[Thursday Track Back] "Razor Love" by Neil Young

This song popped up on the Amazon Prime show Transparent. It was a good choice.

Why you should listen: Perfectly sweet and nostalgic. "All I've got for you is a razor love that cuts clean through."

[Thursday Track Back] "Stolen Dance" by Milky Chance

The arrangement has this Alt-J thing going on.

Why should you listen:  Milky Chance is a German duo. How much German music are you taking in these days? Not much? Start here.

[Thursday Track Back] "Lead Me On" by Joe Henry

If you're in one of those "Honey and the Moon" kind of moods and don't know what to play next, try this.

Why you should listen: It's a lovely and well-written slow burn that might just melt your cold little heart.

[Thursday Track Back] "Fire Extinguisher" by Howell Dawdy

Louisville's own Howell Dawdy delivers a very clever deadpan spoken word tune in which is he lists off the things he needs, including "driver who's also a student in something interesting."

Why you should listen: For shiggles.

[Thursday Track Back] "Up Up Up" by Givers

At some point, Microsoft will try and use this song to sell a tablet.

Why you should listen: Other than the fact it's bouncy and indie-fab? The female singer has a pretty solid rasp.

[Thursday Track Back] "Hey Rose" by Streets of Laredo

I found this song buried in my iTunes library. Streets of Laredo is an indie folk band from Brooklyn, but they sound like they're from out West, and I always find that immensely appealing.

Why you should listen: "Hey Rose" has a wistful gallop and pretty harmonies. At times, the harmonies remind me of the Everly Brothers, so if you're into that you might dig this.

[Thursday Track Back] "Archie, Marry Me" by Alvvays

I found this song shortly after Archie Comics announced the titular Archie Andrews was going to take a bullet in the Life of Archie series. The two are unrelated.

Why you should listen: If you're like me and gravitate toward anything vaguely retro-sounding, especially if there's a little lo-fi surf guitar involved, you'll probably like Alvvays, and "Marry Me, Archie" is a strong representation of the band's sound.

[Thursday Track Back] "Dark Sunglasses" by Chrissie Hynde

Chrissie Hynde's been the lead singer of The Pretenders since 1978. I dare you to tally up how many older female rock singers you hear on the radio these days.

Why you should listen: Hynde sings with a halting cool about a guy who's lost his posh social status and now wears dark sunglasses in a small effort to maintain and remind himself of whatever glamour he used to have.

[Thursday Track Back] "Hand Me Back My Life" by Bob Schneider

When I first heard this, I was sitting in traffic thinking, "Oh man. This guy's situation is getting progressively worse."

Why you should listen: Getting involved with a Russian mobster lady sounds absolutely cheeky. Schneider's concern ratchets up and he asks for his life back with all the aggression of a mid-album Sugar Ray song. It's delightful.

[Thursday Track Back] "Baby, Now That I've Found You" by Alison Krauss

This song is bit of an oldie, on two levels: Alison Krauss covered The Foundations' 1967 debut single... but back in 1995.

Why you should listen: A cover's highest achievement is to make the lister appreciate a familiar song in a whole new way. This version, which is slower, quieter, and more tender than the brassy original, does exactly that. Whereas the Foundations exerted a certain confidence, Krauss' spin communicates an almost weariness of the realization that "I need you so, baby even though you don't need me."

[Thursday Track Back] "Long Distance Love" by Sabina

To be honest, when I first heard "Long Distance Love," I thought the singer was a dude with a high-pitched voice. I was wrong. It was Italian-born electronica artist Sabina.

Why you should listen: Sabina doesn't really commit to singing or talking on this track. She's got a languid delivery that I initially hated, but as is the case for me, not infrequently, it grew on me. "Long Distance Love" has a particular flavor of quirk (read: retro Euro-artsy whatever) that should land it on the soundtrack of whatever Zach Braff is working on these days. There are also French lyrics because OF course there are. Bonus round: Check out "Toujours" off the album of the same name.

[Thursday Track Back] "Move" by House Ghost

Since moving to Louisville, Ky, I've found more than a few things to love. One of them happens to be the song "Move" by local band House Ghost.

Why you should listen: If you're like me and appreciate general smart ass-ery, you'll dig this song whose chorus says: "I really like you, no the girl behind you. So please move." The down shift right before makes you think some kind of indie rock sap is about to gunk up your gears. In fact, you'd be as surprised as the first girl in the song to find out that's not at all the case.

