"CHECK THE RHIME" A TRIBE CALLED QUEST (1991)

An homage to the past. A glimpse of the future. On Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest fused jazz with hip-hop, leading the way to a totally different brand of hip-hop. And in “Check the Rhime”, we found a new, simple and unforgettable groove. With clean, iconic beats and mesmerizing horn samples, it was as ambitious as it was accessible. “Check the Rhime” puts ATCQ’s musicality on full display. Surprisingly simple, yet powerful.

“How far must I go to gain respect? Um, well it's kind of simple, just remain your own.”

"FALLING" JULEE CRUISE (1989)

David Lynch may have written the lyrics to “Falling”, but Julee Cruise’s angelic, delicate voice is the power behind the song. Making it far more than just a mood piece, Cruise took all the complicated layers and themes from Twin Peaks and flooded the song with them. Fragile. Eerie. Haunting. Beautiful. Mysterious. Stark. The perfect aural counterpart to one of television’s most unique series.

“Don't let yourself be hurt this time.”

"WHITE ROOM" CREAM (1968)

It’s such a classic that it’s easy to forget that “White Room” is a freak of nature. It was unlike anything else that was playing on the radio at the time. From Jack Bruce’s opening composition, it seemed to come from another land. And the amazing oddities just kept coming - with Clapton’s wah-wah pedal jamming and Bruce’s angelic falsetto interlude. “White Room” was a case in point that rock and roll could be whatever the hell you wanted it to be.

“I'll wait in this place where the sun never shines. Wait in this place where the shadows run from themselves.”

"YOU WOULD HAVE TO LOSE YOUR MIND" THE BARR BROTHERS (2017)

I got to see these guys perform one night in 2017. I thought Queens of the Breakers was a strong album, but then hearing it live, well, it was transcendent. That night at Williamsburg Hall, there was an ethereal feeling in the air as music was made and as we marveled at the beautiful and unexpected marriage of harp and guitar. And “You Would Have to Lose Your mind” was my favorite. Folk. Blues. Rock. Experimental. It had it all.

“You never know what you could find on the other side. All of the things that made you feel better.”

"HOT FOR TEACHER" VAN HALEN (1984)

In honor of Eddie Van Halen’s passing, my good friend and fellow music fanatic Jonathan Glass wrote today’s Mental Jukebox thoughts, featuring one of my favorite Van Halen songs of all time.

In the same way that Jimmy Hendrix reinvented guitar playing, Eddie Van Halen ushered in a style with such virtuosity. To me the opening of “Hot For Teacher” where Eddie’s guitar seems to literally talk responding to David Lee Roth’s open dialogue, is the perfect example of a musician expanding what can be done with an instrument. What follows is a rip roaring jam that seemed effortless in Eddie’s repertoire of guitar hooks. I remember being in sleep away camp in the eighties and it seemed like counselors and fellow camp mates all tried to be cool by cranking up this tune and everything from 1984 while doing their best air guitar.

“I think of all the education that I missed. But then my homework was never quite like this.”

"EYES WITHOUT A FACE" BILLY IDOL (1983)

One of the most memorable ballads from a decade full of ballads belongs to this new wave, punk rocker. Billy Idol slowed down the RPMs considerably on this one and stepped over the banal adult contemporary radio darlings in the process. “Eyes Without a Face” was a far cry from “White Wedding”, “Dancing with Myself” and “Rebel Yell” for sure. But it didn’t put you to sleep either, revving up with a Billy Idol-inspired guitar solo halfway through the song.

“I spend so much time believing all the lies. To keep the dream alive.”

"THE WAY WE GET BY" SPOON (2002)

This is vintage Spoon. But there’s also an old-school undercurrent pulsating through this song that makes it a little different than most of the band’s catalog. This throwback feel is the endearing quality of the brilliantly simple “The Way We Get By”. It’s the reason we love the song. Piano-driven. Stripped-down sound. It’s not a common rock song, but it also wasn’t made in common times, getting recorded just months after 9/11.

“We found a new kind of dance in a magazine. Tried it out, it's like nothing you ever seen.”

"STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU" STEALERS WHEEL (1972)

The torture scene in Reservoir Dogs wouldn’t be the same without this song. Tarantino had a knack for finding the right track to enhance his scenes, and this was one his best selections. “Stuck in the Middle with You” took an addictive melody, Dylan-esque vocals, that famous guitar slide and a cowbell as far as it could. In the process, it became a one-hit wonder with two lives—an unforgettable birth in 1972 and then an equally unforgettable rebirth 20 years later.

“Well I don't know why I came here tonight. I got the feeling that something ain't right.”

"IRIS" LIVE (1994)

I saw these guys back in 1994 at Brandeis University’s Gosman Center. They were touring to promote Throwing Copper, which later became a multi-platinum selling album. “Lightning Crashes”, “Selling the Drama” and “I Alone” all made a splash on college rock stations. But “Iris” was the song that batted clean-up on Throwing Copper. It brought the power, perfecting the pregnant pause and erupting out of it with brute force. It was easy for me to like “Iris” from the first listen. Once I got to the :19 mark, I was all in.

“The felix of your truth will always break it. And the iris of your eye will always shake it.”

"EVERYTHING I AM IS YOURS" VILLAGERS (2015)

I’m quite late to the Villagers party. But I’m really loving the cohesiveness of their catalog and what Conor O’Brien is achieving musically. Villagers has the quiet, introspective musings of Sufjan Stevens, the musical versatility of Andrew Bird and the soft melodic grooves of Lower Dens. “Everything I Am Is Yours” is that rare song that grooves quietly and slowly inside your head.

