Day 252: It seems like almost anybody is capable of penning a One-Hit-Wonder, and there are a lot of bands out there that put out a 2-3 decent singles per album. But, the real test of a good band or album is the quality of the songs that never make the radio. Plus, I have always been a fan of the underdog. So, the next chapter in my musical journey focuses on those underdogs of the musical world, the deep-cut Hidden Gems on some of my favorite albums. Now, I just finished up talking about some of my favorite memories of seeing bands live, but alas, there are a couple of acts out there that I never got the chance to see play live. Probably the band I regret missing the most is Midnight Oil, and if I were to ever see them live, I really hope that they would break out today's Hidden Gem, "The Stars of Warburton" from the landmark 1989 album "Blue Sky Mining." On an album littered with great songs, this one sometimes gets forgotten. Many of the other songs on the album have this "I'm a single!" feel to them (even for alternative rock) but there is something subtle and beautiful about the guitar progressions and harmonies in this song. Over 25 years later, this might be my favorite song on the album.
06/10/2015
Day 253: It has been a little while since R.E.M. has come up, so today I would like to highlight the song "Pretty Persuasion," from their 1984 sophomore effort "Reckoning." Even as a 9-year old, I remember hearing "So. Central Coast" on the radio, but I became familiar with this song during those summers when Dawn was home from college and "Reckoning" was part of the board game music rotation. In that early R.E.M. style, Michael Stipe's lyrics are almost incomprehensible (dream-like?) except for the alliterative title, but I always thought it was a clever turn of phrase. The guitar line is cool as well. I hope that I can persuade you to give it a listen
06/11/2015
Day 254: When most people familiar with Band of Horses think about their debut album, "Everything All The Time," the song that immediately comes to mind is "The Funeral." I can't really blame them. I even featured that song back on Day 69. But, in all honesty, I think my favorite song off of that album is actually today's song, "The Great Salt Lake." There is just something magical for me about the guitar chord progressions that opens this track. It is majestically, cool, sweet, yet edgy, all at the same time. The way that guitar melds with the high tenor vocals is just lovely. So, if you are feeling a bit salty today, go ahead and give this one a listen.
06/12/2015
Day 255: I suppose that sometimes an entire album is a hidden gem. I certainly believe that to be the case for the 1992 album, "Down in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes Grow" the sophomore effort from The Judybats. The album essentially had no real single and was an afterthought even in alternative music circles. But to me it is one of the best albums of the 90s. I already mentioned the Hidden Gem "Our Story" back in February off this album, but in my opinion it is today's track, "Lullaby ~ Weren't We Wild" that is the best song on the album. I love of construction of the song as it starts slow and deliberate with a haunting harpsichord type of sound. The typically poetic lyrics are strong as well: "Your crooked smile, your paisley kiss, your golden voice, your artifice. Weren't we wild or maybe it was just, That I was wild for you... No one knows where the innocence it goes. Our futures are so few." Then suddenly 2/3rds of the way through the song, it turns into a high energy acoustic rock song with a bit of reckless abandon. The lyrics get much more aggressive as well as the narrator turns on a dime from one pining for elusive love to one that maybe doesn't give a crap anymore. It is awesomely cathartic. It is simply wild.
06/13/2015
Day 256: When The Smiths broke up and Morrissey ventured off on his solo career, his first album, 1988's "Viva Hate," generated some notable singles like "Every Day Is Like Sunday," (Day 21) and "Suedehead." But, there are several lesser known, great deep cuts on that album, like "Alsatian Cousin," "Late Night, Maudlin Street" and today's song, "Angel, Angel Down We Go Together." It is not often that the music portion of a song is entirely an orchestral string section, but on this 1 minute, 40 second long Gem that is precisely the case. The sad, pleading strings blend perfectly with Morrissey's sweet yet tragic offer: "when they've used you, and they've broken you, and wasted all your money, and cast your shell aside... I will be here, believe me... I love you more than life." If you are anything like me, this one will make a few chills go down your spine.
06/14/2015
Day 257: Since I was a little late to the party with the band Nada Surf, it is kind of hard to know which of their songs actually got any real radio play or exposure. For their 2003 album "Let Go," I think the only song that really made any real splash was the super chill, "Blonde on Blonde." That is a good song to be sure, but perhaps my favorite song on the album is actually the opening track and today's song, "Blizzard of '77." Much like the Band of Horses song from Wednesday, the combination of the guitar chord progressions and harmonies in this song are just flat out awesome. Plus, I dig some of the lyrics as well: "On a plane ride, the more it shakes, the more I have to let go. Now the signals, still getting all mixed up; we're always doing damage control." As summer approaches, this song is simply cool.
