Jun 5, 2007

10 Songs that I've Been Listening to A Lot Lately

It's been a very chill summer music-wise. Chill and fairly lovesick. Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue. In alphabetical order by artist:

"The Luckiest" - Ben Folds - A simple beautiful love song. He wrote it for his wife. In my current turbulent emotional state it has made me cry on more than one occasion recently.

"See You Soon" - Coldplay - A song about insecurity. Unfortunately that means it's very fitting. It's off of an EP from before they released their debut album Parachutes, but it's one of Coldplay's best songs in my opinion. They had a lot of potential back in 1999, let me tell you.

"If Work Permits" - The Format - Last summer was all about The Format, but somehow I never recognized the greatness of this song during that period. My interest in The Format has been revitalized after listening to them a ton on the Disneyland trip. Last year's song by them was "Dog Problems". "If Work Permits" is less bitter, which is healthier for me than constantly singing "Open arms are prison cells...".

"Heatbeats" - Jose Gonzales - A last year favorite that is back for another go. For the commercial that I first heard this song on, go here (it's worth the wait to watch it in high definition). I wish it had been my idea: 250,000 bouncy balls on the street of San Fransisco. I wish I had been there. The song is actually a cover of The Knife, but I like Jose's version better because it's so chill.

"Best for the Best" - Josh Ritter - I discovered a Josh Ritter (who I'd never heard of) CD while packing to move to my summer apartment. I'm guessing it was given to me by an old lover because it looks like his handwriting on it, but I really don't remember. But Josh Ritter is brilliant. A folk singer from Idaho, no less.

"Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey - An oldie that I've always liked, but have been listening to seriously for the first time recently. Classic.

"In Love With a View" - Mojave 3 - Oh unrequited love, what have you done to the world? A good song by some random band that I had hoped was from the Mojave desert when I heard their name, but are in fact British, like nearly every other good band.

"Underneath My Tree" - Ozma - Fairly typical Ozma. I don't really have much to say about this song other than that it's a good one and currently the number one played song on my iTunes (granted I haven't had a computer or iTunes in a while so my most played list only started building in the last few weeks).

"Hey There Delilah" - Plain White T's - A good song for long-distance relationships. Nothing like a good ol' fashioned guy-and-his-guitar-with-nothing-else-going-on song.

"Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead - One of the best songs ever written. It's one of those "I know exactly what you mean Thom" songs. "It wears me out..." Last year's Radiohead song was "True Love Waits". Every year has a Radiohead song. One of the best bands of all time.

I recommend you check out any of the songs listed above that you are not familiar with. While not all are necessarily "great", all are at least worth a listen.

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