Day 7

(note: I'll be back later tonight or tomorrow to add links to today's and yesterday's songs. Sorry for the delay!)

Song 31: Jimmy Hendrix - "All Along The Watchtower"
I'm not sure when I reached the point where I was unable to hear this song without immediately thinking of war movie montages, but that's where I am now, at least. It's a cool song, obviously, but it's just one that i've heard in so many different places for such a long time that it has certainly lost a bit of its luster. Oh, and when I was 15 or so I was in a band for about three days (I was the singer), and we decided we'd cover this song. We did so at our first practice. Did I mention we didn't have a drummer? Pretty great band.

Song 32: Grateful Dead - "Ripple (Alternate Take)"
I'd be hard pressed to tell you a thing about the original take on "Ripple" so the fact that this one is alternate is a pretty worthless distinction! This is a pleasent enough folk song though. Nothing really remarkable about it. I've always liked the vocal harmonies of the dead, and it kind of irks me that Phish is put on the same pedestial as these guys.

Song 33: Modest Mouse - "Spitting Venom"
This is such a reassuring track to me, because it proves that Modest Mouse can still kick out a song that songs comfortable in their pre-"Float On" discography of jammy 8 minute songs. I also love the phrase "spitting venom" to signify talking shit. Very apropos.

Song 34: The Bens - "Just Pretend"
Hey it's Ben Kweller, Ben Folds, and Ben Lee! In a band! Despite the cheekiness of the name/project, this is a really cute song. It actually has a mood similar to the folkyness and harmonies of that Dead song. Except The Bens have the benefit of Folds' piano work, which livens things up just enough.

Song 35: French Kicks - "This Could Go Wrong"
I love grand album closers. For me, they're a pleasent sign that bands are still taking the album format somewhat seriously and they want to exit your stereo with a bang. This song tries to do that, but much like their former labelmates, The Walkmen, I think they miss the point. This song builds to a point, but it never lets go. It just turns into a moody little tune without a lot of direction. The Walkmen have been doing this on their album closers for years, and it drives me nuts.