Leave go my golden arm

Another simple song. I feel like the music that I've started listening to is extremely simple in the composition with a far more complex lyrical style. Heavy on the lyrical value and light on the base. More of a Bob Dylan type of song (not that his music wasn't amazing).

The song is "Put A Penny In The Slot" by Fionn Regan. The song is characterized by a punchy guitar with a very simple melody. Regan's voice ends up being fairly dry and emotionless, but with a playful lyrical tone. The story takes you on this little journey that leads you through the song. Apparently the song is a lyrical allusion to the later years of the Depression through the 1949 book "The Man With The Golden Arm." I don't really know that much about it so I won't pretend. Enjoy the song.

"Put A Penny In The Slot" by Fionn Regan from The End Of History (2006)

-S

Lo-fi before it was cool

Another nice find from my slew of recent downloads: Elliott Smith.

*Note: This blog has posted about Elliot Smith before but "A" has not posted about him*

Elliott Smith started releasing albums in the early '90s up through the early 2000s (until his unfortunately early death in 2003 when he was 34-an apparent suicide), but he started composing and writing music when he was just a teenager. In true indie style, he started playing around with four-track recording, played in a couple bands, and first started releasing albums on an independent label until getting signed in '97.

Smith said one of his biggest influences was Bob Dylan, which you can definitely hear in the bluesy guitar and harmonica, but if you ask me, his music is also really reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, especially in the vocal style. It has just the right amount of hushed crooning and gentle harmony, although it's a little darker in terms of lyrics, which deal with a lot of Smith's personal issues, including his alcoholism, depression, and drug addiction.

It's definitely worth your time to listen through snippets from each of his albums and hear the way his music evolved, incorporating more and newer textures of sound and gaining even more melancholy complexity as the years went by. For now, here's "Condor Ave.," which he purportedly wrote when he was only 17 and then recorded for his first album, Roman Candle, released 1994.

"Condor Ave." by Elliott Smith from Roman Candle (1994)

"El Condor Pasa" by Simon and Garfunkel from Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)

(I just couldn't pass up the parallelism.)

-A

Rock me momma like a southbound train

I'm sure most people have heard this song at this point, but it can't hurt just to reinforce that. My younger brother showed me this song a couple weeks ago and I have been playing it almost non-stop. The song is "Wagon Wheel" performed by Old Crow Medicine Show. The song is a little more country than I am used to, but it is derived from a Bob Dylan song, so I was immediately on board (let it be known though, the Bob Dylan version is not much to go on-watch the video and you'll understand). Upon further inspection I found the song to be incredibly soothing and the lyrics were very well written. Country is really the only way that this song could be played-or so I thought at the time. This isn't the version that I would like to talk about oddly enough.

I am more inclined to the more indie-rock oriented Against Me! cover of the song, which is especially odd coming from a classically punk-rock band. It just seems to have more appeal to me with the much younger and fresher vocals of Tom Gabel. While I am aware there there isn't as much going on in this version, it feels candid, and comes across as a beautiful and honest version of this song. It is important to note though, that this cover is a big departure from Against Me!'s other songs such as "Pints Of Guiness" which seems to be a much softer punk-rock song.

Give all of the versions of this song a listen, I am sure you will come to the conclusion that, in over all pleasentnes in reditions, Against Me! takes the crown.

"Wagon Wheel" by Bob Dylan from Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid (1973)

"Wagon Wheel" covered by Old Crow Medicine Show from Old Crow Medicine Show (2004)

"Wagon Wheel" covered by Against Me! from New Wave (2007)

-S

*Editors Note: I am aware this was just on the Sunday Soundtrack, I just believe that it warrants a full post*