06/15/2015
Day 258: It is nearly impossible to deny the greatness of 1989 debut self-titled album from the Stone Roses. It essentially defined the early 90s British flavor of alternative music. It was not an album that was necessarily known for notable singles (although "I Wanna Be Adored" and "She Bangs The Drums" would fall into that category.) But, like all of the albums I have mentioned over the past few days, this album is packed with solid, lesser known tracks. For today's song, I would like to highlight one of my favorites "This Is The One." I guess you could say that the song is a bit repetitive. After all, the name of the songs is mentioned 43 times. But, there is just something so big and majestic about the song. The picture painted by both the music and lyrics is one of a tremendous build up to a singular (unspecified) event that is so critical that nothing else matters: "A girl consumed by fire. We all know her desire from the plans that she has made... It may go right, It may go wrong, This is the one, This is the one, She's waited for." It just feels so *important* that you can't help rooting for the girl, even though you have no idea why. I just hope the poor girl got what she wanted... So, if you are looking for a good Stone Roses song, maybe this is the one for you.
06/16/2015
Day 259: On some level, all songs from They Might Be Giants are Hidden Gems. The problem is that after over 20 albums and 400 tracks, it is sometimes hard to pick out 1 or 2 that stick out from the rest. But, here goes nothing. Sometime in the late 2000s I became aware that I had kind of lost track of TMGB and that they had put out a couple of albums without me noticing. One of them was the 2007 album "The Else" which after receiving for Xmas one year I found to be surprisingly strong. It is frankly pretty hard to tell which songs on the album are supposed to be singles, but my favorite is the odd little number "Countercoup." Even for the usually clever band, I find this song to be extra clever. First of all, it opens with a line about phrenology, which is the pseudoscience about measuring a person's skull to gleam information about psychology. Then the chorus goes, "Countercoup, on the rebound. Countercoup hurt me again, and the second was worse by far than the first, 'Cause it made me limerent." Now, it is not often that I need to break out the dictionary when listening to a song, but I had to do it twice just for this chorus. "Countercoup" is a type of brain injury that occurs when the head is struck and the brain "rebounds" off the opposite side of the skull. "Limerent" appears to be an involuntary state of obsessive infatuation with another person. Even though the lyrics have a very medical feel, all this talk of "rebound," it hurting worse the second time, infatuation, feelings waking up, etc. tell me that this is really just a love song in disguise. Well played, John and John, well played.
06/17/2015
Day 260: I think that everyone from my generation has at least some familiarity with the 1991 Jesus Jones album "Doubt" (think, "Right Here, Right Now") but after that iconic album, they kind of fell off the map and were never heard from again. But, a little known fact is that Jesus Jones did put out an album in 1993 called "Perverse." For what ever reason, the album failed to make a splash (perhaps also due to the love of Seattle grunge instead of electronic music at that time?) But there has always been one song on this little known album that I have really liked, today's song, "The Right Decision." The whole concept of the song is compelling and the lyrics are a bit thought provoking: "When they say ignorance is bliss, It makes it sound too good to miss. How about that?...So who to believe and who do you trust? Well, it might as well be you 'Cause it seems that no one else has got a clue. Get it wrong, get it right. You can try as hard as you like. But there's no such thing in the world as the right decision." I just love that. Sometimes in life it is easy to get hung up on the idea that there is one correct solution to any problem. But, that is honesty rarely the case, and at times it can be quite paralyzing. There is always more than one way to skin a cat, so to speak. This song has always been a nice reminder in the back of my mind that sometimes it is OK not to obsess about finding the *best* answer. Sometimes you just have to pull the trigger and live with the consequences.
06/18/2015
Day 261: Another album that perhaps does not get as much credit as it deserves is the 1993 album from Catherine Wheel, "Chrome." The whole album is a perfect melding of the more ethereal "shoegazer" sound of the early 90s and, well, flat out awesome hard rock. The whole album is solid, but one of my favorite tracks is the lesser know Hidden Gem, "The Nude." It has just a perfect mix of the soft and hard, fast and slow. On some level, the song is a microcosm of the entire album and even though the lyrics speak of "the nude that broke my heart," I can't help but feel happy when I hear this song.
