3 Minutes, 49 Seconds

  Sometimes an artist just needs 12  more  songs to summarize their career. Case in point... A fixture on the Minneapolis indie music scene since the mid-1990s, The Honeydogs swing from alt-country to bar rock to Stax-style rock 'n' roll to Beatley power pop. Since the artistic high of 2004's 10,000 Years , the band has put four additional records of smart, solidly-constructed tunes.  Since songwriter Adam Levy has a gift for one-liners, I'll limit my commentary to a favorite line from the song. Check out 12 by The Honeydogs for a summary of their first 8 years. And i f you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along here . 1) "Too Close to the Sun" (from Amygdala , 2006) "I have no regrets, only epithets" 2) "Mrs. Ketchup and the Arsonist" (from Amygdala , 2006) "Jettisoned up to the stars / Close to god, but no cigar" 3) "Amygdala" (from  Amygdala , 2006) "Too good for words, too good for me, too good to be ...

Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features... The Honeydogs arose from Minneapolis as part of the alt-country "craze" that swept through the nation in the mid-1990s. In the early 2000s they - like Wilco and the Jayhawks before them - made a successful transformation into an ambitious Beatle-esque chamber-pop band, culminating in the dystopian concept album 10,000 Years . This list covers their first 8 years and 6 albums. Since songwriter Adam Levy has a gift for one-liners, I'll limit my commentary to a favorite line from the song. If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along here . And keep an eye out for "12 More by the Honeydogs" coming soon! 1) "Those Things Are Hers" (from The Honeydogs , 1995) "There's the ring, that once held us together / She wants it back, so I'm sending it next week" 2) Your Blue Door (from Everything, I Bet You , 199...

Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features... For twenty-two years and eight albums The New Pornographers have been providing us with uncategorizable-but-irresistible pop songs laden with stacked harmonies, counter-melodies, and cryptic lyrics. If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along here . 1. "The Slow Descent into Alcoholism" (from Mass Romantic , 2000) Opinion: The best New Pornographers songs feature A.C. Newman and Neko Case singing in tandem. 2. "All For Swinging You Around" (from The Electric Version , 2003) Opinion: The best New Pornographers songs feature Neko Case on lead vocals. 3. "A Testament to Youth In Verse" (from  The Electric Version , 2003) In truth, I generally just sit through the Dan Bejar songs waiting for the other ones, but I do genuinely love this song (and "Myriad Harbor" from Challengers ). 4. "The Bleeding Heart Show...