old 97s

Playlist #224

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Happy Monday, folks. We’re up bright and early today because it’s the first day of teacher in-service week, when they see if they can crush the desire to teach out of us via the medium of meetings. We’ll see if they succeed this year or not.

  1. The Wallflowers, “Some Flowers Bloom Dead”: One of the first Wallflowers songs I tried to learn (after “One Headlight,” of course). The chords are easy enough, as I recall, though I don’t think I ever sang it very well. That has never stopped me from singing a song, though.
  2. Neil Young, “Harvest Moon”: Speaking of songs I don’t sing well, I kinda love this one. It’s a simple love song, but it just sounds so beautiful.
  3. Fleetwood Mac, “Seven Wonders”: ’80s Mac just hits different.
  4. Glen Phillips, “Men Just Leave”: I still love how stripped down and countryish that first Glen Phillips solo album is. Even almost 25 years later, it’s still very immediate and evocative.
  5. Van Morrison, “Once In A Blue Moon”: Mid-2000s Van is a strange beast, taking elements from all the other versions of him that are out there and amalgamating them into something that still feels relevant, joyful, and vital.
  6. The Raconteurs, “Carolina Drama”: Sometimes you’re the preacher man, and sometimes you’re the milkman.
  7. The Band, “Acadian Driftwood”: It’s always interesting hearing about the treatment of Native Americans/Indigenous Americans/First People (depending on where and who you are) in places like Canada, though a lot of it still boils down to, “Same shit, different government.”
  8. Wilco, “Summer Teeth”: A perfect encapsulation of the wanning days of summer.
  9. Old 97s, “Every Night Is Friday Night (Without You)”: Gotta love a shout-along song from these guys. It’s always fun.
  10. The Decemberists, “Sons & Daughters”: It’s so rare that you hear a song sung in the round in this day and age, but they manage to pull it off.

Playlist #172

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Happy Monday! We’re back in the school this morning, doing teacher in-service this week and we’ll have students next Monday. This will be my twentieth year of teaching. No, I’m not sure how I’ve been in it this long. Here’s some music.

  1. Jay-Z, “Public Service Announcement”: Didn’t expect me to put a Jay-Z song on here, did you? Hmm? Well, I did, so there! The fact that it features heavily in a commercial I’ve seen a few dozen times in the past two weeks has very little to do with it, honest.
  2. Langhorne Slim, “House of My Soul (You Light the Rooms)”: It’s just a damn fun sing-along song, y’know?
  3. Spoon, “New York Kiss”: They just released a deluxe version of this album with lots of demos, so you know I’m down for that.
  4. Paul McCartney/Wings, “Junior’s Farm”: From the One Hand Clapping collection that was recently released. Pretty good.
  5. Hank Williams, “Move It On Over”: I first heard this song back in the ’80s with the George Thorogood cover. This version is…much better.
  6. The Offspring, “Self Esteem”: La la, la la la, la la, la la.
  7. Old Crow Medicine Show, “Alabama High Test”: I could use a little of this this morning, whether it’s alcohol or meth. Either way, it’d make the faculty meetings more fun.
  8. Old 97s, “Streets of Where I’m From”: “I’ve been down, I’ve been down too far to care/I keep getting in my car, but I’m not going anywhere” is a great bit, and it does the thing where they say the name of the album in the song.
  9. Owen Danoff, “Never Been Kissed”: I just threw this one in here because I needed ten songs, not nine. It’s good, I just don’t have anything to say about it.
  10. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, “Shake Your Money Maker”: I need some Chicago blues today. We all do, I think. So here’s some.

Playlist #156 – School Daze

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Happy Monday, folks! As we near the end of April, students’ minds start turning to thoughts of summer and freedom from the tyranny of…um…*checks notes*…learning. Here’s an appropriate playlist, all because I listened to the new Taylor Swift album this weekend and it features a song called “So High School.”

