"TO BUILD A HOME" THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA (2007)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

Music discovery is often happenstance. At times, we can find music when we’re proactively searching for it. But most of the time, it’s about being in the right place at the right time with the right people when a song comes on and our minds are blown. A lot of the music I’ve discovered is thanks to the recommendations of friends and coworkers. One coworker, in particular, introduced me to The Cinematic Orchestra and “To Build a Home”. He called it the most beautiful song in history. And I don’t think that enormous claim is very far from the truth.

The track never charted in the U.S. or in the U.K. But it has become larger than life in many ways. Ironically, it has played a background role, serving as the soundtrack in countless television soundtracks, most notably in a gut-wrenching scene from This Is Us. It was also featured in a figure skating performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The irony is that it has been thrusted into the foreground, becoming intertwined with these TV show scenes and Olympic performances. It’s one of those songs that has the power to bring everything else around it to a standstill. Most beautiful song in history? I can get agree to that.

“This is a place where I don't feel alone. This is a place where I feel at home.”

"CEMETRY GATES" THE SMITHS (1986)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

When I first discovered The Smiths, The Queen is Dead had already been released for about three years. I was late to the party, but it didn’t take long for me to absorb those songs into my brain. I played it nonstop. It’s probably one of my top ten favorite albums of all time. The Queen is Dead rocked with “Bigmouth Strikes Again” and the title track. It mastered mid-tempo with “The Boy With the Thorn in His Side”, “Some Girls are Bigger Than Others” and “Frankly Mr. Shankly”. It wallowed with “I Know It’s Over” and “Never Had No One Ever”. It elevated with “There is a Light That Never Goes Out”. And then there’s “Cemetry Gates”, arguably the quintessential Smiths song.

The song was built on the foundational paradox of The Smiths — this oddball and strangely irresistible juxtaposition between Marr’s bright and cheery riffs and Morrissey’s morbid lyrics. “Cemetry Gates” felt like the ultimate example of this pairing. Marr’s jangle-infused guitar playing netted a riff that lifted Morrissey’s vocals into a frolic through the graveyard. Inspired by a visit to a cemetery in Manchester, Morrissey wrote the song as a reaction to plagiarism. But more than that, “Cemetry Gates” allowed Morrissey to wear sadness, insecurity and bitterness on his sleeve — and do so with a little humor.

“A dreaded sunny day. So I meet you at the cemetry gates. Keats and Yeats are on your side.”

"FOURTH OF JULY" SUFJAN STEVENS (2015)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

In my mind, there may not be a more contemplative album on life and death than Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell and there may not ever be one in the future. The theme. The lyrics. The melodies. The production. Everything is working together so poignantly to help us know Sufjan’s mother and her second husband. It’s their life and their memories presented track by track like we’re flipping through an old photo album – and midway we stumble upon “Fourth of July”.

The ethereal quality in the song feels like the foggy cloud that we can’t shed from these moments even if we tried. It seems to be more beneficial to embrace the cloud – and even use it as a new lens from which to remember the moment even after it passes. To close out the song, Sufjan repeats one line “We’re all gonna die” several times as if it’s the only thing his family learned. But I would argue that the making of “Fourth of July” and the entire Carrie & Lowell album taught him much, much more about his family and himself.

“The hospital asked should the body be cast
Before I say goodbye, my star in the sky.”

"ALABAMA SONG (WHISKY BAR)" THE DOORS (1967)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

I’m running into the whiskey bar and stumbling out w/Jim, Ray, Robby and John. What a trip. What a mindblowing debut album. Such a powerful clash of rock, blues and psychedelia. “Twentieth Century Fox”, “Back Door Man”, “Soul Kitchen”, “Break On Through”, “Back Door Man”, “Crystal Ship”, “The End”, “Light My Fire”, every track is a classic. For obvious reasons, I’m going with their cover of “Alabama Song” today.

Listening to the song, we enter the whiskey bar. But this bar feels different. Spearheaded by Morrison’s vocals and Ray’s spritely keyboard flourishes, it feels like we stepped into a freak circus, lost in a drunken haze with these blues rock legends. “Alabama Song” is a perfect cover selection that seems to fit perfectly in the #5 slot on the record and is resolutely 100% Doors in its stylings. My only complaint of the song is that it ends at around three minutes. It seemed ripe for an epic “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”-length rendition.

