Weekly Playlist (1/22/2025)
Photo Courtesy of Paramount+
Bryce Russell | Art & Entertainment Editor
“Soul Factory” – Bendigo Fletcher
Bendigo Fletcher are my favorite indie folk / rock band, partially because they are from my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. “Soul Factory” is a fantastic indie folk love song, with heartfelt, emotional lyrics and passionate acoustic guitar playing.
“Emerald Eyes” – Fleetwood Mac
“Emerald Eyes” comes off of Fleetwood Mac’s 1973 album, Mystery to Me. One of the final Fleetwood Mac albums released before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band and launched them into superstardom, Mystery to Me illustrates the more pop-leanings of the band that would become their signature sound in future songs like “Rhiannon,” “The Chain,” and “Dreams.” “Emerald Eyes,” and the rest of Mystery to Me is, that era of Fleetwood Mac that bridged the original blues band formed by Peter Green and the pop-rock icons they became under Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
“Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” – The Smiths
“Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” is simultaneously my favorite song by the Smiths and my least favorite. Arguably Johnny Marr’s greatest musical composition, the song loses itself with Morrissey’s nonsensical and sometimes downright stupid lyrics. In any case, I think the song’s fantastic instrumentals somewhat make up for Morrissey being Morrissey (although his vocals are excellent on the song, if you can tune out what he’s actually saying).
“Twin Peaks Theme – Instrumental” – Angelo Badalamenti
This one is in honor of the late David Lynch, the famed American filmmaker, who passed away last Thursday. Twin Peaks is my favorite television show of all time, and also contains one of the best scores in all of television history. The theme song somehow manages to illicit the feeling of the show, from its dark, brooding atmosphere to the joyful, hopeful feeling that is felt throughout the show.
“On The Road Again” – Canned Heat
One of many songs named “On The Road Again,” this song from Canned Heat is one of the best blues-rock songs of the late 1960s. The song is adapted from old, pre war era blues songs from the 1920s and 1930s, specifically from the works of blues artists Tommy Johnson and Floyd Jones. Canned Heat, most well known for their hit “Going Up the Country,” was one of the leading blues rock bands of the 1960s, and was popular for their mix of 1960s psychedelic rock elements with classic, acoustic blues music.
“Now Westlin Winds” – Dick Gaughan
“Now Westlin Winds” was recorded by Scottish folk musician Dick Gaughan for his 1981 album Handful of Earth. The song is an arrangement of the poem “Composed in August” by Robert Burns, the late-18th century Scottish poet most famous for writing the song / poem “Auld Lang Syne.” Aside from the beautiful lyrics composed by Burns, “Now Westlin Winds” features Dick Gaughan’s brilliant fingerpicking guitar playing and deep, Scottish voice, making it one of my favorite folk songs.