You know, I thought I had listened to a lot of albums this year.  Dozens of 2022 albums.  Then, I started to read the "best of 2022" lists from a few publications and music writers. That was a reminder that there is SO much music released each year, and unless you are listening to music all day every day for your job, it's not possible to hear all of it.  There is certainly a whole pile of music that I missed, and it's likely that I would have really loved some of those albums. That said, here are some of the things I enjoyed.

Much like last year, some artists from my youth in the 90s put out new music this year.  Eddie Vedder released a solo album that was better than I was expecting it to be. Spoon released a new album, and if you read a few of the well-known music blogs, you'll see it turning up in a few lists of the top 2022 albums. There were also new offerings from Big Wreck (loved it), Metric (meh), Stabbing Westward (sounded like Stabbing Westward), Superchunk (very good and contains "Endless Summer", one of my favorite songs of the year), Placeob (I dug it), and Collective Soul (superb). Here's a sentence that I copied almost word-for-word from last year's blog: Guided By Voices released three albums this year, because of course they did.

In order to show that we've got more great stuff than just GBV, some other excellent 2022 albums from right here in Dayton, Ohio: Sad Songs From Ohio by Harold Hensley (roots/folk), Midwest Sorrow by TINO (hip-hop/rap), Peculiar by Yuppie (indie rock), Heather Redman & The Reputation by Heather Redman (soulful rock), E Pluribus M Ross by M Ross Perkins (70s sounding psychedelic pop), and Midwest Romance by Zac Pitts (poppy punky rock). 

Some other things that I dug, but didn't crack my top ten are albums from Koffee, Bartees Strange (favorite song "Hennessy"), SANNI, Nilufer Yanya (favorite song "Midnight Sun"), Mamalarky, Nick Campbell (favorite song "Your Kisses Taste like Jazz"), Isla Craig, Lauren Light, Jahmiel, The Smile, and Calexico.

 

Here are my top ten favorite albums, and other than the first one, they are in no particular order.

 

 

Oceanator - Nothing's Ever Fine

Oceanator is Elise Okusami's project name. She is from Brooklyn. This is, I believe, her second full-length album. If you'd like to read an excellent written interview with Elise, my pal Taylor Ruckle did one for Post-Trash. This album is called Nothing's Ever Fine, but everything here is definitely more than fine.

You can tell by looking at the list of song titles that Elise cares about album sequencing, which warms my heart. We open with "Morning", track 6 is called "Post Meridian", and we close with "Evening".  This album grabbed me right from the jump with "Morning"'s copious layers of guitars. Indeed, there is no shortage of energetic distorted rock goodness here, but the entire project doesn't just plow ahead at the same tempo... there are some changes of pace and texture for you to discover.  (Looking at you, "Solar Flares".)

Elise co-produced this album with her quite tastefully named brother, and with Bartees Strange. I feel no small amount of jealousy here, as I would really love to work with Bartees Strange, and even reached out to him about this way back in fall 2020. I feel like he would really understand the things I want to do musically, and be able to take me there, but also probably contribute some unique weirdness. Alas, that's probably something that's impossible now, given how his profile has risen and how much his career as an artist has taken off.  Elise and he are friends, and that surely contributed to making it easier to get him on this Oceanator record. 

I like the songs here, I like the sound here, I really dig the excellent music video for "Bad Brain Daze", and I can't wait to hear what future music comes from Oceanator. This is exactly the kind of album I want to hear, and Oceanator delivered. In fact, the next time I make a rock record, I won't be satisfied until it sounds at least as good as Nothing's Ever Fine.  This is my favorite album of 2022.

• Favorite songs: "The Last Summer", "Stuck", "Bad Brain Daze"

 

 

 

Cherimondis J - Dove Archer

Cherimondis is still in college, and is studying music.  She's an accomplished pianist in her music program, but also plays violin, and as you can hear on this album, she knows how to write a song. You're getting some soulful R&B grooves on Dove Archer, with sounds that might remind you of a few different flavors of music from the 70s, all wrapped up in a beautiful voice.

• Favorite songs: "Milk And Honey", "Let It Be"

 

 

 

 

Mobley - Cry Havoc!

So, I think Mobley is a genius. Truly. This gentleman is an artist's artist, self-producing this EP, and handling the visual aspects of the project, including video. I mean, check out the concept and his dancing in the video for "stay volk". I've watched it several times, and never stop being impressed. He writes the concepts, directs, produces, and edits his own videos. Every one that comes with this EP is worthy of your time.  He plays violin and trumpet and piano and guitar, and probably another half dozen instruments.

