"Landlocked Blues"Bright Eyes
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
This is his most polished, most complete album to date -- and that's saying a lot, because he's been releasing albums for over well over a decade now. Cliches notwithstanding, I really can play this straight through without ever wanting to skip.
And the highlight of this song comes at the very end; "So I'm up at dawn, putting on my shoes." For most of us, the obvious way to arrange the line would be "putting my shoes on," lining the syllables all up in a tidy little row and capitalizing on the ending rhyme scheme of "dawn" and "on." But he messes with the syntax by inverting the sentence, leaving us frustrated that he didn't cash in on the rhyme, but ultimately proud that he didn't take the easy way out.
"Silly Love Songs"Wings
Wings at the Speed of Sound
Okay, I love Paul. He's 1/4 of my favorite thing (No, not just my favorite band, as that would be an understatement. But my favorite thing, of anything, period.) in the world. But Christ, I hate this song.
It's not just that it's sweet and sappy, because he's always been sweet and sappy. But that's all it is. Just that. There isn't any cleverness, nothing sly, nothing insightful. It's just a cheesy, disco-influenced song about him loving you. Bleh.
There hasn't been much Paul has done that's made me cringe. But this is one of the few.
"Jamming"Bob Marley & the Wailers
Exodus
I don't toke, so Marley probably means a little differently to me than it does to most people. I tend to enjoy him entirely on a level of politics ("War," "Revolution"), spirituality ("Get Up Stand Up"), accountability ("I Shot the Sheriff"), and human rights ("Slave Driver," Rebel Music [Three O'Clock Road Block]," "Redemption").
But that type of music elitism shouldn't detract from just how plain fun this song is.
"Pink Bullets"The Shins
Chutes Too Narrow
Not one of my favorite tracks off the album, and as a whole, not as strong an effort as their first album. But the cover artwork is awesome.
"God Only Knows"The Beach Boys
Pet Sounds
I do agree that some people sometimes go way too far out of their way to lavish praise upon Pet Sounds. Is it really the 2nd greatest album ever made? I don't know, possibly. But either way, it's songs like these that you support the argument with. Hands down, one of the most beautifully written of all-time. Brian Wilson accomplished exactly what every writer (or just any artist, of any medium) spends a lifetime aspiring to: so completely and thoroughly outdoing oneself to the point of no return.
"I Never"Rilo Kiley
More Adventurous
Hearing her sing always reminds you of how she was a child actor. "I've lied, cheated, stolen, and been ungrateful for what I had"...such perfect diction, articulation, enunciation. Each and every syllable is razor sharp. That's all from those countless acting classes her mom must've made her attend.
"Dumb it Down"Lupe Fiasco
The Cool
I'm not crazy about the flow of this track. By ending every line with a hard "Ssss," the rhyme scheme becomes too choppy, too harsh. But I give him credit for fitting in "spit hot fire like Dylon."
"Better Late Than Forever"Allister
Last Stop Suburbia
They're just one of those many throw-away bands that signed onto Drive-Thru Records during the big boom of the late '90s/early '00s. It doesn't age very well and holds practically zero re-play value, but hearing it again brings back some memories of the charm and naiveté of the 11th grade.
"Another Girl"The Beatles
Help!
The highlight of this track is George's finger-dexterity, weaving in and out of Paul's vocals and John's steady rhythmic strumming. The best bit of noodling comes at the very close of the song. It's so jangly and twangy. That's what I love about 12-string guitars.
"Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard"Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Haha, this immediately reminds me of The Royal Tennenbaums. And of course I prefer the work he did with Art overall, but this is still one of the all-time, very best examples of a collaborative musician breaking away and forging his own solo career. He goes from making a classic like Bridge Over Troubled Water with Art, then immediately writes this album on his own (this song, "Duncan," "Mother and Child Reunion"). That type of seamless transition is nearly impossible.
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