“I am just a man tipping on the wire. Tightrope walking fool balanced on desire I cannot control.

"SOMEBODY TO LOVE" JEFFERSON AIRPLANE (1967)

A song for the times if there ever was one. “Somebody to Love” boasts one of the most iconic choruses in music history. A proclamation belted from a young Grace Slick. When I think of Woodstock, one of the most memorable eras in music, this is one of the first songs that comes to mind. Jefferson Airplane took the stage on Day Three of the festival at Max Yasgur’s farm, and “Somebody to Love” was the second song on their setlist.

“When the truth is found to be lies and all the joy within you dies, don't you want somebody to love.”

"ROCKIT" HERBIE HANCOCK (1983)

Record-scratching. Beat-thumping. Sample-diving. If you watched MTV in the early 80’s, you heard, saw and never forgot “Rockit”. A non-rock guy barged his way onto MTV and composed this five-and-a-half minute long instrumental that defied genre labeling. Herbie Hancock was ready to try something completely different. He kickstarted his electro-funk era and “Rockit” was his coming-out song.

"FLOAT ON" MODEST MOUSE (2004)

“Float On” defined a new generation of music. Within the first 20 seconds, the two iconic guitar parts converged and modern musical history was made. Listening to it all over again, I’m swept by a wave of nostalgia, remembering all the great bands that were popping up at the time, each with a distinct sound. Modest Mouse had a more rough and raw approach compared to their peers, achieved often by mic’ing up every band member and letting them spew words in unison.

“Bad news comes, don't you worry even when it lands. Good news will work it way to all them plans.”

"WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN" THE WHO (1971)

Not many people have the patience to listen to an 8 minute song. But “Won’t Get Fooled Again” isn’t a typical 8 minute song either. It somehow gained massive appeal despite its girth and the weird nerdy qualities that Pete Townsend & co. were obsessing with in the background. Like recording audio pulses representing human brain waves for the iconic synthesizer part. At a time when most songs were either brainy or brawny, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” was both.

“I'll tip my hat to the new constitution. Take a bow for the new revolution. Smile and grin at the change all around. Pick up my guitar and play just like yesterday. Then I'll get on my knees and pray we don't get fooled again.”

"OTHERSIDE" RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (1999)

In 1999, my art director/creative partner and I would spend late nights at our agency coming up with ideas for ads. The guy was fun to be around and he had great taste in music—and that counted for something. Together we listened incessantly to Californication, and “Otherside” was my favorite track. Never a huge fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I was swayed by the more melodic and introspective side to the band that I hadn’t heard before.

“I heard your voice through a photograph. I thought it up and brought up the past. Once you know you can never go back. I gotta take it on the other side.”

"EVERY TIME THE SUN COMES UP" SHARON VAN ETTEN (2014)

So much of music is originality and attitude. Two things that Sharon Van Etten has pulled off unapologetically. Doing it her way. There’s nothing flashy about her music. But there’s also no one quite like her. Half the time, Van Etten’s vocals sound like she’s either sleepwalking or she’s three sheets to the wind. “Every Time the Sun Comes Up” might be the epitome of this. Incredibly gripping and visceral in its simplicity.

“Every time the sun comes up, I'm in trouble. Imagine when every time the sun comes up, I see double.”

"CACTUS TREE" JONI MITCHELL (1968)

Known more as one of the great singer-songwriters, I think an underrated side to Joni Mitchell is her role as storyteller. Her songs are like stories put to music, not just lyrics. They involve you. They immerse you. They paint a picture for you, like all the great novels do. “Cactus Tree” paints the portraits of five characters with exceptional musicality and just enough ambiguity to make you wonder if their lives are somehow interconnected.

“There's a man who's been out sailing in a decade full of dreams.”

"WICKED GAME" CHRIS ISAAK (1989)

In 1989, girls wanted Chris Isaak. And boys wanted to be like ChRis isaak. This song delivered a single punch in the gut to all the other love songs. In under five minutes, Isaak raised the standards for ballads. Pushing his rockabilly agenda into the mainstream radio consciousness, “Wicked Game” grips you with those lingering, sliding guitar notes and one of the greatest male vocal performances ever. Quietly delicate, yet strangely powerful.

“What a wicked game you play, to make me feel this way. What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you.”

"JOEY" CONCRETE BLONDE (1990)

Maybe we forgot about this little gem that launched a new decade of music in 1990. It sounded nothing like the typical Concrete Blonde canon. When you listen to “Joey”, you want to sing along to it. But there’s also a lingering sense of remorse here. It’s about Johnette Napolitano losing her husband (Marc Moreland of Wall of Voodoo) to kidney failure. While “Joey” almost didn’t get recorded, the music world was better off with it.

“I know you've heard it all before. So I don't say it anymore. I just stand by and let you fight your secret war.”

"ONE BIG HOLIDAY" MY MORNING JACKET (2003)

This is the kind of song you blast in your car. The kind of song that makes you think about getting new headphones. It’s the kind of song that’s final encore-worthy, often the one My Morning Jacket chooses to close their live sets with. You feel every note. The opening high hat barrage. The unmistakeable intro guitar solo. And Jim James’ soaring vocals. It’s an emotional lift from beginning to end.

“From this town, we'd escape. If we holler loud and make our way, we'd all live one big holiday.”