Bands I Always Come Back To.
Interesting question. I’d have to say Paul Simon/Simon & Garfunkel, my love for which began in my teens, because there are few other musicians that can capture ageless melancholy so well. Also, a find from last year that I know will stick with me for the rest of my life, the Mountain Goats, because John Darnielle is hands down the best ever lyricist that I know of. But above all others, I’d have to say the Beatles. I always have and always will be contented in a very simple way by their music, but I suspect it has more to do with the fact that it’s a very treasured part of my childhood than it does with the actual music itself. My dad introduced me to them when I was around 8, because he wanted to share with me one of the great musical loves of his life, specifically his teenage years. We spent a lot of summer days driving to one lake or another to go fishing, the moon roof open to let in the early morning sunshine and a Beatles album in the CD player. He was particularly fond of the song “Dear Prudence,” and would replace my name for Prudence when singing along. I had every Beatles CD before I had a single album by any other artist, and even now that I’m 23, my dad still calls me if he happens to hear “Dear Prudence” somewhere and says, “I heard our song today and it made me think of my little girl.”
Good call. I didn’t really consider bands from my younger childhood but Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles are both definetly up there along with Bob Dylan. I like what little I’ve heard from the Mountain Goats too, which I guess is only Heretic Pride… but that’s a really good song. Also I thought of a few more to add to my more recent list: Low and Midlake, I could listen to The Trials of Van Occupanther all day.
3 years ago