These are the songs that defined my life. There are others, of course, but I felt the included were those important enough to share. Click on artist names for info and song names to have a listen for yourself…

Chris Cornell – “When I’m Down” (1999)
No one believed me when I told them the then recently Soundgarden-separated Chris Cornell’s solo album, Euphoria Morning, was an eclectic masterpiece of somber alt-rock. I’m sure they believe me even less after the crap he’s released since then (Audioslave aside).

The Wallflowers – “One Headlight” (1997)
My favorite band from 1997-2004ish. There’s a soulfulness to Hammond-filled, rustic Americana that I think anyone can appreciate.

Jewel – “You Were Meant For Me” (1996)
Sexiest song ever. If love were bottled into a song somehow, it would sound like this and come from Jewel’s mouth. I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the other songs on Pieces of You though. Additionally, I’m not sure one can actually bottle something into a song.

Oasis – “Don’t Look Back In Anger” (1996)
Post-Beatles, co-Radiohead, pre-Muse Brit rock at its best.

Gin Blossoms – “Til I Hear It From You” (1996)
Don’t hate.

Lisa Loeb – “Stay (I Missed You)” (1994)
One of the sweetest songs ever written. I think a whole generation of kids fell in love with Lisa Loeb the day this song was released.

Green Day – “Basket Case” (1994)
I didn’t get it at first…

Weezer – “Buddy Holly” (1994)
Pure 90s nerd rock. Weezer defined a generation with their Blue Album. Sadly, they sort of fizzled away creatively. Still, it’s amazing how their first two albums can still keep us loving them despite the mediocre fare Cuomo and crew have released since.

The Cranberries – “Zombie” (1994)
I actually just heard the MTV Unplugged version today. Click the song title link and listen to it. It’s even better than the original.

Radiohead – “Creep” (1992)
My anthem for about 70% of my high school experience. I had a great time but it was still high school…

Kris Kross – “Jump” (1992)
Okay, this one is kind of a joke. I remember liking it for a short while but not long enough to learn the lyrics. Honestly, I’m not sure why I even bothered. Maybe it’s because citing “Ninja Rap” just felt too wrong. Also, I was, like, 10 or something…

Michael Jackson – “Thriller” (1983)
I would leave the room when the video played on television. And this was BEFORE he was accused of child molestation.

The Carpenters – “Sing” (1973)
For the record, I don’t like the Carpenters. I sang this song at my preschool graduation in the Barbers Point Naval Base.

Gerry & The Pacemakers – “Ferry Cross the Mersey” (1964)
The first pop song I remember really liking…

I was five.

www.radiohead.com
www.myspace.com/radiohead

Ambient and rhythmic. Dark and tribal. A great mix of themes from Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief. Download “These Are My Twisted Words” for free or stream it at their blog, Dead Air Space.

☥

www.weezer.com
www.myspace.com/myspace

[Update: YouTube had the song removed but you can still stream it here!]

There will forever be a soft spot in my heart for Weezer…

“Buddy Holly” was the first music video I can remember watching. “Undone (The Sweater Song)” was probably the first alt-rock song I ever heard. (In case you’re wondering: No, I didn’t grow up with cable.) Through their various iterations and levels of suckiness, Rivers Cuomo and whomever-he-happened-to-rock-with-at-the-time always, at the very least, created pop ballads with catchy, cutesy appeal. Their newly released track, “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” exceeds most of their previous post-Pinkerton efforts in terms of jubilation with a slight reduction in corniness of lyrics. Here is a track worthy of being snuck into end-scenes of some WB teen drama… or is it CW now?

Yeah, it’s that powerful…

www.ofmontreal.net
www.myspace.com/ofmontreal

I walked down Polk Street last night, headed toward a show at Hemlock Tavern. You would think that I, of all people, would know well enough that shows always start at least half an hour after they say they will. Having arrived on time (read: 45 min. early), I took a stroll around the block.

The past is a grotesque animal… and in its eyes you see…

As I walked north, it felt as if I were walking back in time. I passed Kimo’s, the dive bar where we had our first show. I was so young, inexperienced and unfamiliar with the city back then. Half a block further was Myconos, the Greek restaurant where I salivated over large spanakopita in the window before our gig… It wasn’t until a year later when I moved to the hood that I finally scored a piece.

…how completely wrong you can be…

At Hemlock, I met up with a good friend and former editor of West Coast Performer Magazine. She hired me after I quit my job at the Federal Reserve Bank and sought a career change. I really owe her a lot for giving me the chance to transition. We were there to see the last show by Raised By Robots, a cool local band that my band performed with when they first started doing shows. It was a big night of old faces and untold stories.

The sun is out, it melts the snow that fell yesterday…

I don’t recall the last time hours sped by so quickly. As we stood outside talking, hassled by at least four hobos and a drunk (“women-dominated society… wait for it”), closing time passed and bars cleared out. I dropped her off at her place and got home at three in the morning. And a night with no plans ended as one filled with great meaning and life.

Makes you wonder… why it bothered.

Recently, I discovered the most meaningful relationships in my life take at least a year to develop… where only the most resilient remain firmly rooted in place.

www.radiohead.com
www.myspace.com/radiohead

What more do you need to know? Download it here (proceeds go to charity) or stream it for free.

From Dead Air Space, the official Radiohead blog:

“i am the only one that got through
the others died where ever they fell
it was an ambush
they came up from all sides
give your leaders each a gun and then let them fight it out themselves
i’ve seen devils coming up from the ground
i’ve seen hell upon this earth
the next will be chemical but they will never learn”

Recently the last remaining UK veteran of the 1st world war Harry Patch died at the age of 111.
I had heard a very emotional interview with him a few years ago on the Today program on Radio4.
The way he talked about war had a profound effect on me.
It became the inspiration for a song that we happened to record a few weeks before his death.
It was done live in an abbey. The strings were arranged by Jonny.
I very much hope the song does justice to his memory as the last survivor.

It would be very easy for our generation to forget the true horror of war, without the likes of Harry to remind us.
I hope we do not forget.

As Harry himself said
“Irrespective of the uniforms we wore, we were all victims”.

This morning the Today program played the song for the first time and now it is available to download from our website.

Please click here to download.

The proceeds of this song will go to the British Legion.

To peace and understanding.

To peace and understanding…