by Paul Falardeau (Arts & Life Editor)
“Poor House” -The Traveling Wilbury’s
There’s something about hearing some of the greatest musical minds of our time having this much fun that creates a great auditory experience. This is a prime example. Dylan, Harrison, Lynne and Petty sound happy as pigs in shit – and like they would fit into the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack with ease.
“Till There Was You” – The Beatles
Recently, I heard the comment that the Beatles were good, but their lyrical content was often not much more than Jonas territory. Fair enough. The Beatles wrote some pretty straight up love songs without a bunch of “depth” and “meaning.” The Beatles, as this track demonstrates, are a big deal for two reasons: because they take the simple and make it meaningful – and because they do it so well.
No Surprises – Radiohead
If Radiohead was to tuck me in tonight, I could only hope they’d sing me this song.
You Can’t Hug Your Children (With Nuclear Arms) – Neo Tokyo
The guitar is awesome and the talent is local, what more can you ask for? The Neo Tokyo crew has a very Iggy and the Stooges vibe going here, so if that’s your bag, then check out their new album, **The Rising Sun Sessions**. The band recommends you download it via torrent.
Cassandra Gemini: A. Tarantism – The Mars Volta
This is one freaky song, but with a name like that, what did you expect? Still, freaky as it is, it is too awesome to be dismissed as masturbatory guitar mish-mash. This is Mars Volta doing what they do best, and sometimes that’s all you can ask.
