The Cars - Greatest Hits

We connect to music through so many other mediums that often, influence has a huge impact on our overall, subjective feeling of music. I can remember my dad always playing The Cars’ Greatest Hits and it blares in the forefront of my mind when I think of certain memories that it’s definitely become something of a classic to me. I’m not sure what The Cars sounded like on their albums but whether they planned it or not, this album of collective hits is surely sequenced like a proper album.

Looking at it lately, now that I’ve been playing a lot, I noticed the 1985 release year. I don’t feel like asking but maybe it was played a lot during that year I was born. Maybe they had time to buy it since it came out in October and well, it could’ve been playing a lot in the background. I’m not too positive but it’s a great album for sure. One that still showcases just how good Ric Ocasek sounded; maybe even way ahead of his time?

I remember a specific time where my dad drove me early in the morning to a band competition on a brisk and early Saturday. I remember it being dark outside and with a chilly temperature; we drove with the heater all the way down the road. We’ve always lived far from everything: far from school, far from other family, far from jobs, far from the outside community, haha. So naturally the ride allowed for a smooth 25 minutes of streaming music to be enjoyed. I guess that’s where I got my notion of always wanting to play CDs in the car and allowing the albums to flow throughout: it was always something my dad deeply enjoys too. But I remember feeling annoyingly sleepy but still, intrigued by the sheer way the songs began. The introductions of the first few songs (the flickering guitar intertwined with stamping drums on “Just What I Needed” and how it built into a groovy, synth-heavy design, the dribbling, tapping rhythm of “Since You’re Gone,” as it alludes to the guitar’s dramatic entrance and the drum’s pounding scope, the syncopated style of the synth as it clashed against the guitar on “Good Times Roll” and how the drums come thundering in) was what really had me dialed in to the album’s moods. It surely sounds dated now because of how the production relies on the mist and movements of the 80s but there’s a refreshing vibe of nostalgia with its mood.

Through the blend, I’m guessing that one of the last songs I heard on the trip was “Touch and Go” and how it sounded blissfully sweet to me. The way the synth clasps in the background and the way the snare and bass drum play off the bass line for what’s a terrific rhythm section was a brilliant combination. I especially dig the way the songs always melted around each other and how each one was layered with careful compositional aspects intact: a building of sounds, clever and subtle but assured. You can hear the chugging ring of the guitar and the various tones decorating the song with touches of 80s glam all over. Eventually I would snag the CD away from my dad’s collection and surely took it all over the place during my high school days afterwards. It still sounds good to me now. Here are some of the songs off it. – Bryan

Wilco – One Wing

There’s gonna be a new album by Wilco this year. Maybe it’s already out there, maybe it’s already out, too. But I’ve been a beloved follower of the band for some time and lately their latest album, Wilco (The Album), has been playing a lot. I’ve been listening to a lot of gloom and downtrodden music like Interpol, some newer stuff like Wooden Shjips and older touches, too, but I recently kicked up my turn table a few days ago and I dusted off this album. It’s not that old, ha, either but the record hadn’t been played in a very long time. But with that album, I always dug the way it gelled at showing something relaxed that still had some mesmerizing moments. This is just one song off it, where Jeff Tweedy sounds especially awesome, so it’s not to cap it as only this song but hopefully I can find inspiration to discuss more of the album later.

It’s a weird weekend too. First one not at ACL for me in three years. Bummed. Yeah.

So back to the song…there’s a driving guitar that rings the entire way throughout; the lyrics are blunt, sincere and honest. “One wing will never fly, neither yours nor mine…I fear we can only wave goodbye.” By this point the guitar skill and flair of Nels Cline had nestled with the band long enough to where the guitar solos were now towering over the music: here connecting the bridge and chorus while delivering a fantastic solo. The aesthetic options – the fusing of the solo, the way Tweedy sings, the music’s swelling throughout – is something best discovered alone but even this seasoned, Wilco still sounds great. The basis of the story is observable imagery to a wrecked bird that now has only one wing to fly on. The lovers each shared a wing to connect what must have been a beautiful bird to behold but in the end, it dies away. It’s life at one of its most pure forms: it started off as something promising and wholesome and it gradually darkened. And it wasn’t even that she wasn’t great (“you were a blessing and I was a curse”) but that it was the inevitable cycle that every thing eventually dies, even a flightless bird, sad and broken. – Bryan

Twin Shadow - Forget

I’m notoriously bad at updating this blog now. This is Twin Shadow (George Lewis Jr.,) you’ve probably heard about him already. He’s playing in El Paso on Sept. 18 at the now-infamous, or is it, Lowbrow Palace. The night before he plays at ACL. I missed him at Coachella this past year but whether I do Austin or Chuco that weekend, Twin Shadow will definitely be one of my destinations. I was listening to his album from last year, Forget, and was remembering how downright awesome it is. Married to an 80s influence that supports instead of hurts, it’s like a dreamy blend of pop that never stops with hooks that kill. And I mean, that name, Forget, what a bad-ass name for an album.

This is “At My Heels” where Lewis is both optimistically fragile and still wondering, “why a ghost is following me.” The music transitions from melancholy touches into a soaring chorus that finds Lewis sounding both like Morrissey at his most boisterous and downtrodden. Songs like this chug right along with Lewis’ masterful command of beats in knowing how to keep the hips shaking. Such great music all around.


And so this is “Forget” where the music is reflective and somber in light of the subject matter. The snare is heard throughout and the background atmospheres give off an Oriental vibe that does the music well but the overall swoon of the song is what makes it effective. The recurring melody is the constant in the song and again, the word, Forget, is powerful here. Lewis is singing about the sadness in meeting someone knowing they will give us something to forget. It’s a depressing reality but sincere in its theme, Lewis sings: “You wrestled your nightmares, the sweat from your bedsheets…this is all of it, this is everything I'm wanting to forget.” It’s tough when all you wanna do is forget someone but gosh, it’s beautiful when you finally do. – Bryan