FM dial scan highlights CCCVI

Five of the better songs I've heard this morning:

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Hey, Western Union Man-Grant Green (A cool, expansive instrumental take on the Jerry Butler hit.  There's great interplay between the guitar, organ, and tenor sax.  Even after seven minutes and change, I wouldn't have minded hearing this continue.)
• What Is Meant To Be-Lindsey Webster (There's a general consistency in Webster's emotive vocals that I like.  This pleasant blend of R&B and jazz is ideal for a late night playlist.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• Same Stars-The Vindys (This March release has a compelling vibe, a solid hook, and good synergy between the vocals and keyboard.  Makar's "I Can't Tell You To Stay" wound sound right to me before this, and "Domino" by Nicole Atkins could follow it.)

KCFV 89.5 FM

• I'd Like That-XTC (Just when you think you've heard every possible way of saying, "You're the one for me," along comes "I'd Like That."  These are typically unique XTC-style lyrics with compelling acoustic guitar backing.)
• Spyz-The Urge (Loud, energetic ska-rock.  This has to be cathartic to sing and play.  Also recommended: "Strangers" and "Just Don't Know.") 

Online radio sampler highlights CCC

Six standout tunes heard today:

KDLR (Devils Lake, ND) 

•  Letting Go-Suzy Bogguss (A heartfelt way of acknowledging that kids grow up so fast.)

KMHD (Portland, OR)

• Waves-Charles Lloyd (A very 1972 jazz-meets-prog-rock groove, with Lloyd's flute playing fluttering over a melody that sounds somewhat like Todd Rundgren's "I Saw The Light.")

KRML (Carmel, CA)

• Just The Once-Metric (This 2023 track pairs lyrics about being morally precarious with a catchy dance beat.) 

WDIF (Marion, OH)

• Evil Hearted-Joyann Parker (A sly keyboard part and walking bass line underscore bluesy, forthright vocals.) 

WFHB (Bloomington, IN)

• Someone To Watch The Band With Me-Tift Merritt (This April release is a direct way of asking someone, "Why aren't you here with me?"  I'm inclined to like tunes with this type of loping rhythm.)

WJVX (Chicago, IL)

• Selfish One-Jackie Ross (The lyrics start out conveying a message similar to that of Tift Merritt's "Someone To Watch The Band With Me."  Happily, the situation resolves itself pleasingly for both parties involved.  There's a bright bounce in this tune's step, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was a fairly big hit in 1964.)

Context? CDXL

I agree with the radio personality who said recently that just because a TV show has a sad or off-putting ending, it doesn't ruin the entire series.  He's correct that viewers should still be able to enjoy the journey.

I didn't like all of the main characters except for Ted Baxter being fired from the WJM newsroom on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," but I still treasure that show for its first class writing and acting.

"Seinfeld" ended on too much of a sour note for my taste, but the episodes I enjoyed most, such as "The Chinese Restaurant," "The Jacket," and "The Phone Message," are still as humorous to me as they were originally.

I also wasn't crazy about the way "How I Met Your Mother" ended, but that hasn't stopped me from appreciating the friendships between the core characters and revisiting the show via podcasts.

There's more to a sitcom than its last episode.

SiriusXM highlights CLXXIV

This morning's noteworthy tunes:

'40s Junction

• Idaho-Ray Anthony (All brass and wind players on this recording should be proud of how effectively they swing the rhythm here.)

Acoustic Guitar Instrumentals

• Sunshine Falling-Lance Allen (A happy-go-lucky rhythm fit for skipping.)

Carolina Shag Radio

• The Entertainer-Tony Clarke (With its engaging rhythm and lyrics that sound like a prototype of "The Tears Of A Clown" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, this should have been a bigger hit in 1965.  Lyrically, this has a readily apparent "show must go on, regardless of how you feel" vibe.)

Chucho's Cuba & Beyond

• Solar-Chucho Valdes (This piano-anchored version of a tune best known in its Miles Davis incarnation allows for plenty of dazzling piano and saxophone improvisation.)

Lo-Fi Sleep

• Twilight-Kupla (An interesting blend of new age piano with a hip-hop backbeat.)

North Americana

• Devil That You Know-Emma Elena Grace (Lyrically and rhythmically, this vocals-and-acoustic-guitar tune could segue with Michael Penn's "Me Around.") 

Watercolors

• Desafinado (Slightly Out Of Tune)-Karrin Allyson (Scores of artists have covered this Antonio Carlos Jobim-Newton Mendonca tune.  Allyson's version is a commendable one, with inviting vibraphone and vocals.)

Yacht Country

• Jackie Blue-Ozark Mountain Daredevils (This is actually soft rock, not yacht country, to be clear.  I've always thought this 1975 hit, with its appealing rhythm and interesting structure, is an interesting way to tell the story of a risk-averse person.  "Castle On The Hill" by Ten Hands presents a comparable narrative in more blunt terms.)

Persistent earworm alert CDXL

Since the passing of actor Anthony Stewart Head, I'm sure I'm not the only "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" fan who has had his performance of The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" in mind.  After watching the episode in which he sings it again, I realized that he belts the tune more forcefully than I remember.  Head proves that a strong voice and an acoustic guitar are all one needs to make Pete Townshend's lyrics in "...Eyes" sink in.

Context? CDXXXIX

I knew I was in a sour mood a couple of weeks ago when I woke up and sang, "Things had better go my way," to the tune of Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way?"

Context? CDXXXVIII

Props to the Community Radio St. Louis DJ last night for an update you wouldn't typically hear on a stodgy, by-the-book commercial station.  After back announcing a music set last night, she mentioned that a moth was flying around the studio and distracting her.  While playing her last song of the night, she broke in to let everyone know that the moth had left the studio safely.

Credit for humanity there.