08/18/2015
Day 322: Time draws short. As I mentioned yesterday, I did not think that it was practical to have the project be a true countdown of my favorite songs over the years, but at the same time, I do love me a good count down. Since the whole point is that I am turning 40, it only seems logical that I would wind this project down with my own ""Top 40"" In this case, I am limiting myself to only one entry in the count down from each band. Now, to be sure, there are a handful of songs that I have already mentioned in the past 10 months that I could certainly put on this Top 40 list (for example, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, and Sufjan Steves do not make an appearance), and I don't really have a strong motivation for putting song #16 ahead of #17, but I think that this list is a pretty honest one, and I hope you enjoy it.
#40: 'Smiling' from Kitchens of Distinction
Kicking off the Top 40 is a bit of a dark horse, but when you get down to perhaps my 40th favorite band, I suppose that is to be expected. I mentioned Kitchens of Distinction back in February as a One-Hit-Wonder, but this was slightly disingenuous. I primarily only like their 1990 album Strange Free World, but there is an exception to every rule. In this case, the exception is that my favorite song from the ethereal, shoegazer, wall-of-sound act is today's song, "Smiling" from the otherwise forgettable 1992 album "The Death of Cool." What draws me to this song is the fact that despite most of the bands songs being a bit dark, heavy, and perhaps even inaccessible, this song feels like an honest, happy, love song with a great little guitar hook. But, at the same, musically, the song is very much true to the rest of the Kitchens catalog. It is uncompromising and for that reason, quite awesome, IMHO. I puts a smile on my face every time.
08/19/2015
Some may say that I had many a story to tell, but it was a rare occasion such as this that I did. I am sure that I was baseline aware of the band Primus for much of my High School tenure, but it wasn't until my Junior year that I really took notice. I mentioned a very long time ago how I once donned a wig and did a lip synch performance of a Breeders song. The event that actually inspired my friends and I to make this performance was a year earlier when another group of students performed "Jerry was a Racecar Driver" to rave reviews. Once I took notice of the 1991 album "Sailiing the Seas of Cheese," I noticed today's song "Tommy The Cat," and over time it became one of my favorites. The raw awesome power of Les Claypool's bass work is on full display here, and the rapid fire spoken word lyrics are simply too much fun. I suppose it is just a simple song about a cat chasing some tail (pun intended, as always), but everytime I hear the phrase, "Tommy the Cat is my name and I say unto thee," followed by perhaps the most amazing bass line of all time, I just smile like the Cheshire Cat.
08/20/2015
As I was putting together this list, I knew that I needed to include The Killers as one of the final top 40 bands to make the cut. But it was really hard to really hone in on the one song of theirs that I would consider to be my favorite. But, after much deliberation, I went with "Read My Mind." Even though I talk a lot about my love of sad songs, I am generally a very positive person. So, much like Tuesday's song, I think that it is the positive energy that I feel in this song that really draws me too it. It still seems like a bit of a break-up song, but in this case, the singer decides to fight for the relationship. If nothing else, I love the lyrical progressions in the choruses, i.e., the sections such as "The good old days, the honest man; The restless heart, the Promised Land. A subtle kiss that no one sees; A broken wrist and a big trapeze." It is just a cool, fun little song, and I think that it is my favorite from their catalog. You didn't need a mind reader to get that out of me, now did you?
08/21/2015
Similar to yesterday's song, I knew that I also needed to include Weezer in my Top 40, but the exact song to pick was a bit tricky. I like a lot of Weezer's work, but the top honor for this band goes to "My Name Is Jonas." Again, much like yesterday's song, this one is just pure fun. I have literally no idea what the song is supposed to be about, but the lyrics are pretty amusing, "The choo-choo train left right on time. A ticket costs only your mind. The driver said, 'Hey man, we go all the way.' Of course we were willing to pay." In addition, the song contains that awesome contrast of alternating hard/fast and soft/slow parts that partly defined the 90s (and were largely inspired by the work of The Pixies.) If nothing else, I will always remember the joy of playing this song on Guitar Hero, which was made much easier when Andy Elms pointed out that the song is in 6/8 time. Now, and forevermore, when I hear this song, I hear in my head, "1,2,3,4,5,6,1,2,3,4,5,6..."
