Random 10 for Dec. 18, 2007
1. Battles, “Tonto.” Mirrored is the most challenging disc I’ve heard this year — I’m fascinated by it, but still trying to wrap my brain around its intricacies. “Tonto” is the most instantly contagious track on the disc, even though its Hollywood-style tribal chant is a big chunk of cheese.
2. Radiohead, “All I Need.”
3. Tilly and the Wall, “Nights of the Living Dead.”
4. Rogue Wave, “Postage Stamp World.”
5. Au Revoir Simone, “The Lucky One.” Ah, the sweetness of twee pop, complete with a beautiful singalong chorus. I love Au Revoir Simone, but they make the Postmarks sound like Lamb of God.
6. Dr. Dog, “Weekend.”
7. Robyn Hitchcock, “Viva Sea-Tac.”
8. The Clientele, “Joseph Cornell.”
9. Led Zeppelin, “That’s the Way.”
10. Matthew Sweet, “Magnet and Steel.” Lindsey Buckingham shows up two days in a row, first in that Trailmix chop of “You Make Lovin’ Fun,” and now on this cover of the late-’70s Walter Egan single. Buckingham sang back-up and c0-produced the song with Rumours helmsman Richard Dashut. I’m starting to feel a little like Jason Hare around here, but the iPod does what it will.
Matthew Sweet’s version is actually a bit better than Egan’s original, which should not come as much of a surprise — the melody is straight from Sweet’s playbook, and Buckingham returns to play the leads and sing backup, but the key here is that the Egan single had Buckingham in smooth Rumours mode, while Buckingham’s performance here is quite a bit more Tusky.
The appearance of Susanna Hoffs in the photo is purely gratuitous in this context.
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Matthew’s gotten wider in the last few years. Susanna is still ravishing, though. Too bad their album was so lame.