Mowing Music

This is what I listened to on my iPod while mowing the lawn this morning:

• Suzy Thompson, "Mean Old Bed Bug Blues" and the title track from Adam and Eve Had the Blues
  I learned of Suzy Thompson through Sing Out! magazine. Her music seems very much in the tradition of the jug band revival of the early 60s. She's got a dynamite voice, and plays a mean fiddle
• Pink, "Dear Mr. President"
  I haven't heard any of Pink's music aside from this track, which I gather is unlike most of her style. Happily, this is a topical song with a shelf life of only a few more months.
• Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy"
  I learned of this track through Entertainment Weekly's "Down-load This" feature. It combines some rap and soul elements, hearkening back to the best of Marvin Gaye.
• The Shins, "Phantom Limb"
  Another song featured in EW's "Down-load This". The tune seems to echo elements of "Power Pop" as practiced by Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello back in the 80s.
• The Bird and The Bee, "I'm a Broken Heart"
  The arrangement owes much to the Beach Boys, circa "Pet Sounds". The happiness of the melody belies the melancholy of the theme: "I try to make the best at happiness / I'm a broken heart ... / My love is bleeding..."
• The Good, The Bad, and the Queen, "Kingdom of Doom"
  A pit of dark pop that reminds me of Costello, circa Armed Forces or Imperial Bedroom
• Borne, "The Guide"
  iTunes has a weekly free tune of the week. "Kingdom of Doom" was one, this is another. It reminds me a bit of Styx; it's not awful, but it isn't great either. I don't mind keeping it on my iPod - it's OK background for mowing. But I'm not interested in hearing more.
• Amy Winehouse, "Rehab"
  I've recommended Ms. Winehouse before. She's got a real good sense of 60s soul, right there with the Supremes. She might not be in Aretha's territory, but a couple of You Tube clips of her singing with just a guitar have convinced me she's the real deal. The production on this album is great, but she shines even without the production.
• Dar Williams, "The Christians and the Pagans"
  I forget where I read about this tune, but it sounded like fun. Dar Williams has gotten a lot of press, in places I respect, as an alt-folk artist. While the song is just as much fun as I thought it would be, Dar Williams is an acquired taste I don't yet have.
• Jonathan Byrd, "The Cocaine Kid"
  A talking blues that reminds me of Dylan in the "Freewheeling Days". The words and the rhymes role out of this guy at a furious pace.
• Johnny Proctor, "All Creatures of Our God & King"
  Another Beach Boys tribute. Mr. Proctor used multi-tracking to harmonize with himself ala "In My Room". A fun and sweet take on one of my favorite hymns.
• The Sevens, Pearl O' Shaughnessy's (et al, medley)
  I think this came from a Sing Out CD. Just a bouncy medley of Irish jigs
• Marvin Gaye, "What's Going On"
  Speaking of soul, Marvin is where it's at. It wouldn't be hard to draw a line from "Rehab" to this, but "What's Going On" has more in common with Barkley's "Crazy". Both songs have some interesting production values - e.g., the party chatter at the opening of "What's Going On", the strings in "Crazy". "What's Going On" is blatantly topical - it's almost impossible to listen to the lyrics without thinking of the late 60s - but it still holds up. You can enjoy it, in other words, without a history lesson. "Crazy" may not be topical in the same way, but it can lead one to reflect on the dichotomy of sane/crazy in new ways. It could be a love song, or it could be addressed more universally.

One day I might arrange these songs in a different order; there are times the play list is bit jarring. But I like all but one ("The Guide") almost equally. On the whole, it is a play list that is just plain fun.