  1. Taylor Swift, “So High School”: I mean, I told you right up there why I put together this particular playlist, didn’t I? This song was mentioned right there. It’s not about high school per se, but it is about people being petty and small-minded and acting very high school, so we count it.
  2. The Angels, “My Boyfriend’s Back”: There’s nothing in this song to particularly attach it to high school students, but it feels very high schoolish to me. “My boyfriend’s back, and you’re gonna be in trouble,” they sing, and it’s very taunting and playground-esque.
  3. Bruce Springsteen, “Glory Days”: Ah, who doesn’t look back on high school as the time when your life was at its absolute peak? I mean, I don’t, but I also didn’t plateau at that point in my life and went on to do other, better things.
  4. Chuck Berry, “Schooldays”: Hail, hail, rock and roll.
  5. Old 97s, “Friends Forever”: You know how some folks go from nerds to kickass musicians in a rock band? The Old 97s know.
  6. The Mountain Goats, “Fall of the Star High School Running Back”: We’ve talked about this song. Don’t go from being the star running back on the high school football team to a drug dealer. You will get caught and you will receive an adult sentence for it, especially in Texas.
  7. Loudon Wainwright III, “School Days”: Loudon Wainwright III has this wonderful way to approach nostalgia and the yearning for the past that I’ve always loved.
  8. Pearl Jam, “Education”: In case you need a little Pearl Jam in your day. I know I do. Their new album is also actually pretty solid.
  9. Pink Floyd, “The Happiest Days of Our Lives/Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”: Like I wasn’t going to put this song on this list. And yeah, it’s technically two songs, but they are always played as a single song, so I’m only counting it as one.
  10. The Ramones, “Teenage Lobotomy”: C’mon, we all think they’ve had ’em. It’s the only explanation for the slack-jawed looks I get every day.

Playlist #155 – The Old 97s

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Tuesday is the new Monday, right? The Old 97s put out a new album recently, and it’s pretty great. So, here’s a playlist of some of my favorite Old 97s songs. I had to do 12, ’cause 10 just wasn’t enough.

  1. “Mama Tried”: The Old 97s burst right out the gate with their sound already pretty-well established: fast acoustic strumming, some Chet Atikins-like electric, and a railroad rhythm section that leaves you pretty breathless by the end of the song. This Merle Haggard cover is pretty emblematic of their approach.
  2. “Victoria”: Most of the best Old 97s songs are witty, quip-filled emotional wringers about the dastardly women who’ve done Rhett Miller wrong and the whiskey he’s drinking to forget about them.
  3. “Doreen”: So the original version of this song, off their debut Hitchhike to Rhome, is a string-band get-down that feels only vaguely out of touch with the rest of the album. But the reworked version on Wreck Your Life feels more in line with their usual sound and is just a barnstormer of a tune.
  4. “Barrier Reef”: This is the song that got me into this band. “So I sidled up beside her/Settled down, shouted, “Hi there/My name’s Stuart Ransom Miller/I’m a serial ladykiller”/She said, “I’m already dead”/That’s exactly what she said” is just the best worst pickup line I have ever heard.
  5. “Big Brown Eyes”: Early Old 97s albums often featured reworked versions of older songs. On Too Far To Care, You’ve got this one and “4 Leaf Clover,” a rework from their debut. Both benefit from years on the road and improved musicianship.
  6. “Crash on the Barrelhead”: Sometimes the bassist sings? And it’s not bad? I’m as surprised as you are.
  7. “Designs on You”: When all you want to do is have a fling with an engaged woman and she seems kinda willing, but you don’t wanna come across as too skeevy.
  8. “In the Satellite Rides a Star”: If I had to pick a favorite Old 97s song, I’d ask you why you hated me and wanted me to choose between all of my beautiful, alcoholic children. But, gun to my head, it’d probably be this one. This week, anyway.
  9. “Champaign, Illinois”: Other weeks, it might be this one, which “borrows” (with gracious permission) the chord progression from Dylan’s “Desolation Row” for a song about the Midwest and a touring band.
  10. “Most Messed Up”: While this was probably once quite true for frontman Rhett Miller, he’s sobered up these days and far less likely to engage in debauched shenanigans. But hey, it’s fun to relive the (rather alcohol-soaked and hazy) past sometimes.
  11. “Holy Cross”: Why this song never ended up on an album proper, I’ll never know. It’s so damn good.
  12. “By the End of the Night”: Off their latest, American Primitive. The new album doesn’t really mess with the formula they’ve been working with for the past 30 years, but if it ain’t broke…