'47' : Anders Osborne

Just a quick hit tonight– this Anders Osborne tune has been following me around lately, both on the radio, and in the fact that it's living in my head. The song's hook involves a look back at few keys ages (think a funkier "It Was a Very Good Year") and settles on how 47 is kinda boring (but probably only if you're not Anders Osborne, amma right?)

Anyway, take it for a spin.

'Out on the Street' : Spanish Gold

Periodically, I like to sift through my Shazam tag to see if there's anything worth retuning to. Here's one from this past week. I was driving to work and this song came on the radio. It's "Out on the Street" by Spanish Gold, and it's a relatively new tune. The band is patched together from bits of other bands like My Morning Jacket, Hacienda, and Fantasma.

I'll let Rolling Stone fill you in on the rest. Check it out.

'Cool Kids' : Echosmith

The weather is starting to warm up in Nashville. I don't think it's going to stick just yet, but it seems everyone I run into is elated to be north of 30 degrees for a change. In that spirit, here's a song I've been meaning to post that sounds like it belongs in this upcoming season. It's "Cool Kids" by Southern California's sibling band Echosmith. The singer wishes she were one of the cool kids. I've always liked songs with those sentiments– they're weirdly sincere when you think about it. When Weezer sang about  wanting to be in Beverly Hills, it was like, "You'd admit that?" But who could blame them? Money doesn't buy happiness, but sure solves a lot of problems, as does popularity. So, here you have it– the latest entry in a vein of songs that dares to own up to our more shallow, and more human tendencies.

'Christmas in L.A.' : The Killers ft. Dawes

Last year I complied a list of the most depressing Christmas songs of all time. The Killers' 2013 Christmas single benefiting (RED), could easily make that list. "Christmas in L.A." features Owen Wilson as a struggling actor, wondering how mush longer he can stay in a city that seems just about impossible to call home. Dawes co-wrote the tune and also play on it.  

Music From 'Parenthood' : Elvis and Junip

Let's Be Mad Together - 10/24/13

Parenthood went classic on tonight's episode. During a scene where Crosby takes a drunk Joel home, they sit in the car and talk about what a song "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley is. Indeed, fellows. Indeed.



The other big musical moment was during the last scene where Ryan goes to talk to Sarah and make his case for why he loves Amber and will not be the worst mistake she ever made. Gently manipulating our emotions in the background is "After All is Said and Done" by Swedish folk rock group Junip.

Paul McCartney's Top 10 Songs

Last week I worked on a collaborative feature with a couple other writers from Consequence of Sound on Paul McCartney's best songs. Now, before you go assuming "Yesterday" got the top spot, we had the caveat of only mining McCartney's solo work. That means no Beatles and no Wings. No Wings means no "Band on the Run." I could write for days about "Band on the Run," so maybe it's for the best I didn't have the chance. Anyway. Check out our list.


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Music From' Parenthood' : Steve Earle and Y La Bamba

This week we had two musical selections worth noting on NBC's Parenthood. First off, there was "Lonely Are the Free" by Steve Earle from 2011's I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (Also the name of a Nashville episode. Coincidence? I think not.), which played over Camille and Zeke's heart-to-heart about whether they should sell their house.



The second was "Ponce Pilato" by Y La Bamba, which ran during Drew's Scrabble game with potential love interest and floormate Natalie. And no, "playing Scrabble" is not a euphemism. Geeze.

'Rouse Yourself' : JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound

When I read that JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound's new video for "Rouse Yourself" paired Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Rec) and Jake Johnson (New Girl) together as a couple with minor communications issues, I watched primarily because it sounded like some genius match-making.

I got so much more from this 4-min investment, though. "Rouse Yourself" is a silky little groove with a strong hook. The best part is the chorus which goes, "If we are forever, I hope we just get better, better, better. That's why it's such a shame, the ways we stay the same, same, same." This is one of my favorite types of lyrics– simple but well put.

The video itself is a little wacky. I didn't initially get the premise, but Plaza and Johnson being their signature deadpan and cheese ball selves made up for it.

But back to the track, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound is an indie soul (Lord, whatever that means) group from Chicago. They've been around since 2007. "Rouse Yourself" comes from their third and latest album Howl, which was released last month. By the way, I took the album for a spin yesterday and it's pretty good.

Check it out.