06/19/2015
Day 262: The 1993 album from the band James known as "Laid" is certainly best known for the fairly provocative (and quite good) title track. But, honestly speaking the entire album is yet another Gem from the early nineties. The song Laid is pretty much a novelty song in comparison to the rest of the album which has a mellow, deep, and introspective feel. For today's song, I would like to feature "One of the Three." The song highlights Tim Booth's beautiful tenor voice in all of its haunting beauty. The lyrics of the song seem to be an interesting commentary on the holy Trinity: "Oh well, I guess you're not to blame for what they've done to me in your name. Oh well, it's a shame you got so famous for a sacrifice." The whole song seems to be an bit of an exploration of Tim Booth's faith, which much like the song, appears to be quite beautiful, but quite complicated.
06/20/2015
Day 263: I think that it is safe to say the R.E.M.'s 1992 album Automatic For The People was a bit of a landmark for alternative music history. Sure, they had some hits in the 80s that your cool older sister liked, but by 1992 R.E.M. was the type of band that your friend's mom was starting to like. It was a bit of a different dynamic. Still, the album is jammed packed with recognizable singles from "Drive," to "Man On The Moon," and even "Everybody Hurts." But, for me the Hidden Gem of this great album is the first song on the second side called "Monty Got A Raw Deal." Peter Buck broke out the mandolin again and Michael Stipe appears to be weaving an odd yarn that feels almost like an old gangster movie. I always picture a smoke filled room full of men in fedoras when I heard this song. Monty may have gotten a raw deal, but the rest of us did OK.
06/21/2015
Day 264: So what happens when I pick my favorite song off of my favorite album? Well, you would get today's track, "Cemetery Gates" by The Smiths from the 1986 album "The Queen Is Dead." It is a bit hard to really nail down any "singles" from this album, but from top to bottom, this is my favorite album of all time. Due to its overall strength, of some level none of the songs really stand up over the rest, which is why my favorite song is also a Hidden Gem. Despite the song seeming to be about spending a "dreaded sunny day" in a cemetery, the song is surprisingly upbeat and almost... cheerful? Plus, it has this lovely line, "So we go inside and we gravely read the stones, all those people all those lives, where are they now? With the loves and hates and passions just like mine, they were born and then they lived and then they died. Seems so unfair, I want to cry." Add to that some British poet name dropping and some beautiful guitar from Johnny Marr and you have got a pretty good little pop-song...Smiths style.
06/22/2015
Day 265: More "modern" fans of the B-52s probably associate them with some of the feel good pop songs on the late 80s like "Roam" or "Love Shack." But in the late 70s and early 80s, they had more of an edge to their sound. Sort of. Well, maybe it is not so much of an edge as a simply feeling of epically awesome *weirdness.* That weirdness is perhaps best on display on today's Hidden Gem, "Planet Claire," the very first track from their self-titled 1979 debut album. Half the song is instrumental, featuring a very Peter Gunn sounding guitar line and a cool organ part. When Fred Schneider's vocals come in, it certainly doesn't get *less* weird: "Planet Claire has pink air. All the trees are red. No one ever dies there. No one has a head." Yeah, I don't know either, but this song is just pure, unadulterated weird fun.
06/23/2015
Day 266: The Cure had a smattering of "singles" from their first 4-5 albums of early 80s gothic rock, and those songs are certainly all very good. But, for me, perhaps my favorite Cure song from that early era is today's track, "A Strange Day", from the 1982 album "Pornography." The song pretty much captured everything that made those early Cure songs so deliciously good. It is a slow-burn 5 minute track with a driving drum line, a cool guitar line, and Robert's Smiths odd, dark, lyrics that seem to paint a picture of a man walking into the sea to take his own life. The whole effect is a dreamy tour-de-force. Is it really so strange?