Cry Havoc! is a concept EP, focusing on a character.  I don't want to take the listening/watching experience away from you, so I won't go into more detail here, but if you wanted more information before you dig in, there are interviews with Mobley out there on the Internet.  I can't wait to hear more music from this Austin-based musician, I can't wait to see more videos from him, and I'd really like to catch a live show.

• Favorite songs: "stay volk", "lord"

 

 

 

Dazy - Out of Body

One of the reasons I take the time to write this particular blog entry every year is the hope that somebody somewhere will read it and find new-to-them music that they end up loving. That's how I found out about Dazy.  I had never heard of James Goodson, who is Dazy. Then I read a blog post by Josh Terry in which he described Out of Body like this:

"Imagine if every Fountains of Wayne song was written to be played at ear-shattering volumes".

Yes, please. Sold. I love this album.

• Favorite songs: "On My Way", "Deadline", "Ladder"

 

 

 

 

Amanda Shires - Take It Like A Man

I've been trying to listen to more country music recently.  It's something that didn't resonate with me at all, not even in the smallest, most insignificant way, until the last five years or so.  There were just so many things that were off-putting to me; the affected twang of the vocals when the singers didn't talk that way, twangy instrumentation, the bass parts barely daring to do anything other than root/fifth pedaling, the overly simplistic and less-than-creative compositions, the systemic racism... you know, those sorts of things.  Last year, however, there were touches of Americana and roots music in the list of my favorite albums, and I've certainly enjoyed live experiences with country-adjacent bands local to my area. I also really appreciate the efforts of Black Opry. At the end of the day, in some ways, genre is only a construct, and a well-written song is a well-written song, right?

There's your background for my listening expectations as I approached Take It Like A Man.  Amanda Shires is ostensibly a country artist.  After all, she's a fiddle player by trade. That said, I don't hear many of the things I historically didn't enjoy about country music on this album. First of all, the songwriting is excellent.. and if you write a good enough song, it should sound good with just about any kind of instrumental interpretation. Not only are these songs good, they are lushly layered and presented.  There are full string sections here, giving a much more luxurious harmonic pad than only fiddle, or a steel guitar.  There are things on this album that sound like rock to me.  There are things on this album that sound like pop to me. It's all tied together by Amanda's voice.

This is an artist with something to say, which is evident when one really concentrates on the lyrics. So if this right here is country music, ok then, I like country music.

• Favorite songs:  "Empty Cups", "Here He Comes", "Lonely at Night"

 

 

 

Guided By Voices - Crystal Nuns Cathedral

Let me guess what you're thinking.  How in the world can a band crank out two or three albums a year and expect people to keep up?  How could all of the songs possibly be good?  Well, speaking personally, I've had a hard time keeping up with Bob Pollard's output.  There was a time when I bought every single GBV full-length that came out, and I'm reasonably well versed in their material from 1994 to 2004.  However, keeping an ear on everything they do is a challenge for me now.  I mean, they released three albums in 2019, three albums in 2020, two albums in 2021, and three this year.  That's crazy output!  Are all of the songs good?

Well, I didn't get around to listening to ALL of those albums.  I can tell you that I definitely liked both of the albums that came out last year. Their first album of this year, Crystal Nuns Cathedral - their 35th album (!) - is full of good songs.  The songs are just as catchy as what you would expect, but the distorted guitars feel fuller than at times in the past, and string sections show up a few times. It seems that the band has permanently dispatched with the lo-fi recording aesthetic, and I'm ok with that. This is a solid rock and roll record from a solid rock and roll band.  We really shouldn't be surprised, should we?

• Favorite songs: "Climbing a Ramp", "Come North Together", "Excited Ones"

 

 

 

The Linda Lindas - Growing Up

Ok, they're kids. They're obviously getting some help, of course.  It turns out that the father of half the band is an industry professional with tons of experience.  He engineered, mixed, and produced this album, and is surely the reason that it sounds so polished. No doubt he's also helped them to get some endorsements and opportunities.  Ok, set that aside.

These kids all play their own instruments.  These kids write the songs.  When they play live, these kids perform the songs.  The songs are catchy and punky.  A couple of them remind me of what Sleater-Kinney might be like if they added a bass player. Some of the material is the sort of thing you might imagine kids would write about, like growing up, a pet cat, or a racist sexist boy at school.  I like this album. If they were out of school long enough to go on tour, I'd go see them if I could. For now, I'll settle for their appearance on NPR's Tiny Desk series.