Playlist #143

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Happy Monday on this rather chilly morning! We’re back at work for a relatively short week (though not nearly as short as last week, y’know?), and I’ve got a bunch of jumped-up raves to get you motivated to face that work week.

  1. Green Day, “Panic Song”: If this song doesn’t get you pumped up and jumping out of bed, ready to face the day, then you might wanna check your pulse because you might just be dead.
  2. Sleater-Kinney, “Turn It On”: Hey, these awesome ladies just released a new album last Friday! No, this song isn’t off that album; it’s off the seminal Dig Me Out.
  3. The Record Company, “Turn Me Loose”: This one’s a slow burner, with some excellent build-up.
  4. Old 97s, “Champagne, Illinois”: If you’re going to borrow a melody from someone, why not borrow from Bob Dylan? And why not borrow the melody from “Desolation Row,” if you’re going to borrow from Bob Dylan? And why not make the lyrics a travelogue of the Midwest?
  5. The New Pornographers, “Sing Me Spanish Techno”: Is Spanish techno well-respected in the techno community? Are there lots of people out there searching for that particular sub-genre? I just don’t know.
  6. The Pretenders, “Middle of the Road”: Chrissy Hinde rarely sounds so gnarly as she does in this song. There’s real menace here. I dig it.
  7. REM, “So. Central Rain”: Okay, so REM don’t generally go hard as a rule of thumb, and this song doesn’t, but it’s still very good.
  8. Lucero, “Downtown (Intro)” and “On My Way Downtown”: Okay, so I paired these two because “Downtown (Intro)” is, as it so clearly states, an intro to the full song “On My Way Downtown,” and I just really dig the way they feed into each other.
  9. Bob Dylan, “32-20 Blues”: It’s just Dylan and an acoustic guitar, and it still has more energy and forward momentum than most other songs you’ll hear.
  10. Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, “Friends”: Okay, so we gotta cool it down for the end of the playlist here. This is one of the best songs Ryan Adams ever wrote, on the best album he ever released.

Playlist #141

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Happy Monday, folks! It’s bright and clear here in Northern Virginia today, though tomorrow promises rainstorms. In January. Because we don’t get to have snow days anymore. Anyway, have some music.

  1. Terry Allen & The Panhandle Mystery Band, “All That’s Left Is Fare-Thee-Well”: Contemporary country that doesn’t suck? It’s more likely than you’d think! At least, it is when you’re talking about Terry Allen, who’s been at it since the mid-70s. And can you dig the name of that backing band?
  2. Neil Diamond, “Holly Holy”: Neil Diamond singin’ his heart out on this one, God bless ‘im.
  3. Bob Dylan, “Born In Time”: Sometimes, latter-day Dylan gets on even my nerves. He’s gotten to a point on many of his songs (you could easily make the argument that he was there from the very beginning) of getting too repetitive with the chord structures; it’s the same phrase, repeated over and over and over for six or seven minutes. But sometimes, he throws out a gem like this one, which didn’t even merit a regular release (it’s from The Bootleg Series, Volume 8. Though, come to think of it, there were several bangers on that particular set). So most folks will never hear this one, but thank God we got the three-disc Sinatra karaoke of Triplicate.
  4. Fleetwood Mac, “Seven Wonders”: Peak 1980s Mac. Which means my wife would hate it.
  5. Moby, “New Dawn Fades”: “Moby is so edgy,” said some vegan teen in 1998.
  6. Jenny Lewis, “Carpetbagger (Featuring Elvis Costello)”: Always sing a song with Elvis Costello if you get the chance. It just sounds good.
  7. Old 97s, “Jagged”: Is this from one of their best albums? No. It’s far too poppy for my tastes, generally speaking. Is this still a damn good song that just tears a hole straight through you? Yes.
  8. Josh Ritter, “Monster Ballads”: This is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in the past twenty years. Just guts me every time I listen to it.
  9. Miles Davis, “It Never Entered My Mind”: One of my favorite jazz songs. I don’t talk much about jazz, because (1) It’s hard to talk about jazz in general and (2) most jazz is too up its own ass for my tastes. But this song is gorgeous and mournful and melancholy in all the best ways.
  10. Rhiannon Giddens, “The Angels Laid Him Away”: This woman knows her way around an old folk tune, as this particular ode reveals to great effect.