08/22/2015
When I think about my favorite song from the band the 10,000 Maniacs, it would seem natural to gravitate towards a track from their brilliant 1992 album "Our Time in Eden." However, when the rubber hits the road, I think my favorite album from the band is actually their 1987 offering, "In My Tribe." I have already relayed my rant about my disdain for the song "What's The Matter Here?" from that album. So today I would like to highlight my personal favorite 10,000 Maniacs song: today's track "Don't Talk." In this case, I think that Natalie Merchant is addressing the subject of alcoholism, but she actually does in a more subtle and artistic way that for me makes it the antithesis of that other song that makes me so angry. Plus, I have always liked the guitar line in this one. It has a bit of that shoe-gazer sound to it, which is in cool contrast to Merchant's voice. It just works. OK, enough talk. Go ahead and listen.
08/23/2015
Sometimes, your first love is also your deepest. I believe that this is the 4th song from the Nashville band known as the Judybats, and as I thought about my favorite song of theirs, I had to return to the beginning with the first song of theirs that I ever heard: the title track from their 1991 debut album, "Native Son." It is just a joyful, super catchy song with an infectious instrumentation and pretty harmonies that brings me back to my high school days instantly. I guess it is like first love, when I think about it. So maybe it is appropriate that this is the song that came up on Jen's birthday. Sweetie, I can't think of anybody else that I would rather "la la la la la la my way through like with." :)
08/24/2015
It appears that today is the one and only day that I will highlight a song from Green Day. I can't say that I am a huge Green Day fan, but much like Nirvana, it was pretty hard to come of age in the early 90s without gaining some appreciation for their 1994 album "Dookie." But, for me the band itself came of age in 2004 with the brilliant concept album "American Idiot." A few years back, Jen and I even went to go see the Broadway show based on the album (feel free to reread that last sentence, if needed). When the show opened with the song "American Idiot," my first impression was "I don't know about this..." but by the time the show reached its emotional peak at "21 Guns," I was completely won over. It was a very entertaining evening. But that was then, and this is now, so for today I will go with probably my favorite Green Day song "Holiday." I think the song flat out rocks and contains some of Billie Joe Armstrong's most clever lyrics. Can I get another amen? If not, well, "I beg to dream and differ."
08/25/2015
As I continue to count down my Top 40 favorite songs (more or less) I notice that some of my favorite songs come from somewhat unlikely places. Similar to #40 on this list, today's song comes from a band that I consider to be a "One-Album-Wonder," but ironically the song is not on that particular album. Way back in the fall I mentioned the British band The Trash Can Sinatras and their debut album Cake. As it turns out, they did put out a second album in 1993 called "I've Seen Everything." That album as a whole is pretty forgettable, which the exception of today's song, "Hayfever." The song saw very brief fame in the 1990s for being featured in a segment on Bevis and Butthead, but other than that, it remains quite obscure. It is a same, too, as the piano part alone just makes me want to get up a dance. In all honesty, I have made a few references to jumping around my living room through out this project, but it is *this* song that was the original inspiration for that gesture. I get hayfever around this time of year if I don't take my meds where I sneeze uncontrollably. This song just makes me what to jump around uncontrollable. And the cherry on top? The final line, "There's only one way, only one way. The rest is just chemistry." Perfect.
08/26/2015
It took me until July to mention The Throwing Muses, and by now we are up to their 3rd song, all from the brilliant 1991 album "The Real Ramona." I think that I have saved the best for last which today's track "Graffiti." The simplicity of the song is part of what makes it brilliant. It has this subtle, driving, pseudo-surf guitar as Kristin Hersh sings about seeing her name in spray paint on a brick wall. With just four simple verses and no chorus, the song still packs a bit on an emotional punch. To me, it speaks to the anger and frustration of someone doing something to you that you did not ask for and cannot control, and the somewhat futile attempt to right that wrong. It is subtly powerful. Is it one of my favorites? Well, the writing is on the wall.
