Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By

Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By

Hey Marseilles, "Rio"

No, not that "Rio" (which is what I was hoping when I first song the name), but whereas that faraway song was about the love (or at least lust) of a beautiful, magical woman named Rio, this song is for the city of Rio. He wants to go where the "days left to breathe, are not gone, are still long." While he may not actually be there, the band infuses the song with a celebratory atmosphere. Beautiful viola and cello thread through the song, like a ribbon from Carnivale. There is hand-clapping (though no cow-bell, as much as I can tell) and a bit of mandolin for accent. Everyone loves a bit of mandolin.* The singer sounds hopeful--though he might be coming from a disappointing situation, he's thinking about starting over. I can hear an upswing in his voice--it's the inflection a person gets when they've really begun to parse out an answer. Hopefully he gets to Rio for real, or at least a good enough approximation in his mind.

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*There are more instruments, but unfortunately I'm not musically inclined enough to be able to separate them out


The vests and sweaters are all part of their bad boy image. Plus thrift stores are cheap.


Bishop Allen, "The Ancient Common Sense of Things"

One of my favorite bands is back! And they're as precocious as ever. Not precocious in the "put crazy glue on your seat" way (well, maybe that, too), but precocious in their deceptive simplicity. When you first hear them, you might think the song's cute, but maybe throwaway. Something you'll listen to a few times then forget about. Then like galato, you realize that you want more. It might seem fluffy and transient, but it's denser than you thought. You'll have their songs in your head all day. You'll still listen to them weeks, months and years later. I still play their earlier songs (some of which are still on their site) with the zeal I did the first few dozen times I played them. They grow on you fast, and they bind to your DNA. You will be part Bishop Allen by the fifth or so listen. Just ask my friend Gary. I introduced him to Bishop Allen and he never went back. He bought all of their CDs. Like me, he's protective of what little money he has, but he knows when something's worth parting with some of it.

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Damn, that wind tunnel was fun. Let's do it again!