Six Minutes, 41 Seconds on My iPod

Yesterday a co-worker of mine was shocked, shocked I tell you, that I have 151 feeds in my Bloglines RSS reader. What can I say, I like to read the interweb. One blog I am really enjoying is the WaPo's Post Rock Blog, written by David Malitz and J. Freedom du Lac. Good blogs over at The Post aren't exactly anything new (Wizards Insider and Soccer Insider are daily reads of mine) but it's nice to see the Post's music staff throw their hat in the ring as well. The reason I bring this up is they are in the process of putting together a summer mix tape, and today my favorite "summer" song came on my iPod and I had to give my two cents.

The songs, "23 Minutes in Brussels" by Luna, isn't a summer song by name, mostly by vibe and the memories I associate with the song. It just makes me want to chill out, have fun and drink a cold beverage in hot weather. It's also a staple of any road trip mix tape/playlist I make, and has been since 1995. Sonically, it's total perfection, from the tom-tom intro to the opening riff to the crack of the first snare hit 27 seconds in. After that, we are off to the races, only at Luna's leisurely pace. Having Tom Verlaine laying down some serious guitar leads certainly doesn't hurt either.

I absolutely adore this song. I'm guessing I've listened to it a few hundred times, and that's being a bit conservative. It's very easy on the ears and imminently repeatable. The guitars leap out of the speakers, the drums make your head nod and Dean's singing keeps everything chugging along. After the savage beating he's received in the press over the three R.E.M. albums he worked on, let's give a hat tip to producer Pat McCarthy. For my money, Penthouse is his finest work.

[mp3] Luna | 23 Minutes in Brussels
[mp3] Luna | 23 Minutes in Brussels (live at the Hultsfed Festival 6.12.99)

I also bring this up because I read Black Postcards on the plane ride back from San Fransisco and enjoyed it immensely. Definitely worth the purchase if you are on the fence.

If you're not familiar with Luna's recorded output, Captain's Dead has a good primer, but you should cop some of those albums, son.

Watch the live version of the song from the Tell Me Do You Miss Me DVD after the jump.