She Made My Day - Willie Nelson

She Made My Day - Willie Nelson

2:43

Last Man Standing, 2018

written by Willie Nelson and Buddy Cannon

In the old tradition of country classics like "Once a Day," this lost-love song is built around wordplay and ironic juxtapositions: "Well, she made my day / But it ruined my life."  The lyric features the same kind of witty, tongue-in-cheek mixture of wry regret and stoicism: "We were gettin' along just fine, just me and me / We understood each other perfectly / Then I let my guard down and there she was / Well I guess that's stupid is as stupid does."  It's a simple and pleasant number that fits the template that the then-84-year-old Nelson could toss of in his sleep.

Negative Neighborhood - Salt Orchard

Negative Neighborhood - Salt Orchard

2:50

Salt Orchard, 2018

Written by Kieran Harris, Max Souders, and Ben Zamarron

This is some far-out, Zappa-tinged jazz rock.  The vocals are powerful, insistent if not operatic, a sort of half-talking, half-droning that commands the listener.  The lyrics begin in a very American-tinged French: "Qu'est-ce qu tu fais / Qu'est-ce que tu dis / Mon longue [langue?] était bon et tu es une rie."  The English part, when it comes, may not be any more intelligible to Anglophone ears: "Any day but you seem not to know my / And then there she stood / The helm of her negative neighborhood."  Whether these are genuinely surreal lyrics, deliberately garbled ones, or simply impossible to decipher, the effect is the same. Meaning takes a back seat to sound.  It's impressionistic, free-form, a fusion of bop and rock, and it grabs your attention, nonsense notwithstanding.

Bourama - Kora Jazz Trio

Bourama - Kora Jazz Trio

4:40

Part IV, 2018

Written by Kora Jazz Trio

The Trio is made up of members from Senegal and Guinea who blend the rhythmic language of West Africa with the harmonic sophistication of American jazz.  This song is heavy on the balafon, an instrument akin to a xylophone.  The shimmering kora, a stringed instrument, converses with Western piano lines.  The name Bourama is linked to the Mandinka language family (found in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and the Gambia), where it can be interpreted as "the noble one" or "the respected one."

Make America Great Again - Frank Turner

Make America Great Again - Frank Turner

3:28

Be More Kind, 2018

Written by Frank Turner

Our president is an obese, demented narcissistic kleptomaniac sex criminal.  Found guilty of rape, a serial cheater and all over the Epstein files, his lying and open, naked corruption is enough to make the sleaziest African warlord green with envy.  But while he's a danger, he's only a symptom; he's not even the real problem.  The real black mold all over America's beautiful surface is the millions of people who think this shitbag of a human, who embodies all seven deadly sins, is somehow comparable to Jesus and will follow him blindly into hell because he tells them they're better than people of color.  So happy birthday, America.  I'm sorry you're being strangled to death by power hungry sadists.  I'm hoping you're strong enough to survive if it ever lets up. "Let's make America great again / By making racists ashamed again."  Great song, one of Turner's best.

Love You So Bad - Ezra Furman

Love You So Bad - Ezra Furman

3:39

Transangelic Exodus, 2018

Written by Ezra Furman

Over a Velvet Underground-inspired pulsing cello line, a desperate, half-spoken, half-sung tale unwinds of star-crossed, small-town lovers.  Both young people seem to come from dysfunctional homes with drunken parents, both acting up and getting into trouble.  "I always knew I was bad / Always dreaming so they called me the Spaceman / You first kissed me in your parents' blue basement / I wanted you baby so bad."  One goes to college and makes a new, better life; the narrator is left pining, not resentful but with nothing but memories fading like letters drawn in the sand.  It's a bittersweet story song, clearly inspired by Springsteen's small-town dramas and Lou Reed's transgressive tales of the city.

Down the Line - Dan Israel

Down the Line - Dan Israel

3:01

Time I Get To Cedar Lake, 2018

Written by Dan Israel

Israel has been described as the "hardest-working singer-songwriter in Minnesota."  This song is mid-tempo, jangly folk-pop in the style of Pete Yorn, Wilco and similarly raw, literate artists influenced by Dylan, Costello, and their ilk.  It's got a catchy melody, with Israel's straightforward singing delivery, a conversational, laidback Midwestern drawl, giving it a down-home touch. 

1933 - Frank Turner

1933 - Frank Turner

3:07

Be More Kind, 2018

Written by Frank Turner

One of Turner's angrier songs, born of the rise in neo-fascism that began around 2016.  It's a hard-hitting slice of fiery punk.  "If I was of the greatest generation I'd be pissed / Surveying the world that I built slipping back into this / I'd be screaming at my grandkids, 'We already did this.'"  It relies a little too heavily on the chorus for my taste but Turner's energy and sincerity keep me hooked.

Knockin' On Your Screen Door - John Prine

Knockin' On Your Screen Door - John Prine

2:20

The Tree Of Forgiveness, 2018

Written by Pat McLaughlin and John Prine

The narrator of this song is busted, destitute, and alone.  But it's a story told, of course, with Prine's brilliant deadpan winking wit: "If you see somebody / Would you send em' over my way? / I could use some help here / With a can of pork and beans."  After adumbrating his troubles, the narrator shifts gears, and the song becomes wistful, as images of good times and of a long-gone love, perhaps, flit by.  Whose screen door is it he dreams of knocking on?  Who was once out there, climbing the trees?  There's a sailboat and "sweet potato wine."  Sounds nice.  It's a testament to Prine's genius and delivery that he could take a song of poverty and loneliness and turn it into something beautifully sad.