Playlist #94: Love Is In The Air

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Happy Monday and happy early Valentine’s Day! Let’s celebrate by being martyred to Christ, just for fun, and maybe listening to this list of songs while we do that.

  1. Aaron Neville, “Everybody Plays The Fool”: If this song doesn’t get your significant other in the mood for a little somethin’ somethin’, check their pulse. They might be dead.
  2. ABBA, “Take A Chance On Me”: So upbeat. How could you not take a chance on one of these Swedish sirens?
  3. ZZ Top, “Gimme All Your Lovin'”: The power of the beards compels you. And the blooze.
  4. Young Dubliners, “Last House On The Street”: I heard my uncle’s band, The Regular Joes, play this one throughout college and grad school. It’s still an endearing, sweet little song.
  5. Frank Turner, “The Way I Tend To Be”: True love takes you as you are and helps you want to be better.
  6. David Gray, “You’re The World To Me”: There’s something about the heavy-handed strumming at the end of the chorus on this one that just digs into my brain and won’t go away.
  7. The Magnetic Fields, “Epitaph For My Love”: I think this is probably my wife’s favorite song by the Magnetic Fields, who are one of her favorite bands. It’s a little dour.
  8. Ricky Nelson, “Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart)”: CCR did a cover of this song
  9. Van Morrison, “I Wanna Roo You (Scottish Derivative)”:
  10. Old 97s, “Valentine”:

Playlist #84: Covers!

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Happy Monday! It’s December now, somehow, and as usual I have a new playlist for you. But this one is all cover songs!

  1. The National, “Ashamed Of The Story I Told”: They don’t even really change all that much about the song, except the drum pattern is completely different and it somehow manages to totally change the feel and nature of the song.
  2. Johnny Cash, “Hurt”: It’s downbeat, somber, and a little harrowing. It’s also one of those covers that I would argue is better than the original.
  3. Old 97s, “Mama Tried”: The original Merle Haggard version is damn good (as are most Merle Haggard songs), but this one has the slightest edge on it, I think.
  4. The Byrds, “My Back Pages”: The Byrds could have easily just been a Bob Dylan cover band and I’d have been happy with that. They manage to transform every single Dylan tune they cover into a jangly, poppy slice of ’60s joy.
  5. Pomplamoose, “Maneater”: Watch out, boys, she’ll break your heart, huh? I’m more concerned with being eaten, personally.
  6. Spoon, “Held”: I just love the grit and thump of this song. So good.
  7. The Dirty Knobs, “Rumble”: Mike Campbell (formerly of the Heartbreakers) and some buddies got together to form this band, and they covered Link Wray’s ode to distortion and fuzz here. I love everything about the story of how this song got created, from Wray punching holes in his amplifier’s speaker with a pencil to radio stations refusing to play it because they thought it might incite juvenile delinquency.
  8. Jesse Malin, “You Can Make Them Like You”: Malin has been using this Hold Steady track as his closer for years, usually just him and an acoustic guitar. It’s pretty great.
  9. Tom Waits, “The Return of Jackie And Judy”: The Ramones were pretty ballsy. Case in point: they reference the two main characters in this song going to a Ramones show in the song. The chutzpah.
  10. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “I Put A Spell On You”: Fogerty and Co. had a good ear for an excellent cover song, and this rendition of the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins classic is no exception.

