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Category: Racking Up Plays

Short, sweet profiles of whatever song I’m currently listening to over and over and over again.

MusicPosted onDecember 5, 2011January 12, 2015

Racking Up Plays: “Tell Me What I Did” by Ben Folds Five

These are the posts where I gush about some song that I’ve got a huge crush on at the moment, and you put up with…

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MusicPosted onNovember 26, 2011January 12, 2015

Racking Up Plays: “We All Go Back to Where We Belong” by R.E.M.

The tune concludes with Stipe and Mike Mills harmonizing as they repeat, “Is this really what you want?”—preemptively raising the question on every R.E.M. fan’s mind. The only answer is a Bachrach-worthy horn arrangement that replies: “Yes. And it’s OK. It’s time to move on.”

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Local BandsPosted onOctober 11, 2011January 12, 2015

Racking Up Plays: “Palomino” by Mates of State

For years now, I’ve contended that my cat’s favorite band is Mates of State. … You’d think a creature that spends 5/6 of the day napping would go for something a little less manic, but as soon as Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel’s ebullient voices start mixing, there’s always a noticeable reduction in concerned yowls emanating from the cat carrier.

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MusicPosted onSeptember 20, 2011January 12, 2015

Racking Up Plays: “The Lark” by Timothy Monger

And what does The New Britton Sound sound like? Well, there’s a lot of banjo, which is a fantastic development as far as I’m concerned.

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MusicPosted onSeptember 1, 2011January 12, 2015

Racking Up Plays: “Canajoharie” by They Might Be Giants

if you’re wondering whether the Johns still can still write a popular anthem for the unpopular crowd, look no further than this evolutionary epic off the band’s 15th album, Join Us.

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MusicPosted onAugust 23, 2011January 12, 2015

Racking Up Plays: “Bang Pop” by Free Energy

If any of your friends ever ask you, “What the heck is power pop, anyway?”—which happens to me all the time—just play them this bangin’, hormone-fueled jam.

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MusicPosted onJuly 26, 2011January 12, 2015

Racking Up Plays: “I Might” by Wilco

“Wow,” I literally said aloud upon hearing the first single leaked from Wilco’s upcoming eighth studio album, The Whole Love. “This song kinda kicks all kinds of ass.”

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Bay Area MusicPosted onJune 20, 2011January 12, 2015

Racking up plays: “Country Kids” by The Downer Party

The Transamerica Pyramid is inescapable in frontwoman Sierra Frost’s flippant discourse on life and love in San Francisco. She plops it down in the center of the chorus and repeats its name over and over, declaring some vague relationship problems to be a skyscraper-sized thorn in her side.

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MusicPosted onJune 7, 2011January 12, 2015

Racking Up Plays: “The Fireplace Poker” by Drive-By Truckers

Once again putting his talent for sordid storytelling and his knowledgeable Northern Alabama roots to good use, Patterson Hood—still the core of the Athens, Georgia, band’s considerable songwriting muscle—finally indulged in an exploration of a hometown crime that has fascinated him for decades.

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MusicPosted onMay 18, 2011January 12, 2015

Racking Up Plays: “Thanks for Nothing” by Middle Brother

From its simple harmonies to its tried-and-true subject, nothing about the song is particularly revolutionary, but its emotional turns and twists are perfectly executed.

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