Song of the day

I may have to come up with some better criteria for these choices than the fact that they happen to come up on my iPod shuffle, but that’s what this one did, first thing this morning. It’s Laura Marling’s “My Manic & I,” which is a weird way to kick off the day. (“Morning is mocking me.”) Below is a live version, a little less polished than the official version (which has embedding disabled), but still pretty damn terrific.

Song of the day

Today, just because it came up in my shuffle, it’s “Let’s Get Out of This Country” by Camera Obscura. As it happens, it’s another title track, from their 2006 album of the same name. It’s a catchy tune, but I think it’s the lyrics that I really like:

What does this city have to offer me?
Everyone else thinks it’s the bee’s knees
What does this city have to offer me?
I just can’t see
I just can’t see

Another song from the same album, “Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken,” was a contender for my recent Band Songs mix — it’s a response to Lloyd Cole’s song “Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken” — but it seemed a little too obscure. (It’s only now, in double-checking this, that even I have heard Cole’s original.)

Anyway, here’s the song:

Song of the day

It’s no secret that I like sharing music. I put together a monthly mix of new stuff, or at least stuff that’s new to me, and I’ve participated in several mix CD exchanges. But today, walking home from the train station, iPod buds in my ears, it occurred to me that there’s a whole lot of older discoveries that won’t necessarily turn up on those mixes that I’d still like to share.

So, the song of the day. No real commentary on the song, unless there’s something I feel the need to share. Mostly just good music. Today’s is the song that got me thinking along these lines when it came up in my shuffle: Pink Martini’s “Sympathique.” I’m a big fan of their 1997 album of the same name, which I first heard streaming on their website sometime (maybe a couple of years) after its release, but this is easily my favorite track from it. I love this description of the band from band leader Thomas Lauderdale:

If the United Nations had a house band in 1962 hopefully Pink Martini would be that band.

I can totally see Dag Hammarskjöld or U Thant grooving to this song.