The I Word

IWORD RECOMMENDATION: “Right Where it Belongs” -NIN
This song recommendation almost comes out of left field. I tend to love songs largely because of their lyrics and the vocals that carry them, but Trent Reznor is not known for being a brilliant lyricist (though his skills in arrangement are unquestionable).

I find myself going back to this song again and again, even though my once-fervent interest in NIN has waned considerably over the years. I wouldn’t say that NIN fails to have a message in the majority of their songs; it’s just that this one conveys it most effectively. There’s also a certain draw to the raw/minimalistic nature of this tune.

phoenixmsconfig:

Unusual glasses.

“Young Pilgrims” -The Shins
I never know how the title of this song is really spelled, not that it’s a big deal.
This is one of my favorite Shins songs that isn’t played as much as their bigger hits. I love the strumming used as a percussive mechanic in this one. It’s on my hands-down favorite album, “Chutes Too Narrow” (an auto-include in any indie music library). I highly recommend the whole thing. Buy this album. There, I made a call to action on the internet (radio lingo).
Funny story? On at least one occasion, I radio-edited out part of the line “modern thought can” because I thought it was “mother f*ckin’”. Have I mentioned how bad I am with lyrics?

DAILY/WEEKLY IWORD RECOMMENDATION: “The Monitor” by Bishop Allen
Illness and busyness have kept me away from posting, but I’m back.
Today’s track is the excellent opener to Bishop Allen’s high-energy Broken String album. This is one of my favorite songs about a historical event. That’s right, folks: you can teach your kids about the Civil War by making them listen to indie rock. The piano complements the vocals perfectly, and the build is very effective.
The whole album makes my recommendation list.

DAILY IWORD RECOMMENDATION:

“Annie Oakley” by the Miniature Tigers

I feel like listening to this group gives you “Indie cred” (did I violate a law by saying that just now?). I discovered this band a couple years ago on my own, but was never able to convert my co-DJ at the time. The Tigers played in Southern Vermont shortly after my initial exposure, but I wasn’t familiar enough with their music to justify the drive.
Of the band’s first two albums, I prefer “Tell it to the Volcano” (which this song is from), because it feels more serious than “Fortress” and dedicated than “Fortress”. If one can call songs about aging dinosaurs and giraffes “serious and dedicated.”
This particular song has a great image and relate-able lyrics about the perils of the dating game.

DAILY IWORD RECOMMENDATION: “Robbers” -The Cold War Kids
Here’s another one of my favorites. This song was one of the few that inspired me to take on my second radio show, “Galactic Voyager.” This song came up with a couple of others (“We’re Going to Be Friends” by the White Stripes was another one) when I had my music on shuffle one evening.
I paused what I was working on to just listen to the music that came on by random chance. I even closed my eyes, so that all I could see was the dim light on my eyelids and the pictures the music evoked in my head. It was a very cosmic feeling (and without drugs!). I thought to myself, “what a fantastic backdrop for relaxing in the late hours,” so I decided to share the experience with the listening community.

DOUBLE DAILY RECOMMENDATION— “Girl Problem” by Her Space Holiday

Oddly, I discovered the lyrics of this song when I was a sophomore in high school while trying to figure out what song they played at prom when I danced with my crush at the time (using search terms based on what she said about the song, as I was preoccupied during it). I’m sure they did NOT play this song at my prom. I still don’t know what song that was, nor do I care. I forgot about this song for a while, having only dial-up and no proximal music stores.

I can’t remember how I discovered this song the second time. It was probably when I was cruising for tunes to play on The I-Word (the radio show with a pretentious Co-DJ, named Sea Glass).

I’ve seen this album on vinyl and have been tempted. Slightly.

DAILY IWORD RECOMMENDATION
Not my favorite Stars song, but this is the one most likely to get stuck in the noggin’. Still trying to find an association between the title of the track and its lyrics…