My Feet Are Dancing So Much

Grachan Moncur III “When” – The song walks in aimless circles, somehow lost in a place it knows too well. It doesn’t matter what the other instruments do — if they pull off in another direction, if they whine and moan and protest, if they cool out and nod gently — they can’t escape the gravity of that unchanging piano motif. It’s an anchor, and even if its chords are calming, by the end of the piece, it becomes clear that it has kept the song contained within a stifling perimeter. It grinds down on hope, and reinforces pessimism. It’s a beautiful performance full of inspired improvisations, but that just makes the piece more terrifying and seductive. (Click here to buy it from Amazon. Originally posted on February 26, 2007)

James Brown “Cottage For Sale” – James Brown’s greatest gift to the world was his ability to express an undiluted yet highly stylized sexuality via a funk so intense and visceral that it served as the foundation for entire genres of music, but that was not the limit of his talent, only just the summit of his achievements. His performance on the standard “Cottage For Sale” is a perfect example of his fearlessness as a vocalist — whereas most everyone who has recorded the tune has done so with a mannered stiffness that is far too polite and aloof for a song expressing such great sorrow and regret, Brown presented the lyric with a robust, wounded humanity that absolutely nailed its sentiment without any trace of over-emoting. (Click here to buy it from Amazon. Originally posted on December 26, 2006.)

Broadcast “Michael A Grammar” – My name is not Michael, but it’s very common for people to think that it is. It’s not far off from Matthew, I suppose, and it’s a nice enough name, so I’m never very offended. (I mean, if people were accidentally calling me Mike or Mikey or Mickey, I might take some issue.) The only time I ever wish that my name was actually Michael is when I hear this song. Trish Keenan sings the name with a quiet grace and gentle authority – Michael could just as well be her child as it as a lover, a brother, or a best friend. Lyrically as well as musically, the track is intimate and woozy, like a disjointed half-asleep late night conversation set to song. (Related: Could someone have possibly made a better video for the song than this?) (Click here to buy it from Amazon. Originally posted on November 22, 2005.)