Silver and Gold - Noah and the Whale

Silver and Gold - Noah and the Whale

3:24

Heart of Nowhere, 2013

Written by Charlie Fink

This is a song that wears its influences on its sleeve.  The very first line references Neil Young's classic albums: "Well, I was looking for harvest, but I only found silver and gold."  The song is structured around a repetitive simple percussion line, but when the chorus kicks in, the synth riff, vocal delivery, and even the lyric strongly evokes the Talking Heads' "This Must Be the Place."  It's a song that asks for faith in love in a time of confusion and uncertainty, but doesn't offer any promises.  "And you’re just hanging on to a glimmer of hope / Of the life you had before / But it's too late."

The Pheasant Plucker - Seamus Kennedy

The Pheasant Plucker - Seamus Kennedy

3:06

Tricky Tongue Twisters, 2013

Traditional

With a rich Irish baritone reminiscent of Ronnie Drew, Seamus Kennedy barrels through this winking, ribald classic at a tempo that accelerates with each verse. What begins as a jovial pub singalong gradually turns into a breathless verbal obstacle course, daring both singer and listener to keep up without tripping over the innuendo. By the end, the sheer exuberance of the performance tempts you to sing along for the pure joy of it, but don't try it in a group of easily-offended strangers. "I'm not the pheasant-plucker, I’m the pheasant-plucker's mother / And a mother plucking pheasants is as good as any other."  This is the wry humor of the Irish folk tradition, the flip side of the dour songs of death and rage.

Vanity - The Avett Brothers

Vanity - The Avett Brothers

2:48

Magpie and the Dandelion, 2013

Written by the Avett Brothers

This is an interesting folk-rock song, in that it neatly splits the folk and the rock.  It starts with some rather oblique lyrics that reference Ecclesiastes 1:2 and then go off in a different direction: "Call off the guards / Call off the search / Their heads are chopped off / They're running in circles."  Midway through, the song erupts into a thunderous rock riff that feels almost outsized for its brief runtime, before circling back to the earlier refrain. The structure recalls "Live and Let Die" in miniature: quiet reflection interrupted by sudden force. It doesn't hit the same dramatic heights at McCartney's song, but the contrast gives the song its charge, making this a compact, slightly strange, but ultimately satisfying listen.

Railroad Man - Anna Lynch

Railroad Man - Anna Lynch

3:39

Anna Lynch, 2013

Written by Anna Lynch?

This is a stately country-folk song narrated by a young man who feels the pull of the railroad, tiring of the coal mines and farmland.  While just a teen, he jumps a car, but runs into a man who's been defeated by the rail life.  "There's more than broken bodies on this side of the tracks / Dreams come here and they never come back."  Lynch, who has lived in California, Alaska, and North Carolina, channels the wide geography of Americana into her writing. The arrangement is spare but confident: brushed percussion, bluegrass-style picking, and a steady vocal that feels both tender and resigned as it carries the emotional heft of folk tradition.

Super 8 - Jason Isbell

Super 8 - Jason Isbell

3:27

Southeastern, 2013

Written by Jason Isbell

This song is slightly reminiscent of "The Prettiest Waitress in Memphis," at least in terms of riff and vocal delivery, but Isbell's is a darker, grittier alt-country story-song.  Despite the brisk tempo and vocals, this is a rather harrowing tale of a lost weekend in the titular motel, a bender with an ending that can only be described as good because the narrator survives.  "Girl starts screaming and the maid starts screaming and it looks like it's all she wrote / Well, they slapped me back to life and they telephoned my wife and they filled me full of Pedialyte / Saw my guts, saw my glory, it would make a great story if I ever could remember it right." It's funny until it isn't.  The production leans a bit too glossy and clean for the story (the guitars should sound hungover too), but Isbell's band manages to infuse it with jagged urgency.

(You Will) Set the World On Fire - David Bowie

(You Will) Set the World On Fire - David Bowie

3:32

The Next Day, 2013

Written by David Bowie

While this is a straightforward (for Bowie) rocker full of big guitars and anthemic sound, the song is set in the 1960s Greenwich Village scene.  The song appears to be about, and addressed to, Odetta ("Ochs takes notes / When the black girl and guitar / Burn together hot in rage").  Noting that esteemed folkies Van Ronk, Ochs, and Dylan are taking notes, the narrator of song appears to proposition Odetta (or whoever the black girl with the guitar may be) and promises her headlines and stories in magazines.  "I can hear the nation cry," he roars.  It's a fascinating juxtaposition of music and words, leaving the listener to wonder if the real result of all the promises was that rock, primary the purview of the white male musician, won out in the world's eyes.  Maybe it's even a nod to Bob, who plays this kind of loud rock these days but initially built his vast reputation by imitating the sounds and words of others in the Village scene.

