Jim Walsh's weekly mix of 20 (or so) downloadable tunes (11/07)

For this week's mix, I asked a few (OK, more than a few) folks to recommend one song to the wise, beautiful, and faithful Walsh Filers out there and say why they dig what they're digging. The playlist:

1. Mike Doughty: "Over My Head," The Fray. "Yeah, it's a super-WB-teen-drama vibe, but it's so beautiful, and the phrasing of the vocals is so slippery and wonderful. It makes my face contort in mock weeping! Seriously, it does."

2. Ana Voog: "Hide and Seek," Imogen Heap. "Simply because it is breathtakingly beautiful and makes my heart achingly swirl."

3. Craig Finn: "One Great City!," The Weakerthans. "I hate what's being done to downtown Minneapolis. That said, this is the best song (chorus: 'I hate Winnipeg') I know about, in terms of watching the charm of your beloved hometown get replaced by chain stores and overpriced condos."

4. Rosanne Cash: "Shelter from the Storm," Bob Dylan. "Ah, because we need it."

5. Ike Reilly: "Too Much," Elvis Presley. "From 1956. Can't deny anything about this guy. 'You do all the livin'/ I do all the givin.' It makes me feel pretty goddamn good."

6. Rob Rule: "Prairie Wind," Neil Young. "Here in the country, the 'prairie wind' blows through our heads daily. We're down by a river at our 'old farm house.' There's the occasional 'hanging laundry' drying in the wind, and 'late at night, lights dance in the northern sky.' The song, which clocks in at nearly eight minutes, is in no hurry. This ain't no 'hurricane' Neil's singing about, but the simple things that so many never notice or forget about. So when we're out walking through the pasture or the woods with the dogs, or jammin' guitars in our old garage, or sitting around the campfire watching the brilliant country stars, we're enjoying the moment. Just like Neil's been talking about for years. He's trying to spread a little/lotta love around."

7. John Doe: "Let It Die," Feist. "It has everything a good song should: beautiful melody, interesting chords and arrangement and, most of all, smart, heart-wrenching lyrics. The fact that her voice comes from a beautiful secret place only amplifies the song's pedigree. A classic."

8. Peter Zaremba: "Wild Weekend," The Rockin' Rebels. "As always, because it expresses the unexpressable, which only the best rock and roll music can."

9. Wendy Lewis: "Hallelujah" (by Leonard Cohen), sung by Jeff Buckley. "Because politics begins within us. No more covering and running and faking it. Love (the Big Love) is painful. Love is about surrender to ourselves and to each other. Love is about falling and breaking and falling and continuing to fall until we break open. Everything that is going on in our country right now is about grabbing and resisting and completely kidding ourselves. If we can't get it right in our own lives, we can't get it right on the grand scale."

10. Bob Mould: "Publish My Love," Rogue Wave. "The melodies, tension, and subtle shifting of chord pattern builds to a logical conclusion. I'm not certain of the line in the bridge, but I believe the words are 'win me, but don't beat me.' Doesn't get much clearer than that."

11. Robert Skoro: "The Purple Bottle," Animal Collective. "A bit of a bandwagon choice, perhaps (though full disclosure would require that I let you know that I did almost choose Kanye's "Golddigger," which my girlfriend will not stop playing!), but it does seem that ultimately what makes a song truly amazing is not only the song itself but the social context in which it's released and consumed. In this case, nothing could perpetuate the feeling of summer (and keep the good ol' SAD at bay) like riding my bike with this song in my cans. Throw in a couple hits of blotter, and you'll be watching the coming snow melt off you, both literally and figuratively..."

12. David Beckey: "Wear Your Love Like Heaven," Donovan. "In my estimation, Donno is the godfather of the current 'weird folk' movement (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, etc.). I remember listening to 'Jennifer Juniper' when I was about five years old with my mother and my sister, who was named Jennifer. I met Donovan when he played at Let It Be Records in March of 1997, it was a great experience and he was very nice, I was so nervous I could barely speak. It's no wonder why Dylan was so ruffled by him in the Don't Look Back movie!"

