Posts tagged ben 500
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BEN 500:
324. Travis - “Flowers In The Window” (2001)
BEN: Scotland’s Travis are revered in their home country but in the US they are merely a footnote in the second wave of British bands that invaded in the 90’s and 00’s. Bands like Oasis, Radiohead and more recently Coldplay get all the glory, but I believe Travis had a two album run - 1999’sThe Man Who and 2001’s The Invisible Band - that rivals anything these other bands have released with the possible exception of Radiohead’s The Bends and OK Computer. “Flowers In The Window” is a gorgeous ode to wedded bliss, with just a hint of suggestion that creation of new life and more joy is just around the corner. The lyrics tell a story of how the narrator came from a cold dark place to find love and it basically saved him, and he wants to express gratitude towards his partner. The song boasts some pretty string arrangements and a warm tone throughout that compliments the words and impassioned vocal of singer Fran Healy. Another underrated gem.
Key lyric: “So now we’re here and all is fine/So far away from there and there is time time time/To plant new seeds and watch them grow/So there’ll be flowers in the window when we go”
MARK: I get a feeling that I would like this song on an upbeat kind of day where things are really going your way. They do use one of my favorite chords in it (the minor 4). I like the upbeatness of it, but it definitely isn’t one that I would like to listen to everyday. The high note and falsetto ‘aaaahh’ at the end sound a lot like Thom Yorke to me. I like the banjo in the background… it is a good happy-go-lucky song.
GRADE: C (songwriting wise, it’s a great pop song, but listenability-wise, I think it has a fast burnout factor)
Claudia: I like it, I think I would like Travis. (MARK: I hope she means the band and not a person!)
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THE BEN 500:
325. The Zombies - “Care of Cell 44” (1968)
BEN: In the mid-60’s hierarchy of popularity, The Zombies were definitely part of the second tier of British Invasion bands, along with The Animals and The Hollies. They never seemed to reach their full potential. In fact, when their 3rd and last album, Odessey And Oracle was released in 1968, the band had already broken up and the success of “Time Of The Season”, from that album, occurred posthumously. It’s a shame because O&O contains some of the bands finest material. Kicking off their post-mortem psychedelic masterpiece is the bright and bouncy tune “Care of Cell 44”. This seemingly innocuous ditty is taken from the point of view of a woman waiting for her man to be let out of prison. Bass player Chris White really wins me over with his Brian Wilson/Paul McCartney-inspired bass line. Frontman Colin Blunstone’s joyful vocal really shines when he sings “Feels so good, you’re coming home soon”. All in all, “Care of Cell 44” is an underappreciated gem, and Odessey and Oracle, which also contains such must-listen tracks as the anti-war dirge “Butcher’s Tale” and the romantic wedding song “This Will Be Our Year”, is truly one of the greatest albums of the psychedelic era.
Key lyric: “We’ll get to know each other for a second time/Then you can tell me bout your prison stay”
MARK: I think what I like most about this song is the happy tone for such a funny subject. They are kind of making fun, but in such a British way. The melody and chorus are really catchy. I like the a cappella hums and bums leading up to the chorus. It’s a nice little ditty. Something to listen to when you’re feeling snarky.
GRADE: B
Claudia: It sounds so happy!
(Source: Spotify)
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Ben 500: Ben Eisen’s Top songs ever!
326. Stevie Wonder - “Higher Ground” (1973)
BEN: Speaking of musical prodigies that play every instrument, much like Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder is no slouch. Blind from birth, Stevie lives and breathes music. He scored his first hit at age 13 and has compiled a mind blowing array of classic singles - 39 of which made the top 40 - and mind-blowing albums. Stevie underwent a spiritual and musical transformation in the early seventies. Much like his Motown labelmate Marvin Gaye, he saw social injustice, war and poverty in the world and made a conscious decision to address this in his music. With the 1973 album Innervisions, Stevie confronted these problems head on, and responded with the head nodding ballad “Living For The City” and the soulful classic “Higher Ground”. The wah-infused clavinet and a shuffling groove combine to make one of the funkiest tracks ever, and yes that is Stevie playing every instrument. Put this track on and just try to stay in your seat, I dare you! Social change and personal betterment never sounded like so much fun.
Key lyric: “I’m so darned glad He let me try it again/Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin”
MARK: This song has such a funky sound… I agree it is hard to sit still to this song. I love the bass part and I didn’t know that he played all the instruments… amazing. This song I cannot do justice saying why I like it, it is just a great song!
