In the arms of sleep

Finally back from Kentucky and completely exhausted - it's been almost a week of not getting enough sleep ending with an all-nighter, and having to catch a flight out of Lexington at 5:30 AM. Ick. So needless to say, I plan on spending a great deal of time in the next few days sleeping.

A bunch of new albums have just come out that I will talk about later this week (Decemberists, Hold Steady, Chin Up Chin Up are the big ones), but I'm a little too wiped out to get started on that today. So, in honor of that wonderful thing, sleep, here are a few great songs:

Half Asleep - Super Deluxe

One of my very first posts was about Super Deluxe, still one of my all-time favorite bands. This track is among their best. It's just about as pretty a pop-rock song as you can imagine. Once again, can I ask how this band wasn't HUGE?

I'm Only Sleeping - Beatles

Any mix of songs about sleep could not be complete without this one. It's my #39 Beatles song, and I'll just repeat what I said back in May:

The production still sounds amazing 40 years later. The backward guitars are nicely done, and the overall feel of the song is of heaviness, even drowsiness. It's precisely the sort of song that, totally apart from the lyrics, feels appropriate for a listless late morning when you just can't drag yourself out of bed to face the day. John's vocals are, as usual, well done. But the highlight for me might be, as bizarre as it sounds, the short interludes with the bass (for example, from 1:56 to 2:03). It's such a small part of the song, but it really sets the whole mood. If you pay attention, you'll notice that bass riff throughout the song. By the way, you can contrast this one with "I'm So Tired." Same basic theme, but such completely different approaches that they end up feeling and sounding totally dissimilar.

Do You Sleep? - Lisa Loeb

Okay, who grew up in the 90s and didn't have a huge crush on Lisa Loeb? No one worth talking to anyways. "Stay" is obviously her best work, but the whole Tails album was really great, and this song in particular shows that she had a lot more of the bitter alt-rock chick attitude than you might have expected. It also featured a video with some seriously intense clothes-washing.



When You Sleep - Mirah

A great cover of the classic My Bloody Valentine track. Glimmering shoegaze is transformed to atmospheric, liquid folk. I picked up this track randomly about 5 years ago and frankly have no idea where it came from. I just know I love it.

Where Did You Sleep Last Night - Nirvana

The final track on their brilliant Unplugged album, this song took a really long time to grow on me. It's really only been in the last few years that I gave it a fair shake. But now that I have...wow. This album (and, I think, this performance in particular) ended all doubts that Nirvana were talentless noisemakers, in part because it included so many covers (like this one) that radically reimagined or expanded on the original.

I mean, just listen to his voice. Part of what made Nirvana so easy to emulate but so impossible to truly follow was Cobain's raggedness--lyricially, musically, and vocally. This was music being made in the indistinct space between madness and genius.

Sleeping Aides and Razorblades - Exploding Hearts

I actually posted this song back in April, but it seemed appropriate to revisit it given the theme, and given my recent annoying girl troubles.

Alright, time to go watch some Buffy and prepare myself for a nap, so I'll be well-rested and prepared for some seriously sleeping. Tune in the rest of the week for a bunch of good, new stuff.