M83 - Gone

Most people seem to forget that the astoundingly brilliant French shoegaze (I refuse to use the word ‘newgaze’) act M83 was once a duo. It’s foolish to understate the impact of the schism between Anthony Gonzalez and Nicolas Fromageau following the tour for 2003’s Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. The follow up, Before the Dawn Heals Us, was, without a doubt, one of the best albums of 2005, but many of the new songs lacked the cinematic melodrama and conceptualization that made Dead Cities such an emotionally gripping listen. “Gone” stands as the former duo’s shining moment, a slow churn of bubbling anguish that ruptures into a torrent of despair. This track is heavier than life.

Pixies - I Bleed

Oh, Pixies! How you never got the success you deserved. I’ll never know why a generation of cynical, converse-wearing MTV junkies ate up Nirvana's Scratch Acid-wannabe schlock while ignoring a band like Pixies, who were practically hemorrhaging genius. I am sure that Sonic Youth was asking the same question though. “I Bleed” has everything the Pixies are great at: a spooky bass line, a malicious chorus driven by jagged guitars and the antithetic vocal harmonies of Black Francis and Kim Deal battling for supremacy. It all feels quite perverse but also vulnerable and hostile, like a shaved animal caught in a trap. I bet Kurt wished he could crank out stuff this good without ripping off Boston and Blue Oyster Cult.

Here comes your man...

Welcome to The Song of the Day, a tiny corner of the interwebz I scraped out to celebrate all the headphone classics I love so much. Every day I'll be posting a blurb along with a song that rocks. My taste in music is all over the place, so, don't be surprised if Art Blakey gets a shout out one day and Slayer takes the spotlight the next. This site is all about celebrating quality music, genres are just labels.

You should know that I'm NOT a professional music critic. I AM a lowly journalism student who tries to balance a healthy enthusiasm for writing with an unhealthy obsession with music. Music has always been imporatant to me, and a lot of the songs I'll talk about are songs that saved my life. I'd like to think everyone out there that shares the same taste in music that I do are friends I never knew. While last.fm has proved this assumption to be largely untrue, it's hard to stop believing. Help me prove myself right.