GRADE: A
Claudia: I LOVE IT!
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The Ben 500:
327. Johnny Cash - “Hurt” (2002)
BEN: By the mid 1990’s Johnny Cash’s career was seemingly over. One of the last things he had recorded was Johnny Cash Reads The Complete New Testament in 1990. Four years later, rock and hip hop producer Rick Rubin brought Johnny’s music to a whole new fan base when they collaborated to make American Recordings, an album of stark, bare-bones renditions of contemporary songs, like Leonard Cohen’s “Bird On The Wire” and Nick Lowe’s “The Beast In Me”. Suddenly Johnny was everywhere and his popularity only grew with the release of 1996’s Unchained and 2000’s Solitary Man, featuring more classic songs reworked and sung with depth and feeling like only a 70 year old Cash could sing. 2002’s American Recordings IV: The Man Comes Around was the most haunting of the series, since it came out shortly before Johnny’s long time partner and wife June Carter passed away, and because it contained the heartbreaking cover of the Nine Inch Nails song “Hurt”. Trent Reznor’s lyrics about drug addiction take on new meaning when Cash sings lines like “What have I become, my sweetest friend/Everyone I know goes away in the end”. The production is first rate and Johnny’s tired and frail voice give it an extra layer of sadness and power. A truly remarkable track.
Key lyric: “I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel/I focus on the pain, the only thing that’s real”
MARK: This song is one that although is a cover, it is much better. The mellowness of the recording really highlight the lyrics and emotion. I love the backing guitar and piano notes that are played so sparsely until the chorus lifts and opens the song up. Great song!
GRADE: A
Claudia’s Review: It’s ok, but I don’t know, I don’t love it.
(Source: Spotify)
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The Ben 500:
328. Paul McCartney - “Another Day” (1971)
BEN: “Another Day” is a classic Paul McCartney song in every way. It’s a ditty, first and foremost; meaning that it’s a slice of life pop song that’s fairly lightweight in it’s subject matter and music. It also has all of the other signature Paul qualities - It’s fun, sophisticated pop with incredible musicianship. Just the bass part alone makes “Another Day” brilliant. Not surprisingly, Paul plays every instrument in the song. He has always had an excellent sense of craft about his work, and at the time he had the added bonus of being a one man band, which means he could get the exact sound he wanted. This would effect him negatively later on, as he began putting out what many would call substandard material, but at the beginning of his solo career, he was bursting with ideas and sounds. Linda McCartney’s backing vocals have been a sore spot for many fans, but on “Another Day” they work just fine, helping Paul tell the story of an over-worked, under-loved single woman trying to make it in the big city. Like I said, classic Paul.
Key lyric - “At the office where the papers grow she takes a break/Drinks a cup of coffee and she finds it hard to stay awake”
MARK: I really like this song. It sounds like he still has a Beatle mindset. Even though he played all the parts, there is backing vocals, lead guitar, percussion additions, catchy little hooks and time changes. It’s a cool song and in a way it reminds me of a Paul Simon song… maybe because of the simplicity and vocal lines. It’s a jam!
GRADE: B+
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The Ben 500:
329. Lovers and Poets - “Life Is Strange” (2010)
BEN: Lovers and Poets started off as a one-off side project between pop-rock singer-songwriter Shannon Hurley and Nashville-based producer/engineer Bryan Talbot. After collaborating on a few songs, the two had a falling out and Shannon re-teamed with… me! We are now L&P. Shannon deserves most of the credit- she writes the songs and produces them, I write and perform the bass parts and we collaborate on the beats and programming ideas. “Life Is Strange” is the first L&P song and it takes Shannon’s songwriting and style in a totally new direction. The cool, detached vocals and spacey lyrics combine with the downtempo chill pop beats and slippery bass line to create something unique. “Life Is Strange” and the rest of L&P’s self-titled debut album have caught the ear of many in the upper echelon of the electronica world. Shannon’s vocal was featured on one of the biggest trance tracks of 2011 with Protoculture’s “Sun Gone Down”. Check it out here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9syOYpb_RdI Since then Shannon has been collaborating with some of the biggest names in the trance world and her and I are hard at work on new tracks for an L&P follow up.
