2006年 Feb 27日 Monday, 2:54

Every week or every other week, I figure I'll make a few song recommendations. Nothing lengthy or overdone, just a list of three to five songs I really dig at the moment, and why I dig them.

"The Locust Girl" by Sondre Lerche
This one seems to be a rare Lerche song. It's not on the three discs I own, so I'm guessing it's a well-produced demo. Lerche kind of falls in a lump of other singer-songwriters, so you just assume before you download songs like this that they will feature a somber guitar melody (that he does so well) and a raspy vocal track. I was taken aback by this one, with the distorted background vocals looping over the force of the medley that's being driven into your skull–almost without consent. It's fairly aggressive for the lightly spoken Norwegian, which sets it apart from his other stuff alone, much less the trippy anthem that gives the song a sense of strength.

It's a great feeling when a highly diverse artist can really break the boundaries you've placed them in within your head; partly because it's nice to be proven wrong from time to time, and partly because it's amazing to think that one musician can cover so much ground.

"Never You Mind" by Semisonic
Here's an old favorite of mine that I'm in the midst of rediscovering. For my money, this is one of the top 10 best pop/rock records of the 1990s. Everything is spot-on, from Dan Wilson's piano loop and vocal track to the psychedelic bridge that breaks it all down before hopping right back into the forceful piano line, and becoming more blunt than prior to the breakdown. If you like pop/rock music in general, it's really hard to deny listening to this one more than once.

"The Mariner's Revenge Song" by the Decemberists
My good friend Jesse (roundthewheel) recommended this tune to see my impression. From the way he was talking, you'd think that a twisted sea shanty about the revenge of one man's dead mother would be a concept record–hell, this is reality TV thrown into a blender for spit out for me. This one really transcends genres and nails exactly what it set out to do: provide a compelling story through the art of sound and well-pronounced (albeit shaky) vocals. This is one song that's worthy of length, and uses every second of the nearly nine minutes to convey its message. It's an acquired taste, but if it clicks with you right away (as it did with me), I highly recommend a listen.

Alas, back to work… More to come within the week.

-David