Portlandia

If, as the IFC show “Portlandia” tells us, “the dream of the nineties is alive in Portland”, it’s also very much alive in my CD collection. There’s a good reason for this: in the nineties, I was newly single at age 33, and within a year had moved to Minnesota, where I hardly knew a soul. It was there that I immersed myself in an active music scene and a vibrant, independent radio station. I heard many of the songs in this collection during the two years I lived there, and have a personal connection to many of them to this day.

I left Minnesota for Massachusetts at the conclusion of a tumultuous relationship. While my dating life was often strange and comical, the music kept me going. By the end of the nineties I was happily married to a fellow music lover, and the band played on...

As is the case with many compilations, I’ve sacrificed some content for the sake of brevity, but also in order to avoid pigeon-holing myself. I love Guided By Voices - and indeed I “discovered” them in the nineties - but I wanted to include some music that might not otherwise be heard. I started out with close to 50 songs but ultimately whittled my playlist down to what you see below. I hope you all enjoy it enough to put a bird on it!

1) “Sparky’s Dream”: This is one of my favorite songs in the world. The lyrics are inane, but the melody and harmonies are irresistible. Hearing this song makes me think I can do anything.

2) “Sunday”: I wasn’t familiar with The Spinanes until their second album “Strand”, which mesmerized me with its rich musical textures that weaved perfectly with Rebecca Gates’ voice. This song is from their debut album “Manos” and is slightly more raw.

3) “Dim”: I don’t know much about the band Dada except that I really love this song. It features silly-but-tragic lyrics, a memorable guitar riff and great two-part harmonies. What more can a poor boy ask for?

4) “Kung Fu”: I first heard this song while the credits rolled at the end of a Jackie Chan movie. It’s a driving rocker that could have been the soundtrack for the entire film. Ash is the first of 2 Welsh bands featured on this CD.

5) “New Loafers”: I had read an article about great music coming from Wales, and the 60 Foot Dolls were mentioned prominently. I bought their debut album “The Big Three” on the basis of the single “Happy Shopper”, but I like this song much better.

6) “Bright Yellow Gun”: I remember seeing Throwing Muses at First Avenue in Minneapolis and being impressed that the drummer didn’t have any cymbals in his kit. I chose this song because it starts out in high gear and never lets up.

7) “G Turns to D”: I first heard Sloan not long after moving to Boston and probably saw them five times within the year. One of my favorite concert moments occurred when they did a cover of Guided By Voices’ “Smothered in Hugs”. Robert Pollard joined them on stage after the first verse, and they were clearly as surprised as they were delighted.

8) “The World is Turning On”: The Pooh Sticks never took themselves or the record industry too seriously, but they sure cranked out some tuneful music. I have dreams of them performing this song on a rooftop, a la “Where the Streets Have No Name”.

9) “For Love”: I admit to having a fondness for Shoegaze music, but thought I’d spare the club the aural onslaught of My Bloody Valentine in favor of the more melodic Lush. I also saw them live in Minneapolis in what would be their final tour.

10) “Sideshow by the Seashore”: Luna is a band both Mary and I enjoy, although I prefer the melancholy “Penthouse” over the more light-hearted “Pup Tent”, which is Mary’s favorite. We’ve seen them live many times, and always enjoy Dean Wareham deadpanning “we can’t play that song” whenever he received a request.

11) “Celebrated Summer”: Okay, Husker Du broke up in 1987, but I first heard their music in the early 90s. Like an Oreo, this song has a sweet, soft center. Unlike an Oreo, it won’t rot your teeth.

12) “Eighteen Stories Down”: I bought the compilation album “Lemon Lime Volume 1“ at a used CD shop in St. Paul because it was cheap. I still have it because of songs like this one.

13) “Smog Moon”: Matthew Sweet wrote some great power pop, but I really love this slow ballad, featuring some killer pedal steel guitar work by Greg Leisz.

14) “Panic On”: I saw the band Madder Rose open up for Juliana Hatfield in Minneapolis. They tried to play the sort of rockers they thought the First Avenue crowd would want to hear, instead of lucious ballads like this one.

15) “Judy Staring at the Sun”: By the time I got to see Catherine Wheel in concert, they eschewed the loud-but-melodic dreampop of this song, which features Tanya Donnely on backing vocals.

16) “Butterfly Party”: This is another track from “Lemon Lime Volume 1“. Tizzy also seemed to abandon moody textures and surreal lyrics in favor of Boston obscurity, making this their high-water mark (in my opinion).

17) “I Got a Girl”: The Twin Cities boasted a great independent radio station, exposing me to a world of music I would have never heard otherwise. This was another tune I was able to find on a cheap compilation CD.

18) “Swivelchair”: I’m pretty sure my brother Mike gave me this EP, which I still prize to this day. I love Franklin Bruno’s ability to write engaging pop songs about office supplies.

19) “Waiting”: This is another song I heard on the radio in the Twin Cities from a local band who embraced their inner Husker Du while still writing beautiful love ballads.

20) “Nothing But Time”: And now for something completely different. Mary and I saw Royal Fingerbowl at the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, where they were clearly cranky about having to do a morning show, but were nonetheless stellar.

21) “Stratford-on-Guy”: This song is fairly well-known, but how could I keep it out of this compilation? Apart from its crisp, spare instrumentation and frank sexual lyrics, there’s the fact that the album parallels Exile on Main Street. Brilliant.