Overlooked Songs

Volume 21, Track 14

“Dreamer In My Dreams” by Wilco (1996) A piano that sounds like it could emanate from a bar in Nashville, the best use of a fiddle since the Stones recorded “Country Honk,” really loud drums and cymbals, lead singer Jeff Tweedy with an exaggerated and almost drunken-sounding cough somewhere in the middle: every alt-country rock [...]

Volume 21, Track 13

“I Got You (At the End of the Century)” by Wilco (1996) As a rule, I try to never compare songs or artists of a similar genre. But since this is the 308th overlooked song that I am writing about, I am going to allow myself to break this rule.[1] The reason why I’m breaking [...]

Volume 21, Track 12

“Misunderstood” by Wilco (1996) “Misunderstood,” the opening track on Wilco’s double album Being There, starts off with some thundering drums, scratchy guitars, crashing cymbals and a general musical air of low-level chaos. At around the 00:45 mark the chaos goes away, pushed aside by an acoustic- and piano-tinged melodrama (“Honest when you’re telling a lie/You’re [...]

Volume 21, Track 11

“The Shake of Big Hands” by Poi Dog Pondering (1995) “This record began for me while I was standing in front of a painting in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC titled ‘The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden.’ In it, Adam and Eve looked full of shame as they were banished from the [...]

Volume 21, Track 10

“Big Constellation” by Poi Dog Pondering (1995) Someone once noted that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. And while this saying has some validity, it only seems to be most valid when it pertains to a) people who simply cannot write about music, or b) a song that defies objective description because of [...]

Volume 21, Track 9

“Complicated” by Poi Dog Pondering (1995) The first two tracks on Pomegranate, the eponymous opening track and “Catacombs,” start off sleepy and mellow, respectively. “Complicated,” the third track on the album, injects a nice and, based on the mood of the previous two tracks, unexpected jolt of energy. This song is the best energetic/dance/sing-able/blare-this-song-while-you’re-driving song [...]

Volume 21, Track 8

“Catacombs” by Poi Dog Pondering (1995) pret·ty [prit-ee] adjective, -ti·er, -ti·est. –adjective 1. pleasing or attractive to the eye, as by delicacy or gracefulness: a pretty face. 2. (of things, places, etc.) pleasing to the eye, esp. without grandeur. 3. pleasing to the ear: Despite the name of the title, “Catacombs” is a very pretty [...]

Volume 21, Track 7

“Sugaree” by The Grateful Dead (1977) The awesomeness of a live performance of “Sugaree” is directly proportional to how great Jerry Garcia’s guitar solos are that particular night. Call it the Law of Live Sugaree, if you will. As its core, this song is a nice lazy-ish tune that moves at a deliberate pace; a [...]

Volume 21, Track 6

“Terrapin Station” by The Grateful Dead (1977) One of the things that always makes me laugh is when people say they “like all kinds of music.” To be sure, I realize that it’s easier to use this default answer than to say something ultra-specific when asked what kind of music you like.[1] But whenever I [...]

Volume 21, Track 5

“Deal” by The Grateful Dead (1977) “Deal” is one of the many songs that the Dead performed exclusively live, never bothering to record it for a studio album. Alongside “Jack Straw” and “Me and My Uncle,” “Deal” is one of the most consistently great live songs they performed (especially throughout the ’70′s). It’s a perfect [...]

Volume 21, Track 4

“The Music Never Stopped” by The Grateful Dead (1977) On April 30, 1977 The Grateful Dead were performing the second night of a five night run at the Palladium in New York City. “The Music Never Stopped” was the opening song on that night. To the listener who is not a Dead fan, this song [...]

Volume 21, Track 3

“Biological Speculation” by Funkadelic (1972) “Biological Speculation” is a song about human nature that you can either groove to, or get high to. Or both. With lyrics like “I believe in God/Though I know that law and order must prevail/Oh, if and when the laws of man/Is not just, equal, and fair/Then the laws of [...]

Volume 21, Track 2

“I Call My Baby Pussycat” by Funkadelic (1972) The sexuality of this song is a little strange on the surface, as it is simultaneously blatant, rough, and fast while also being controlled enough so as to not go completely off the rails in terms of imagery and mood. It is the kind of song that [...]