The Scientist - Coldplay

Coldplay are one of those bands that seem to get impossibly better the more I listen to them. I don't know if it's Chris Martin's unique voice, brilliant lyrics or the band's stirring musicianship...these guys amaze me.

It's hard to decide if their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, tops their first, Parachutes, as a whole, but I think it provided stronger singles. "The Scientist" is easily one of my favorites.

Most Coldplay songs have a hint of sadness to them, but "The Scientist" even moreso, especially after seeing the music video. Played backwards, it follows Martin "back to the start" as the song suggests, but the start is rather heartbreaking.

Nobody said it was easy
Oh, it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard...

28/365

Where Did It All Go Wrong? - Oasis

As I mentioned in my previous Oasis post, the band has had little attention beyond their first two albums. Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, their fourth studio release, was grossly overlooked. In my opinion, it's one of their finest.

"Where Did It All Go Wrong?" is another of Noel's excellent songs, showcasing his smoother vocals at their best. I absolutely love singing this song (it's perfect for my vocal range). You'll likely never hear it on the radio (I couldn't even find a complete version of it for my player here) and the band ignored the album entirely in compiling their two disc best-of collection last year.

27/365

Nutshell - Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains was probably my favorite band to come out of the Seattle grunge scene, though much of their early sound owed more to late 80s metal than their peers. Fronted by often drug-addled Layne Staley (who did the rockstar overdose in 2002) and his killer voice with songs often written by the brilliant Jerry Cantrell...they're not a perfect band, but they produced some great hard rock hits.

After the release of their most popular and acclaimed album, Dirt, the band returned with an unexpectedly softer, melodic EP recorded over a week in 1993, Jar of Flies. The tracks were nearly acoustic, Staley's voice was more understated, but it's my favorite and produced a couple of the bands best tracks, including "Nutshell," the opening piece.

One of their last performances was for MTV Unplugged, stripping down many of their popular songs for an acoustic set with a visibly decrepit Staley. Still, the concert (led off by "Nutshell") was exciting and incredibly memorable, a fitting way for many fans to see the band in its original incarnation for the final time.

We chase misprinted lies
We face the path of time
And yet I fight
And yet I fight
This battle all alone
No one to cry to
No place to call home

26/365

Secret Smile - Semisonic

I've mentioned before in this blog how certain songs can tie me to certain people in my life...specifically women. I'd say that "Secret Smile" defines that concept moreso than any other.

In late 2005, a lovely young woman began working with me at my previous job. We bonded quickly and an easy, flirty chemistry developed. We had much in common, but a love of music was at the top of the list. It didn't take me long to become somewhat infatuated, but she was taken, so I assumed there was little I could expect or do.

One evening, we decided to spend some time together outside of work. I invited her to my apartment and what followed was hours upon hours of great conversation. I put my computer's media player on random, knowing she'd enjoy our shared passion in the background. As the night deepened, we got a little closer, still relatively innocent, but undeniably intimate, too. Finally, well after midnight, stretched on the couch with her in my arms, this song came on...and I sang.

For those who know me as a karaoke junkie now, that might not be surprising, but at the time, I wasn't nearly as sure of myself or my vocal ability. In that moment, with her grinning and so close, I had no fear. So I sang to her proudly and clearly, every word of the song...

Nobody knows it, but you've got a secret smile
And you use it only for me

It was oddly appropriate, because she did have a certain way of smiling when she was around me. Our story was certainly longer and more complicated after that night, but this song and others would be a continuous soundtrack to our confusing and exciting ride.

I may never sing to her again, but I owe her my voice and much of my confidence. "Secret Smile" will always belong to her and I'm certain when she hears or listens to it, many good memories flood her as well...and that she smiles.

25/365

Transformers: The Movie Theme - Lion

Given the recent box-office success of the live-action film, for a 30 year old man to say he's a big fan of The Transformers isn't as much of an indictment of his own geekdom as it used to be.

But the fact is I grew up with the vehicles that were "more than meets the eye." I had the toys, I read the comics, I watched the cartoon. I didn't have the privilege of seeing the original, animated motion picture in theatres, but I purchased the videotape years later and became enamored of its largely synthesized, very 80s soundtrack (the only "name" artist on it was Weird-Al Yankovic).

The soundtrack is easily the geekiest part of my collection, but I still get a tremendous kick out of and still love to watch and sing along to songs within the movie. Of course, any fan of the cartoon knew the theme song, so it was only appropriate it was touched up to big-hair metal proportions for the feature. Ten years old or 30 years young, it still rocks.

24/365

Wishlist - Pearl Jam

It's a pretty simple song. A steady guitar and Eddie Vedder's deep voice with a strange, but thoughtful list of things he wishes he was.

I wish I was a sacrifice but somehow still lived on...

I wish I was a sailor with someone who waited for me,
I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me.
I wish I was the messenger and all the news was good,
I wish I was the full moon shining off a Camaro's hood.

I wish I was the pedal brake that you depended on,
I wish I was the verb "to trust" and never let you down.

23/365

Beautiful - Joydrop

In the mid to late 90s, MTV still played music videos...sort of. The Real World and Spring Break parties were already beginning to take precedence, but videos were still part of the expected airtime. Of course, a lot of what you'd see by day was crap, but some gems could still be uncovered. And on Sunday nights at midnight, a two hour mine awaited...120 Minutes. Often hosted by obscure music fact guru, Matt Pinfield, the block featured videos from up and coming and classic artists that weren't quite mainstream, but many soon would be.

120 Minutes probably exposed me to more of the music I still love to this day than any other source. I saw my first Sarah McLachlan video there, Coldplay, Travis, Bif Naked, Poe, Garbage, Foo Fighters...it was the only place one could see Oasis vids.

One night in 1999, this particular song was debuted. A dark video with the lead singer, Tara Slone, kicking around town and singing about what she'd do if she was "beautiful like you." Where the vid takes a nice turn is when it hits the chorus:

But I'm not beautiful like you
I'm beautiful like me

Everything turns upside-down and Ms. Slone is now a gothic princess, rocking out with the band. I loved it and the song and sought out the CD immediately. They only released one more disc, 2001's Viberate, before breaking up. Tara was a contestant on Rock Star: INXS and recently released a solo album in Canada that I need to find.

22/365