08/27/2015
For a song that is still in the 30s of this particular count down, today's song sure has an air of finality to it. Ironically, today's track, "Here's Where the Story Ends" also happened to be The Sunday's first single and also Track 1 from their brilliant 1990 debut album, "Reading, Writing And Arithmetic." The song is just a lovely "little souvenir" from the early 90s, combining clean, beautiful acoustic guitar with Hariott Wheelers even more beautiful high voice. I suppose the song is most likely about the end of a relationship, but the song was the start of a fling that many fans had with the band for close to a decade. Hariott may believe the, "the only thing I ever really wanted to say was wrong," but sometimes it is the way you say it that matters. And that's final.
08/28/2015
Last month I mentioned my affinity for the British shoegazer act Lush with their ethereal wall of sound and high, angelic vocals. As I think back on it, I guess I can't say that the genre has aged particularly well, but I still need to count Lush as one of my favorite bands. Although I was first drawn in by the sounds of their first album, "Gala" it is today's song "Nothing Natural," the first single from their sophomore album, 1992's "Spooky" that is my very favorite. It is hard to put my finger on exactly why this song rises to the top, but it just has that slightly epic feel to it that says to me that it is *the* prototypical shoegazer track. Don't you know, it's just beautiful.
08/29/2015
The last few entries into this count down have had a distinctly feminine flavor, and that theme continues today with a selection from Madder Rose. I previously labeled the band as a One-Hit-Wonder as well, but in all honesty, they are more of a Two-Album-Wonder. And, one of those albums, 1994's "Panic On," is in my opinion one of the best albums in my collection (maybe in my Top 10). The whole album is jam packed with solid tracks featuring the band's signature beautiful vocals, and rough, dirty electric guitar. The combination is just delicious. Of all the songs on that great album, my favorite is the title track, "Panic On." Much like yesterday's song, Panic On contains all of the elements that make Madder Rose's first two albums so good: sweet vocals mixed in with quiet, soft parts juxtaposed between hard, shredding guitar. So, don't panic, just listen.
08/30/2015
Once again, I see a band has made my Top 40 countdown despite this being the only song of theirs in the entire project. In retrospect, I perhaps should have made room for a song like "Cold Feelings," in the Fire Up chapter, or their Cover of "Ring of Fire" in that chapter. It is somewhat appropriate, however, because it took me a while to really "get" the band Social Distortion. I remember first seeing a video of theirs in my early high school days. I heard the heavy punk guitar riffs (which I was not as fond of at the time) saw the heavily tattooed dudes in the band, and I just thought, "Next!" as I fast-forwarded through to the next song. But ultimately they taught my teen-aged self not to judge a book by its cover, and when I actually took the time to sit down and listen to one of their songs like today's selection, "Ball and Chain," I finally realized the *depth* of the band and what they had to offer. I heard an interview with the band one time where they described "Ball and Chain" as a prayer for mercy, and if you listen to the lyrics, it is decidedly so: "Well I sit and I pray. In my broken down Chevrolet. While I'm singin' to myself there's got to be another way. Take away, take away. Take away this ball and chain. Well I'm lonely and I'm tired, and I can't take any more pain." The song is incredibly real, incredibly powerful, and incredibly good.
08/31/2015
Although I was never a huge fan of the Seattle grunge scene, it certainly had its moments. All of the bands from that genre, I would have to say that Pearl Jam was my clear favorite. But, as I mentally reviewed their catalog in my head, I kept coming back to the same song that I must admit is my favorite, and in this case it is a bit of a dark horse: today's selection, "Wishlist" from the 1998 album "Yield." The brilliance of this song is its simplicity. The guitar is a simple set of repeating chords, and Eddie Veder is understated as he lists the things that he wishes for. The song does not seem to be a song of regret, but one of hopeful ambition, partially in winning the heart of another, but also perhaps in making the world better, "I wish I was the evidence, I wish I was the grounds for 50 million hands upraised and open toward the sky... I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good." The song is somehow both melancholy and joyful at the same time. As Pearl Jam songs go, it is all that I could wish for.