“Well, show me the way To the next whiskey bar. Oh don't ask why. Oh don't ask why.”

"HOTEL CALIFORNIA" GIPSY KINGS (1990)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

One of my all-time favorite cover songs hails from one of the my all-time favorite movies. The Big Lebowski was never short on great music, epic story arcs, fascinating character development and comedic moments. And the Gipsy Kings’ cover of The Eagles hit “Hotel California” seemed to be somehow dropped down on the dusty intersection of all these elements.

John Turturro’s “Enter Jesus” moment at the bowling alley is one of the most unforgettable Big Lebowski moments. And the scene is queued up with this song. It’s an ironic choice because The Dude throughout the film makes it clear how much he hates The Eagles. In a cruel twist of fate, his bowling nemesis seems to arrive with his own personal soundtrack, flaunting The Eagles’ biggest hit on a bed of heartfelt flamenco. While I don’t care much for The Eagles, I love what the Gipsy Kings did with this mega hit. “Hotel California” was no longer just a place. It became a state of mind.

“Bienvenido al Hotel California, Such a lovely place.”

"ROUTE 66" DEPECHE MODE (1987)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

This cover is absolute perfection. It was the right cover song at the time and for the right place. Thematically, it coincided perfectly with Depeche Mode’s North American tour which culminated in L.A. and was chronicled famously in the documentary 101. It also worked perfectly as the b-side to the single, “Behind The Wheel”, incorporating a driving theme and instrumental elements from “Behind The Wheel” in between verses that made the b-side in lock step with the a-side.

I still remember the day I first heard “Route 66”. It was on the radio – and, for me, the preeminent station was WDRE/WLIR in Long Island. I was struck by how Depeche Mode it sounded. The band took an Americana original and truly made it their own. The synth hooks, drum machine, and guitar riff are all unmistakably DM. It made a resolutely American-as-American-as-it-gets song feel like it came from a band from Essex. Because it did.

“Well if you ever plan to motor west, Travel my way. take the highway that's the best. Get your kicks on Route 66.”

"BLISS" MUSE (2001)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

One of my all-time favorite music moments was taking my older son to his first concert. We saw Muse on the Will of the People tour in the spring. This wasn’t a compromise on either of our parts. Muse had fast become his favorite band – and I had become reinvigorated by the band’s catalog as he and I would share ear buds listening to album after album on the way to soccer practice. Going back to the concert, Muse is definitely one of the more entertaining acts I’ve seen live. The combination of performance, video narratives and lighting is phenomenal. And the band went way back to the early days for their fifth song on the setlist with “Bliss”.

I read somewhere that “Bliss” is about video games. This might be one of the things I love most about the band. Their ability to dial up the drama and intensity of pretty much anything, including gaming. Bellamy cries out “Give me all the peace and joy in your mind” and it feels like these mini moments of catharsis. The song is bookended with piano arpeggios – and in between Matthew, Chris and Dominic go on a musical rampage.

“Give me all the peace and joy in your mind.”

"YYZ" RUSH (1981)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

It’s quite appropos that one of the key entry points into the catalog of one of Canada’s greatest rock bands of all time is named after the international code for Toronto’s main airport. Moving Pictures – like The Wall or Led Zeppelin IV – was a gateway album for me. But here’s the difference for me. Not only did Moving Pictures get me into the greater Rush canon, it helped solidify my passion for music, for life. While it was much more mainstream than a 2112 or Hemispheres, it was still largely progressive in so many ways. The lyrics. The song composition. The experimentalism. Only “The Camera Eye” clocked in at over ten minutes. But “YYZ” felt like an epic, “2112 Side A”-level affair compacted into four minutes.

Absolutely mammoth. Geddy’s bass lines run at impossibly fast lightning speed. Alex takes full advantage of the song’s instrumental nature, delivering one monster riff after another, culminating in his solo at the 2:20 mark. As for Neil, no corner of his drum kit is spared on this track. He uses everything at his disposal. The piece's introduction, played in a time signature of 10/8, repeatedly renders "Y-Y-Z" in Morse Code using various musical arrangements. From there, the greatest track lets loose, daring countless musicians to try their own rendition, including Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, Dream Theater, Primus and Muse. “YYZ” has become a sort of rite of passage for both musicians and fans alike.

