Quinta-feira 24 Jan 2008, 21h:29
Song A Day is back after a brief hiatus, in which I mostly listened to 2007 stuff in a mad rush to compile some sort of coherent year-end list. Since the new year has begun, I've had the time to listen to other stuff and continue the Song A Day tradition. So here it is!
January 1, 2008- Daft Punk- Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger- This was the first song I listened to in 2008. It's significance? It's a great freaking song, that's all. Wish I had more to say about it. But I don't!
January 2, 2008- Led Zeppelin- Over the Hills and Far Away- So I got this Led Zeppelin box set for Christmas, which was something I desperately needed as I owned embarassingly little music by Led Zeppelin. What a great band. Their songs contained unconventional, yet excellent melodies. This is probably my favorite Zeppelin song, because of the variation throughout the song. It's like Stairway to Heaven, but cooler. Fun to play on the guitar, too.
January 3, 2008- Modest Mouse- 3rd Planet- I listened to a Modest Mouse album that's not We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank from start to finish for the first time in a while. Wow. The Moon and Antartica is a masterpiece, from start to finish. Every note, every awkward guitar solo, every weird effect, every shout is perfectly placed. This is the kind of music it's hard to believe real people are making.
January 4, 2008- LCD Soundsystem- Time to Get Away- I still think Sound of Silver was way overrated. But I can't resist this little tune. Of course, I'm a sucker for simple, funky basslines and falsetto (see "Gronlandic Edit", the best song of 2007). I'm still trying to get into the rest of the album, but I'm definitely sold on this track. It's so much fun!
January 5, 2008- AC/DC- T.N.T.- I'm finally getting in touch with my inner man. Somewhere in me, there's a testosterone-fueled, aggressive jock waiting to break free. A frightening thought. Whatever. AC/DC are a great band, especially in the Bon Scott days. Rock in it's purest form.
January 6, 2008- Eric Clapton- Layla- I really never noticed there was anything special about this song until recently, when there became an inside joke about it, pertaining to Jesus. Don't ask. It took that, and the song getting endlessly stuck in my head, to realize that's one of the catchiest guitar riffs ever.
January 7, 2008- Radiohead- The National Anthem- One thing I liked to do after all the 2007 listmania was to go back and listen to classic albums by the artists who made great albums in 2007. I got the same feeling listening to In Rainbows for the first time as I did listening to Kid A for the first time. Then I went back and listened to Kid A, and I realized there's no way In Rainbows can compare. Kid A's eerie, cerebral tracks are unmatched in the Radiohead catalog, and The National Anthem is one of its highlights. The brass is an especially nice touch.
January 8, 2008- Wilco- Heavy Metal Drummer- When I'm feeling upset, this is one of those tracks I can put on and sing along to, and I'll feel happy, at least temporarily. I don't know how I'd get by without Wilco.
January 9, 2008- Daft Punk- Face to Face- This is certainly an underrated Daft Punk song. It's one of my favs on Discovery, and it would have made a much better radio hit than One More Time. It's a lot less annoying.
January 10, 2008- The Roots- Here I Come- Superbad was one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. A certain week this month, I watched the DVD once a day every day for a week, each time with different people. Anyway, it had a lot of great music which I knew I had to look into after seeing the movie, such as this song. It's really really good. The Roots are one of the most exciting hip-hop acts there is.
January 11, 2008- The Decemberists- Sons and Daughters- The Crane Wife is such a great album. It has perfect high and low moments, and then ends with this anthemic ditty. One can't help but sing along.
January 12, 2008- Led Zeppelin- Rock and Roll- Scholars often debate the precice moment in history in which Led Zeppelin rocked the hardest. Clearly, it's in this song, cleverly named after the genre of Rock and Roll itself. It's quite simple, and this naming mechanism should be applied to other genres. Like if a song called "Pop song" was one of the catchiest songs ever, or if a movie called "Comedy" was one of the funniest ever. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world.
January 13, 2008- Bright Eyes- First Day of My Life- If earnestness and vulnerability were edible goods, Conor Oberst could feed a small continent. That's his appeal. Listening to his music is like having a real conversation with a real person. Sure, he can't sing worth shit, but somehow that makes his music even more honest and direct.
January 14, 2008- Four Tops- Are You Man Enough?- So, speaking of music from Superbad, I seem to have developed a taste for old Motown type music. And it tastes very sweet.
January 15, 2008- MGMT- Time to Pretend- This band has nothing new to offer. They sound like a combination of The Flaming Lips, Of Montreal, and Chromeo. But damn, those are some good bands to sound like.
January 16, 2008- TV on the Radio- Wolf Like Me- Ah, TV on the Radio. A rather experimental, but completely unpretentious rock band. At it's heart, this is just the evolution of good old fashioned rock and roll. TVOTR are ahead of their time.
January 17, 2008- The Velvet Underground- White Light/White Heat- Speaking of bands that were ahead of their time, we have the Velvet Underground.
January 18, 2008- Nirvana- In Bloom- Nirvana are still very overrated. I bet they were amazing live, though. Kurt and crew had a lot of raw power, which they harnessed in nice little radio friendly packages such as this.
January 19, 2008- Radiohead- Just- This is a gem from the days when Radiohead were kinda poppy. This is practically Oasis in comparison to the obtuse material Radiohead is putting out today. But you know what? This is a really great song. And like most of The Bends, it had ddissonance and feedback that foreshadowed what was to come from Radiohead.
January 20, 2008- Pixies- Wave of Mutilation- One never would have guessed from Surfer Rosa alone that the Pixies could make really nice melodies. This is one of them.
January 21, 2008- The Moldy Peaches- Anyone Else But You- Just call me Bandwagon Joe. Don't though, because my name's not Joe. Yes, I'm only listening to The Moldy Peaches because of Juno and because everyone else is. I can't help it though. This song is just so dang cute. It's a love song for really awkward people like myself.
January 22, 2008- Adam Green- Jessica- Now, a song from my personal favorite Moldy Peach, Adam Green. Melodically, there's so much going in in this tune, and it all sounds really nice. I'm so vague.
January 23, 2008- Charlie Daniels Band- Devil Went Down to Georgia- I love really cheesy story songs. And this is one of them.
January 24, 2008- Times New Viking- (My Head)- Times New Viking took the "fun songs buried beneath lo-fi production and noise" aesthetic of The Unicorns and pushed it towards the extreme. TNV sound like they're having a lot of fun, and that's because they don't try to make their music pretty, and so it's anything but. I love these short little noisepop gems.
January 25, 2008- Malvina Reynolds- Little Boxes / Man Man- Little Boxes- I love old subversive folk songs! Reynolds wrote "Little Boxes" about the conformist culture of the 50s and early 60s, but it's just as applicable today. I also love all the covers of "Little Boxes" that appear on episodes of Weeds. I just listened to every one, and I have to say, Man Man's is by far the best. It's a fun, demented stomp, Man Man style.
January 26, 2008- Led Zeppelin- Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp- Severely underrated track from Led Zeppelin III. I wish I could play it on the guitar.