The Playlist: August, 2007

Here's what we're listening to this week - songs that are providing our personal soundtrack as we skip merrily through our daily existence, as it were.

1. "This Time Tomorrow," The Kinks
- Growing up, my parents (my mom, especially), took great pains to expose us to the culture that influenced them. As a result, I grew up somewhat conversant in the music of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Peter Paul & Mary, and Bob Dylan. One of the great pleasures of getting older (for me) has been discovering the music that existed on the periphery of my mom's tastes. The Kinks are one of those bands - every time I hear something that's new to my ears from them, I slap my head and think, "these guys are awesome." This song appears in the aforementioned trailer to "The Darjeeling Limited."

2. "I Wait For You," Yume Bitsu
- I'd never heard of this band before checking out this song, a seven-plus minute feedback-laden gem reminiscent of the best guitar work of My Bloody Valentine virtuoso Kevin Shields. Apparently, Yume Bitsu are from Portland. Their name means "dream beats" in Japanese, and this song is dreamy - in the sense of sleep-dreams, not in the sense of Bobby Sherman and Peter Tork. Very cinematic and sweeping. Check it out.

3. "Throw Your Arms Around Me," Luka Bloom
- Originally written by Australian songwriter Mark Seymour for his band Hunters and Collectors, and most notably covered by Pearl Jam, "Throw Your Arms Around Me" is that rarest of tunes - playful and genuine without being sappy. I'm partial to Luka Bloom's atmospheric take on the tune, which benefits from simple acoustic guitar work and the singer's rich, Irish brogue.

4. "The Underdog," Spoon
While I genuinely liked Spoon's last album (Kill The Moonlight), its bare-bones production made me wonder what the band would sound like with more fleshed-out production. This song is the answer - with booming drums, sighing background vocals, and a horn section, this is a veritable orchestra in comparison to the last album. Genuinely cool.

5. "Then She Appeared," XTC
Some music from the late 80s and early 90s sounds very dated. Not this. Those keening guitars at the beginning of the song let you know you are, as the Loving Spoonful once sang, "into something good." XTC lead singer Andy Partridge is notorious for his stagefright; fortunately, the care with which tracks like this were crafted let you know that the man took serious care in the studio. Lovely and amazing.