"WAITING FOR THE WORMS" PINK FLOYD (1979)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

Few rock & roll moments can rival the experience of hearing The Wall for the first time as a teenager. I was obsessed with this album for quite a while – and the movie, too. The Wall is an extraordinary soundtrack because, first of all, it’s a true soundtrack filled with songs intimately woven into the scenes of the movie. These tracks aren’t just background noise. Beyond simple ear candy, this was music that indulged the head and the heart fully. There was no filler on here. “Waiting For The Worms”, as a deep cut, is all the proof you need.

“Waiting For The Worms” is a perfect example of the ingenuity and ambition of Pink Floyd. They gave their minds and hearts fully to the music. This track won me over from the first listen. It flaunts like Queen one moment, and trudges like Sabbath another. To call it a rock song is to overlook its complexity – this is more like a composition with four interconnected movements. The megaphone alone crawls under your skin and stays buried there for days.

“The Worms will reconvene outside Brixton bus station.”

"IN YOUR EYES" PETER GABRIEL (1986)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

If you’re an 80’s child, you simply can’t forget the scene. Lloyd Dobler hoists a boombox above his head outside Diane Court’s bedroom window. He doesn’t say anything. He just lets a masterpiece by Peter Gabriel do all the talking, to prove he loves her. Most teenage boys have pathetically tried to copy Lloyd’s move or at least thought about doing it. Which is ridiculous when you think about it. What made Lloyd cool was the fact that no one else thought of that before him. Everyone else post-Lloyd is simply uncool. The song he played, of course, is “In Your Eyes”.

This is not your average ballad. It’s a cultural phenomenon, partly due to its unique persona. It’s one of the greatest recordings ever to merge pop with worldbeat – and do so in a way that didn’t cheapen either genre. But it’s also a phenomenon because of the movie scene. Say Anything, without a doubt, gave “In Your Eyes” an identity that was attached to the movie’s hip. In fact, when Gabriel played the first few bars of the song during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl about ten years ago, John Cusack walked onto the stage, handed him a boombox and took a bow, before quickly walking off again. The scene and the music are forever inseparable.

“I SEE THE DOORWAY TO A THOUSAND CHURCHES IN YOUR EYES.”

"THERE SHE GOES, MY BEAUTIFUL WORLD" NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (2004)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

Nick Cave is one of those artists that I somehow missed out on for far too long. If I could turn back the clock, I would’ve devoured his catalog a good twenty years before I finally discovered him for myself. And I would’ve caught him on tour. I can imagine his vocal expressiveness translating beautifully and energetically on the live stage. I do prefer his slower ballads, but I appreciate the occasional Nick Cave banger, like the blues rock masterpiece, “There She Goes, My Beautiful World”.

In the middle of the first verse, the track gets rolling quickly like a freight train right into the rockin’ chorus. In this case, the guitar and piano parts are the engine for the song. But the vocals are everything here. The gospel chorus brings the house down. Soaring. Powerful. Absolutely on fire. Even still, Nick is still the man here. His voice is just perfect for this moment and this song. It ain’t the same if you put another singer behind the mic.

“And Gaugin, he buggered off, man And went all tropical While Philip Larkin stuck it out
In a library in Hull.”

"PAISLEY PARK" PRINCE (1985)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

One of my favorite Prince songs from one of my favorite albums of his. Around The World In A Day doesn’t get the same accolades as Purple Rain, 1999 and Sign ‘o the Times. But it’s an album that has a lot of nostalgic significance for me. 1985, in general, was a banner year for album releases. So, for me, Around The World In A Day, will always be associated with that rich era. Many of the songs on the album – even the singles – were daring and experimental. It’s the Prince way. Case in point: “Paisley Park”.

The song didn’t chart in the States, and I think it’s because the masses couldn’t appreciate what Prince did here. A true pioneer of rock-driven pop, Prince didn’t let the guitar drown out the rest of the noise, but he picked his spots with flourishes and jams where his axe can make its presence felt. Still, the most underrated aspect of “Paisley Park” might just be Prince’s lead vocals. Few singers can give that melody the dynamism it needs to avoid a monotonous output, but Prince pulled it off. To no surprise.

