Song of the Day
-
Song of the Day: “Passing Afternoon”
The poetry of Sam Beam, otherwise known as Iron & Wine, can sometimes be lost behind the powerful folky melodies that take the forefront of his music. Iron & Wine has come a long way since its first labor of…
-
Song of the Day: “Let Me Be Mine”
It’s hard to imagine rocking out for more than twenty years, without much of a respite, but that is exactly what Spoon have done. The difficult-to-label rock group that formed before Kurt Cobain’s death recently released their eighth studio album,…
-
Song of the Day: “What Light”
Wilco has seen its fair share of adversity. The group, led by songwriter Jeff Tweedy, has picked up and dropped band members at various times between 1994 and 2004. However, its current iteration feels right. That cohesion is evident in…
-
Song of the Day: “Hooked”
Call it a love song, call it a crush song—either way, Mayer Hawthorne’s infectious track “Hooked,” off his 2011 album How Do You Do, reels us in and does not let us go. The old school soul sound that permeates the…
-
Song of the Day: “Nakamarra feat. Q-Tip”
It’s rare—and usually a good sign—when a debut album is met with acclaim from such well-respected hip hop names as Questlove, Erykah Badu, and Q-Tip. So it goes with Hiatus Kaiyote, the “future soul” group from down under, fronted by the…
-
Song of the Day: “In My Room”
The Beach Boys might be best known for their bubbly early melodies celebrating wholesome teenage fun in a bygone era, but their more interesting work subverts this effervescence to beautiful effect. Take “In My Room”, the languid Brian Wilson-penned single…
-
Song of the Day: “Another Man’s Vine”
Tom Waits is a master of irony. Just when we thought we understood his bone-clattering, tooth-gnashing, growling songs of woe, he hits us with “Another Man’s Vine.” The ballad—off the 2002 record Blood Money—is a heartfelt and affecting piece, infused…
-
Song of the Day: “Red Eyes”
The War On Drugs decided to name themselves after a bitter conflict, but their last album, Lost in the Dream, invokes anything but strife. Though the lyrics of “Red Eyes,” the second track off the record, are inscrutable at times—“Come…
-
Song of the Day: “Baby What You Want Me To Do”
The distinctive tone of influential blues man Jimmy Reid can be heard throughout modern rock music, from Z.Z. Top to The Rolling Stones. In his hit song “Baby What You Want Me To Do,” from 1959, he sings, “You got…
-
Song of the Day: “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man”
It’s a good day, isn’t it? The sort of day where we feel the need to rock out a little bit, and let’s be honest, we “wouldn’t be satisfied” unless we do. Prince’s thrilling top ten single from 1987, “I…
-
Song of the Day: “Walking the Dog”
The prolific soul artist Rufus Thomas released a number of singles during his career, including “Do the Funky Chicken,” “(Do the) Push and Pull,” and “Breakdown.” But it was during the 1960’s at the legendary Stax Records, where he was…
-
Song of the Day: “Just the One I Been Lookin’ For”
The late Johnnie Taylor boasted a prolific musical career spanning almost 40 years and several different record labels, including a number of collaborations with legendary crooner Sam Cooke. During his tenure at Stax Records, Taylor was reportedly dubbed the “Philosopher…