13. Dan Wilson: "West End Blues," Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five. "Here's a song so moving and so peaceful and joyful it's like a moment of pure justice. By an artist who suffered the most disgusting forms of racial hatred and discrimination, and who somehow managed to hang onto his humor and love and outrage at the same time. We're living in a society more and more isolated, in age, in ethnicity, in beliefs: how many people do you know who are not from your corner of the demographic map? Not many? Me neither. But this song from 80 years ago is like hearing your great grandfather and his friends dream out loud. I can't quite explain why, but when the various instruments (and Armstrong's scat-singing voice) take their turns, it's like a loving caricature of our immigrant history; each group arriving to restate the theme, wrapped up by the mighty trumpet tone that no one has yet matched. There are later live recordings of 'West End Blues,' but get the original, three-minutes-and-16-seconds version."

14. Roddy Woomble: "Rama Lama," Sons and Daughters. "From their album The Repulsion Box. It's as dark as they come. A kitchen-sink murder ballad from the Glasgow tenements. Scary, brilliant stuff."

15. Ambrosia Parsley: "Love's In Need of Love Today," Stevie Wonder. "Because they've made it so easy to be bitter and hateful and that's a war we really can't afford to lose."

16. Tim O'Reagan: "Both Sides Now," Joni Mitchell. "The new one from... 2000? I just heard it. How often does a reworking of a classic pop song have as much power as the original, and by the originator at that? To put so much into a song that she must have performed countless times over the years, making it a whole new creation is a stunning feat to me. The emotion and experience in her performance is gripping, and her voice is as fascinating now as it was in the 1969 version, if not more so. I was moved in a way I imagine some people would be with a painting or a sculpture. It was a great song in the '60s and she's made it a great song for a second time."

17. Wes Statler: "Circle Square Triangle," Test Icicles. "Despite the fact that this band would receive two red checkmarks on my 'Bad Band Qualities' tally sheet, this song from the super neon UK trio is completely infectious.

"The first mark against them would be their preposterously unfortunate name. I used to, especially since I was in high school and doing otherwise was the norm, try my hardest to avoid picking band names that would come off as jokey, immature, or ridiculous (i.e. The Sign-Up Sausage ��" which is, phonetically, Jesus' Penis backwards.) Surprisingly ��" and I would be lying if I were to say I wasn't expecting some sort of farting noise or slide whistle ��" there is nothing comical about the number. The horrifying dance pummeling I received from a solid four-on-the-floor and the song's Duran Duran hooks (disguised/beefed up by white belts and Cyclops haircuts) make "Circle Square Triangle" undeniably rad.

"The aforementioned fashion accessories and hairdos were the second red mark on their report card, since I am generally not a fan of anything that could be easily classified as Screamo. However, Dev Metal, Sam E Danger, and Rory Aggwelt (all of which, I'm assuming, are given names) carefully distill the best elements from the genre and blend them into a dance-friendly cocktail (think Blood Brothers throat-shredding and Zarathustra howls with Cure melodies and Gang of Four guitar riffs.) At the end of the day, I think the teacher would pass them."

18. Jeaneen Gauthier: "Shopping," The Jam. "A subtle Muzak-y slam on the superficial world of shop windows and sales and all the stuff there is to buy (or steal). It came to mind tonight after I saw a commercial for a new brand of chocolates designed by our local Stupid Superstore. Chocolates in cloaked, garish, trendy packaging designed to appeal to Mall of America hipsters. Chocolates that are supposed to have 'moxie.' Chocolates whose very product-positioning gives me a stomachache. I'd rather have a Cadbury bar and groove to Paul Weller singing about how 'it's not like the adverts all make out.' (And thank my lucky stars that I don't work in an advertising agency.)"

