Welcome back to the “staff picks” shelf at The Riff. Six tracks got some love from our editors today. Don the headphones and join us for a listen:
1. “Blue Trane,” John Coltrane.
Gary: I went to the Facebook pages for Obama, Clinton, and McCain this week, hoping that their musical “faves” might give me some keen insight into their platforms. Well, when he’s not playing basketball, writing, or “loafing with kids,” Barack Obama listens to Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, and the Fugees. So in honor of Obamamania, I’m listening to Coltrane’s “Blue Trane,” a 50s jazz classic.
2. “Think,” Aretha Franklin.
Gary: And to answer your burning question, Hillary’s into U2, Carly Simon, Aretha Franklin, and the Rolling Stones. (McCain left the music queston blank. Booooring.) In honor of Hillary, I’m listening to “Think,” the song Aretha belts out in The Blues Brothers.
3.“Your Belgian Things,” The Mountain Goats.
Kiera: MG front man John Darnielle is sick. Don’t worry, he told his fans on his blog this week—it’s nothing too serious, but it’s gnarly enough that he’s canceled some shows. In his honor, here’s one of my favorite old MG songs.
4. “Loop Duplicate My Heart,” Suburban Kids With Biblical Names.
Kiera: Named after a Silver Jews lyric, this duo is part of Sweden’s booming indie-pop scene. The Silver Jews were named after slang for Jewish blonds.
5. “Blackbird,” Sarah McLachlan‘s cover of Paul McCartney.
Laura: The first time I heard this beautiful song, I thought for sure Sir Paul had lifted the lyrics from an old gospel ditty. They have that same haunting, hymnal quality. I was wrong, but the tune does have a noble backstory: Paul McCartney wrote it in honor of Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement. This deserves a listen in honor of the anniversary of Dr. King’s death.
6. “Free Man,” The Ethiopians.
Laura: iTunes calls The Ethiopians one of Jamaica’s best unsung classic Rocksteady bands—and then files it under Reggae, which could explain why. Rocksteady, if you don’t already have the genre in heavy rotation, is a sliver of a music niche from the late 60s that bears the same relationship to reggae that Latin does to French. Leave me a comment if you need that explained. Either way, I dare you to listen to it at your desk without a goofy head bob or two slipping past the office filter.
