Top 8 for January 2, 2014, plus an aside

I Need to Know Where I Stand by Rhett Miller from Live at Eddie's Attic

Pitchfork describes it as “a decent Meg Ryan movie of a pop song”. I'm not sure if that's a compliment (it wouldn't be, coming from me) but I think it's a darn fine song.

Tombstone Blues by Bob Dylan from Biograph (originally from Highway 61 Revisited)

The sun ain't yellow, it's chicken. Jes' sayin'.

The Makropulos Affair – Prelude by Leoš Janáček, performed by Charles Mackerras and the Pro Arte Orchestra

A friendship was made over this record when our mutual friend brought it up as a topic of discussion and then backed away.

It Don't Mean a Thing by The Charlie Kohlhase Quintet from Dart Night

A very Art Ensemble-ish take on the Ellington chestnut.

Cuddly Toy by The Monkees from Anthology, originally from from Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.

The internet keeps telling me this song is about a “gang bang”. Get it together, internet. The goings on here are not so nefarious, if not terribly honorable. The girl has obviously enjoyed the company of the singer and surprised that she is no longer needed or wanted. Silly girl. This attitude creeps into a lot of the Monkees' songs (especially the Pisces, etc record) and puts a bit of a damper to the pop song bliss.

And without comment,

Tiny Vessels by Death Cab for Cutie from Transatlanticism

Body Snatchers by Radiohead from In Rainbows

Witness by Dave Douglas and So Percussion from Bad Mango

an aside regarding Smoking Gun by the Robert Cray Band

Oh my God, 28 years later and I only now catch the he kills the girl in the 3^rd verse!!