Playlist #63 – Doomed Love

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I am returned to the East from my vacation! 5800 miles later and (mostly) none the worse for wear. I am still doing music over on Patreon, where I’ll be unveiling July’s song of the month shortly. Today’s playlist comes courtesy of my brother, Clif, who not only suggested the theme but most of the songs on the list. Let’s jump in!

  1. Bruce Springsteen, “Loose Ends”: Sure, a lot of Springsteen’s songs feature characters stuck in relationships that seem doomed to end in abject failure, but only this one likens the relationship to a tightening noose.
  2. Mo Kenney, “Ahead of Myself”: I don’t know who hurt you, Mo, but you should stay away from them for your own good.
  3. The Fratellis, “For the Girl”: For such an upbeat, poppy band, they sure can turn in a downer of a song.
  4. Goodnight, Texas, “Dearest Sarah”: Based on an actual soldier’s letter to his wife back home, telling her that he felt he was going to die in an upcoming battle and she ought to live out the rest of her life as she would. More than a little dark and sad.
  5. Crowded House, “Don’t Dream It’s Over”: Can you believe some folks play this song at their wedding? That’s almost as weird and disconcerting as playing the Police’s “Every Breath You Take.”
  6. Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, “Talking In Code”: A relationship ending always strikes me as sad, though a number of relationships are less than stellar and probably shouldn’t have existed in the first place. No one should have to hear someone sing them sad songs to keep them awake.
  7. The Decemberists, “O Valencia!”: There’s always something about the way Colin Meloy sings that always makes a Decemberist song seem like it’s set in the 1860s, even when he makes mention of things like cars.
  8. The Elected, “It Was Love”: As Clif said, “the relationship is probably doomed if you can’t even figure out if you were in love or not.” He ain’t wrong.
  9. The Beatles, “Run For Your Life”: I’m half convinced any relationship involving John Lennon is probably doomed from the start, mostly because of songs like this one.
  10. Old 97s, “The Other Shoe”: If you’re hiding under the bed, waiting for your spouse and her lover, and then you drive out to the central Texas desert to bury their dead bodies, I’m pretty sure that romance is doomed. Very doomed.

Playlist #59

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Happy Tuesday, folks! It’s officially summer break time! That doesn’t mean I’ve slacked off over on Patreon, though. There’ll be a new song each month, just like usual. Anyway, here’s this week’s playlist.

  1. Old 97s, “Holy Cross”: It’s just such a bleak song with such a great rhythm.
  2. The Wallflowers, “Sleepwalker”: “Now, Cupid, don’t draw back your bow/Sam Cooke didn’t know what I know.”
  3. The Minus 5, “Wasted Bandage”: Favorite line is, “dear physician, won’t you heal yourself?”
  4. Golden Smog, “Until You Came Along”: Love the jangly twelve string in this one. It’s an alt-country Byrds song, essentially.
  5. Gin Blossoms, “Just South Of Nowhere”: Early Gin Blossoms stuff is just so damn good.
  6. Justin Townes Earle, “Flint City Shake it”: A song that calls GM out on the carpet for its treatment of the auto workers in Flint, Michigan. Gotta love it.
  7. Jesse Malin, “Addicted”: I will never not love Jesse Malin, and this song – about the problems of modern society and its addiction to smart phones and Instagram – hits a lot of good points.
  8. Josh Ritter, “Getting Ready To Get Down”: “If you wanna see a miracle/Watch me get down.”
  9. Glen Phillips, “Men Just Leave”: I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Glen Phillips’ first solo album, and this song – about how men often suck – still hits too real.
  10. Wilco, “You Are My Face”: I love the middle part of this song, where the band really cuts loose. It’s awesome.