Saturday Songs – Nov. 5

1. “Ofrenda” – Pedro Guerra

Spotify, as I’ve raved to quite a few people in the past weeks, is not just an easy source of streaming music, but it is also a world-wide playground of music that had never been open to me before. I’ve listened to albums that escaped me in past years and I’ve found new artists with such ease that I’m almost frightened by the sheer bulk of unlistened to (for me, that is) music out there in the world.

In particular, one area of music that has opened itself up to me through Spotify is that of Latino and Spanish music—particularly music coming from Spain. I’ve had somewhat limited contact with Spanish-language music, something that is doubtlessly evident to anyone who read my “Canciones de Sábado” earlier this year. But now, with Spotify leading the charge for me, I feel somewhat more territorial about Spanish-language music.

One of my recent finds is the artist Pedro Guerra, who, while new to me, seems to be quite a big deal on the other side of the Atlantic. One of his songs that really caught my ear is “Ofrenda” off Guerra’s 2001 album of the same name. The song, filled with punchy horns and a fantastic guitar part, is a beautiful plea asking for a lover to return. The song ends with the repeated line: “para que vuelvas” (so that you return).

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2. “Oh Yoko!” – John Lennon

One of those songs that took me a longtime to warm up to, Lennon’s love song for Yoko Ono strikes me as funny in that while I have somewhat of a grudge against Ono (partly for pulling John away from the Beatles, partly for her bizarre contributions to cinema), there is still something warm and fuzzy and wonderful about the song that I can’t ignore. This country-shuffle-of-a-song is simple and happy and that’s about enough for me.

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3. “Fuck This Place” – Frightened Rabbit

In a wonderful twist of fate (thanks to my girlfriend Kayla’s helpful contribution), my free offering this week is from one of my favorite bands, Frightened Rabbit. The three-song EP includes all new songs: two well-planned duets, “Fuck This Place” and “The Work,” as well as “Scottish Winds,” a cathartic ode to Scotland.

While all three songs are great, I’m particularly fond of “Fuck This Place,” a duet with Tracyanne Campbell, the lead singer of the Scottish band Camera Obscura. Campbell’s presence not only adds some stature to the song (Frightened Rabbit lead singer Scott Hutchinson was apparently flabbergasted that she wanted to record the song with them), but it adds a happy new texture to Frightened Rabbits gruff, extraordinarily male repertoire.

I also recommend checking out the other duet on the EP as well, which features legendary Scottish folk singer Archie Fisher (who penned one of my favorite songs, “Dark Eyed Molly”). You can download the entire EP here.

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4. “49:00” – Paul Westerberg

In my two-part discussion of track listing this past week, I used Westerberg’s single-track album as an example and inadvertently fell in love with it. The album (or track?!) is a roughshod, nostalgic trip through Westerberg’s basement recording studio, revisiting the ramshackle sound of The Replacements at their messy best and at the same time leaning on Westerberg’s careful pop songwriting. The secret of the album, I think, is that it sounds both breathless—almost nervously thrown together at the last minute—and self-consciously clever—jumping out of one song and into another, briefly citing famous rock songs, sending up the music industry. It’s a kind of joyous ride. I can’t really offer you a full listen or direct you to a place to buy it (it’s not being sold anywhere anymore), but I assure you there are ways… (take that as a hint, not a directive…)

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5. “Hangin’ Your Life On The Wall” – Guy Clark (and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott)

http://www.last.fm/affiliate/byid/9/7687888/6/trackpage/1281548363

Off of Clark’s classic 1995 album Dublin Blues (which also features the title track “Dublin Blues,” which counts as one of those songs that has made me cry), this tune is typical Clark: carefully constructed and nostalgic, sad, and funny all at the same time. There is a delicacy to his songs that you don’t hear in the country blues that Clark mostly plugs his lyrics into. This song, a duet with fellow country legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, is a laughable ode to old people not throwing out the towel and “hangin’ their life on the wall.”