10-TRACK MIND: The pros and cons of marriage to Zooey Deschanel

POSTED: Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 3:00 PM

CP reporter Matt Cantor set his iPod to shuffle. This is where it led him ...

1. Sufjan Stevens – “The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders…” This guy never ceases to amaze me. His songs are both highly innovative — not quite like anything else out there — and at the same time incredibly accessible. On top of that, despite its bright, upbeat melodies, this album is shot through with a vague but powerful sense of sadness.

2. The Beatles – “Two of Us” On my all-time favorite song list. It’s apparently a song by Paul about his wife, but it absolutely sounds like John and Paul are singing about each other. That’s all the more heartbreaking because it was recorded at a time when the Beatles were en route to breakup. I read somewhere once that John couldn’t make it through the tune without crying.

3. Radiohead – “Everything in Its Right Place” It’s only about a decade old, but it already feels like a classic. On albums like OK Computer, Radiohead established themselves in the “rock genius” category with complex, multilayered instrumentation. The first track on Kid A is almost more impressive, though, because it achieves a unique sound with nothing more than a repeated keyboard pattern.

4. Nick Drake – “Place to Be” Man, I swear I didn’t mess with this playlist, yet this is another of my all-time favorites. Thanks, iPod! Nick Drake’s first two albums were a little too orchestrated for my taste, but on Pink Moon his soft voice, complex finger-picking, and unusual guitar tunings are front and center. It’s an album of beautifully-conveyed loneliness, and this is one of its strongest tracks.

5. Christopher Plummer – “Edelweiss” I love this scene in The Sound of Music, and admit it, you do too. It’s where the Captain is finally opening up, re-acknowledging his love for his children and music. He puts a guitar on his knee and strums this tune. It’s Rodgers and Hammerstein, but if you told me it was a real Austrian folk song, I’d totally believe you.

6. Arcade Fire – “The Suburbs” I guess I’m supposed to like this album, and I appreciate that it’s a high-quality piece of rock composition, but so far it hasn’t really affected me. That said, I’m a latecomer to the album, and I’ll probably eventually like it, since it’s worked its magic on everyone else.

7. Bright Eyes – “Jejune Stars” Great lyrics, fascinating voice, but Bright Eyes is often a little self-pitying for my taste. Still, obviously, I have it on my iPod, thanks to the passionate recommendations of trusted friends.

8. The La’s – “Timeless Melody” The only really big hit by these guys is the awesome original version of “There She Goes.” They’re a very solid band, but most of their songwriting doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. Had they been a ’60s act, they’d have been huge. As it stands, they sound like Billy Corgan fronting Oasis.

9. The Low Anthem – “Matter of Time” A beautiful song, like pretty much every Low Anthem tune. The trouble is, they’re all slow and sound kind of similar. Amazing in small doses, though, and I’ve never heard harmonica like this anywhere else.

10. Death Cab for Cutie – “Expo ’86” Transatlanticism was probably Death Cab’s peak: soaked in atmosphere, its lyrics perfectly conveyed universally-identifiable youth angst. This isn’t a track that particularly stands out, but within the context of the album, it’s great. Has anybody else noticed, though, that every single song these guys write now is about the pros and cons of marriage to Zooey Deschanel? Try counting the number of times Ben Gibbard uses the phrase “open door” as a metaphor for commitment, or lack thereof.

(matt.cantor@citypaper.net)

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