Fionn the Four-Leaf Clover

The Emerald Isle has given us many modern day folk icons, like Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan. So in honor of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day, which, despite my lack of Irish heritage, I will ironically celebrate tomorrow, I’d like to showcase one of my new favorite (and Irish) singer-songwriters, Fionn Regan. He has a few independently released EPs, but his 2007 debut album, The End of History, which I’ve just discovered, took me by surprise and became an instant staple in my musical library. This fighting Irishman says he channels the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young, but if you’re a fan of Sufjan Stevens, Elliott Smith, Elvis Perkins or good folk music in general, stumbling upon Fionn is the luck of the Irish for you. In a sea of mediocre folk singers, musicians and lyricists, Fionn is the four-leaf clover you’ve been searching for.

Fionn‘s music is simple yet intricate, like all good folk music should be, in my unhumble opinion. He has it all: simple lyrics, simple melodies, simple arrangements. Yet his lyrics are rife with references and deeper meanings, his vocals strongly carry the melodies, and his musical arrangements may be sparse, but his guitar picking is brilliant.

Musical comparisons will do him no justice, so just go ahead and take a listen to my personal favorite, The Underwood Typewriter:

One of his most popular tracks, Put A Penny In the Slot, is a lyrical masterpiece reminiscent of Dylan:

For more on Fionn Regan, you can check out his official website and myspace page. If you feel so inclined, he also twitters, which means he personally bares his soul to you in 140 characters or less. For more on the Irish, wake up tomorrow, dress in green, get some nonalcoholic beer for irony and eat some corned beef and cabbage. On behalf of Bobcat, this is Paul A. Ab-Dul saying watch out for those  lecherous leprechauns and have a hip and happy St. Patty’s Day.

Mixtape Challenge: Paul Edition.

Here it is, my response to our own challenge. Bobcat’s should follow soon.
I’ve provided you all with links to all the songs. These may range from music videos to live shows to Dawson’s Creek fanvids–bear with me. I did the best I could. Besides, who couldn’t use a little more Dawson/Joey in their lives? That’s what I thought.

1. A song with an impressive intro: Special – The Brakes

Okay, so it’s not the most dramatic entrance ever, but, as a whole, I feel like it’s a pretty good kick start to the list. And The Brakes are great.

2. A song with a literary allusion: Lolita – Throw Me the Statue

Bubbly vocals and jangly guitars. Infectiously poppy. This song makes me happy–very much unlike Nabokov’s masterpiece of the same name. But as a side note, if anyone could explain to me what exactly is going on in this video (particularly the end), that would be great. I mean, I get the lecherous old man and all, but somewhere around 2:30 in my mind just explodes.

3. A song released 20+ years ago: Tangled Up In Blue – Bob Dylan

This needs no description. What hipster doesn’t love them some Dylan? Tangled Up In Blue is one of my favorites, and this is by far my favorite version of it. Enjoy it and try to ignore the fact that Dylan must have been running late from his audition for The Dark Knight.

4. A rap song that fits within the realm of hipsterness: Ain’t That Right – G. Love

Flow to G. Love’s flow! A definite feel-good summer track. Not definite rap. Shh.

5. A song by the first band you saw in concert: Half A Heart – Barenaked Ladies

This could have been many songs, but I felt this was the best fit. Plus, I’m a sucker for Ed ballads. You can just smell that self-pity and self-loathing. Oh, ambivalence. Oh, memories. Oh, Barenaked Ladies! (Oh, Ed!) Do you understand my tenderest affections for them now?! They were my first. I will never forget that night. <3

6. A song that mentions or alludes (clearly) to a historical figure: Decatur, Or, Round Of Applause For Your Stepmother! – Sufjan Stevens

Not one, but two mentions! Anyone who has not been distracted by the lines “Stephen A. Douglas was a great debater, but Abraham Lincoln was the great emancipator!” running rampant through his or her head during an American history exam has not lived. Thanks for the answer to that multiple choice, Sufjan.

7. A song employing a foreign language either in part or whole: Larmes – Pauline Croze

Pauline Croze is, without a doubt, the best use of my eight year French education. That being said, I rarely understand what she’s saying. Although I do know larmes is French for ‘tears.’ I also believe she’s saying “The flow of our tears purifies our souls” at the end there. See AP French? You were not entirely in vain.

8. A song that describes your hometown: Welcome to Suburbia – Jeremy Messersmith

“We’ve got cul-de-sacs and barbecues in suburbia. Welcome to the rest of your life.” Enough said. (Jeremy Messersmith is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter from Minneapolis. He’s got good stuff. Check him out.)

9. A song that mentions fruit: Fruit Tree – Nick Drake

Nick Drake is a musical staple of mine. Excellent lyricist, guitarist and singer. This song is particularly poignant as it muses on fame after death (“Fame is but a fruit tree so very unsound /It can never flourish till its stalk is in the ground”); at 26, and in the midst of his relatively unsuccessful career, Drake overdosed. His genius was only recognized years after his untimely death. This song is both beautiful and eerily prophetic. His catalog is a veritable treasure trove. Go forth and ransack it.