06/24/2015
Day 267: As I stated a few days ago, it seems like all of They Might Be Giant's songs are a bit of an underdog. But, if I were forced to pick just one song of theirs as the most under-rated, it would be today's song, "She's An Angel." from their self-titled 1986 debut album. The song just paints a lovely picture of a man who meets a girl and believes that she is an actual angel. The lyrics are clever and sweet, and the is surprisingly... normal. Well, as normal as a pop song with an accordion can be I guess. It also has some of my favorite lyrics some the TMBG arsenal like, "Somewhere they're meeting on a pinhead. Calling you an angel, calling you the nicest things. I heard they had a space program when they sing you can't hear, there's no air. Sometimes I think I kind of like that and other times I think I'm already there," as well as: "These things happen to other people. They don't happen at all, in fact." Well, this song DID happen, and I for one am glad it did
06/25/2015
Day 268: A long time ago, now, I mentioned how Kimber Stamm left a CD on my desk at work from the band The National. For that day, I actually highlighted a song off from a different album, but on that particular day, the CD was the bands 2007 effort, "Boxer," which I think it almost certainly their best effort to date. It is probably in my Top 5 for best album of the first decade of the 21st century, and it is loaded with awesome songs. One of my favorites is today's under-rated Gem, the second track "Mistaken For Strangers." This song has a super compelling slow-burn yet intense feel, and the lyrics just draw you in and give the feeling that you are watching some old, important film noir classic: "You get mistaken for strangers by your own friends. When you pass them at night under the silvery, silvery Citibank lights...Another innocent, elegant fall into the unmagnificent lives of adults." Make no mistake, this song and album is a modern classic.
06/26/2015
Day 269: British band The Psychedelic Furs were primarily known for having their songs featured in John Hughes films in the 80s (Pretty in Pink) and all-in-all they are a pretty solid post-punk alternative band. Ironically, the first album of theirs that I had a full copy of was their final album, "World Outside." I was a pretty big fan of the album for a while in early high school, so much so that I even got my cousin Sarah (who must have been in middle school at the time) interested in them for a little while. The first single from the album "Until She Comes" was pretty good. But after I heard the entire album, I anxiously awaited the release of the second single / music video from the album, which I assumed must be for today's song "In My Head," as it (in *my* head) is clearly the best song on the record. I still remember sitting in my parent's living room watching 120 Minutes as Dave Kendell announced the world premiere video for the 2nd single on the album... which was a different song: "Don't Be a Girl." Huh? I have rarely been so confused in my life. Oh well. Whether it's 1991 or 2015, the best song on the album is still today "In My Head," even if it is just a Hidden Gem.
06/27/2015
Day 270: When I first became acquainted with R.E.M. in those summer days with Dawn in the mid 80s, it seemed like her record collection only went back to the band's second album, 1984's "Reckoning." So, it wasn't until several years later that I requested and received R.E.M.'s debut album "Murmur" on cassette. There is always something cool about going back and listening to a famous band's first album, especially if that album was over-looked by almost everyone at the time. Murmur is no different. The album did generate two official singles: "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion," but for me the best song on this debut album is today's song "Perfect Circle." It is just a beautiful little chill song that combines some of R.E.M.'s most interesting instrumental work with Michael Stipe's lovely vocals. Years later, the band would use this song as a bit of a shout-out to "retired" drummer Bill Berry, who was apparently mostly responsible for writing this one. As early 80s alternative rock Hidden Gems go, this one is just about perfect.
06/28/2015
Day 271: From essentially the first listen, I knew that the 2009 debut album "Sigh No More" from Mumford and Sons was special. Sure, there are some great singles on the album, but it is just the type of album where the 5th or 6th or even 7th best song is still awesome. If I had to pick one "under the radar" song from this great album, I would go with the opening, title track "Sigh No More." It is just fantastic. It opens with some beautiful, spare harmonies which build to the amazing lyrical heart of the song: "Love will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, It will set you free. Be more like the man you were made to be." I just think that is a very powerful statement. Sometimes we are led to believe that loving someone or something is somehow a weakness, but that is just B.S. Love is a strength. Period. Furthermore, this lyrics is the musical turning point to the songs as well, as it signals the intro for the band's signature aggressive banjo with an awesome pipe organ part to boot. So, if you are looking for a pick-me-up today, search no more.
06/29/2015
Day 272: As I began to fill out my tape collection in the early 90s, I tended to focus on some of my favorite acts either working backwards from their most recent album or starting from their debut album and going forward. It seems like Depeche Mode's 1986 album "Black Celebration," almost fell through the cracks for me. However, as I look back on the entire DM catalog, I think this album was a bit of a turning point in their career, as it signals a slightly darker, more intense version of their sound, which at times trended more to the bumble gum sweet side of synthpop. I don't actually remember hearing of any of the songs off from this album before I actually bought it, so I was not even sure what the singles were. In this regard, I consider the entire album to be a Hidden Gem. For today's song, I would like to feature "Stripped," which I think is a great example of this "new" darker Depeche Mode sound that began to appear in the late 90s. This song also includes one DM lyric that I have always been fond of, "Let me hear you make decisions without your television." I hate to imagine what Dave Gahan would say about our smart phones...
