I know I said I was going to burn through the big albums I’ve been putting off, but I’m sick and tired and just not in the mood, so Cloud Cult will have to wait another day. For now, let me just point you toward two old songs that I have been absolutely loving recently.
It’s the Same Old Song – The Four Tops
I’m sure everyone is familiar with this song, but give it another listen. It’s got that great driving Motown beat, some beautiful harmonies, and everything else you’d want from a 60s chart-topper, but there’s something else, too, almost ephemeral. It’s a sad song, but powerful, too. It is such a universal message, and performed so brilliantly that its almost a mantra.
I don’t want to say it’s the best song to come out of Motown, because there were so many great ones, but I’m having a hard time justifying anything else as better. It’s that good. And it makes it all the more astonishing that the whole thing was written, performed, and pressed in just 24 hours. Now that’s economical.
One Night Stand – Carissa’s Wierd
It’s not even close to my favorite song by them, but such was their talent that even a mid-album filler track from their first record is better than almost anything else around. I don’t talk about Carissa’s Wierd nearly as much as I ought to – I sometimes think this blog would be better served simply posting a new song from them every day until people finally recognize what a gem existed under everyone’s noses for a few short years.
The highlight is (as usual) the blending of Mat Brooke’s and Jenn Ghetto’s voices, neither of them perfect by any stretch but both somehow brilliantly pure. The first half is a long, slowly drawn breath. Held with expectancy, with a shy hope. All the wounds are cauterized in the final minute when they take their separate paths, eyes wide open, and exhale these breaths with growing force. It’s as soft as can be, but shakes your soul like you can barely understand.
While I’ve got your attention, here’s their crowning acheivement, one of the five best songs of all-time:
All Apologies and Smiles, Yours Truly, Ugly Valentine – Carissa’s Wierd (could not be recommended higher)