10. The most heart wrenchingly sad song you know: Between the Bars – Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith is yet another tragic story of one gone before his time. Between the Bars is a bittersweet ballad and a whispered pledge to help another fend off their demons. It makes me sad. And Elliott Smith makes me sad. That’s all.

11. A song containing alliteration: Sunday Sun – Beck

One of my favorite songs off of one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite artists. I can’t really go wrong there. I hold the alliteration to be self evident.

12. An unlikely cover: Bitches Ain’t Shit – Ben Folds

WARNING: This is song contains explicit lyrics.. if you couldn’t tell. I never thought someone could make this into a emotive ballad of betrayal and lost love. Well played, Ben Folds. Well played.

13. A song that name drops another artist: Taxi Driver – Gym Class Heroes

Look! More rap. Does this compensate for #4? It should. Plus, it manages to smoothly name drop multiple bands that could wear this button with unironic pride. (For the record, we want this one.)

14. A song by the band you most swoon over: Skin Is, My – Andrew Bird

I’m going to restrain myself. Once you get me going on Andrew Bird, it’s only a matter of time before everything I say starts to sound like high-pitched fangirlish SQUEE’s of delight.

15. A song about endings: The End – The Beatles

A fitting ending. The Beatles. An obvious choice.

So there you have it.

For the Love of Bob

Everyone’s doing covers these days. Most of the time I cringe visibly, sometimes at the forced, imitated inflections of voice, sometimes at the lack of originality, sometimes at the overexertion of artistic license, but often because I will never again be able to listen to a song I once enjoyed without a terrible rip-off of it echoing in the back of my mind. A copy of the I’m Not There soundtrack recently made its way into my hands, begging a listen or two, although I am usually wary of Dylan covers. I liked it well enough, generally; it had its gems and its duds for me–but that’s not important, although I always find my own musical opinion important. The point is, it made me think about covers–and Bob Dylan covers specifically. And for the love of Bob, I felt the need to discuss my favorite Dylan covers with all of you.

#4. Lay Lady Lay – Magnet & Gemma Hayes

Although it’s something I would likely do, don’t discount this cover because it appears on the Mr. and Mrs. Smith soundtrack. It’s good. Naturally, it’s more produced than Dylan’s version, featuring strings and horns and whatnot, but it’s not totally dissimilar (or beyond recognition like uh.. Ministry’s version of this song, for instance). Magnet’s take on it was original enough to be memorable, though, turning it into a sultry duet, rather than one man’s attempted smooth operating in order to peel some panties. As beautifully as Dylan can pull that off, this version’s worth a listen. You can find it and some other nice little Norwegian Magnet tunes at his myspace.

#3. Ring Them Bells – Sufjan Stevens

I’m hesitant to say too much about this one because the song pretty much speaks for itself. It’s one of those absolutely delightfully whimsical track you’d expect from Sufjan Stevens. Tempo changes, sweet harmonies, a wide range of instruments, dynamics, dramatics, etc.–all the hallmarks of Sufjan. He made “Ring Them Bells” his own, but not in the way that makes me die on the inside while listening to it. Give it a listen at the I’m Not There Soundtrack myspace.

#2. Simple Twist of Fate – Jeff Tweedy

This song is one of the covers to appear on I’m Not There. I was less worried about Jeff Tweedy’s take on the song (I like both him and Wilco very much) and more worried about any cover of this song in general, it being my favorite song on Blood On the Tracks and all. However, I should have had more faith in Tweedy; his rendition of this song makes it difficult for me to place it at #2, as it would be worthy of #1, if not for the fact that I’m thoroughly enamored with #1 and have been long enough for it to reach 367 plays on iTunes. Tweedy not only does the song justice, but, if I may be so bold as to suggest such a thing, makes an even more poignant and beautiful version than Dylan. Excuse me for my heresy. Vocally, he does mimic Dylan somewhat, but he brings a different sort of tone to the song. He also replaces the harmonica, which (excuse the heresy again) I always found nice but a little out of place in this song, for violin. I believe you can only find this version on the I’m Not There soundtrack, but you can listen to it, along with three of my other favorites from the soundtrack, online here.

#1. Oh Sister – Andrew Bird

I will say this confidently without apologizing for the heresy: this version simply outdoes Dylan’s. Those who know me know my undying love for Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist and whistler extraordinaire Andrew Bird–and hear of it far too often, I’m sure. I love his voice and his whistling and his violin playing and all of them are beautifully on display here, complemented by the lovely harmonies of Nora O’Connor, whose voice may have been made just for singing with Bird. To put it into terms that all you math nerds out there can understand, this song comes seriously close to that elusive asymptote of musical perfection. It also features one of the most beautiful instrumental sections I’ve ever heard starting around 3 minutes and 40 seconds in. It’s the best of Bob and Bird and it’s brilliant. I command you to listen to it immediately at Andrew Bird’s myspace or on the new Soldier On EP; then I command you go out and get your hands on Andrew Bird’s entire catalogue, because he’s just that mind-blowingly incredible.

Feel free to leave your favorite Dylan covers in the comments; I’m always open to musical suggestions–but make sure they’re good, otherwise I will judge you.