Music

This Week’s Heavy Rotation #29

I should have said that I love you

Note: Each week I take a look back at my playlists and share songs that were either played the most, got stuck in my head, or just stood out. Many are new to me, but there are old faves mixed in as well.

Below is my Top 5 of the last 7 days:

This past weekend, my sons and I took a last-minute trip to Minneapolis for a soccer game. Or rather; we drove up, watched the game, visited with a friend, and then drove straight back.

It’s 4 hours each way, but the opportunity presented itself, and we took it. As we barreled through the Wisconsin countryside, I couldn’t help but think that the window for these sorts of adventures is closing. One son is an upperclassman in high school, and the other isn’t too far behind him. It’s hard to compete with work, school, friends…girls.

It’s weird, these sorts of interstitial spaces in life. They're old enough to leave the stands on their own, but still want to stick together. Dad’s not very cool…except when he is. It’s been on my mind a lot lately, especially after reading this essay where the author mapped life to a 24-hour clock.

My family’s watch says it’s noon, but it seems like just a few minutes ago that my oldest held my hand as we walked to his first game, or that we put a ball in our youngest’s crib.

All of this was a little heavy for a sunny drive up I-94, and it was starting to get to me a bit. But I realized that life is short, and these experiences are often gone before we know it. I decided instead to just enjoy the ride (no pun intended). And really, fighting over “aux cord privileges” is more fun than wrestling with the passage of time.

At any rate, it turned out we had great seats, saw a dear friend of mine, and had a blast. And of course, a long drive back. But it was all over quickly enough.

As I looked back over my top picks for this week, it became readily apparent that most of these artists either burned hot but burned fast, or were gone too soon.

The Hold Steady-Sequestered In Memphis

We heard this on the way up. There’s something about the bombastic opening that lends itself well to a road trip. Passing semis…blinkers… watching the farmland zoom by… all to the sounds of this. Magic. Maybe I’m just a sucker for big chords and some keys.

Or an opening verse like this:

It started when we were dancing It got heavy when we got to the bathroom We didn’t go back to her place We went to some place where she cat-sits She said, “I know I look tired, but everything’s fried here in Memphis”

Terence Trent D’Arby- If You Let Me Stay

Comets take a long time making their orbits. They do looping circuits and navigate asteroid belts on their own schedule. Meteors burn fast and burn bright — but never burn for very long. I don’t know if that’s scientifically accurate- just follow me here.

A throwback who was also ahead of his time, Terence Trent D’Arby was definitely an example of the latter. There was a brief period of time in the late 80s when he was inescapable. His debut album was suddenly everyone’s favorite. There was, of course, “Wishing Well,” which was everywhere. As was the interminable “Sign Your Name.” But sift enough silt and you’ll find gold. And so it was on “Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D’Arby,” which topped the UK album charts this week in 1987.

Except, in this case, you hit pay dirt early, as this is the second track on the album. Beautiful music and vocals that sound like someone Berry Gordy would’ve signed to Tamla (fun fact: Both D’Arby and Gordy were boxers).

It climbed to #7 in the UK, but could only manage an anemic #68 in the US.

There’s no accounting for taste.

Arrested Development- Tennessee

3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days In the Life of… refers to how long it took the group to sign to a major label. Shame they didn’t stick around too much longer after that. In an era of “Gangsta Rap,” this was something entirely different. A group formed in Atlanta after 2 members met in Milwaukee, singing about home (Tennessee).

The beat is rock solid, but the pain Speech raps about is universal, regardless of which state issued your driver’s license. They’re still recording here and there, but have focused most of their energy on doing charity work. Maybe it’s for the best that they peaked early. Dionne Farris had a song reach #4 a few years later, but that was it.

Bar-Kays-Soul Finger

Otis Redding has popped up a lot lately here on The Riff. I live near the lake where he — and almost all of the Bar-Kays — met their end on a cold wintry night. It goes without saying that they were all gone before their time.

Redding is frozen in time. The 2 surviving members of the Bar-Kays rebuilt the band and went on to have a solid career, with funk anthems like “Holy Ghost.” But before that fateful flight, they recorded tracks like this.

…And if you’re of (ahem) a certain age, this will also immediately remind you of a certain movie…

Best comment from YouTube:

Doctor: you have two minutes to live Me: I wanna listen to Soul Finger Doctor: that’s two minutes and twenty seconds. God: it’s ok.

Nirvana-Breed

We heard this on the way back. Perfect. Like being on a rocket that hasn’t lost any velocity in 30 years. My friend Bruce opened his latest “Weird & Wonderful” playlist with this…and we saw him at the game. Everything's a circle.

6th Man: Ned’s Atomic Dustbin-Happy.

A brilliant track on a brilliant album. While Reuben Salsa was taking festival poos, we were 7000 miles away amazed at the sounds a band with two bass guitars could make. 3 studio albums (and only 4 years) later, it was mostly over. If you haven't ever heard God Fodder, go pick it up.

What are you listening to this week? Let me know in the comments! As always, thank you to everyone here. We’re building something fantastic (900+ members!), and it’s only getting better. That’s all thanks to each of you.

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Last week’s list: