Cryin' Heart Blues - The Del McCoury Band

Cryin' Heart Blues - The Del McCoury Band

2:59

The Family, 1999

Written by Lou Willie Turner, 1951

This song's credit goes to Big Joe Turner's wife, though probably he wrote it and credited her to give her an income stream in the event of his death.  Anyway, the song was recorded by honky-tonk duo Johnnie and Jack in 1951.  This version is a bluegrass gem, with leisurely banjo and mandolin picking interplay, high nasal tenor vocals, and high harmonies.  The Del McCoury Band really just has no close rivals in the bluegrass game.

Whatever Gets You True - Paddy Casey

Whatever Gets You True - Paddy Casey

2:57

Amen (So Be It), 1999

Written by Paddy Casey

This breezy Irish alt-rock tune features lush vocals that call to mind David Gray, an optimistic, buoyant sound, and some rote but feel-good "just go for it" lyrics: "Maybe give your heart away/  And it might be good for you / So, whatever gets you true."  The very '90s melody gives off some gentle, sensitive rocking vibes,, built for uplift rather than introspection, and it moves along with an easy confidence.

Texas Eagle - Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band

Texas Eagle - Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band
3:28
The Mountain, 1999

Written by Steve Earle

A great addition to the mass of nostalgic train songs in Americana music, this tune has the narrator reminiscing about the titular Texas Eagle, an old train "on the Mopac line" that since has been shut down and sold to Mexico. His grandaddy, a railroad man, takes the narrator aboard for one last ride so he can experience it before it's gone forever.  "Home in time for supper with a tale to tell / That night I dreamed I heard that lonesome whistle wail," Earle finishes up the story in his reedy growl.  As one would expect from Earle, the bluegrass is historically accurate, with no glossy neo-touches or fusion detours; just straight, skilled picking. The playing is perfect but unpolished, loose, lived-in, and powered by dedication to the craft.

Temba, Tumba, Timba - Los Van Van

Temba, Tumba, Timba - Los Van Van

4:48

Llego... Van Van, 1999

Written by Los Van Van?

Los Van Van, a Cuban band founded in 1969, practically minted their own genre with songo, a combustible blend of timba, charanga, salsa, jazz, and rock. This track is a spinning, polyrhythmic cyclone driven by steel drum percussion, darting guitar lines, and those irresistible group vocals that sound like a block party gathering momentum. I love how the lead singer leans into those over-trilled r's; he sounds like a moped weaving through a Havana street festival, which is exactly the energy he’s channeling ("Y en eso llegó el doctorrrrr manejando un cuadrimotorrrrr").  The title refers to three characters in a chaotic love triangle of partner swapping.  Naturally, it all detonates: "¡Oye! Y se formó el despelote y se formó la corredera / Cada uno cogió por su lado" (“Hey! And all hell broke loose, and everyone ran off / Each one went their own way"). It's a joyful noise in the best possible way.

Glad You're Gone - The Mopes

Glad You're Gone - The Mopes

2:50

Accident Waiting To Happen, 1999

Written by the Mopes

Hey!  Recently some loser reaped what he sowed through his speech and actions!  Maybe more chickens will come home to roost.  Maybe, but probably not.  Karma isn't real.  ANYhoo, this gloriously primitive pop-punk song is a proud kiss-off to an old flame.  The narrator is over it, and no more love lingers.  "And now I put thoughts of you behind me / I realize that you were cold and slimy."  Well put, Mopes!  The Mopes were a short-lived band comprised of members of Screeching Weasel, the Queers, and Squirtgun.  Why this retro-surf-punk languishes in semi-obscurity while the extremely similar Green Day took over the world, no one can say.

Pumping On Your Stereo - Supergrass

Pumping On Your Stereo - Supergrass

3:20

Supergrass, 1999

Written by Gaz Coombes, Danny Goffey, Mick Quinn, and Rob Coombes

A decently catchy Brit-rock song, even it leans too hard on titular repetition as chorus for my taste and the lyrics would be at home on a Spinal Tap album ("Well life is a cigarette, smoked to the end / But if you rock it a little bit / Then you burn all your friends" — wise words, David St. Hubbins!).  It's a groovy, silly, cheery glam-rock party song, tongue in cheek down to the "humping on your stereo" wink.  But as Nigel Tufnel wondered, "What's wrong with being sexy?"

Some Other Time - the Shazam

Some Other Time - the Shazam

2:48

Godspeed the Shazam, 1999

Written by The Shazam, probably?

Another band totally new to me, this is power pop heavily influenced by the 1960s sound, with catchy hooks, similar to Big Star.  This is a wistful "coulda-been" love song: "Maybe in a fantasy / Or a memory / You and me could've really been something."  And the dry witty hook that turns the usual cliché on its head: "But now you're old / And I am everything I said I would be."  Hints of Beach Boys harmonies, with a theremin at the end nodding to "Good Vibrations."

Dark And Metric - They Might Be Giants

Dark And Metric - They Might Be Giants

1:42

Long Tall Weekend, 1999

Written by John Flansburgh and John Linnell

This short and vaguely sinister song depicts a person in a small quiet town where nothing happens, but he feels like he's drowning.  There are no taxis, no adventures with a night in jail, not even a fancy car ("No spoiler, no windscoop / No mag wheels in back / No hydraulic shocks, no privacy glass").  The metric part of the title might be nothing (I read that John Linnell just came up with cool-sounding titles first to write lyrics to), or maybe the small town is in Canada or Europe?

Christmas Morning - Loudon Wainwright III

Christmas Morning - Loudon Wainwright III

3:36

Social Studies, 1999

Written by Loudon Wainwright

A wry view of what Christmas really means by the master of deadpan skewering of social mores.  The song begins with a typical, perhaps overly hokey, description of Christmas morning, with presents and stores being closed.  It's almost a tender scene, via Wainwright's never-quite-serious pen: "He got a tie and she got a book / They weren't supposed to peek but they took a little look."  But soon the song turns to the problem of the homeless, bigotry, and war, juxtaposing society's indifference or hostility with the ostensible ideal of Christmas.  "And the Prince of peace was born on a Christmas Day / In the little town of Bethlehem not so far away / From where a multitude has gathered in a warlike way / On Christmas morning."

She Bangs the Drums - Stone Roses

She Bangs the Drums - Stone Roses

3:52

The Stone Roses, 1999

Written by Ian Brown and John Squire

I don't know anything about this band, having studiously ignored all the Britpop scenesters of the moment back in the day.  I don't really get the hype that this band received at its start, or the hype it's gotten in retrospect.  One of the greatest albums of all time?  I just don't see why.  I don't dislike the song.  It's a fine example of jangle-pop, a good indie rock anthem.  I do like the lyrics, but they ultimately disappoint; the song is overlong, boasting only two intriguing verses and then the chorus repeated.  I feel like it could have been something great but didn't quite get there.  The chorus says, "There are no words / To describe the way I feel."  Well maybe try a bit harder then, lads, eh?

Paths Will Cross - Josh Ritter

Paths Will Cross - Josh Ritter

3:02

Josh Ritter, 1999

Written by Josh Ritter

Very early Ritter already has the hallmarks of his best material: literate, fast-paced lyrics; solid acoustic guitar work; a nasal, folksy delivery that evokes Cohen and Dylan.  This song isn't among his greatest works, but it shows huge skill as a songwriter so young.  I'm a sucker for verbosity and syllables that tumble over themselves.  "Though one time we floated free / We are pulled by separate gravities to ground."  That's a great way to say we're taking different paths.