“Admission is easy, just say you believe And come to this place in your heart. Paisley Park is in your heart.”

"IMITOSIS" ANDREW BIRD (2007)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

Music can be quite a remarkable thing to enjoy solo, but I think it’s best when experienced with like-minded fans. My wife and I don’t have a ton of common music interests, but Andrew Bird – among a few other artists – is someone we both agree on. Almost every time he performs in New York City, we make it a date night. For that reason alone, I think I’ve enjoyed his shows even more than I typically would. Bird’s catalog is quite extensive, but thankfully he still plays “Imitosis” from his 2007 album Armchair Apocrypha.

“Imitosis” is, in many ways, a very typical Andrew Bird song in that it’s very atypical. His instrumentation is always daring, bringing in different types for different songs. Here he breaks out the Glockenspiel, which adds a light accent that’s perfect for the track. Moreover, the rhythm seems more influenced by Argentine tango than Americana folk, making the track a playful one. In the live setting, the song really comes alive. I just hope Bird keeps on playing it.

“Tell me doctor, can you quantify The reason why?”

"IN MY ROOM" YAZ (1982)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

The topic of great electronic music can’t be had without mentioning Upstairs at Eric’s and the talented duo of Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet. While I do love Depeche Mode, I was never a real fan of the Vince Clarke years. But, for me, things were different with Upstairs at Eric’s (not to mention many of the early Erasure albums). This is when I truly began to appreciate Clarke’s unique synth pop stylings paired with Moyet’s vastly underrated and underexposed prowess as a lead singer (at least here in the States). Upstairs at Eric’s showcases both commanding synth arrangements and vocal performances. And “In My Room” stuck out like a sore thumb. I love it.

Most of the songs on Upstairs at Eric’s were built to make you dance. Well, not “In My Room”. It’s packed with more samples than dance-worthy keyboard hooks. It’s a sprawling track with miles of space built in between those electronic drum hits. The song prominently features the Lord’s Prayer read robotically and repeatedly, and accompanied by recordings of conversation bits and shattered glass. “In My Room” is a spiritual experience. Clarke’s synth lines are intentionally understated to bring greater prominence to the gravity of the spoken words and Moyet’s resolute vocals.

“And in the room locked up inside me. The cutout magazines remind me. I sit and wait alone in my room.”

"SAN QUENTIN" JOHNNY CASH (1969)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

Most music artists tend to have a favorite venue or at least a favorite type of venue to perform in. Jerry Garcia once famously said that only two theaters mattered: The Fillmore and The Capitol. Each venue space carries its own history, aura, and stories. For Johnny Cash, prisons were places where his audiences experienced redemption during some of his most famous concerts – and I wonder if these state penitentiaries allowed Cash to experience an equal amount of redemption himself. At Folsom Prison was Cash’s most renowned album from his four-part prison series, making At San Quentin a bit of an underrated gem.

The title track isn’t one of the more well known songs on his set list by any stretch. But judging from the roars, whistles and applause from the crowd, it was right up there with “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk the Line”. Cash was giving much more than just a great performance. He took a much more empathetic stance, making every syllable in the lyrics an acknowledgement of what these inmates were up against. He made “San Quentin” their song, not his own song. In writing it and going behind prison doors to perform it, Cash leveled the playing field – essentially declaring the inmates as his equals. The song resonated with them so much, he went ahead and played it twice.

“San Quentin, you've been A livin' hell to me. You've blistered me since 1963. I've seen 'em come and go and I've seen them die. And long ago I stopped askin' why.”

"WALKING IN MY SHOES" DEPECHE MODE (1993)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

Violator will forever be known as the album that put Depeche Mode on the map. It was the album that truly brought their music to the masses; ironically it wasn’t the one preceding it. Still, when you look at the album immediately following Violator — Songs of Faith and Devotion — one can argue that it was the better of the three albums from top to bottom. The band felt completely locked in, despite the growing tensions within the group. And one of the highlights from this rich album is “Walking In My Shoes”.

