Tunes Tuesday, "Simple Song," The Shins

Simple Song by The Shins

Maybe the cool thing is to not like The Shins anymore.  Did Zach Braff ruin it for us?

Pshaw, I say.  Play this song and it's like no time has passed, in the best way possible. James Mercer's voice is the perfect vehicle for the kind of wistful lyrics I remember from The Shins.  This song brings it all back, with lyrics like: "Remember walking a mile to your house/ Aglow in the dark/ I made a fumbling play for your heart/ And the act struck a spark."  Just plain pretty, and that's what I love about this band.

Tunes Tuesday: "Big," Sneaky Sound System

Today's selection is the single "Big" from Sneaky Sound System, an Australian electro duo.  I usually enjoy a dance track with a dose of romantic, bombastic lyrics and powerhouse belting, and this fits the bill.  "Big," indeed.

C'mon, the bridge is adorable: "And every time I fall you'd take my hand / And you would volunteer to understand... me." 

Tunes Tuesday, "Piledriver Waltz," Alex Turner

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Some people might grow out of angsty teen movies, but I'm not in that camp.  If you're like me and love a good "quirky sensitive outsider teen against the world" flick, put Submarine on your Netflix queue.  An easy description of Submarine is the British Rushmore, but that's unfair.  It's artfully done, with some beautiful scenes that will stick with you.  And the main character is deeply likable, even when he's doing unlikeable things, like conducting "routine searches" of his parents' bedroom, or contemplating killing his girlfriend's dog to prepare her for the possible death of a parent.  He means well, even in the most disastrously misguided of his decisions.  

And I knew I had to love the film when I realized the soundtrack is by Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys.  He could forget the whole rock thing and just write these sorts of ballads, and that would make me happy.  I love the way he turns a phrase - "If you're going to try and walk on water, make sure you wear your comfortable shoes."

Tunes Tuesday "In the Bleak Midwinter," Ed Harcourt

I carried a torch for Ed Harcourt's music in college.  I think he should have gotten more recognition Stateside, his songs were so lovely in that singer-songwriter, turn of the new millennium way.  The albums I wore out in my Honda Civic's CD player were as follows: "From Every Sphere," "Here Be Monsters," and "Strangers."

I'm writing about Ed today because I saw him listed on this encyclopedic list of Christmas songs from indie/alternative bands, and I had to check it out.  Merry Christmas if you celebrate!  Hope your week is going well so far, I for one can't wait till Sunday.

Tunes Tuesday: "A Case of You," James Blake covering Joni Mitchell

Recently heard this cover from dubstep star James Blake, singing one of my favorite songs of all time.  Is it possible to love something that always makes you want to cry?  The lyrics are a marvel

"Just before our love got lost, you said,

I am as constant as a Northern star,

And I said, constant in the darkness,

Where's that at?

If you want me I'll be in the bar"

And it only gets better from there.