KDHX 88.1 FM
- Pink Moon-Nick Drake (The title track and most accessible tune from Drake's bare bones, voice-and-a-guitar album. Recommended for Memorial Day: "Day Is Done" and "Time Has Told Me." Recommended for frequent, repeated listening: The first four tracks on Drake's "Bryter Layter" album--"Introduction," "Hazy Jane II," "At The Chime Of A City Clock," and "One Of These Things First.")
- The Wind-Cat Stevens (Lyrically and instrumentally appropriate for Memorial Day; poignant, solemn, and concise.)
- Save Me-Aimee Mann (Mann excels at this type of stark, honest songwriting. I can't imagine anyone else singing these lyrics as effectively as she does.)
- Sack Of Woe-Elizabeth Shepherd (I was surprised to hear this 2012 track on WSIE because it's on the border between jazz and rock. Vocally, it's a cool, controlled tale of the protagonist's misery. Instrumentally, it reminds me of Steely Dan's "Babylon Sisters.")
- Bowing To Bud-Eliane Elias (Faithful to the spirit of Bud Powell; it's an Elias piano instrumental I'd add to my recommendations from last Tuesday.)
- Fool In The Rain-Led Zeppelin (The band's best song, in my opinion, due in no small measure to a great skipping, shuffling piano part.)
- Wake Up Everybody-Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (The band's most inspiring hit, to my ears; noble lyrics about having one's priorities in the right order and making the world better.)
- I Like It-DeBarge (Not every singer could pull this off, but El DeBarge sings in the glass-shattering stratosphere, and it works especially well here.)