Did DM turn into a rock band overnight? The instrumentation showed a rougher edge to the band with live drums, muscular guitar riffs and large doses of feedback. But the songwriting was still Martin Gore at the core. The exceptionally crafted lyrics straddled that delicate balance of vulnerability and brashness as told through the voice of a convict inside a courtroom. I got to see the band perform this song live on the Devotional Tour. There was no question that the infighting happening with the band affected their energy. For a few years, Depeche Mode had earned a reputation for being great live performers. While the showmanship just wasn’t there, it was clear that DM turned a corner. By expanding their sound to include more rock elements, somehow they found their sweet spot musically.

“But I promise now, my judge and jurors. My intentions couldn't have been purer. My case is easy to see.”

"KODACHROME" PAUL SIMON (1972)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

Thanks to countless yearbook write-ups, one of the most quoted songs of all time belongs to Paul Simon. “Kodachrome” took a friendly, lighthearted approach to rebellion. And musically, Simon was also his same rebellious self on this track. Daring to cross genres. Daring to even defy them. With every percussive beat. With every uplifting note. Sounds a lot like the Simon & Garfunkel canon – like a continuation of those musical and lyrical themes, standing in stark contrast to his world music-influenced solo work that would manifest in the eighties with Graceland.

“When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, It's a wonder I can think at all. And though my lack of education hasn't hurt me none, I can read the writing on the wall.”

"SUICIDE UNDERGROUND" AIR (2000)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

The French ambient duo Air wouldn’t be where they are today without Sofia Coppola. The director’s decision to include the band’s songs on her movie soundtracks – including The Virgin Suicides, Lost In Translation and Marie Antoinette – gave them unprecedented exposure. For The Virgin Suicides, Air also got the green light to develop the music score, which got the attention of critics and is considered one of the finest scores composed in the modern era.

There are a couple of relatively well-known tracks on it, including “Playground Love” and “Highschool Lover”, but the whole score is worth listening to from the opening track to its closer, “Suicide Underground”. The spoken word narration on this track adds a gravitas that cannot be achieved by standard vocals. Air’s meandering bass line, acoustic guitar and mesmerizing synth notes offer a sterile backdrop for the words to soar on top of. It’s not a standout Air track by any means, but it’s a powerful end statement for an exceptional music score.

“Fleeing from the house, we forgot to stop at the garage.”

"SO LONELY" THE POLICE (1978)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

One of the most unique sounding bands from my childhood years, the music from The Police always stood out to me. The music traversed a seemingly wide territory shared by rock and reggae like a musical Venn diagram. Unusual, but highly accessible. Sting’s lyrics were exceptionally clever and took seemingly straightforward topics into the stratosphere. He wrote prose and poetry. Case in point: “So Lonely”.

Listening back to “So Lonely”, I’m struck by the rawness of the song. The simplicity of sound from the three-piece certainly contributes to the garage band feel. But this is also a reminder of the band’s roots. It was never about slick production when it came to The Police; it was always about the songs. The melodies. The lyrics. The ever-so-catchy chorus. “So Lonely” is angsty, miserable, cathartic and celebratory all at once. It’s so damn catchy, you can’t help but sing along to it – alone or in a crowd.

“In this theater that I call my soul I always play the starring role.”

"MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS" THE NATIONAL (2007)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

One of my all-time favorite bands is The National, a band that has seemed to always sync up mysteriously well with my own life. Boxer came out the year my wife and I got married – and High Violet was released weeks before our first child was born. The music always seemed to usher me into new seasons – with Matt Berninger’s gifted approach to lyrics that sound more like conversations with eccentric friends. I’ve seen the band perform live a few times. While “Mr. November” and “Abel” have been some of the more anticipated bangers on tour, for me it was always about the quiet stoic power of “Mistaken for Strangers”.

Berninger delivers the lyrics nearly in monotone, as if in a trance. “Showered and blue-blazered, fill yourself with quarters,” he announces in his trademark bass delivery. “Mistaken for Strangers” is the quintessential National song in many ways. Frenetic, yet calculated. Seemingly on the verge of losing control, but hanging on still. Bryan Devendorf’s drum rolls seem to be having seizures in between verses, while the Dessner brothers contribute these guitar parts that an industrial feel to them like fellow Boxer tracks “Brainy” and “Guest Room”. “Mistaken for Strangers” is a song that celebrates the everyday man poeticism of Matt Berninger.

“You get mistaken for strangers by your own friends When you pass them at night Under the silvery, silvery Citibank lights.”