Monday Musical Moments time! Mondays don't have to be dreary, right?
Without further ado, here are four musical moments bringing me joy in this genuinely autumnal November. All songs involved are in a handy Spotify playlist here: Monday Music.
1. The bass solo in "The Chain," by Fleetwood Mac.
It's a terrific song by any definition, but the bass solo at 3:04 kicks it into a whole other level. Unfortunately, it also occurs to me that the entirety of what the British call "landfill indie" can probably be traced to this moment. Oops.
2. When other singers channel Stevie Nicks, even for a moment
Stevie Nicks's defining trait (apart from her fashion sense) is her remarkably unique voice. No one has a voice like her. But sometimes, weirdly, other singers become transmitters, if only for mere syllables. And those moments turn otherwise unremarkable songs into magic.
See: The first stanza of Ladyhawke's "Back of the Van", and the second time that Belinda Carlisle sings "In this world we're just beginning," (just after the bridge, at 2:53) in "Heaven Is A Place on Earth."
3. That the New Radicals ever existed
They're just a one-hit wonder band, but some of their album tracks are awesome. Especially "Mother, We Just Can't Get Enough." In it's near 6-minute running time, it manages to incorporate almost every genre that was popular in the mid-90's, from house to Britpop to Ben Folds style melancholy to rap to reggae.
4. That the Vampire Weekend-obsessed lovers of Like Crazy also listen to Paul Simon's Graceland.
Because, um, duh. Vampire Weekend so shamelessly rips off Graceland that they owe royalties to Paul Simon. I've included the two tracks from the film: Vampire Weekend's "White Sky" and Paul Simon's "Crazy Love, Vol II".
