A song that starts with the line “you hit me on the head with your beer bottle” seemed an unlikely choice for recommendation here. But when the chorus of this 70’s soft rock chestnut kicked in, well, “something in my chemistry changed”.
That chorus is a neat summation of a sound that could be found on late 70’s radio, when Pure Prairie League and Marshall Tucker Band and Poco found their greatest success. And the slide guitar solo brings to mind the work of Joe Walsh in another notable country rock band of the day.
Pousette-Dart Band only cracked the top 100 once, with the lilting “For Love”, which perfectly sums up the late 70’s soft rock era of Player, Orleans, Chilliwack and the like:
Bleu (a.k.a. James McAuley III) got help on his second full-length album from fellow power pop sympathizers like Semisonic’s Dan Wilson and Andy Sturmer of Jellyfish, who co-wrote and sang backup on “Could Be Worse”.
A fine point to note here is this example of top-notch songcraft: the melody accompanying the words “could be better” in the chorus mirrors the pitch pattern of the phrase commonly used when it is spoken.
A careful listener will catch this bit of cleverness now and then in a pop song. It’s usually the mark of a real pro.
From Over the Rhine’s excellent 2007 seasonal album, “Snow Angel” isn’t strictly speaking a holiday song. But it is an outstanding and timeless-sounding original composition by Linford Detweiler, one half of this husband-wife duo along with vocalist and guitarist Karin Bergquist.
And it is a great occasion for a good weep.
You’ve been warned:
Once upon a winter It seems so long ago My one and only love and I Fell down upon the snow
And as the dusk was falling From our gray and goose down sky We heard the old cathedral bells Ring out our lullaby
Snow angel, snow angel Someday I’m gonna fly This cold and broken heart of mine Will one day wave goodbye
Goodbye to this cruel wicked world And all the tears I’ve cried Snow angel, snow angel I’ll meet you in the sky
The rumors of a distant war Called my true love’s name He packed his leather suitcase And spoke no word of blame
We walked a while together I tried to hide my fear He told me not to be afraid And whispered in my ear
Snow angel, snow angel Someday I’m gonna fly This cold and broken heart of mine Will one day wave goodbye
Goodbye to this cruel wicked world And all the tears I’ve cried Snow angel, snow angel I’ll meet you in the sky
They brought my love home from the war In a cart pulled by white mules The Christmas bells rang out that day Oblivious as fools
And as the snow began to fall I kissed his frozen face They told me in his woolen coat His last few words were placed
Snow angel, snow angel Someday I’m gonna fly This cold and broken heart of mine Will one day wave goodbye
Goodbye to this cruel wicked world And all the tears I’ve cried Snow angel, snow angel I’ll meet you in the sky
Formerly known as the Bees, The Silver Seas are led by Daniel Tashian’s guitar and considerable pop songwriting chops.
Here piano is at the forefront, with soft stabs of chords overlaying an effortlessly contagious melancholy melody and an easy lilting rhythm reminiscent of Bob Lind’s “Elusive Butterfly”.
It’s gently intoxicating, like much of Silver Seas’ material.
Danish singer-songwriter Nanna Øland Fabricius is a former student at the Royal Danish and Royal Swedish ballet schools. When a back injury forced her to give up her dancing career she focused on music, Anglicizing her middle name to create the pseudonym she records under.
Her self-titled second album (which was her debut in the U.S.) rose to #5 on the Danish pop chart.
She creates the kind of electro-dance pop that brings Santigold and Robyn to mind.
But mixed in with the dance beats is the occasional ballad, such as album closer “Rainbow”, which explodes into a radiant, color-saturated chorus befitting the song’s title.
Her self-titled second album (which was her debut in the U.S.) rose to #5 on the Danish pop chart.
Every Moment Has A Song 