By Dave Cusick (CIVL Director of Programming / Tremolo-Bro) – Email
Dave is the director of programming at CIVL 101.7 FM. Here are a few songs that he thinks will go well with this issue.
Peter Schilling
“Major Tom (Coming Home)”
Major Tom is a character created by David Bowie, first referenced in his 1969 song “Space Oddity,” followed later by “Ashes to Ashes” and “Hello Spaceboy.” German new-wave artist Peter Schilling wasn’t the only one to jump in and contribute his own song to the legend, but in 1983, he was the first. Originally recorded in German, it was such a hit in his home country that he released an English version which reached #1 in Canada. His countrymate Nena did the same the following year with her song “99 Red Balloons” (or “Luftballons,” if you will).
Massive Attack
“Teardrop”
You may only know this song as the theme to House M.D., which annoys me at the show’s creators; it’s a really great song, indicative of the best of ‘90s trip hop, and now it’s been trivialized down to a Pavlovian trigger for “cranky man cures impossibly rare disease.”
Sylvan Esso
“Jamie’s Song”
A recent episode of the podcast Radiolab commissioned the duo to record this song about Jamie, one of their story’s subjects, who found relief from her bipolar symptoms through lithium, but then for medical reasons had to go off it.
The Postal Service
“The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”
In 2002, Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard and electronic artist Jimmy Tamborello agreed to collaborate long-distance, sending recordings between Seattle and Los Angeles via the United States Postal Service (hence the name). They eventually added singer Jenny Lewis, and released their only album ever the following year on Sub Pop, which sold more copies than anything they had ever done separately combined.