19. Tom Hazelmyer: "Stabbed by an Angel," Heroine Sheiks. "From the Out Of Aferica LP. The unhinged genius behind the Cows, Shannon Selberg, has been cranking away out in NYC with his post-Cows combo The Heroine Sheiks. Once again creating sounds the younger generations seem incapable of. Truly twisted, ballsy, and upsetting all while wearing a wry smile. A punch in the face that mysteriously has you wanting the act repeated over and over. While the current wave of introspection and belly-button pondering singer/songwriter pap repeatedly crests, it's so refreshing hearing something simultaneously that is threatening and catchy without having both feet planted in the past, and still takes chances with new sounds/approaches. Big, burly, mean, and smart. This song (and LP) will remind you that those are not mutually exclusive traits."

20. Pete Hofmann: "Your Uniform," Pete Hofmann. "It's mine and I am running the risk of ruining the request through an act of self-promotion, but I really feel that more people should hear my music."

21. Billy Bragg: "We Laughed," Rosetta Life featuring Billy Bragg. "'We Laughed' is the product of a series of songwriting workshops that I conducted at the Trimar Hospice in Weymouth during February, 2005. I was invited to take part in the project by Rosetta Life, a charity dedicated to helping those facing terminal illness to share their experiences through the medium of art, poetry, film or song.

"Every Friday morning for six weeks, I worked with half a dozen women who came to the hospice for palliative care as they fought against the effects of breast cancer. After a couple of weeks of talking about the process of songwriting and a few singalongs, the ‘Friday Girls' began opening up to the idea of writing a song. Maxine Edgington had the clearest idea of what she wanted to do. In our first one-on-one session, she pulled a framed picture out of her bag and said ‘Look, I've been given six months to live. I don't want to mess about. I want to write the song of this picture.'

"When her condition was diagnosed in November 2004, Maxine's thoughts turned immediately to how she would be remembered, particularly by her 15-year-old daughter, Jessica. Determined that Jess should have positive memories of her after the grieving was over, Maxine commissioned a professional photo shoot which produced beautiful images of mother and daughter smiling together, looking as if they had not a care in the world.

"This was how she wanted to be remembered. As Maxine says, ‘Cancer is terrible, but at least it gives you the chance to put things right with those you love.' One of these photos, which can be seen on the cover of this CD, was to be the inspiration for Maxine's song.

"Over the following weeks, she wrote reams of words, pouring her feelings out onto the page. My job was to take the words that best expressed the sentiments in the photograph and shape them into a song. I provided the melody, but the words are Maxine's alone. She called the song ‘We Laughed'

"In June, I got together with some local musicians and we recorded this CD. The additional tracks feature lyrics written by two of the ‘Friday Girls', Lisa Payne and Veronica Barfoot. That there is not a shred of self-pity or morbidity in any of these songs is a testament to the spirit of these three women. I found the experience of collaborating with them to be inspirational. You can find out more about how Maxine and I wrote the song, including short film clips of us talking about the process, at www.rosettalife.org Both Rosetta Life and the Trimar Hospice will benefit from the sales of this CD."

22. Julianna Raye: "Peach Trees," Rufus Wainwright. "I love the dreamlike quality of it and the groove and because I'm singing it every night on the tour and the harmonies are KICK ASS!!!"

23. Darren Jackson: "Hide and Seek," Imogen Heap. "Withstanding a very minimal keyboard part this song is acapella, however it differs from traditional vocal-only tunes in its combination of uneffected vocals and those processed with a vocoder. The song details the final moments of a romantic relationship and what's most effective here is the transition from the bridge to the outro. The bridge recounts the status quo break-up language used to end relationships. Phrases like, 'It's all for the best' and 'It's just what we need' are sung with all the conviction and assuredness that a lover must muster when they are breaking their former partner's heart. While the outro, the quietest and most intimate part of the song, finally gives voice to the unspoken and seemingly insignificant commentary of the vanquished lover on the antagonist's empty phrases. '

Speak no feeling, I don't believe you/You don't care a bit, you don't care
a, you don't care a bit.' The song is a vivid picture of 'the break-up'
painted by the broken-hearted."