This album is fun.  Turn it up.

• Favorite songs: "Oh!", "Talking To Myself", "Cuántas Veces", "Racist, Sexist Boy"

 

 

 

Momma - Household Name

If Momma keeps cranking out music like this, one would think they'd end up a Household Name, like their album title says. This is apparently their third album, so by now one would think they know what kind of band they are. Hooks?  Yes. Distorted guitars?  Uh huh.  Vocal harmonies?  Plenty of them.  A sense of dynamics?  It's loud-quiet-loud on a few of these songs. 

In case you are curious as to who I might compare them to, well, I'd have to think a bit.  They're guitar-forward rock and roll, and there are a few moments where they remind me very much of Veruca Salt, but that's likely mostly due to the vocal harmonies. Really, the sounds here taken as a whole remind me of the mid-nineties in general, the kind of music that teenage me would crank up in the car.  The folks in this band were certainly not alive then, but if that's the kind of music that influences them - and if you listen to this you will realize it absolutely is - well, what's wrong with that?

• Favorite songs: "Rockstar", "Lucky", "Spider"

 

 

 

Lung - Let It Be Gone

The album that Lung released in 2021 made my top ten.  I guess I'm consistent.  No, LUNG is consistent... consistently interesting and awesome.  Like I probably wrote in my end-of-year article last year, nobody sounds like Lung.  I challenge you, dear reader, to find me an artist that sounds like what Kate and Daisy are doing.  I don't think you will. They are described as "art punk cello rock".  Sure.  I didn't write that description, but I'd like you to know that there is indeed a cello involved, and they do indeed rock.

Certainly, few bands work as hard as Lung.  Head on over to their website and look at the tour page. They are true road warriors, playing here and there and everywhere, both near and far. In fact, this particular album was mostly written while the band was running around Europe and North America. I imagine they tested these songs in front of live audiences dozens of times before deciding what would make the album. 

Lung are not so busy being different and interesting that they don't bother writing catchy songs.  Quite the contrary.  There are cello riffs on this album that will have you humming along.  (This is definitely the first time I have ever typed the phrase "cello riffs".)  Much like on last year's Come Clean Right Now, the songs on this album sound bigger than you might expect from a band consisting of two people. Some of that is due to studio magic, but before you chalk it 100% up to the studio, I'd like you to know that they sound a lot bigger than only two people when they're playing a live show. It's part of the charm.  It's part of the rock.  Play this one loud.

• Favorite songs: "Sick", "The Prettiest Machine", "Siren Song"

 

 

 

 

Feeder - Torpedo

I discovered this band in 1997, shortly after their debut album Polythene. I loved that album front to back, and think it still holds up. I even caught Feeder live that year at the Newport Music Hall on High Street in Columbus, where they played with Jimmie's Chicken Shack and Everclear. Feeder was everything that the late 90s version of me wanted in a rock band - distorted guitar, memorable melodies,  big rock sound.  Here we are twenty-five years later, and they're still doing what they do.

This doesn't mean that Feeder is exactly the same as then. I bought their first four albums, and they understandably got more melancholy and introspective on Comfort In Sound, the album that came out after the death of their original drummer. I lost track of Feeder since then, missing a handful of albums.  It wasn't them, it was me. The new one here still brings the rock, but it sounds so much bigger than anything I remember from them. The lyrics on Torpedo were apparently very much inspired by some sort of global pandemic, but the big rock songs come out feeling kind of optimistic somehow.

If you have ever liked anything you've heard from this band, you'll like Torpedo.  I'm sure of this. It's everything you loved about this band, just louder, and without the sparkle of youth.  If you don't know this band, well, how do you feel about rock and roll?  If you like stuff that rocks, well, this album will hit you like... (don't say it, don't say it)

.... a torpedo.

• Favorite songs: "When It All Breaks Down", "Wall of Silence", "Born To Love You", "Submission"

artwork by Rob McCowan of Odd Hourz Creative

 

I don't often write happy songs.  I don't ever write songs about my wife.  The reason for both of these things is that my attempts generally turn out to be awful.  Low quality.  Banal.  My wife has come to accept that neither she nor our relationship are about to be subject matter for my art.  Surprise!  Here's a change of pace.

