Fiona Apple “Criminal”

Beck “Where It’s At”

Belle and Sebastian “Judy and the Dream of Horses”

Busta Rhymes “Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check

Tracy Chapman “Give Me One Reason”

Cibo Matto “Sugar Water”

Coolio “Gangsta’s Paradise”

Sheryl Crow “If It Makes You Happy”

Steve Earle with Lucinda Williams “You’re Still Standin’ There”

Fugees “Fu-Gee-La”

High Llamas “Literature is Fluff”

Los Del Rio “Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)”

Alanis Morisette “You Oughta Know”

Mountain Goats “Alabama Nova”

Oasis “Wonderwall”

Stereolab “Cybele’s Reverie”

Tortoise “Dear Grandma and Grandpa”

Weezer “El Scorcho”

Wilco “Outtasite (Outta Mind)”

The Macarena was THE dance craze of 1996, all over the world.

Beck had already had a big hit with “Loser” from the album Mellow Gold in 1994, but the album Odelay really showcased the breadth of his creativity for the first time. Every Beck album is different, but this one stills stands as one of his best and one of the best albums of the decade.

In 1996 the battle between Oasis and Blur for “greatest band in the world” was in full swing. Although in the end this was probably a draw, for one brief moment Oasis won the battle with “Wonderwall.”

One of the most beloved styles of rock developed in the ’90s was Post-Rock. There is no definitive description of the style, but one of the most important bands in the creation of Post-Rock was Tortoise. “Dear Grandma and Grandpa” is from their genre-defining album Millions Now Living Will Never Die.

Steve Earle’s first album after his brief prison sentence in 1994 was 1995’s Train a Comin’, but his 1996 album I Feel Alright presented an entirely new songwriting style that he has maintained until the present. It is hard to pick a favorite Earle album, but this one is on the list.

It is now hard to believe that there was once a debate about how Jay Farrar was the real talent in the band Uncle Tupelo and Jeff Tweedy was just a has been along for the ride. People turned to the first Son Volt record as the final piece of evidence that Farrar was the genius and turned to the first Wilco album, A.M., as evidence of Tweedy’s lack of talent. Then Wilco released Being There in 1996 and that was the end of the discussion. Since then, Wilco have put out seven more successful albums with an everchanging style and consistent quality throughout. And it all began in 1996.

Early Period (1991-1996): The Mountain Goats started out as an outlet for John Darnielle to present his unique songwriting talent. The early records are a mix of solo recordings and small group recordings with limited instrumentation, Darnielle on guitar and sometimes a bass and second vocalist. These songs were mostly recorded on a boombox and are now considered landmark examples of the lo-fi movement in the ’90s. The 1996 album Nothing For Juice, containing the song “Alabama Nova” from this week’s show, is from this period.

Transitional Period (1997-2002): In the late ’90s The Mountain Goats began to use more electronic technology in their music. Although the majority of the songs are still lo-fi recordings very similar to their early work, the presence of electric guitar and keyboards can be found dropped in here and there. The songs themselves also began to evolve into a more diverse blend of arrangements, lengths, and topics. This period concludes with their masterpiece All Hail West Texas. Even though the style and production of this album is not much different than the first 5 full length records, this one grabs you immediately and doesn’t let go over 43 minutes of pure songwriting perfection. I guess you could say it “grabs you by the ears and you will know something.”

The Greatest Trilogy of Albums Recorded in the 21st Century, maybe ever (2002-2005): In 2002, Darnielle signed with 4AD records and went into the studio to record with “proper” equipment for the first time. He wasted no time in producing the first of three concept albums. Tallahassee is a work of art, a concept album about the failed relationship of two characters that he wrote about throughout the first 10 years of his career. This was followed two years later with We Shall All Be Healed, an autobiographical song cycle about a group of tweekers. To complete the trilogy, 2005 gave us The Sunset Tree. This ninth Mountain Goats album is Darnielle’s masterwork, the album he was born to make. It tells the story of his childhood, with a focus on his often violent relationship with his stepfather. Given the theme, the fact that Darnielle created such an uplifting, joyous record is the best example one could give to show his songwriting and lyrical genius.

The Peter Hughes (bass) and Jon Wurster (drums) Years (2006-present): Beginning with the album Get Lonely in 2006 (for Hughes) and Heretic Pride in 2008 (for Wurster), the trio of Darnielle, Hughes, and Wurster have created the majority of Mountain Goats albums and are still going strong. The only major change to this lineup was the addition of multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas in 2017. The eleven albums, and counting, produced during this period are all good, with highlights being Heretic Pride, Transcendental Youth, Beat the Champ, and Goths.

During this latest period, the band has signed with Merge Records (one of the last true indie labels) and toured continuously, Darnielle has raised a family and become an award winning writer, and there appears to be no end in sight. Being a fan of The Mountain Goats provides a never-ending supply of happiness. Thank you John Darnielle for a generation’s worth of entertainment.

Hits

2 for “Two”day

Fiona Apple: One song, “Criminal,” from her debut album Tidal and one song, “Shameika.” from her fantastic 2020 album Fetch the Bolt Cutters.

Mountain Goats: “Mobile” is from their new album Dark in Here” and “Alabama Nova” is from Nothing for Juice. It seemed obvious to pick two Alabama songs. That is, songs about the state, not covers of the country band.

Bill Withers: “Lovely Day” and “Grandma’s Hands” are two of my favorite Bill Withers compositions. Any day you get to hear Bill Withers is a lovely day.

New

Fiona Apple “Shameika”: Fiona Apple’s 2020 album Fetch the Bolt Cutters is about as honest and personal as an album can get. It is a gift that she gave us only her fifth album in 25 years, and it was one of the year’s best.

Olivia Rodrigo “Brutal”: My guess is that I will not come back to the debut album by former Disney star Rodrigo very often, but I am digging this song right now. It is a rip off of Elvis Costello’s “Pump it Up,” but while everyone is attacking her for the blatant theft, Costello put it all to rest like a true rock and roll legend.

United States: A classic Sousa march seems appropriate.

Stephen Foster: It seems very appropriate that the “father of American music” was born on the fourth of July. Stephen Foster was a prolific songwriter in the mid-19th century. Separating his music and politics from the use of his compositions in minstrel shows is difficult, to say the least. Many of his compositions are still sung today, including three selected for this week’s show. I selected James Taylor’s version of “Oh Susannah” from his breakthrough album Sweet Baby James, John Prine’s version of “My Old Kentucky Home, Goodnight,” a song influenced by the abolitionist novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Mitch Miller’s version of “I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair.”

Bill Withers: I like the music of Bill Withers.

John Waite: Waite was lead singer of The Babys before going solo and then forming Bad English.

Mitch Miller: Sing Along with Mitch was one of the most popular shows on television in the early 1960s. Based on his already successful albums, the show presented viewers with scrolling lyrics along the bottom of the screen so they could sing along at home. Once the tv show became popular, his albums began to include tear out lyric sheets. In other words, Mitch Miller invented karaoke, but in an analog world! Members of his on-air chorus included Leslie Uggams and Bob McGrath, who went on to become “Bob from Sesame Street.”