Key lyric: “Standing still/The scenery is changing/This is real/My senses slowly fading”
MARK: Great beat! I love the drums and bass groove! It has a great laid back feel to it that draws you in. Shannon’s vocals really float above this song and make it a great song for driving/chillin. It reminds me of going on night drives in the dark and watching the city breath from out the window, but it kinda feels like a dream. It’s a good soundtrack for life. My favorite part is that last chord after ‘Life is Strange’ it breaks up the song and keeps pushing it forward.
GRADE: B+
Claudia’s Review: I love this song and I love the album art! ;)
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The Ben 500:
330. Journey - “Don’t Stop Believin’” (1981)
BEN: Journey’s signature song “Don’t Stop Believin’” is one of the most beloved songs of the last 30 years, and it has recently made a big comeback. Since it made an appearance on the last episode of The Sopranos in 2007, it has consistently made Billboard’s list of top downloads, and has been featured in countless tv shows and movies. I think that after “Sweet Caroline”, “Don’t Stop Believin’” is the number one karaoke song of all time. Starting off with one of the most recognizable keyboard riffs ever, and building into a cheesy but awesome arena-ready chorus, “Don’t Stop Believin’” is unique in the pop song universe, as the sing-along chorus doesn’t even make an appearance until well past the 3 minute mark. Disregarding that horrid bass tone (man the 80’s were a rough time for lovers of great bass tone!), the band is in top form, especially singer Steve Perry, who shows off his ridiculous pipes. It’s no wonder that Btoe called this song “The Greatest Power Ballad On Earth”.
Key (cheesy) lyric: “Workin’ hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill/Payin’ anything to roll the dice, just one more time”
MARK: This is one of those songs that even if you ‘say’ you don’t like it, the odds are either at one time you loved it so much that you burned yourself out of it OR you just don’t want to admit it. The keyboards hold it down at the beginning and this is one of the best builds to a chorus, once the band kicks in (with an agreed terrible bass tone) it is fist pumping central. The chord changes are familiar and make you instantly like the song, but I think the pre chorus is what really makes this song. It gives you just enough of a break to make the power chorus soar. I’m not afraid to admit that I like this song. This song has a few little lyrical gems if you listen closely. I like ‘Some will win/Some will loose/Some were born to sing the blues’.
Grade: A
Claudia’s Review: I like this song.
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The Ben 500-Ben Eisen’s Favourite 500 songs.
331. The Beatles - “Paperback Writer” (1966)
BEN: “Paperback Writer” was The Beatles’ first single of 1966, and signaled a new sound for the lads. According to legend, John became upset, wondering aloud why the bass on a certain Wilson Pickett record sounded better than the bass on their own records. Producer Sir George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick worked to get that gorgeous bass tone that you hear. Paul’s fluid and warm bass line was inspired by James Jamerson’s Motown output and George’s jangly guitar part was influenced by The Byrds. Lyrically, this song is pretty lightweight. Paul sings about being a writer looking for a break and a deal on his book “based on a novel by a man named Lear”. The thing that I love about this song, besides Paul’s wicked bass line and the head bobbing groove, is the amazing harmonies that accompany each chorus. Once again, the boys are showing off. Also, listen closely and you will hear a little bit of “Frere Jaques” in the 3rd verse. With the upcoming release Revolver (and “Paperback Writer’s” own B-side “Rain”), The Beatles were inching ever closer to the full on psychedelic masterwork that is Sgt. Pepper. In the meantime, “Paperback Writer” is pure ear candy.
Here is the lads’ promo video for “Paperback Writer”, one of the first music videos ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e3DA-Uctvw&feature=related
MARK: All their songs are crafted so well. This kind of starts like nowhere man and goes right into the riff. The guitar sounds in this song are some of the crunchiest in all of the Beatles catalog. The lyrics aren’t anything special, but all the backing vocals almost distract you from the fast paced lyrics and somehow they just seem cool. The bass line is great and the tone is strong. There is some really cool delay or reverb that they enhance at the end of Paul singing the hook. I love all their punctuated stops in this song. It’s a jam!
GRADE: B+
Claudias Review: It’s too early she isn’t awake… she would probably not like it too much. She is Beatles-ed out at the moment.