3rd November 2022 was our 15th wedding anniversary.  That's worth celebrating in a special way, so we're over in Mauritius not working and enjoying a vacation.  (Clearly, I'm writing this blog entry well in advance of our departure.)  I'm not great at anniversary presents.  I think the last decent one from me was a set of diamond earrings, but alas, I am no longer in the jewelry buying business.  However, I can manage to write a song as a present. That's the decision.  Misty gets a song.

I started by borrowing the chord progression from one of my favorite Radiohead songs.  Next I worked out a melodic structure, being careful to make sure the melody didn't sound anything like the song from which I took the chords.  (I challenge you to figure out which song the chords are from.)  I knew that I wanted the overall feel to be like an Elbow song.  Remember, we both love Elbow.  

 

Verse 1:

A gentle tremor wakes me, I look out the window of the train 
The golden hills of Burgundy, brighter in life than in paint 
Where white and red are pseudonyms for Meursault or Beaujolais 
This is better now that you are here

Those lyrics are about our visit to France's wine-producing region Bourgogne.  I had been there before when I was much much younger and single. Some time ago, we went as a couple.

 

Verse 2:

Market in the morning, shouting from the street in the night 
Cobblestones and Catalan, saffron threads and candlelight 
Sudden crushing sickness that I don’t have the energy to fight 
This is better because you are here

We went to Barcelona for our 5th anniversary.  I managed to get the worst food poisoning of my life on this trip.  That experience is now immortalized in song.

 

Verse 3:

A gentle tremor wakes me, I look out the window of the plane 
The takeoffs and the landings, cruising altitude, champagne 
Walking through the streets of Paris, Nouméa, Marseille 
This is better because you are here

My first version of this song did not have a third verse.  I remember discussing this with the kind gentleman who engineered the song, Rich Reuter.  He thought a third verse would be a good thing.  Also, I thought I'd get closer to feeling like an Elbow song with a third verse.  When it came time to do the vocals, Rich told me that my lyrics weren't good enough.  He was right.  I took a few minutes and re-wrote the third verse.  This is much better.  It even has a reference to an Elbow song or two, though I doubt it's enough to get me sued.  Like the rest of the song, it's one hundred percent based on reality.

 

Chorus:

Side by side never mind the where 
Up and down good and bad to share 
Having holding even when I break 
Losing you is more than I can bear                         
So don’t you disappear

 

There you have it.

 

I came to Rich with the song all structured out, and as we talked through it, there were some changes.  I knew I needed a bridge, but I wasn't sure how to go about it.  Rich wrote the instrumental bridge, and came up with the idea for the bass solo by noodling around on a guitar. I liked the notes he played, and figured that it would make more sense to have a bass solo in this song than a guitar solo.  Rich also ran with my idea of double tracking bass in the turnaround after the second chorus... we've got a nice bass harmony in there.  Due to the changes he made to the song, it's only fair that he gets an official songwriting credit.  His ability to understand the mood and feel I was going for led to excellent instrumental choices.

"For Misty" is very likely my best vocal performance thus far.  Previously, I think it was this song, or perhaps this one, but not anymore.  I'm the only vocalist here, and I'm proud of the harmonies.

Normally I would link to it here, but remember how I'm writing this blog entry in the past?  Well, this song is a surprise.  At the time of writing, Misty doesn't know that it's a thing.  Assuming I executed my plan correctly, she found out back on November 3rd, which was this past Thursday.  I encourage you, dear reader, to go listen to "For Misty" on the streaming service of your choice repeatedly and often.  If you'd like to give us an anniversary present, you can download a high quality version of the song over on my Bandcamp page for $15, or if you can wait a couple of weeks to give us that present, I'll have it up on my official website here when we get back from our trip.

 

Credits where credits are due:

Lyrics by Mike Bankhead 
Music by Mike Bankhead & Rich Reuter 

Mike Bankhead - bass, triangle, vocals 
Rich Reuter - guitar, keys 
Kyle Sweney - drums 

Engineered & Mixed by Rich Reuter at Homeway Studios in Dayton, Ohio 

Additional Engineering by Seth Canan & Chris Stewart at Trojan City Studios in Troy, Ohio 

Produced by Rich Reuter & Mike Bankhead 

Mastered by Tim Pritchard at Great Horned Audio in Dayton, Ohio 

Artwork by Rob McCowan at Odd Hourz Creative in Austin, Texas 

©℗ 2022 You Could Be My Aramis Music (BMI)

Let's say I vanish.  How long would it take before anyone noticed?  That's a little personal mental game that I have been playing for decades now.  Here are three editions.

