Here’s a sizzling soundtrack to kick off the summer, courtesy of folk-rock’s The Crane Wives, with My Morning Jacket, Lake Street Dive, Radiohead, Shakey Graves and more spotlighted in their Guest Playlist.
Who better to supply the first Local Spins Guest Playlist of the summer than a band with a wild, woolly, road-warrior summer ahead that includes release of the first of two new studio albums?
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After playing Rockford’s Start of Summer Celebration and Buttermilk Jamboree last week, The Crane Wives are in Chicago tonight then play Manistee, Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Kingsford, Traverse City, Battle Creek, Glen Arbor, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Washington D.C. in July.
Oh, and then they’re headed west again in August before releasing the eagerly awaited “Coyote Stories,” for which they’ve mounted a pledgemusic.com campaign to help finance the project and subsequent follow-up album.
Suffice to say, the Grand Rapids folk-rock band is on the move, so we asked them to supply a soundtrack perfect for their summery travels and those of Local Spins readers.
Band members — Kate Pillsbury, Emilee Petersmark, Ben Zito and Dan Rickabus — each picked two songs they’re crazy about, and the resulting roster covered the gamut of styles and genres. And check out the Spotify version of the playlist below (with the exception of the Shakey Graves track which was unavailable).
LOCAL SPINS GUEST PLAYLIST: THE CRANE WIVES
KATE
Devendra Banhart, “Angelika” – I’ve never been a big fan of songs that name their subject, so when I first heard this song and the repetitive chorus, I nearly skipped forward to the next track on the album. But before I was able to, the delicate homage of a song transitioned into a hypnotic Latin dance beat with Spanish lyrics and a more biting tone.
Lake Street Dive, “Just Ask” – I’m obsessed with the entire “Bad Self Portraits” album, but I used to favor the more upbeat, showier songs to this slow groove. After having the CD on repeat in my car, this song became the dark horse. I love the lyric “You’ve got so many heartaches, take ’em one at a time / Imagine each one’s a man, takes a number, stands in a line”.
EMILEE
Oh Pep!, “War Song” – As one could guess, I’m a sucker for female-fronted bands with great vocals. This song caught my attention immediately with its rhythmic, riddle-esque lyrics and its sweet, pleasing vocal melody. The song swings from delicate and intricate to a powerful march, bolstered by unconventional counter melodies from the mandolin. I love how much this song surprised me.
Shakey Graves, “Roll The Bones (Audiotree Live)” – Graves has seen much success in recent months, but with good reason: He’s just really, really damn good. This Audiotree session is by far my favorite recorded performance of this song, but I can definitely appreciate how different every single one of his performances are, how much variation he can put into the melody and rhythm to make a familiar song new and unexpected again. This song in particular is a great example of how something as timeless as blues can be refreshed without being completely reinvented. And tell me you’re not impressed that this is all LIVE, performed by ONE MAN.
BEN
Punch Brothers, “Julep” – This song combines the technical prowess of Punch Brothers with a kind of sweet, dark romanticism. It’s a song that uses lilting melodies, clock-like mandolin mechanics and lyrics revolving around time to showcase its passage. Among the movement of time, love, and the memory of love, is ageless. This is a beautiful and catchy song.
Radiohead, “The Daily Mail” – I first heard this song a couple of years ago, and it’s easily and consistently one of my favorites of all time. The slow build into that powerful emotional ending is unbelievable. The addition of the horn section is a welcome surprise that brings out the angry cynicism in Thom’s voice. Great arrangement, great song.
DAN
Jose Gonzalez, “Let it Carry You” – One of my mentors, Joe McCargar, always said that when creating art, “be simple to be complex.” That phrase has helped shaped my own art and describes the beauty of Jose Gonzalez’s music. This song is built like a good fire. It’s warm, analog, bedroom-recording sound comforts the listener and helps open their hearts to feel the message of the lyrics. Woody guitar picking, understated snaps and claps, and subtle layering create a quiet groove that moves the mind as well as the body. The beautiful a capella ending leaves me hanging on a cloud in the sky. Perfect for an emotional journey with a dear dear friend.
My Morning Jacket, “Tropics (Erase Traces)” – These guys are one of the bravest, most refreshing bands out there. On this song, they seem to channel the mystical spirit of Led Zeppelin. It takes the listener on such a journey through mysterious ethereal picking, into solid rock n roll, into a heavy smashing storm of sound, and back again. I’ve always loved Jim James’ lyrics, and on this record he seems to be more open, honest and personal than ever. I interpret this song as the glorious “a-ha!” moment at the end of a long and arduous existential climb, like you’ve finally made it to the brilliantly sunny end of a long and difficult quest. Powerful stuff.
THE CRANE WIVES: THE LOCAL SPINS GUEST PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY
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