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Ben 500:
332. Devo - “Satisfaction (I Can’t Get Me No)” (1977)
BEN: Famous for their one and only hit, “Whip It”, Devo were one the weirdest bands ever. Devo, short for “de-evolution” began as an art concept by a couple of college kids in Akron, Ohio and eventually became a full fledged band that would play shows dressed entirely in Saran Wrap, or cover their bodies in potato skins or wear flower pots on their heads and dress in nuclear fallout suits. Musically, Devo sounded like nothing else out there. A strange blend of electronic disco and guitar-based punk rock, Devo were true musical pioneers. Their brilliant cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” is great example of their unique brand of nerdy rock. “Satisfaction” comes off of their Be Stiff EP from 1977 and was later featured on their full length debut Q: Are We Not Men?, A: We Are Devo!. With it’s jarring angular rhythms, singer Mark Mothersbaugh’s yelping voice and minimalist production from Brian Eno, “Satisfaction” is infectiously silly and danceable and became a big underground hit in the New Wave clubs in the late 70’s.
Devo were also pioneers in the field of music video, and this clip of “Satisfaction” was one of the first to be featured on the fledgling cable network, MTV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jadvt7CbH1o
MARK: I don’t know how I feel about this song. It has a very fluid feeling groove and really has its own style. It has such a repetitive nature that if you listened to it enough, I think your head may explode. I guess I like it, but I don’t think I could listen to it every day. I have to say, they are a band that without seeing, I don’t know how far they would have gone.
GRADE: C
Claudia’s Review: ? I don’t know what to say.
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Ben 500: Ben Eisen’s Top Songs Ever!
333. The Minor Canon - “Cave In” (2005)
BEN: Before I joined The Minor Canon, before there was even a band; singer/guitarist/songwriter Paul Larson created a 6 song demo EP in his home studio. Paul played all of the instruments, including drums, bass, guitar, piano, mellotron, percussion, and more. The standout track of these 6 songs, in my opinion is “Cave In”, a song later to appear in much different form on TMC’s 2007 debut record No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. The demo version has much more of a stripped down rock edge with electric guitar taking center stage, rather than piano and horns. The end of the song features flashes of the avant garde sound that would come later, with synthesized horns and processed drums. The lyrics to “Cave In” are almost a celebration of alienation, loneliness and boredom. “This cave I’m in keeps the sun out/And the air is filled with stale smoke/And sometimes it’s quite nice”. Paul’s signature brand of brooding pathos is already present and the seeds for a great band are planted.
Key lyric: “There’s nothing to do again/Just like yesterday/And every day before that/That I can remember”
MARK: I like that this song has a very ‘walk through the park’ feel. Almost like you don’t know where it’s going and you don’t really seem to care because it is perfect for the moment. I love the drums and the piano. In a way (besides the vocals and production stye) this is Bon Iver before Bon Iver. I really like this song. It’s simple, diverse, interesting, and cool.
By the way… I found this when I was searching for the album art… #6 best local bands of 2007 http://passionweiss.com/2007/12/14/the-10-best-local-albums-of-2007/
GRADE: A-
Claudia’s Review: I like this one!
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The Ben 500: Ben Eisen’s list of the best songs ever!
334. Marvin Gaye - “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” (1968)
BEN: ”The Prince of Motown”, Marvin Gaye first got his start in Hitsville USA as a janitor. He began picking up work as a session drummer, and even played drums on tour with The Miracles. He wanted to be a singer but was unsure of his own personal style, he thought maybe he would sing standards and jazz. Eventually, Gaye found a niche as a duets singer, landing hits with Mary Wells (“Once Upon A Time”), Kim Weston (“It Takes Two”) and of course Tami Terrell, who Gaye recorded 12 singles with, 4 of which made the US Top Ten - “Your Precious Love”, “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You”, “Ain’t Nothin’ Like The Real Thing”, and “You’re All I Need To Get By”. Things really got cooking for Gaye in 1968, with his first number 1, the slow burning version of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”. This song had been performed by Gladys Knight & The Pips to moderate success, but Gaye’s version was beyond soulful. I dare to say that Gaye’s vocal on this track is one of the single greatest performances in rock history - just his falsetto in the pre-choruses (“Do you pla-a-an to let me go?”) puts it in the running. Motown’s session cats are at the top of their game. The brass and strings bring a sense of foreboding and danger and the whispering female backup singers give the sense of gossip and betrayal. A truly remarkable track from beginning to end.
