The Modern Romantic

Take a look. Tell me how I'm wrong. What are yours?

If you were to make a Japhy Grant box-set it would include:

1. Josh Rouse - 1972
Carol King gets a name check in the title track/ 'James' has the best flute solo in a pop album ever/ Blind Boys of Alabama make an appearance/ 'Flight Attendant' is the story of my life.

2. The Beatles - The White Album
The thrill of parodies of the Beach Boys/ Bob Dylan/ themselves being better than the real thing/ Despite Corky, 'Ob La Di, Ob La Da' is still as fresh and happy as the day it was cut.

3. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
The perfect pop album/ 'God Only Knows'/ The car horn in 'I'm Waiting for the Day'/ Did I mention 'God Only Knows'?

4. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
The robots say 'I'm getting really angry'/ 'Do You Realize?' was the song in my head the entire time I wrote my half-anime/half live-action pilot/'It's Summertime' proves Wayne can hold back-- also, kinda my jam right now.

5. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
Because I have to pick one Sufjan album and while Illinois is frikkin' fantastic this one gives me chills- especially on 'The Transfiguration'.

6. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
It's not even out yet (Aug. 11) and is already being hailed as a classic (by me)/ The lyric - ' 'What five letters spell apocalypse?' she asked me/ I won her over singing W-W-I-I-I and smiled and we both knew she misjudged me/ 'Right Moves' is the first Ritter song you can boogie down to.

7. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
The Crane Wife 1 & 2. They could have filled the rest of the album with owls shrieking and it would still be on the list/ Fortunately, the rest of it is pretty great, too.

8. Old Crow Medicine Show - Big Iron World
Topics: Cocaine, WTC, Woody Guthrie/ 'Down Home Girl' makes me want to go straight for a day/ Proves that big city boys can go all hayseed now and then.

9. Nina Simone - Anthology
'Funkier than a Mosquitos Tweeter' and 'My Baby Just Cares for Me' on the same cut.

10. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
In spite of/ because I associate this album with bad times, it's so fucking vital to right now that I can't look away/ 'the planes keep coming two by two'/ 'Black Mirror' sounds like the universe being ripped apart and reconstituted into something new.

And yes, I'm back.

Labels: music