06/30/2015
Day 273: This may sound weird, but folk-rock diva Ani DiFranco is a little bit like They Might Be Giants and a little bit like U2. She is like U2 because in my opinion because she seems to put out either really, really good albums with lots of great songs, or really average ones with lots of forgettable ones. She is like TMBG because she is ridiculously prolific and although she has a lot of really good songs, very few of them are recognizable to even your average alternative music fan. So, like TMGB, virtually all of her good songs are Hidden Gems. For today's song, I would like to highlight one of my favorites of her tracks, the brilliant "Superhero" from her 1996 album Dilate. The song seems to tell the story of a woman who has gone through a bad breakup, but the imagery of her lyrics are amazing. The core line is: "I used to be a superhero, no one could touch me, not even myself. You are like a phone booth I somehow stumbled into, and now look at me, I am just like everybody else." Life is like that. Some days we feel like superheroes and some days we feel like garbage, and sometimes it is the people that we know that make us feel one way or the other. I think DiFranco's metaphor here is pretty super.
07/01/2015
Day 274: I have already mentioned how much I like the quirky style of singer songwriter Regina Spektor. She certainly has had her share of singles that have gotten some radio play, but one of my favorite songs of hers is also perhaps one of her lesser known ones, today's song "Dance Anthem Of The 80s" from the 2009 album "Far." The things that makes this song so special is its contrast. The first half of the song is very playful and quirky and describes a group of girls and boys flirting and dancing in a club (I assume), but after the instrumental break, the bridge is just amazing. She breaks into a piano solo with the words, "I went walking, through the city, like a drunk but not. With my slip, shown a little, like a drunk but not. And I am, One of your people, but the cars don't stop." I am not even 100% what Spektor is getting at here, whether it is about the ups and downs of dating or something more menacing, but I just find those words so devastatingly sad. Every time. And, what can I say, I have always been a sucker for a sad song.
07/02/2015
Day 275: On some level, I owe today's album an apology. I bought Liz Phair's 1998 album "Whitechocolatespaceegg," sometime at the very end of my college days at MSU. I am sure that I must have listened too it a couple of times, but it didn't really make much of an impression on me. It wasn't until several years later that I pulled it out of the CD cabinet again and rediscovered that it actually is a very good album front to back. One song in particular always puts a bit of a smile on my face, although a bit of a bittersweet one. That song is today's selection "Uncle Alvarez." The song tells the story of a relative that seems to have a bit of trouble with honesty: "Ho ho ho imaginary accomplishments. Hey hey hey you visionary guy... He's not really part Cherokee Indian. He didn't fight in the Civil War." Uncle Alvarez, it seems, is the family member that everyone is a bit embarrassed of. But, the line that always gets me just a little bit is, "Hard to believe you were once a beautiful dancer..." It seems like poor old Uncle Alvarez had some talent, but chose to live his life trying to be something that he was not instead of embracing who he was. For me, this makes the song a bit sad, but also a reminder to always try to live my life in a way that I feel to true to myself (and I suppose to my family as well). But I still just can't help but feel sorry for poor Uncle Alvarez.
07/03/2015
Day 276: When I first got a copy of PJ Harvey's 1992 debut album "Dry," I was pretty blown away by it. Sure, songs like "Dress" and "Shelia Na Gig"" were great, but the rest of the album was very solid as well. For me, the Hidden Gem on this album has always been today's song, "O Stella." I was hooked from the first few seconds where Polly Jean comes in with the simple lyric: "O Stella Marie, you're my star," followed by a intense, dirty guitar line. The song just makes the corner of my mouth curl up in the best possible way. The rest of the song is just 3 minutes of awesome. This song may not have been a single, but it sure is a star.
With today's song, I would like to close this chapter on Hidden Gems. You may have noticed a bit of a trend over the past few days. The last four songs have all featured female singers. As I mentioned several months ago, I have always been surrounded by strong women, and perhaps for that reason I have always been fond of strong, female vocals. So, for the next chapter in this musical voyager, I would like to dedicate it to the ladies!
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