to these guys back in the day. They were still in high school when they got signed. High school! Back in high school, I was worried about pimples and whether or not my girlfriend would leave me, not signing record contracts and going out on tour.
  2. Peter Gabriel, “Olive Tree”: When an artist takes twenty years to record an album, then releases it with at leas three different mixes, it’s usually a bad sign. This album is an exception to that sort of thinking. Gabriel has put together a beautiful, thoughtful, and touching set of songs. “Olive Tree” is a standout, but honestly I could have put virtually any song from this album in this spot and said the same thing. It’s just so damn good.
  3. Gorillaz, “Tomorrow Comes Today”: Heard it as an interstitial on NPR this morning, and now it won’t stop playing in my head. So you get to hear it, too.
  4. Drive-By Truckers, “Used To Be A Cop”: These folks are such good storytellers. You almost manage to feel sorry for an ex-cop who got kicked off the force for…reasons.
  5. XTC, “The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead”: I have an unabashed, non-ironic love for XTC. They just made such fun, joyful music. It’s fantastic. This song is fantastic. Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding deserve better.
  6. Michael Penn, “No Myth”: This dude just always amazes me with his way with a melody or a lyric. He’s great. This song is peak ’80s but also great.
  7. Sting, “All This Time”: One of my favorite lines of all time came from this song: “Men go crazy in congregations/They only get better one by one.”
  8. Norah Jones, “The Long Way Home”: Who doesn’t love a Tom Waits cover? No one. No one doesn’t love a Tom Waits cover.
  9. Mark Knopfler, “We Can Get Wild”: This man just struggles to write a bad song, y’know? Yeah, they’re out there, but they’re few and far between. He just crafts with such a high level of skill and thought that even his bad songs have something interesting going on in them.
  10. James McMurtry, “Just Us Kids”: This guy tells fun stories about losers and folks who think they’re winning, even if only in their surface thoughts.

Playlist #122

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Happy Monday, folks! Unless you live in Florida, in which case, um, have fun getting hit by a hurricane?

  1. The Gaslight Anthem, “Positive Charge”: This song has been stuck in my head for two or three weeks at least. Maybe this will finally dislodge it. Maybe.
  2. Charlie Sexton, “Regular Grind”: Of all the musicians I listen to, this is the one who needs to put out a new album the most. It’s been almost 20 years, man! Give us something new!
  3. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, “King Of Oklahoma”: This man, on the other hand, cranks ’em out like clockwork pretty regularly. And damn if this song doesn’t make me feel something.
  4. John Cougar Mellencamp, “Rumbleseat (2022 Mix)”: Generally speaking, I’m curious to hear what musicians come up with when they remix their old albums with modern techniques and studio trickery. This feels…unsuccessful on that front. The guitars are too muted, the drums are too loud and yet also lifeless, and it just feels like it was a huge missed opportunity to really punch everything up.
  5. Drive-By Truckers, “Used To Be A Cop”: The Drive-By Truckers can take even the most irredeemable character – in this case, a cop who had a nasty streak and has all sorts of misogynistic tendencies – and still make them someone you want to sympathize with. That’s impressive.
  6. The Head And The Heart, “Lost In My Mind”: “How’s that bricklayin’ comin’/How’s your engine runnin'”? is one of those couplets that seems innocuous when you first listen to it, but the stuff that follows – “Is that bridge getting built/Are your hands getting filled/Won’t you tell me my brother/’Cause there are stars/Up above” – and the way their voices soar in harmony is just…damn, it’s just really good.
  7. Mark Knopfler, “Hill Farmer’s Blues”: Speaking of musicians who can make downtrodden and misunderstood characters feel sympathetic, here’s Knopfler singing about a farmer going to town for supplies and making it seem freakin’ epic.
  8. Fall Out Boy, “Dance, Dance”: You get a pass this one time, Fall Out Boy, but only because you’re named after a Simpsons reference.
  9. The Beatles, “You Really Got A Hold On Me”: Michelle and I were listening to this song over the weekend and just commenting on how great a song it is. Smokey Robinson knew what was up, my friends.
  10. Van Morrison, “Magic Time”: Though it happens less frequently than it used to, Van Morrison can write a stunningly beautiful song. This one counts and makes me wish he hadn’t become some sort of weird Covid skeptic and conservative curmudgeon in recent years.

Playlist #118

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Happy Monday, folks! Hard to believe we’re already at the end of July. School will be starting again soon, as I’m sure your desperate and terrified children can attest to. Anyway, here’s a playlist to get you through those hot summer days.

  1. Andrew Bird, “Mancey”: “M, as in Mancy.”
  2. Jimmy Eat World, “A Praise Chorus (feat. Davey Vonbohlen)”: A song that references everything from “Crimson and Clover” to They Might Be Giants’ “Don’t Let’s Start.” All in just over four minutes.
  3. Elastica, “Stutter”: Punky song about Damon Albarn’s erectile dysfunction (it’s true!).
  4. Paul McCartney, “Every Night”: For every clunker or half-finished song idea that’s barely more than a demo on his self-titled, DIY album, there’s a gem like this one.
  5. Drive-By Truckers, “Danko/Manuel”: Who doesn’t love songs about the Band?
  6. Stevie Wonder, “Pastime Paradise”: Ever wonder where Coolio got the sample for “Gangsta’s Paradise?” It’s from this song.
  7. Simon & Garfunkel, “A Hazy Shade Of Winter”: I, for one, am done with this ridiculous heat and ready for winter to return.
  8. Rob Thomas, “Streetcorner Symphony”: I have a completely unironic love for this guy’s music. I can’t explain why.
  9. The Gaslight Anthem, “Say I Won’t (Recognize)”: From an early EP by the band, where they’re still trying to find their footing and figure out who they are as a band (they’re a punk band with delusions of Springsteen. That is as awesome as it sounds).
  10. Sinead O’Connor, “Nothing Compares 2 U”: Is it the obvious pick from this artist? Yes, yes it is. Is it still just an absolute stone-cold classic of a song that everyone should listen to and enjoy at every available opportunity? Yes, yes it is.

Playlist #112

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Happy Wednesday, folks. I was at the beach on Monday with family, and spent yesterday recovering from the beach, so you get a playlist today and you’ll like it.

  1. Spoon, “Sugar Babies”: These guys manage to stay creative and innovative even a couple of decades into their careers. It’s inspiring and awesome.
  2. X Ambassadors, “Renegade”: I think I’ve been writing songs like this lately. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
  3. Tom Waits, “Looks Like I’m Up Shit Creek Again”: You an’ me both, Tom.
  4. Kris Orlowski, “Go (featuring Glen Phillips)”: I am just a sucker for any song that features Glen Phillips.
  5. Them, “Gloria”: G. L. O. R. I. A.
  6. Jack Johnson, “If I Had Eyes”: What if a regular ol’ Jack Johnson song, but with an electric guitar instead of an acoustic?
  7. Jake Blount, “Didn’t It Rain”: A modern take on a classic number from ol’ Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The electric guitar in this one makes the song feel much more eerie than the original ever did.
  8. Counting Crows, “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby”: It’s epic in length and bittersweet in scope. It’s like the song was written just for me.
  9. Norah Jones, “Don’t Know Why”: How does Norah Jones crank out these beautiful little nuggets of pop brilliance?
  10. Drive-By Truckers, “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac”: Cadillacs are made out of fiberglass now, so maybe it’s time to give it up.