Weekly Playlist (11/7/2024)

Sturgill Simpson Photo Courtesy of Live Nation

Bryce Russell | Arts & Entertainment Editor

“Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” – Pearl Jam

Back in high school I went through a big grunge phase, constantly listening to Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and others. I still have a sweet spot for that music, but don’t listen to it as much, except for select songs like “Nutshell” by Alice In Chains and this song by Pearl Jam off of their 1993 sophomore album Vs.. Eddie Vedder’s vocal range is incredible, effortlessly going from gentle to aggressive. I don’t know why specifically, but this song always ends up getting played as we slip into Fall and the leaves change.

“I Shall Be Released” – The Band featuring Bob Dylan

The Band was one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s, despite only being together for 10 years. The Band began their life as the backing band for Southern rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins, later becoming the backing band for Bob Dylan’s legendary 1965 and 1966 tour where he left the folk music scene and “went electric,” (this is the time period the upcoming movie A Complete Unknown with Timothee Chalamet will be focussing on, by the way). Later, the group made up of Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, and Rick Danko decided to make their own albums, the first of which was 1968’s Music From Big Pink, which had three songs written by Bob Dylan during their time recording the demos that would become known as “The Basement Tapes.” “I Shall Be Released” is one of those songs, with this live version being my favorite, as it was the final song played at the Band’s final concert (in their original form), which was released on the concert movie and soundtrack The Last Waltz.

“For Emma” – Bon Iver

I usually like to stick to just one song per artist, so it was hard picking just one of any of Bon Iver’s song, especially ones off of his first album For Emma, Forever Ago. This song has Bon Iver’s distinct vocal style, which, combined with the juxtaposition of the soft acoustic guitar and the powerful horn section, gives off the feeling of melancholy you get as the leaves slowly fall off of the trees.

“Blue Red And Grey” – The Who

This song is a bit different from the rest of the Who’s catalog. Most known for loud rock songs like “Baba O’Riley,” “Who Are You,” and “My Generation,” “Blue Red And Grey” stands out for its soft mandolin and gentle backing horn section. Complete with Roger Daltrey’s beautiful voice, this song is a hidden gem on their criminally overlooked 1975 album The Who By Numbers. 

“Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)” – Sturgill Simpson

Sturgill Simpson is probably the most authentic artist in country music over the past ten years. Not bound by genres, he mixes blues, rock, and some jazz with his own brand of outlaw country to create some of the most original music Nashville has seen in a long time. This song is the opening track of his 2016 album A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, which he won a Grammy for in the Best Country Album category but was not nominated for any Country Music Awards later that year. The song is a mix of soul music and country, which has become a sort of staple-sound for Sturgill in recent years.

“Tried And True” – Ween

For the longest time, I only thought of Ween as the band that made the song “Ocean Man” from the end of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, but recently I’ve discovered they are much more than that. “Tried And True” comes off of their 2003 album Quebec and features Ween’s signature low-pitch vocals and swirling guitar. It’s a great song to get into the band more if all you’ve heard is “Ocean Man.”