Key lyric: “People say believe half of what you see/Son, and none of what you hear/But I can’t help but be confused/If it’s true please tell me dear”
MARK: This song gives me the chills every time I hear it. I think it’s pretty close to perfect. The organ and the drums at the beginning are so solid and I love how you can hear the reverb bleed off the organ. The backing vocals are great… they are right on and add a great dimension. And, of course, Marvin Gaye. He sings it perfectly. I got to hear the original masters of this song and they stripped away everything, but him… He walked out and was making jokes to the band. They counted him off and he did it all in one take. I love when musicians and artists can make something so amazing seem so easy. I love every single thing in this song.
GRADE: A
Claudia’s Review: Oooh Marvin Gaye. Good choice Ben.
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The BEN 500: Ben Eisen’s top songs ever!
335. Wilco - “Misunderstood” (live) (2005)
BEN: In 2005, Wilco released the album A Ghost Is Born, a well-received follow up to their commercial and critical masterpiece Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Wilco was constantly shifting members, and 2005 was an important year for the band. After the release of Ghost, multi-instrumentalist Leroy Bach left the band to pursue a career in theater production. Fearing that the current members were being spread too thin and having to multi-task too much on stage, band leader Jeff Tweedy decided to add two more members, jazz rock guitarist Nels Cline and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone. The new lineup changed the band’s sound significantly. Cline’s improvisational free-form guitar work helped to flesh out the songs and Sansone’s piano and hammond organ fit in nicely with the rest of the band, giving them an incredibly layered and tasteful Band-esque sound, which was well featured on their 2007 album Sky Blue Sky. In the meantime, Tweedy and company wanted to show off their new lineup by recording a live album. Kicking Television - Live In Chicago was recorded over 4 nights at the Windy City’s Vic Theatre. The atmosphere on the album, recorded in their hometown in front of throngs of adoring fans, was celebratory and the new lineup tore into classic songs and gave them new life. My favorite example of this is the leadoff track “Misunderstood” which originally appeared on the 1996 album Being There. The new players take this formerly understated gem to new levels. I love the song builds and builds up to the eventual climax, with Tweedy shouting ”NOTHING!” over and over again as the band pounds out the chords. It’s an exhilirating moment that makes ”Misunderstood” is one of the best live tracks ever.
Key lyric - “Short on long term goals/There’s a party there that we oughta go to/Do you still love rock’n’roll?”
MARK: For those of you who don’t know, I don’t like live tracks. I hate hearing the crowds sing along, I hate the lack of quality recordings, and they usually aren’t better performances than you get on an album. BUT, every once in a while, you get a live version that is better than the recorded version (Albums like Bob Marley Live at the Roxy and The Who Live at Leeds are two great examples). This falls into that category. The live recording is more clear and easy to listen to than the album version and the builds have much more impact. I can forgive the crowds for singing along to this one, because it’s only on parts like ‘do you still love rock and roll’… The build with the cello and the guitar and piano are great especially when they all drop back and come in with a wall of sound. The ‘nothing!’ part is great… This is a great song
GRADE: A-
Claudia’s Review: I like the melody on this one………………. the way he sings it, is….. cool.
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The Ben 500: 336. The Who - “Who Are You” (1978) BEN: In my opinion, “Who Are You” is the last great Who song. Part of the reason I say that is because this is the last recording Keith Moon ever did. By 1978, The Who had become rock n’ roll dinosaurs. Punk rock was exploding, utilizing the same devil-may-care energy that Pete Townshend and company had in their “mod” days 15 years earlier. Even though they were old farts - Keith Moon was a crusty 32 years old - The Who were not done rocking. They showed the younger generation how it was done with this explosively fierce track. Roger Daltrey displays his roughest, most bruising vocal ever as he belts out this first-person tale of debauchery and excess. “I woke up in a Soho doorway, a policeman knew my name. He said you can go sleep at home tonite if you can get up and walk away”. Daltrey practically tears out his vocal chords on this track. The rest of the band are also in “attack mode” as Pete and John Entwistle stab at some chords while old man Keith Moon does his best to give it another signature sloppy effort. It’s a ramshackle, hedonistic mess, but just like a drunken bender complete with a fistfight, there’s some dark and twisted poetry to it that could only come from The Who. Keith Moon - another one done too soon. Key lyric: “My heart is like a broken cup, I only feel right on my knees” MARK: As much as I like classic rock, I am not the biggest Who fan. I can appreciate their hard rocking ways, but they don’t really blow me away (maybe besides the Live at Leeds album… it melted my face). The beginning has a cool feel, but I don’t like the ‘Who are you?’ part, maybe just because I have heard this song so many times. I love the verses though, they are nice and gritty. I do love the little breakdown around 2:25. Entwistle solo… check. It’s an ok song to me. GRADE: C+ Claudia’s Review: (Singing) Who, who, who, who.
