There's a lot to digest in the latest collection from the great Tom Waits. (56 songs!) It'll take me forever to purchase them all, let alone listen to them. But this track stood out instantly. The music hit me first, but then I noticed words. Turns out it's an unusual sort of political song, and an unusual sort of Tom Waits song. He usually writes so elegantly, but these awkward lyrics often sound like a summary of the day's news, not like something you'd put in a song. (The review at Pitchfork notes that "at times it sounds like Waits is reading straight off the CNN ticker, but we forgive him" and The Observer says "the lyrics might have been lifted straight from newspaper reports.") As such, they are fairly clumsy. And yet the song still works amazingly well. I don't know how you do it, Tom, but don't stop.

Some of the songs from the Decemberists' latest album depart from their typical indie-rock sound (whatever that means) and are tinged with bits of '70s prog rock and '80s synth. This is one of them. It hints of, say, Steely Dan and Talking Heads. The endless repetition of the word "perfect" will also remind you of those times as a kid (or a drunk) when you realized how very weird words are. (Songs from this album with a more typical Decemberists sound include Summersong and O Valencia!)

Grandaddy has sadly called it quits, and 'Just Like the Fambly Cat' is their swan song. (And what an excellent one it is.) We'll miss you, just like all those family cats that mysteriously disappear.

This outtake from the early '70s is slice of pure twangy country goodness.

You might not like this one as well. But you're getting it. Because I like the chiming guitar. And I went through a short period of U.S. Civil War obsession when I was ten.