“Don’t hide: the snake can see you”

Guided By Voices – “The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory” from Bee Thousand (1994)
Led Zeppelin – “Misty Mountain Hop” from IV (1971)
Well, I’m off to the Smoky Mountains for a hiking trip. See you in a week if we don’t freeze to death. Here are a couple of my favorite mountain-themed songs by two great bands [...]

“In my stupid hat and gloves”

The Replacements – “Skyway” from Pleased to Meet Me (1987)
Rediscovered this pretty little paean to Minneapolis walkways during a recent 26-hour delay in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. One of Westerberg & Co.’s best.
More ‘Mats on SWR
Sorry Ma, forgot to buy all their albums
Posted by Glenn

“Take this candle with you and book of matches as well.”

Calexico – “Gift X-Change” and “Crawlspace” from Aerocalexico (2001)
I wish everyone a fine Christmas time. Here are a couple pretty tunes from Aerocalexico to share with your family: “Gift X-Change” for the plane/car ride home if you’re not already there and “Crawlspace” for anytime you forget that the pedal steel guitar makes the most [...]

“We’re trapped inside the song.”

Silver Jews – “New Orleans” from Starlite Walker (1994) and “Wild Kindness” from American Water (1998)
The Silver Jews is the most consistently under-appreciated group of the last 15 years. Perhaps it’s because David Berman usually stays tucked away in Nashville fostering his country soul.
As a Christmas gift, I give you two of my all-time [...]

“Fate up against your will”

Echo & the Bunnymen – “The Killing Moon” from Ocean Rain (1984)
Pavement – “The Killing Moon” from Major Leagues EP (1999)
Ever since I heard it in Donnie Darko, I have found this to be one of the creepiest songs ever.  But Pavement provides an appropriately goofy cover without compromising the terrific melody.
Buy Pavement here
and [...]

“There’s too many poets/There’s too many songs”

Bill Fox – “Song of a Drunken Nightingale” from Transit Byzantium (1998)
Tom Waits – “In the Neighborhood” from Swordfishtrombones (1983)
I’ll be in MO and KS for the next week, reenacting the Battle of Westport. As a for-a-while farewell, here’s a beaut from SWR fave Bill Fox and a Tom Waits classic famously described by Jordy’s [...]

“I want to keep white roses in their eyes”

Neutral Milk Hotel – “Holland, 1945” from In The Aeroplane Over The Sea [1998]
Jesus Christ this is a beautiful song.
Visionary beauty from another Elephant 6 Collective member, Jeff Mangum. This record captures tragedy and suffering as well as any pop record I can think of. Including Pet Sounds.
Bonus uninteresting trivia!: the wedding of Jordy’s brother [...]

“This world makes no sense”

The Olivia Tremor Control – “Jumping Fences” from Music From The Unrealized Film Script: Dusk At Cubist Castle (1996)
The Elephant 6 Collective has been responsible for some of the most visionary pop music of the past 15 years or so, with Neutral Milk Hotel and the Olivia Tremor Control being the main exponents of Beacheatles-esque [...]

“He hurt you then, but that’s all gone.”

The Beach Boys – “I’m Waiting for the Day” from Pet Sounds (1966)
This gem from Brian Wilson’s masterpiece, Pet Sounds, is a perfect example of how that album set a new standard for pop songwriting.  It combined an infectious melody with flawless harmonies, unique but appropriate instrumentation, and one of the greatest codas in rock [...]

“Just grin from ear to ear”

Bob Dylan and the Band – “All you have to do is dream – take 1“
and “All you have to do is dream – take 2” from Tree With Roots (2001)
Here are two takes of one of the more coherent tunes from the Basement Tapes sessions. It has a pretty infectious groove courtesy [...]

“I don’t understand”

X – “Adult Books” from Wild Gift (1980); plus “Adult Books [demo]” (197?) from Rhino reissue of Los Angeles (1979)
Another Books-related post, tee hee. Great L. A. punk from Viggo Mortensen’s ex-wife & co.
Buy it here
Posted by Glenn

“This is the birth that everyone is always talking about, the one assumed but not remembered.”

The Books – “Twelve Fold Chain” from Lost and Safe (2005)
This is the most sedative song I have ever heard.
For those not familiar with the Books, please check them out, especially if you’re as tired of indie rock as I am. They are at once warmly familiar and experimental.
Thanks to Glenn for the heads-up [...]

“If songs were lines in a conversation, the situation would be fine”

Nick Drake – “Hazey Jane II” from Bryter Layter (1970)
The powers that be here at SWR have been gracious enough to allow me to do a guest spot here, so here goes: I was walking around town all day yesterday with this song in my head, and given this blog’s reference to a very [...]

“It’s all about the moderate climates”

Modest Mouse – “The Stars Are Projectors” from The Moon and Antarctica (2000)
Modest Mouse’s 2000 release is, in my opinion, a five-star all-time classic. “The Stars Are Projectors” stands as the most epic and mind-expanding track.
Circles begin here
Check out more photos from the Hubble here
Posted by Glenn

Interesting music blog

Any SWReaders interested in classical music, music theory, or I guess what you’d call performance theory might be interested in Jeremy Denk’s blog, Think Denk. Denk is a concert pianist and a great writer about the intracicies of what is going on, emotion-wise, in the technical side of classical music. From a recent post about [...]