3 Minutes, 49 Seconds

  Sometimes and artist needs 12 more songs to summarize their career. Case in point... Old 97's kept chugging along through the 2010s, and show no signs of slowing down. Thank goodness for that. Why not check out the original 12 by Old 97's so you have the whole story? 1. "Every Night Is Friday Night (Without You)"   (from  The Grand Theatre, Volume One , 2010) This album found the band returning to a purer, rawer country rock sound, and this barn-burner is one of the finest examples of that. 2. "Champaign, Illinois" (from  The Grand Theatre, Volume One , 2010) How could I not include a song that references a place about 45 minutes from where I live (and where I've spent quite a bit of time)? That said, its pretty clear Rhett Miller chose the name for its syllabic and phonetic qualities, and not much else. Fun fact: The song is actually a rewrite of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row," thus Dylan shares 50% songwriting credit. 3. "How Lovely

Sometimes and artist needs 12 more songs to summarize their career. Case in point...  If you stopped paying attention to Death Cab for Cutie around the same time The O.C. went off the air, you should do yourself a favor and take some time to catch up. Before you go on, you might want to check out the original 12 by Death Cab for Cutie . 1. "Little Bribes" (from the  Open Door EP , 2009) A tune exploring the fact that there's a depressing side to "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." 2. "Doors Unlocked and Open" (from  Codes & Keys , 2011) Hypnotic, driving, mysterious. 3. "You Are a Tourist" (from  Codes & Keys , 2011) Melodically rich song full of wisdom about listening to what your heart is telling you. 4. "Unobstructed Views" (from  Codes & Keys , 2011) There are two atheist anthems on Codes & Keys , this and "St. Peter's Cathedral." But while that song focuses on a downer death-is-the-end message,

  Sometimes and artist needs 12  more  songs to summarize their career. Case in point... The Wilco of the '10s was pretty befuddling, honestly. While on one hand the line-up that has been together since 2007's Sky Blue Sky contains the best and most stable group of musicians the band has ever had, their albums have swung wildly in style, from pop traditionalism to experimental maximalism to hushed minimalism. Once again, I've avoided any tracks which were on What's Your 20? (1994 - 2014) , which kept "You and I," "Wilco (The Song)," "You Never Know," and "I Might" off this list.  Before diving in, give a look at the original 12 by Wilco .  1. "Bull Black Nova" (from Wilco (The Album) , 2009) Why not start off with a weird one? When I saw them in concert recently, the band played this song, and a fan in the front row held up a handwritten sign with the song's title on it and showed it to the audience. I hadn't se

Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This week features... When I first took a crack at creating a 12 by Wilco (see the end of this post), I said they were overdue for a "best of." Well, they rectified that in 2014 with What's Your 20? (1994-2014) . And it's pretty darn comprehensive and well-curated.  So instead of replicating that work, I've chosen 12 songs that are not on that complication but that still provide a good picture of who Wilco are as a band. 1. "Pick Up the Change" (from  A.M. , 1995)  This one is pretty, but inscrutable. I like the use of "pick up the change" as referencing the changes we go through in life, and that the narrator is asking for his honey to stick with him through that. 2. " That's Not the Issue"  (from  A.M. , 1995)  The banjo-driven first half is as purely country as Wilco gets, but in the middle some downbeat shifts throw things o

Sometimes an artist just needs 12  more  songs to summarize their career. Case in point... Nearly 30 years into his career, Beck continues to be a chameleon, though I will say since 2008 he's pretty much made records that were stylistically consistent within themselves, if not with what came before and after. It seems to me he's due for another "anything goes" album like Odelay , Guero , and  The Information . You might want to check out the original  12 by Beck to relive the first part of his career. 1. "Think I'm In Love" (from The Information , 2006)  Here's the culmination, a stylistically diverse Beck song with straight-forward lyrics. Strange how when you've made off-kilter your status quo, conventionality is it's own form of rebellion and innovation! 2. "Cellphone's Dead" (from The Information , 2006) Beck in full hip-hop mode. Worth it just for the "one by one I'll knock ya out" sample. 3. "Profanity

Sometimes an artist just needs 12 more songs to summarize their career. Case in point... One of the most consistent and enduring bands of the 1990s, you can count on the Foo Fighters for a sturdy new album every three-to-four years. Their 2021 release, Medicine at Midnight , shows they've still got the ability to surprise us, too. You might want to check out the 12 by Foo Fighters list to relive the first part of their career. 1. " The Pretender"  ( Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace , 2007)  Nothing like the Jackson Browne song of the same name, and it doesn't sound like The Pretenders, either. It's just a quiet/loud screamer with a great chorus. 2. "But, Honestly" (from Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace , 2007) Starts out as a pleasant strummer, then gradually gathers intensity until it becomes a full-on head-banger. 3. "Wheels" (from Greatest Hits , 2009) So, yeah, I'm not supposed to do "12 by..." features on bands with