Summer of Divisors Tracklist

Hi all! Sorry it has taken me most of the month to get June’s mix out to all of you. Unfortunately, I have been packing for an out-of-state move and working on the last stages of my dissertation while compiling this album, so it’s been a busy month!

This album contains only songs that are in 3/4 time or some variant such as 6/4 or 6/8. I’ll admit that I have a hard time telling the difference between 6/4 and 6/8, and I think it sometimes just depends on the sheet music (which may not even exist for some songs, if the writer doesn’t compose that way). I may have even gotten some of them wrong in my descriptions below. But I’ve always loved waltzes and anything that can be counted in multiples of threes.

Which brings me to the album’s name: I wanted this album to be summery (it loosely progresses from daytime to nighttime feel), but couldn’t resist throwing some darker songs in. Also, clearly the greatest common divisor of the beats in each measure (and the sixth month, June, as well as the number of days in said month) is 3. And finally, “summer” is a sad little pun that adds a mathematical flavor (i.e., “sum”). :)

One last note: Frustratingly, I lost almost all touch with the music world when I began grad school in 2007. Almost all of this music comes from before then, and most noticeably from a stretch of the 2000s when I was most musically attentive. Luckily, good songs never lose their appeal!
Enjoy!


1. “Tennessee Waltz” Patti Page- This song was recorded by Patti Page in 1950. My Japanese mother, born that year, used to sing it around the house when I was growing up. When making this album, I learned that “Tennessee Waltz” was once the top-selling song of all time in Japan…that explains it! This song is a classic, with harmonies that are the epitome of “dulcet.”

2. “Pop Quiz” Stereolab- A fun, summery, swingy song. I love the bubbly popping sounds in the intro.

3. “Into You” Richard X featuring Jarvis Cocker- This song samples “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star (another 6/8 song). It is the sexiest song I’ve heard in a while (thanks to Jarvis, lead singer of Pulp), and I was obsessed with it a few months ago when I first heard it.

4. “Jenny You’re Barely Alive” Rilo Kiley- I’m a big fan of Rilo Kiley and Jenny Lewis’s other projects. This song is from a compilation put out by Saddle Creek, their label.

5. “Electric Feel” MGMT- This is one of the few reasonably contemporary bands I’ve caught wind of recently. This song is truly in 6/4 time, whereas most pop/rock songs with 6 beats per measure are in 6/8 time (i.e, using eighth notes instead of quarter notes).

6. “Sprout and the Bean” Joanna Newsom- I first heard this song in the horror movie The Strangers. It’s amazing that I can still enjoy Joanna’s eerie, childlike voice and harp-playing, but the song is very pretty and sunny in the right context. (Don’t listen to this song alone at night in an old house in the middle of the woods.)

7. “Daysleeper” R.E.M.- Always loved this single off the Up album, and it makes a really great ringtone for your morning alarm.

8. “A.M. 180” Grandaddy- Grandaddy is my favorite band in the world, and this is one of their trademark songs. It was in 28 Days Later, and people tend to either love or hate the quirky electronic loop running throughout.

9. “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” Spiritualized- Classic song that is a spin-off of another classic song, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” (which is also 6/8).

10. “Love Will Come Through” Travis- I think of this song as the one that was on the Garden State promotional website but not on the soundtrack. I was very frustrated that this song wasn’t identified on the site or the soundtrack…several years later, I discovered that I had owned it all along on a Travis album that I hadn’t listened to thoroughly.

11. “Susanne” Weezer- From the Mallrats soundtrack. “My Name is Jonas” by Weezer is also a 6/8 song. My favorite line of this song is, “Even Izzy, Slash, and Axl Rose…when I call, you put them all on hold.”

12. “Nude” Radiohead- Lovely, quiet song off In Rainbows.

13. “Forever” Turin Brakes- I love this achingly beautiful song, and Turin Brakes in general.

14. “Los Angeles Waltz” Razorlight- I am not sure this is technically a waltz (3/4), because it sounds like 6/8 to me. But I like it anyway!

15. “For Your Eyes” Micah P. Hinson- If I had to proselytize about anyone on this album, it would be this guy. I saw him open for The Paper Chase a couple of years ago, and I was completely knocked over. He looked like an absolute wisp of an indie kid, sneakers and nerdy glasses and pale hair and eyes, and then he opened his mouth and a gruff, melodic, bullfrog voice came out. He is from desolate west Texas (Abilene), and while he is quite popular in Europe, I hope he finds wider success here in N. America.

16. “If You Go Away” Emiliana Torrini- I heard this song while watching Pumpkin (wow, didn’t realize so many of these were in movies), and immediately “rushed” three feet to my computer to look it up. Apparently I missed the fact that it’s considered a pop standard, originally French, and has been recorded by dozens of artists. This version is definitely the most wrenching I’ve found, and I’ve since been building my collection of Emiliana Torrini songs.

17. “Arlington Girl” Shivaree- When I saw that Shivaree was on the Two Minute Drill album, I felt some kinship because I love them. This is a soft, shuffling, contemplative song.