*** 

I'm not here
This isn't happening

Not only is Colin's bass line here absolutely perfect, this song should be held up as a shining example of "how to use an Ondes Martenot."

Late fall 1999.  I've been in France nearly three weeks.  My first trip out of the country, and I went alone.  By this time in the trip, I have made many new friends (several of whom remain friends to this day), had unforgettable experiences, and was nearly out of funds. I was also at this point alone in Arles... maybe that place has a general deleterious effect on mental health. The enthusiastic and amazed "I'm not here/this isn't happening" feelings from earlier in the trip had fallen away, and the loneliness began to clothe itself in those same words.  I strolled alongside the Rhône one night, giving serious consideration to hopping over the barrier into the black water below and letting it take me to the Mediterranean.  This thought appeared over and over: not a single human being has any idea where I am right now.  If I jump, how long before anyone finds out who I was or where I was from?  Would anyone even bother to ask?

 

***

China 2009. I am in a city with millions of people. It is the weekend. I am alone.  I am alone, but I am conspicuous.  I tower over the vast majority of the surrounding humans, and I am much darker than them.  People stare.  People ask to have their photos taken with me.  I can't communicate, as I don't speak Cantonese.  It is hot and the humidity is stifling.  The subway is sparkling clean, air conditioned, and has signs that sometimes resemble English.  Despite being a very foreign person in what to me is a very foreign land, at no point do I feel unsafe... uneasy, yes... unsafe, no.  Surely there is crime somewhere, but I don't see any.  Surely there is abject poverty, but in the tiny pieces of the city I pass through, I don't see any.  The thought is back: not a single human being has any idea where I am right now.  What happens if I have an accident?  What happens if I disappear?  It is Saturday, and I don't have to go back to the office until Monday.  Surely someone would notice on Monday that I didn't arrive at work.  What happens then?  Do they call the hotel?  I don't have a mobile phone that functions in this country, so it is impossible to call me.  Would anyone even bother to search?  Are morgues here even set up to accommodate someone of my height?

 

***

Chris.

 

Summer 2003.  I have driven West on I-10 from El Paso to Tucson.  I have passed a border patrol checkpoint not all that close to the border that made no sense at all to someone who grew up in the Midwest.  I have passed saguaro cactus that I have only seen in cartoons and on television.  I have made this trip to attend a convention.  I don't have any friends here.  I spend the weekend alone.  To this day, I don't remember any of the content from the convention, I don't remember any of the meals I might have consumed, I don't remember any of the sights or sounds of Tucson.  I remember only the sweltering desert heat and the overwhelming loneliness.  My friends and family are nearly two thousand miles east and north.  Here comes that thought: not a single human being has any idea where I am right now.  If I melt into the desert, how long before anyone even realizes that I'm missing?  Will anyone even notice?

***

I play this game less frequently these days because, well, we're in a pandemic and I have turned into a hermit.  Now that we are a one car household, the most readily available form of transportation for me is my legs.  If I take the car, my wife would notice.  If she gets home with the car and I'm not here, she would notice.  Some games outlive their utility.

 

I mispronounced Treneti Brown's first name until I was corrected.  Here's how you pronounce it: Tre NET i, with the stress on the second syllable.  Everyone got that?  Good.  

Treneti plays bass, and those who know me well know that I have lots of love for fellow purveyors of the bottom end.  She released an album called Psalms of Saturn earlier this year.  It is soulful and moving and soothing, with some jazz influences.  You can find it on all of your standard streaming services, but since Bandcamp Friday is happening this week on September 4th, why not visit Treneti's Bandcamp page?

Interview after the photo:

 

 

1.  Let's hear the elevator pitch for your skill set and genre 

I am a vocalist, bassist, songwriter and producer. My music sits in the space between genres, it has felt best for me calling it Avant Garde Soul. 

2.  It's always nice to talk to a fellow bass player.  Can you tell me about the instrument you most use for performing and recording?

Yes! I love that you play bass too. For performance I use a 6-string Schecter with flat wound gold strings. The flat wound strings are the key to my sound. It allows me space to play with the frets and bend notes without it sounding tingy or rough. For the recording of the album I use 3 different bass guitars, My OG acoustic electric bass, I call her Caress, was played on Sway, Bamboo and RA. This was very sentimental since I wrote those songs on that bass. 

3.  What was the first album you can remember buying with your own money? 

Wowzer that's a tuff one, I think it was a cassette actually and it was Aayliah. 

4.  Tell me about the last concert you saw. 

The last memorable show I saw was Lauren Hill. 