24. Joe Henry: "Freedom for the Stallion," Allen Touissaint. "It's a rare political statement from Allen, who typically shies away from such as a writer; but it's political in the broadest sense--thus it has aged much better than a song that is purely... topical. It's a song that demands dignity, and a song that calls out America for enslaving people (yesterday and today, and in every sense of the word) while at the same time advertising liberty to the world. It's chilling and uplifting and all-too relevant at the moment, and i can't stop listening to it.

"I've even performed it recently at a hurricane benefit concert in Los Angeles, because I could think of nothing else that so aptly articulates an idea that I believe needs to be heard anew.

''As a singer, I've always shied away from such direct statements myself; but these are hard times for lovers. And as I've said, Allen delivers his message in a way that still has fierce beauty at its core. It's a song that demands love, and returns it.

"Allen wrote 'Freedom' for Lee Dorsey to sing, and Lee's is a fine version; but I prefer Allen's own live version, found at the end of The Complete Warner Recordings of Allen Toussaint, issued by Rhino. Allen doesn't think a lot of himself as a singer, but the voice he gives to this song is that of pure truth."

25. Alicia Corbett : "Strange Fruit," Billie Holiday. "I have volunteered to go to New Orleans and help out for a week in the 9th ward; things are still very bad there. They continue to find bodies daily and the sadness breaks my heart. I was thinking of this song and Billie Holiday, and just the South in general, their lives now and then, being poor and black, the disadvantages, the realities of how they were passed over during the hurricane."

26. Mick Sterling: "What Can I Do For You?," Bob Dylan. "The vocal and the harmonica solo on that song always kills me. Whether or not you were with Dylan on his brief Christian music moments, that song is powerful. 'What can I do for you?,' instead of 'What can you do for me?' It's a refreshing message these days."

27. Danny Murphy: "In The Ghetto," Elvis Presley. I was just in Memphis last week for a couple days and this is Mac Davis' best-written song; it whoops up on both 'Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me' and 'I Believe In Music,' and my Elvis Presley toenail clippers I got at Graceland in about 1988 just got taken on a recent flight as contraband. So in honor of the king, I will go there."

28. Ed Ackerson: "Fifth Dimension," The Byrds. My esteem for the mid-'60s records by The Byrds is boundless and hasn't diminished a bit through all the zigs and zags my life has taken. There is something elemental about the band's mission, a purity of influence matched with a questing, wide-eyed impulse to experiment. Better than almost any other band they drew a straight line from traditional forms of American music into the uncharted, exciting possibilities of a rapidly mutating future. Their work was revolutionary in a gentle and nuanced way, and I think that's why I still get so much out of it now.

"'Fifth Dimension' on cursory listen sounds like a, 'Wow, man, I just got turned on!' type of song. It's so much deeper than that, though. Building from a plainsong structure that could have been composed in 18th century Scotland or 19th century Appalachia, McGuinn wrote a lyric that perfectly describes the ecstasy and apprehension accompanying the realization that you've caught a first glimpse of a horizon beyond the trees of your own personal forest. It's a lyric about the transcendence of 'self,' a focus-pull out of the daily grind into the experience of the day itself. It's a description of a moment when the background noise of culture and convention recedes and the soft, pure sound of the universe itself rings around you.

"Don't worry, I'm not a hippie. But at several important transitional moments in my life, moments when the floor I appeared to be standing on turned out to be vapor, the deceptively simple words of this song came to me. These times of contextual freefall can be harrowing but also extremely beautiful. 'Fifth Dimension' describes those indescribable moments when you realize that life is much bigger and richer than it seems when you're just sleepwalking though it."