Soul No. 5 - Caroline Rose

Soul No. 5 - Caroline Rose

3:09

Loner, 2018

Written by Caroline Rose

This song is a delightful blend of hip-hop sensibilities, dance, synth-pop, and surf rock.  The lyrics tread the familiar ground of materialism and partying, but I have a feeling Rose delivers them tongue firmly in cheek.  "I got the goochi goochi gooey oozy icky oozy style / I do a hair flip, I strut my stuff / You whispering at me / I can't hear you, I say, What?"  I read that Rose's first two albums were serious, political Americana, but on this one she felt more free to explore her full spectrum of influences and whole personality.  Based on this catchy, playful track, this was a good move.

Dein viel zu lautes Leben - Treptow

Dein viel zu lautes Leben - Treptow

4:11

single, 2018

Written by Treptow?

Not sure if Treptow is a person or a band; either way, this is indie rock with pounding drums and raw, impassioned vocals.  It's another one of those songs that seems to be about grabbing on to life and living it to the fullest ("too loud life").  It describes a last day together on the beach with someone who may be a lover, or possibly a child; there's a line about growing up quietly.  They're escaping the noise of life and escaping to nature, becoming playful.  "Wir spielen Fange in den Dünen / und lachen uns die Nächte schön / du wringst dir Wasser aus den Haaren."

Dishwater Living - Matt Latterell

Dishwater Living - Matt Latterell

2:37

People You May Know, 2018

Written by Matt Latterell

A beautiful bit of operatic pop that grows to a crescendo, with finger snaps, soaring falsetto vocals and harmonies, and a bright, driving piano beat, plus some swirling guitar near the middle bit.  It's got hints of Ryan Adams, but also brings to mind a modern Queen.  Erudite, multisyllabic lyrics about the ennui of modern life tumble easily from Latterell's powerful pipes.  This Minnesota artist definitely deserves to be better known.

Pay Me Now (Or Pay Me Later!) - Squirrel Nut Zippers

Pay Me Now (Or Pay Me Later!) - Squirrel Nut Zippers

2:54

Beasts Of Burgundy, 2018

Written by Jimbo Mathus

This isn't the Squirrel Nut Zippers that I was an ardent, devoted fan of back in the '90s.  On their previous album, 18 years earlier, only Jimbo Mathus and Katharine Whalen remained of the main creative force.  Now, only Mathus and the drummer are left of the original band, and he's replaced the towering talents Andrew Bird and Tom Maxwell with fiddler Dr. Sick and '30s-style burlesque singer Cella Blue.  The muted horns, piano, and singing style (the vocals track deliberately scratchy to feign age) on this track all evoke Dixieland jazz.  The lyrics are simple — the title pretty much covers them — and the production is less slick than the original band's, but it's a fine tribute to those old weird New Orleans blues.

Prom Queen - Beach Bunny

Prom Queen - Beach Bunny

2:16

Prom Queen, 2018

Written by Lili Trifilio

This song was introduced to me by my stepdaughter.  I've passed down a lot to her; it's only fair that I should get some recommendations back.  Sometimes the youths have great taste.  The song is a reminder to girls to be accepting of their bodies, the narrator is anxious, defiant and then uncertain.  "I wish I was like you."  "I'm no Quick-Curl Barbie."  "I'm a defect surgical project."  "They say beauty is pain."  A great message, but realistic, not claiming to hold all the answers.   It's catchy, bouncing along, inviting you to sing along until you get the message.

Queen - Shawn Mendes

Queen - Shawn Mendes

3:24

Shawn Mendes, 2018

Written by Shawn Mendes, Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, & Geoff Warburton

I almost never listen to modern pop.  I know nothing whatsoever about this guy.  Was he in a boy band?  Or is he a lab-grown pop star, springing from the head of some Svengali like a songbird Athena?  No matter, I kind of like this song.  Syncopated, overly produced, slick, but still catchy as hell.  It's about someone who thinks they're better than everyone else.  Possibly about Britney Spears?  (There's a line that goes, "No, you're not that innocent.")  Mendes' breathy vocal is just the kind that the girl youths of today squeal over.  I'm too old to squeal, but this is a pretty good modern pop song.

James Dean - The Wrecks

James Dean - The Wrecks

3:19

Panic Vertigo, 2018

Written by Anderson, Emery, Irvin, Schmidt

Not the Eagles cover we all so desperately need (despite also having a band member named Schmidt).  Instead, a slinking, yowling song about being a dope-smoking loser who is no James Dean ("Not cool suits me / Girls won't date me / Guys all hate me"), busted by his momma while blasting Nirvana.  It doesn't have much to say; there's no turning point in the song, no character arc or moral.  Decent if generic radio-friendly hard pop-rock alternative, catchy, not bad.  This is the kind of music that always makes me imagine the front man grinding and posing like Jagger.