1. Juliet Turner - "Broken Things"
Don't mind the credits in the Channel 4 docudrama about the Omagh tragedy in 1998. This tear-jerker of a song was written by Julie Miller (not Killer). I watched the film, directed by Pete Travis (who also did "Bloody Sunday"), on a Virgin Atlantic flight to London Heathrow. After nearly 90 minutes of following the story of that awful tragedy in the downtown shopping district of the Northern Ireland village in which an Real IRA car bomb took the lives of 29 afternoon shoppers, Turner's brogue slapped me one final blow to the face. A beautiful song in itself, the context of a sad in-flight movie en route to seeing my girlfriend has no doubt made this song a future mix-CD staple. Recorded for a Omagh charity compilation "Bridge of Hope", the Northern Ireland artist isn't the first to cover the tune. Lucy Kaplansky covers the song on her "Every Single Day" record, but isn't quite credit music material the way Turner's version is. (Acquisition was the only way I was able to find either version)

2. Chicago - "If You Leave Me Now"
Blame this one on a completely random - who knows what it is even advertising commercial on British television in which a singing cherry, that's right a singing cherry - serenades a young girl with this song. Of course, the girl doesn't take it well and screaming, drops the cherry. It would be Super Bowl material here, take my word on it. So couple that with a British man walking down a street in Oxford over-exaggerating that quivery falsetto singing "if you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me" and you'll understand why this one is now in shuffle rotation on my pod. (iTunes)

3. Eels - "I Need Some Sleep"
Another download inspired by an in-flight movie. This time it was a less emotional affair, yet still just about as emotional one could get watching an animated oversized green ogre in love. "You just gotta let it go" is E's advice and sung in lullaby fashion with a twinkling music box quality it's pretty darn convincing. (iTunes)

4. The National - "Wasp Nest"
With comparisons that aren't completely far-fetched to Tom Waits, the National, at least on this track available on BetterPropaganda would not be out of place on a film soundtrack. A catchy repeating guitar line and textured atmosphere of bells and twangy guitar arranged around crackling vocals singing about a dangerous beauty with a skinny neck cussing in a cocktail dress make this song a hit repeat listen. (BetterPropaganda)

5. The Arcade Fire - "Wake Up"
Warning: downloading this song is futile unless you plan to buy the whole album. One of the finest complete albums of the year, this stellar Montreal group deliver just enough of a glimpse in this single to wet the appetites of listeners for more. Listening to the album "Funeral" in its entirety proves that this song is only a glimpse of what this four-alarm blaze has to offer. In other words: there's a whole lot more where this came from. "I guess we'll just have to adjust." (Insound, BetterPropaganda).

6. Bang Gang - "Inside"
If you can get past the whole name and the unfortunate mess a random Internet search will yield when looking for this Iceland transplanted to France group, Bang Gang are an excellent find. On this track, there is a lovely Rhodes intro that carries the song, a brilliant little male/female duo. "Find me inside every heartbeat, inside every worry, keep me in your heart again." I'm a sucker for duos. Always have been. ()

7. The Flaming Lips - "Spongebob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy"
Sparked by Terry Gross' interview with Spongebob's voice Tom Kenny, I went looking for the soundtrack for the upcoming Spongebob Squarepants movie. Something about the "Best Day Ever" song and how Kenny described it as Pet Sounds-esque in approach peaked my curiosity. Still, something about forking over a buck to hear Spongebob's whiny voice singing I just couldn't do. So I went with this Flaming Lips song instead and I'm pleased as punch. It's a bit of a novelty, but I can honestly say I'm interested in seeing the movie now, at least on DVD with some kids or something. Oh and did I mention that Wilco have a song on here too - "Just A Kid". Good stuff. Spunky Wilco - with the addition of a chorus of kids singing nah, nah, nah - at its best. (iTunes)

posted 11.17.04