Valentine's Day - David Bowie

Valentine's Day - David Bowie

3:02

The Next Day, 2013

Written by David Bowie

I was not much interested in Bowie as a young man, but the older I get the more I come to think of him as a towering genius.  Thing song seems to be the plans of a school shooter, Valentine, who is telling the narrator what will happen.  "It's in his scrawny hands / It's in his icy heart / It's happening today."  The song doesn't go into the reasons why Valentine might feel this way, just that he resents the football stars and dreams of having the world at his mercy.  I think Bowie could have approached this subject with something a little more complex, but that's nitpicking because I think Bowie has the talent to do better.

High Road - Have Gun, Will Travel

High Road - Have Gun, Will Travel

2:45

Fiction, Fact, Or Folktale?, 2013

Written by Have Gun, Will Travel

A pleasant piece of Americana pop.  It blends folk, country and pop with a mix of harmonica, rollicking boogie-woogie piano, guitar, and a honky-tonk style vibe.  The song is about making better choices, beign a better person.  Forgiving, letting go of the past, so you can live with yourself.  "'Cause I don't want to go the wrong way / And at the end of every long day / Is my reflection of me."  Fun fact: the band launched a craft pale ale named for this song.

Come Out And Play - Hayseed Dixie

Come Out And Play - Hayseed Dixie

2:52

Grasswhoopin' Party Pack, Vol. 1, 2013

Written by Dexter Holland, 1994

This brings back memories.  The year was 1994.  Dookie was dominating music on TV.  The Offspring released this song and we all sat around on the couch, much like in Green Day's brilliant classic "Longview," watching the video, bemused and hesitantly disdainful.  Was this song a bit racist?  Was this a case of a young neo-con-cum-punk making remarks about the violent crime rate of certain demographics?  "Your never-ending spree of death and violence and hate / Is gonna tie your own rope."  Is that a racist trope or a stock image from the genre?  Later, "Get a Job" would further enhance these suspicions.  Anyhoo, Hayseed Dixie does a great job with this song.

Polaroid Picture - Frank Turner

Polaroid Picture - Frank Turner

3:43

Tape Deck Heart, 2013

Written by Frank Turner

To me, Frank Turner can almost do no wrong.  I mean, as a bishop in the Church of the Unblemished Bob, I have a tendency to put my musical heroes on a pedestal, but I still think it's legit.  He's as honest and literate as Springsteen and raw as Dylan.  His best sing-along songs are Scriptures, this one specifically Proverbs.  The song comes to a crashing faux-finale at its midpoint and gets quiet, reminding us to focus on this, the moment, forget all the guitars and drums and noise.  "So let go of the little distractions / Hold close to the ones that you love / Because we won't all be here this time next year."  Be here now.  

Riptide - Vance Joy

Riptide - Vance Joy

3:24

God Loves You When You're Dancing, 2013

Written by Vance Joy, Edwin White, & John Castle

2.9 billion streams on Spotify.  I'm always the last one to the popular party.  This is another song introduced to me by my stepdaughters.  I wouldn't say that this song is one of the best of all time, but it's got a breezy familiarity, and the recondite lyrics ("all my friends are turning green"?) about a girl he's besotted with distract from the song's overall repetitiveness.  And it's played on a ukulele!  Quirky stuff.

Next September - The Flannel Attractions

Next September - The Flannel Attractions

3:44

The Flannel Attractions, 2013

Written by the Flannel Attractions

Americana, indie-folk, bluegrass.  Wistful, pretty, soaring harmonies.  Some very nice finger picking.  This band released five, count them, a full five, songs a decade ago and nothing since.  That's a real shame; they're very good.  I know several non-famous musicians who have released a handful of albums, so why not these guys?  I'd love to hear more.  Maybe they'll be discovered a hundred years hence, like Barbecue Bob.