5.  What artists do you consider to be your biggest influences? 

Bjork, Low Leaf for sure seeing Low Leaf live really helped me see there was space for my voice and my message in the music industry. I also am very inspired by Radiohead and Bob Marley. 

6. If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be? 

I'd destroy the record labels and CEO's who have investments in the prison system and are creating artists to be puppets, preaching and glorifying diminishing behavioral patterns to our brown and black youth, causing them to make decisions that land them in prison cells. Which is allow these insidious companies to make money on both ends of the deal. Its evil, mental and physical enslavement. I'd like to destroy them. Like literally dematerialize them and everything they have ever created. 

7.  You started as a professional dancer.  (I read your bio.)  I can kind of understand the appeal of bass with that background, given that its main function is in the rhythm section.  When did you start learning how to play, and when did you start writing your own songs? 

I really quantum shifted into music. You are absolutely correct, I grew a very strong love for bass as a dancer, to me the bass is the secret sauce controlling the whole mood and groove of the entire song. (Mike adds: Yes.  Yes, it is.) I loved the instrument so much as a dancer that I got the bass clef tattooed on my arm. I have always surrounded myself with high level musicians but I never saw myself as one. When I was 27 I started feeling a deep urge to create music. It became undeniable, I talk about this journey in the Book Psalms of Saturn that accompanies this debut album. A friend of mine who is a bassist saw my tattoo one day when we were at this jam I used to host in LA called Cosmic Soup, it was a place for musicians and dancers to come together and improvise while sipping yummy kava kava root. He asked me if I played kind of assuming I did since I had the tattoo. When I told him no and that I didn't know what my instrument was yet he looked surprised. Soon after, he invited me to his house to try playing his bass. It was love at first thump. I played for hours and then I went and got my own as soon as possible. I started receiving lyrics and simple melodies when I was 24 but I didn't actually start writing songs until I got my bass. The songs came through me intuitively and taught me how to play the instrument as they came through. Spending time in the woods was also a great teacher. I mimicked the patterns in the plants to create bass lines and listened to the plants in meditative states to learn how to sing. Everything happened really fast for me. It's like deep down inside I was already a musician and I just needed to say yes, remember some things and step into it for my career to activate. 

8.  What is your songwriting process like these days? 

These days I have been leaning more into my sound through adding some electronic music production to my palette, creating my own beat labyrinths is giving me even more freedom with my voice than I could have imagined. Having access to adjusting the textures of each tone in my compositions is allowing me space to pull in more of the cosmic melodies I hear in my head. I am enjoying really sinking into exploration right now and seeing where these new sounds take me. Lyrically, I keep my voice memo app handy I receive more lyrics than I can use. They come through all the time. I bath everyday and turn my phone on airplane mode and record with the app while I sing the lyrics I receive in the tub. I call it bath church! lol

***

This is Treneti's official website.  That's a good place to start to learn more about her.  You can also find Treneti on Facebook and Instagram.

Since I'm getting old, I don't remember the first time I started to have dreams in languages other than English.  Suffice it to say that is was a very long time ago.  If I were to guess, I would say I was probably in high school.  For a year in high school, thanks to an exchange student from Ankara who arrived only being able to speak Turkish and French, and another exchange student from Northern France, I spoke French just about every day.  In fact, it was awhile before I bothered speaking English to these particular students... after all, they had to learn enough of it first to be conversant, and though my French was certainly not good, it was good enough that I could have a conversation... ah, but I am off topic.  The topic is dreams.

 

 

I love so much about this song by the way.  The bass slides in the turnaround after the first chorus, yes.  The subtle distorted guitar that comes and goes, which I especially like in the second verse.  That arpeggio that plays during the verses.  The strings.  The way the feel of agitation grows, then releases.  Thom's falsetto.  

I don't personally have very many dreams that I would categorize as "nice", but usually when I do, there is plenty of non-English dialogue involved.  It's probably normal for people in our lives to show up in our dreams, and there are plenty of people in my life for whom English is not their native language.  For my dear friends who speak French (like people I write songs about), when they show up in my dreams, they show up speaking French.  For the people I know who speak Spanish, when there is a conversation with them during a dream, it's in Spanish.  

Here's what I wish were a thing:  I wish there was a way to record this stuff.  See, I wonder if my pronunciation and grammar and whatnot is better in dreams than it is in real life.  I feel like it very well might be, as the conscious brain just gets in the way sometimes, you know?