29. Craig Wright: "Hoppipolla," Sigur Ros. "It's gorgeous and sad and, as long as you don't speak elf-talk, it has no strict meaning. I'm suspicious right now of the power of words to transmit meaning. If you want to get your team all riled up to kill the other team, then words are great. You can get people frothing at the mouth with well-chosen words, whether you're George Bush, move-on.org, a rabbi, a minister, or a corporate president. If you want to simply speak, they're not much help right now. So why, you might ask, choose a song with a human voice at all? Why not choose something instrumental? Well, that's not the point. The point is to hear a human sound for three minutes that is not a battle cry."

30. Adam Levy: "Neighborhood # 1 (Tunnels)," The Arcade Fire. "Something about fall for me being a period of closure for a year. The Arcade Fire's Funeral is hitting home right now. It's a great sounding album about dealing with death from different perspectives. Not dark, though, just evocative. I love the ramp-up of emotion in the vocals; each verse sounds like he's really working himself into a crying frenzy. None of this Robert Smith schmaltz--sounds for real to me. The chord movement and melody are mood-altering and capture that same intensity."

31. Paul Metzger: "Beau Soir," Claude Debussy sung by Maggie Teyte. "Because it is a truly beautiful performance and the last line of the lyric is stunning: 'For we pass away, as the wave passes: The wave to the sea, we to the grave.'"

32. Chuck Prophet: "Nearer To You," Betty Harris. "From the aptly titled collection Soul Perfection. Or was it, Soul Imperfection? Greasy and Funky? You bet. Dramatic, too. Betty Harris sang with unbridled desire--she ate the mic and chewed right through the tape with her white hot yearning. She sang like she had a capo around her throat, milking just a few words, wringing 'em out--as if she doesn't need words at all. Betty feeds you and leaves you hungry for more. And with the Meters backing her up, (particularly Leo Nocentelli playing the bent guitar fills around her pleas for love), those singles she cut in the 60's with Bert Berns and later with Alan Toussaint were pure unrequited, untamed, longing at it's best. It doesn't get any more heart-wrenching than "Nearer to You." Like a mystery I could never solve--I'll just have to keep listening."

33. Zachary Johns: "I Don't Wanna Go Out Tonite," Li'l Cap'n Travis. "From their album Lonesome and Losin'. Psychedelic pedal steel guitar, lazy, out-of-tune harmonies, a harmonica solo, a loud country and western back beat, and lyrics like, 'I don't wanna go out tonight, it always just turns out the same, I go out and get drunk and in a fight with some punk with a wallet chain,' and, 'I don't wanna go out tonight, nothin' out there that I need ta see, don't need to spend money pickin' up some other honey to be mean to me.' Now I ask you... Did they read my diary?"

34. John Hermanson: "Here Come the Police," Vicious Vicious. "Yeah, the mastermind behind it is also in my band, and happens to be a good friend, but I have to be honest and say that I've not heard a song jam that hard in a long time. It radiates a rebelliousness that brings me back to raging high school keggers. In a way, it's a guilty pleasure because it's not a multi-layered introspective lyrical masterpiece (like I'm often drawn to)--I don't get something new out of every listen. But what I do get is a great beat, inspiring performances, and a joyous reckless abandon. Sometimes that's all I'm looking for in a song."

35. Mason Jennings: "Swansea," Joanna Newsom. "A song/CD so simultaneously heartfelt, unique, clear, balanced, ancient, simple, complex, visionary, scary, hopeful and supremely crafted that it renewed my faith in a higher power (as well as our current state of music) in one afternoon. Thank you, thank you, thank you Joanna for letting this music come through you and for sharing it with the world."

36. George McKelvey: "All Blues," Miles Davis. "Good for at least one focused listen every season, but especially fall. Bill Evans' piano in the intro always reminds me of falling leaves, creating the setting for Miles' major third to rise like hope above the melancholy - a ray of afternoon sun on a blustery November day. If there's better music, I haven't heard it."