Cook to This
The Archives
August 2008
“Follow That Sound” by Sharon Little. Heard this on “The Cleaner,” a new show you should not be watching unless you are folding laundry and need something mindless on in the background. The song rocks, though.
“I’m Amazed” by My Morning Jacket. Free Starbucks/iTunes track. Didn’t like it at first, but now it’s growing on me — it’s a little bit country, a little bit classic rock.
July 2008
“Come Over Here” by Sarah Bettens. Such a sexy bassline. I can’t get enough of this track right now.
“Gilt Complex” by Sons & Daughters. Cool Scottish band with great guitar.
“Steppin’ Out” by Joe Jackson. I only get to listen to the radio when I’m in my car alone, but I can rely on 107.1 The Peak to play everything from RHCP to John Mayer to this favorite from ‘82.
“Dream Catch Me” by Newton Faulkner. Finding this tune light and soothing this week.
“The Queen and I” by Gym Class Heroes. Not the most romantic lyrics, but I love it anyway.
“Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry. Heard this on the radio today and remembered how much I enjoy it. When I looked it up online, I discovered he is the stepbrother of Neneh Cherry, who sang “Trout” with Michael Stipe. And that track always reminds me of “The Pusher” by Steppenwolf, since it’s heavily sampled in “Trout.”
June 2008
“Coffee Shop,” by Landon Pigg. I’m not normally a big fan of this kind of floaty, folksy ballad, but after hearing it on the radio just once I’m catching myself humming the tune over and over.
“Violet Hill,” by Coldplay. Their new album, Viva la Vida, was just released and I love this song.
“Shake It,” by Metro Station. I am completely addicted to the 80s-electronica-pop sound of this California band. The dancing in the video is great fun, too.
“Afternoons & Coffeespoons,” by Crash Test Dummies. A friend’s Facebook status recently referenced the same T.S. Eliot poem as this song (”The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”), and made me think back to when it was in heavy rotation on WVBR.
May 2008
“Mercy,” by Duffy. Retro songstress gives Amy Winehouse a run for her money.
This one’s for Merrie: “Summertime”, the new single from together-again New Kids on the Block. A fun summer anthem in the vein of LFO’s “Summer Girls” (which, hey, even references NKOTB). The New Kids on the Block lyrics sound really deep by comparison.
A friend I knew half a lifetime ago moved across the country, became a musician, and changed his name to Jefferson Jay sometime after we lost touch. Through Facebook, natch, a mutual friend told me where I could find him and his band: check them out on MySpace or the band site. I’ve been listening to their 2004 album, Great Story, which I downloaded from iTunes, but they have a new release out now called Red as well.
“Say,” by John Mayer. Love the song, hate the video. Close your eyes and avoid all images of Jack Nicholson while you listen. In fact, just think about John Mayer singing to you personally and you’re golden.
“Kryptonite,” by 3 Doors Down. I like their whole debut album, The Better Life, and ought to find out what they’re up to now…
April 2008
“Dizz Knee Land,” by Dada. Dada’s album Puzzle was in heavy rotation back when I was in college and DJing on WVBR. I caught this track on the radio the other day, dug out my CD and remembered how many songs I enjoyed on the album: “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow,” “Posters,” and especially “Dim.”
“Go to Sleep,” by Radiohead. An old friend with whom I used to swap mix tapes can’t believe I don’t like Radiohead. I wondered, am I missing something? I traded for a couple of Radiohead CDs on Swaptree.com, and found this is the only track I really like on Hail to the Thief. Probably because it sounds nothing like the rest of the album!
“Awful,” by Hole. You should only listen to this song when you have lots of room to jump around and sing along. My favorite (and most pop?) song from the band.
“MySpace Girl,” by The Afters. Oy, this is bubblegum pop at its worst. But it makes me laugh — how can you not love a song about stalking people on a social networking site? Just take it for what it’s worth and have fun with it.
March 2008
“Summer, Highland Falls,” by Billy Joel. My favorite Billy Joel song. And I also love when J. plays it on piano!
“Lake Michigan,” by Rogue Wave. I’ve posted this track before, but I keep hearing it on my favorite radio station, 107.1 The Peak, and I can’t get it out of my head. I’ve listened to snippets of the rest of the album, but this is the only song that grabs me.
“Jigsaw Falling Into Place (Thumbs Down Version),” by Radiohead. An old friend was recently incredulous to learn that I had never really gotten into Radiohead. It’s been a while since I stretched out of my musical comfort zone, so I’m listening to In Rainbows and Amnesiac, trying to see if I feel it.
“Let It Whip,” by Dazz Band. 1982, baby! Gotta love the leopard-print leggings and the big hair. I heard some bizarre mash-up on the radio this morning combining this track with a female singer. Can’t beat the original!
February 2008
“Weather With You,” by Crowded House. I’m still caught in the early 90s… Woodface is one of those albums that has so many good tracks, it feels like a greatest hits compilation. “How Will You Go” and “Tall Trees” are also favorites.
“If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” by Sugar. Back in high school I listened to WDRE, a now-defunct alternative station that played Bob Mould’s “See A Little Light.” I became an instant fan. This track is from the album, Copper Blue, which I love.
“74-75,” by The Connells. I remember this song being in rotation when I was a DJ at WVBR in college. I loved it from the first moment I heard it, even though it is incredibly sad. It came up on my iPod today and I’ve listened to it over and over again. (There’s a much better quality video on the band’s Web site, but I can’t link to it directly!)
“How Far We’ve Come,” by Matchbox Twenty. Rob Thomas used to live in my town, and people would run into him shopping like a normal person in the local supermarket. I would have gotten a huge kick out of that!
“All-American Girl,” by Carrie Underwood. If I like the Dixie Chicks and Carrie Underwood, do I like country music? I’m not sure, but lately I keep finding myself humming this tune.
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