December 31, 2006
Playlist - December 2006
Another month, another hour of disjointed listening.
| M. Ward - Helicopter >> from Transfiguration Of Vincent M. Ward's most recent album ("Post-War") is excellent, but for some reason, two songs from earlier releases found their way onto this playlist. To me, the lyrics in this one seem to evoke a dreamscape that, in a certain way, captures the zeitgeist of recent years. (And is that a Sonic Youth reference?) |
| Supergrass - Prophet 15 >> from Life On Other Planets This is a great song from a few years back. One day, iTunes brought it back to me in a random shuffle of thousands of songs, and I thought "hey, did I ever put this one on a playlist?" |
| SoftLightes - Heart Made of Sound >> from Heart Made of Sound A beatifully weird childlike fantasy/dream. One problem is the annoying quavery vocals (uncannily similar to Conor Oberst) that don't really fit the music. But the piano (esp. the trilly part) makes up for it. |
| Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks (feat. Victoria Bergsman) >> from Writer's Block Swedish pop often gets on my nerves, but sometimes it sucks me in. This is an example of a tune I really enjoy, charmingly poor English and all. |
| Lupe Fiasco - Hurt Me Soul >> from Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor Incredible. From an album that ranks among the best hip-hop albums of '06. |
| Lupe Fiasco - Daydreamin' (feat. Jill Scott) >> from Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor Another great one. (And Jill Scott... what a voice. She hasn't mesmerized me like this since that long walk in 2000.) |
| Bitman & Roban - Tatita >> from Musica para Después de Almuerzo Great background chill-out music from Chile. Interesting mix of styles, even if it does get a bit repetitive. Weird video, too. |
| Bob Dylan - Unbelievable >> from Under the Red Sky A fun, straightforward rocker. I'm taking a risk sharing this with folks who might not be Dylan freaks since it's from an album many don't care for. But I think it's enjoyable. |
| Neil Young - Shock and Awe >> from Living With War Such palpable frustration and anger... and the horn makes the song... |
| Traveling Wilburys - Tweeter And The Monkey Man >> from The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 According to Olivia Harrison, the first Traveling Wilburys album will be reissued soon. So I figure it's a good time to revisit the album. It features an interesting assemblage of artists (Harrison, Lynne, Orbison, Dylan, and Petty) and some fairly interesting songs. Songwriting credits on all songs were to the whole group, but this song has heavy shades of Bob. It's chock-full of Springsteen references, so I guess it's some sort of tribute or parody or - like the album as a whole - just light-hearted fun. I love the chorus (and if you listen carefully you can pick out individual members of the group). |
| Bob Dylan - Frankie & Albert >> from Good As I Been To You A nice rendition of the classic song from one of Dylan's mid-nineties folk albums. The minimal recording style/production (the songs were recorded in a garage studio) suits the material well. (It's also a rare show of Bob's impressive gee-tar playin' chops.) |
| The Rosewood Thieves - Lonesome Road >> from From the Decker House There are plenty of reasons to like this song, but the best one is the piano (especially the part at 2:00 or so). I read somewhere that it's Bob Dorough. |
| Greg Laswell - Sing, Theresa Says >> from Through Toledo Nice moody song. Interesting video, too. |
| Neko Case - The Needle Has Landed >> from Fox Confessor Brings the Flood "Fox Confessor..." is showing up all over the place on "best of 2006" lists, and while Neko has appeared several times on playlists this year, I don't think any songs from that album have. So here's one. |
| M. Ward - Here Comes The Sun Again >> from Transistor Radio Now that the solstice has come and gone, the sun will be gracing us with its presence for more and more time every day. Here's a beautiful tribute to remind you of warm, sunny days. (Matt is obviously paying homage to the Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun" - it becomes very obvious if you listen carefully from about 2:05 - 2:15.) |