Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Halfway Point 2010: 51-55

After today, 50 songs down, 50 to go.

51. Hold Steady – “We Can Get Together”

"There's a girl on heaven hill / I come up to her cabin still / She said Hüsker Dü got huge / But they started in St. Paul / Do you remember 'Makes No Sense At All?'" ... I write a lot about the Hold Steady's effect on my sense of Minnesota nostalgia, but, on the other hand ... I never listened to much Hüsker Dü (just listened to "Makes No Sense At All" and "Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" for the first time right now, while writing this - they are okay), never lived in St. Paul (or the Twin Cities at all) ... I am nostalgic for a past I don't really have, which is bizarre, but usually pleasant.

52. Gold Motel – “Perfect in My Mind”

Upcoming shows for this band include the Dupage County Fair in Wheaton, IL, the Maintenance Shop in Ames, IA, and my sister Laura's alma mater UW-River Falls ... to be any more Midwestern, they would have to play from inside a cow, and yet, a very coastal, summery sound.

53. FM Belfast – “Par Avion”

Previously discussed here.

54. Ellie Goulding – “Starry Eyed”

Factors weighing against my crush on Ellie Goulding include (a) her steadfast refusal to tour in America, and (b) the fact that she's not really all that attractive. Factors in favor of my crush on Ellie Goulding include all her awesome, awesome songs.

55. Two Door Cinema Club – “Something Good Can Work”

As with #s 52 and 54, above, this song had a limited single release in 2009, but appeared on a full album in 2010. These songs have been around for awhile, but I'm still not even close to sick of them. A good sign. Also, worth repeating, Curt's album of the year, so far (Curt, if this ever changes, please let me know).

3 comments:

  1. Good five today. 2D2C is still at the top of my album list if only because I find it easy to go back and listen to.

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  2. i never got into husker du, but for some reason i'm really intrigued that Greg Norton owns a restaurant in Red Wing. I always wanted to write a story about it for the alt-monthly that P-B had, but never did.

    I want to believe that Norton downplays the whole Husker Du thing around the restaurant, except late into dead nights, when he starts telling the few barflys about drinking with the Replacements and other stories about Minneapolis in the 80s.

    But I've never listened to really any Husker Du songs that I can immediately remember - I'm more nostagic for just the nostalgia, I guess.

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  3. Elliot: For as long as I can remember, I've had an MP3 of "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely." Not sure where it came from. So I guess that's my favorite Husker Du song, since it's the only one I know.

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