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BEN 500: Ben Eisen’s Top Songs… EVER
337. Night Ranger - “Sister Christian” (1983)
BEN: 1980’s hair metal isn’t given much due on this countdown, even though bands like Van Halen and Def Leppard played some of the first music I really fell in love with. The problem is while some of these artists had great tunes, they also had a lot of really embarrassing moments as well. Def Leppard’s “Let’s Get Rocked”, anyone? The San Francisco Bay-area band Night Ranger were largely underappreciated amongst bands from the hair metal heydey. They had a few hits that showed they knew the pop metal formula as well as anyone, like “When You Close Your Eyes”, and “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”. Their biggest hit was the top 5 smash “Sister Christian”, a song written by drummer Kelly Keagy for his sister Christy, who in Kelly’s eyes was growing up way too fast. Keagy has said that the term “motoring” refers to the act of cruising. “Sister Christian” is a marvel of rock cliches and posturing that somehow works. It starts off with a lovely piano and builds into an epic crescendo to the most arena-ready chorus imaginable. This song features great harmonies, a killer guitar solo, and some of the biggest drum sounds ever. Night Ranger never had a hit this big again, but for one fleeting moment, hair metal reached pop perfection.
Key lyric: “Sister Christian there’s so much in life, and don’t you give it up before your time is due”
MARK: This song is a very catchy song. I listened to it a few days ago and it was stuck in my head all week. This morning I listened to it while the sun was rising and it really pumped me up for my day. The piano intro is so beautiful and it makes you realize that these guys were great musicians, not just hair and spandex. The drums are so thick and the builds are great. This song has it’s moments, I love it for what it is.
GRADE: B
Claudia’s Review: It was fun listening to this with the sun rising.
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THE BEN 500:
338. R.E.M. - “Find The River” (1992)
BEN: In January of 1980, four scrappy college-aged kids got together in Athens, GA, spurred on by their mutual admiration for The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Big Star and proto punk acts like Patti Smith and Television. They formed a band that seemed destined to go nowhere - a bunch of nobodies from a nowhere town, just rock fans playing music they liked. 12 years later, R.E.M. were one of the biggest bands in the world, setting the template for how to be successful and humble, a stance duly noted by bands like Radiohead and Pearl Jam. When they first started out, singer Michael Stipe’s vocal delivery was nothing much beyond shy, introverted mumbling. Somewhere along the way, Stipe found his voice and confidence. His vocals became more powerful, and now that you could understand what he was singing, his lyrics improved (for the most part), tackling social issues and digging deep emotionally. In 1992, the band was coming off their biggest album to date, Out Of Time. Their follow up record is to many fans the absolute pinnacle of their career. The lushly produced Automatic For The People finds R.E.M. in fine form, musically and lyrically. Some of their biggest hits come from this record - “Drive”, “Everybody Hurts” and “Man On the Moon”, for example. My favorites from AFTP are the haunting piano ballad “Nightswimming” and the devastating country folk classic “Find The River”. I’m not sure what the lyrics on “Find The River” represent, but Stipe’s delivery, combined with Peter Buck’s guitar, Mike Mills’ understated bass line and pretty piano flourishes and Bill Berry’s minimal drums have never sounded better. Also take note of the musical hook performed by a lonely sounding clavinet. Beautiful stuff…
Key lyric: “Leave the road and memorize/This life that pass before my eyes/Nothing is going my way”
MARK: I am not an R.E.M. fan per say, but I do like this song. I like how it seems like a song anyone could sing, but at the same time, no one could probably do it better. The tone at the beginning seems so sad or maybe a bit hopeful and I love when the vocal comes in. He seems very honest. The production is great on this song, I feel like everything is really surrounding this tiny voice coming out of the middle. I have to say, I do like this song. I could listen to it on a rainy day.
GRADE: B
Claudia’s Review: I like it. Except that weird high pitched noise.