09/01/2015
The British band The Stone Roses were a lot of things, but primarily they were short lived and represent untapped potential. The stormed onto the scene in 1989 with their brilliant self-titled debut album and they seemed to be locked and loaded to by the next big thing. It was never quite meant to be, but that first album still packs punch. It has a lot of great songs, but for me, I think my favorite has to be the opening number, "I Wanna Be Adored." If nothing else, it captures that slightly (or perhaps overtly) arrogant, too-cool-for-school vibe that made the Roses so cool in the short term, but ultimately fail in the long term. It is kind of shocking to note how few words are actually in the song, "I don't need to sell my soul. He's already in me. I want to be adored." Yeah, that is pretty much it and the song is almost five minutes long. But, oh, does it work. I just adore it.
09/02/2015
I have a weird kind of love-hate relationship with Liz Phair. I remember hearing her first single, "Never Said," and absolutely loving it. But then it seems like I heard several other songs and was just not impressed. I then rediscovered her a few years later and decided that I misjudged some of her earl music... just in time for her to transform into a Cheryl Crow wanna-be. But, amongst all of that, there is one song of hers that I can listen to over and over again to this day, today's song, "Polyester Bride" from the under-rated 1998 album Whitechocolatespaceegg. The whole song is a conversation between a girl in a bar and her advice-giving bartender friend (Henry), and it is just a flat out brilliant pop song. For a while it was even showing up as the most played song in my iTunes library. So, if you've got time, how about giving it another listen?
09/03/2015
When it comes to female singer-songwriters, Dar Williams is pretty hard to beat, especially when considering the overall strength of her 1996 album "Mortal City." When it came time for me to pick my favorite song of hers, is was a tough choice, as this album alone has several good candidates. But, ultimately I settled on today song, "The Ocean." Many of William's songs are light-hearted and fun, but the real power in her songwriting comes in the songs that pack a little more emotional punch. As far as I am concerned, this song is an emotional haymaker. Like any good poem, it is a little hard to fully decrypt the exact meaning of the song, but the imagery of a tough little town on the ocean shore and with its inhabitants trying to just get through life is vivid, intense, and magical. The only other thing I can say to this song is, "You don't know how precious you are... you don't know how much I adore you."
09/04/2015
I was certainly a little late in recognizing the awesomeness of The Pixies, but right around the time that I was discovering that great band, their former lead singer Black Francis (AKA Frank Black) launched his solo career with a self titled debut in 1993. The sound was a but of a departure from the post-punk sounds of The Pixies as it had a more light-hearted, almost zany feel to it. Perhaps the height of that zaniness is my favorite track from Frank, "Hang On To Your Ego." It is 50% hard rock, 50% video game soundtrack, and 100% awesome. It turns out that the song is actually a cover of a Beach Boys song off of Pet Sounds, but the Frank Black version really kicks it up a notch. Hang on tight!
09/05/2015
I have a confession to make: I really don't like the Beastie Boys very much. I know that they are cool and everyone loves them, but they are just OK for me. That being said, even I cannot deny the raw awesomeness of what is in my mind their best song, the classic 1994 track, "Sabotage." To be honest, the music video that paints the song as the theme song for a fake 70s cop show certainly helped win we over. The fact that the song appeared in JJ Abrams reboot of Star Trek certainly didn't hurt either. So come on now, say it with me, "Listen all of y'all it's a sabotage!"
09/06/2015
I could be wrong about today's song, but then again, I could be right. I am certainly not the world's biggest fan of the Sex Pistols or even of lead singers John Lydon's next project Public Image Limited, but there is no doubt in my mind that today's song "Rise" ranks among my personal Top 40. The song just has a fun energy to it. Both the lyrics and music are a bit repetitive, but in subtly interesting ways, if that makes any sense at all. The song drives along for 4 and a half minutes, and if you are like me, you wish at the end that it was a little bit longer. It gets stuck in your head, but unlike most songs, I am OK if it stays there for a while. Am I wrong? Well, in any event, as you go about your day today, I hope the road rises with you as well.
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