Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Dilbert really isn’t funny.

I want to share a couple of tracks that have been in my queue lately. These two songs, one from perennial favorite Sufjan and one from country-folk newcomes Sera Cahoone, are sure to delight that sense of solace you’re feeling right about now.

Sufjan Stevens - Far Physician’s Son (4.8/5)

Sera Cahoone - Runnin’ Your Way (4.5/5)

Seeing as it is the end of such a wonderful 2007, and I’m in a nostalgic mood, I thought it might be nice to do a series on songs that have changed the way I think about my life and the music to which I listen. Brief commentary to accompany songs. In no particular order.

Sufjan Stevens - Chicago

When I first heard this song, everything suddenly just made sense. I realized that there was a whole different way that artists could approach writing and making music. Lyrically phenomenal, and musically irresistible, the whole Illinois album could’ve made it in this feature. Indeed, one day there will be a college course on this song alone.

Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Wilco was really one of the first lesser known bands (at the time) that I listened to, and I gobbled up Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in the hopes that the songs within would do justice to the awesome album title. “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” came on, with the esoteric ringing, then a captivating bassline, then Jeff Tweedy’s aching vocals, and then the piano-heavy bridge. That bridge still gets me every time (around 4:21)–the song becomes a part of me, enveloping me in a blanket of a pure sonic ecstasy. Intriguingly inspirational, this song was even more miraculous when I heard them perform it live.

David Gray - White Ladder

I became immediately enamored with David Gray upon my first listen to White Ladder. It was still before he came stateside so I had that “best-kept-secret” feeling when I heard the album. Of course “Babylon” and “Please Forgive Me” are great songs that certainly got their airplay even in the US, but when I heard Gray’s croon over the lazy guitars and the mysterious rhythmic bangin on “White Ladder”, I was busting (props to George Costanza).

More to come later so stay tuned.

I know the great Sufjan’s BQE performance has been reviewed ad nauseum, but that’s where this Sufjan-admirer strays from the beaten path. After some digging, I managed to come up with a live version of the BQE performance–all 33 minutes and 35 seconds of goodness (courtesy of archive.org and user “Adam”). But if you still want a well-written review of the BQE performance (you know I’m just riddled with jealously over not being there), check out stereogum’s review.

Listen to “The BQE” (in its entirety)

ALSO! Check out the new shenanigans going on at Asthmatic Kitty Records (Sufjan’s label). They’re having a contest for the best Christmas song, and the deal is that the winner trades writes to his/her own song for the rights of a previously unreleased Sufjan Stevens song!! Pretty friggin’ awesome.

Seeing as that this blog is somewhat dedicated to the esteemed singer-songwriter who goes by the name of Sufjan Stevens, I thought it appropriate to let you all know about a new Sufjan track that has surfaced from a new compilation A Tribute to Joni Mitchell, which comes out April 24th. With the likes of James Taylor, Cassandra Wilson, and Sufjan Stevens performing covers of Joni Mitchell’s songs, it’s sure to be pretty great. (P.S. No new development in an upcoming Sufjan album)

Buy/Preorder the album A Tribute to Joni Mitchell.

Listen to the Sufjan rendition of “Free Man in Paris” (4.8/5).
Listen to the Joni Mitchell version of “Free Man in Paris” (4.2/5) (courtesy of I Guess I’m Floating)