Songs

I'm having trouble thinking of a song that has made me laugh out loud as often as, or has made me smile one of those stupid, smirky, "I'm trying hard not to smile so I don't look like a maniac, but I'm not exactly succeeding, am I?" public transportation smiles as often as, the RETARDED BRILLIANCE of The Kevins' "My First Glass of Champagne." That part where they laugh, and then sigh, and then muse, "you're a funny girl" is one of the most motherfucking charming things to have hit my ears in recent memory. "Is that real leather?" Golden. Please listen to it.

I was also going to fawn about The Guillemots' "Trains to Brazil" (which I originally found here), but it turns out the proprietor of Green Pea-Ness (link via StG) has already said it all for me, about a month and a half ago to boot. (Bonus points for one of the more interesting discussions of the Arcade Fire phenomenon I've read.) Sometime I'm going to have to make a mix of great songs to play first thing in the morning; this would definitely be on the list, and not just because of the sublimely cheesy alarm clock sound effect. In addition to the "Come on Eileen" comparisons, I would add that it also feels like a less obnoxious relative of "Walking on Sunshine," especially with those joyfully honking horns.

Jens Lekman's "Maple Leaves" is a low-fi stunner. (I prefer the 7" version, but the EP version is good, too.) The churning drums that morph into a shrugging and shucking beat that massages the aching shoulders of the Scott-Walker-o-Maticized strings that tickle the clever "make believe" / "maple leaves" wordplay all just serve to keep you swooning long enough not to realize how vulnerable you are to being suckerpunched by the lines "so we talked for hours / and you cried into my sheets / and you said you hated your body / that it was just a piece of meat / I disagree / I think you're beautiful / but it's impossible to make you understand / that if you don't take my hand I'll lose my mind completely / madness will finally defeat me." This is epically compact songwriting at its finest, kittens.

This is all a very elaborate and somewhat pretentious apology to those of you who were hoping for some snark about the Grammys. I wasn't home last night and totally missed them. Defamer, maybe? Pink Is the New Blog (even though he hasn't posted as of this writing yet today)? (UPDATE: and here's Pink's recap.)

(BTW, HB JRM, if you get around to reading this. I hear it's a perfect day to chase tornados.)