Song of the Day: Big Star - Holocaust

I didn't get everything I wanted at Record Store Day, but at least I got to stand in line for 4 1/2 hours. As I mentioned in my RSD post, the big three for me were Nirvana, Big Star and Television - only the latter is now in my possession. Thankfully, a friend on the East coast was able to pick up the other two, so the day was not a complete loss.

But given my lack of success, the fact that it's a dreary Monday in LA, and just because I feel like it, today's song of the day is from the Big Star Third LP and one of the most depressing songs you'll ever hear - as if the title didn't give it away.

Song of the Day: Velvet Crush - Time Wraps Around You

Velvet Crush is another power-pop band that I found during a heavy Big Star phase (others include previous entries Sloan, Teenage Fanclub and The Bigger Lovers).  I really like that this song is from an album titled Teenage Symphonies to God, which is allegedly a phrase Brian Wilson used to describe the music he was writing for the Beach Boys.  They're not quite at that level, but this song has great harmonies and sounds like one you've heard before.

Sondre Lerche and Jon Auer cover Big Star

Yup, another post related to Alex Chilton. This was too good to pass up, as this is the guys rehearsing in their hotel room.

Song of the Day: Big Star - Thirteen

As I intimated in my Sloan post, Big Star is the band that started my "power-pop" obsession.  Their first two albums, #1 Record and Radio City, which I originally bought packaged together on one CD, are indisputable cult classics.  Many of their songs are instantly hummable, and the best known is likely "In the Street," the opening song for That '70s Show (I believe the first few seasons it was actually a cover by Cheap Trick, but I'm too lazy to look it up).

"Thirteen" is not one of their catchy songs, but it's certainly one of their best.  The acoustic guitars and background vocals sound excellent in stereo (listen on headphones for full effect), and the longing of the lyrics and Alex Chilton's voice are devastating.  About as close to perfect as a song can be.

Thirteen - Big Star