Purty

Some music is real purty. These songs make me want to turn my face upwards and sway from side to side, kind of like a tipsy wolf baying at the moon:

  • Black Heart (Calexico). He sings “One man’s righteousness is another man’s long haul” and the high plaintive strings unfold, destiny rushing up to overwhelm you like a flash flood in the desert.
  • Don’t Worry Baby (Beach Boys). Brian Wilson, Brian Wilson, if you only knew what those soaring high falsetto notes in the verses do to me, you would take out a restraining order pronto. I just found out the song has an entire review to itself at AMG and is analysed in mindboggling musical detail elsewhere, so I will refrain from further gibbering and go try to solidify my melted innards.
  • Stephanie Says (Velvet Underground). That violin melody in the background is just indescribable. I probably shouldn’t be describing anything by (arguably) founding fathers of punk as a darling perfect little gem of a song you just want to keep close to your heart and love and cherish forever, but it really just is.

In case you were wondering, I am not drunk. These songs are just really that purty.