SOMETHING OLD
Paul Simon - Duncan
1972
Paul Simon - Duncan
1972
Simon & Garfunkel left a lasting impact on music in only six years. By 1970, Bridge Over Troubled Water marked the end of an era when the duo parted ways. It was time for Paul Simon to embark on his own journey, which started with his self-titled solo album.
The second track, Duncan, bears a resemblance to the final S&G album’s second track: El Condor Pasa (If I Could). Both songs feature the Andean folk music group Los Incas on Peruvian instruments such as the pan flute. Simon, who appears to have a deep admiration for this style of music, comes across to me as almost mimicking the breathy flute sound in lines like my survival around 2:10.
The song tells the story of a young man who’s feeling lost. He’s away from home, destitute, seeking both salvation and sex from a Pentecostal preacher girl he met in a parking lot. But for as long as he can play his guitar, he’s just thanking the Lord for his fingers.
SOMETHING NEW
Dry Cleaning - Hit My Head All Day
September 29th, 2025
Dry Cleaning - Hit My Head All Day
September 29th, 2025
Shortly after ringing in the new year of 2026, South London group Dry Cleaning will release Secret Love, their third album. The record is produced by Cate Le Bon, whose influences you can already hear on what will be its opening track: Hit My Head All Day.
This song is a bit of a trip, and you’ve gotta be in the right mood for it. The mood required? Maybe a little cynical... yet silly... and ready for plenty of boosted bass in a post-punk vein. The instruments soar psychedelically, the vocals are more spoken then sung, and as Stereogum described, it “retains its itchy, offbeat feeling.”
Lyrically, vocalist Florence Shaw described the song as both playful yet addressing very real dangers happening in our society. She said it’s about “manipulations of the body and mind,” originally inspired by social media misinformation by the far right that disguises itself as something well-intentioned and trustworthy. Shaw said, “It’s easy to fall under the influence of a sinister stranger who seems like a friend” – with the suggestion that seeking our trust is how they manipulate us into voting a certain way, or throwing our money in a certain direction.
Having this context while hearing the verse about wanting be a horse as a child makes for a fun lyrical analysis.
SOMETHING BORROWED
Tori Amos - Strange Little Girl (The Stranglers)
2001
Tori Amos - Strange Little Girl (The Stranglers)
2001
I’ve been happily noticing some love online lately for The Stranglers’ Golden Brown off their 1981 album La Folie, a very special baroque pop waltz. Another mysterious, psychedelic pop tune on that record is Strange Little Girl.
Strange Little Girl opens with synths that feel like they’re flowing underwater. It builds with a chime, tame vocals, a steady drum beat, and a manipulated guitar riff. Grown men saying “little girl” is always a little disconcerting, the questions Strange little girl, where are you going? Do you know where you could be going? raise many of my own questions, but they match the enigmatic sound.
The whole record marked a bit of a departure from their earlier much more rowdy and punk-influenced music. Tori Amos, in 2001, though, blended the mysterious psych-pop back with a heavier sound. The chorus features, to me, a distinctly 2000s rock sound with metal-esque guitars and louder drums than the Stranglers had opted for.
Amos manages not to let the song lose its mystique, even when taking it to another decibel level.
SOMETHING... WITCHY
HALLOWEEN-INSPIRED THEMES ALL OCTOBER
Redbone - Witch Queen Of New Orleans
1971
HALLOWEEN-INSPIRED THEMES ALL OCTOBER
Redbone - Witch Queen Of New Orleans
1971
Here’s a funky and spooky one from Redbone about the legendary Marie Laveau of 1800s New Orleans.
Complete with New Orleans R&B sensibilities, screeching violins, a bassline in a VERY deep groove, this song is perfect for Halloween or any day in the French Quarter.
Alongside our weekly Halloween keyword theme, this song doubles as an honor and celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day!
Yaqui/Shoshone/Mexican Brothers Pat and Lolly Vasquez-Vegas formed Redbone in LA in 1969, recruiting more Native American and Mexican American band members. They were the first Native American band to have the success they did, especially following Come and Get Your Love. Talk about trailblazers!