My Little Hum recently put out Remembering Houses, if you’ll recall from when we brought you “Rise Over Run.” Well, it turns out these musicians like music! Who would’ve expected that? Anyway, you can check out a few of their favorite songs below—after you’re finished reading and listening, make sure you check out Remembering Houses. Says the duo of Dan and Yuri Jewett, “When we’re not making music, we like to listen to it. Here we trade off picks that would be perfect at any late-night DJ session. This MAGNET mix tape celebrates that love of music.”
Crowded House, “Four Seasons In One Day”
Yuri: Those Finn brothers really know how to craft a good song. This one resonates right now as it eerily reflects what our country is experiencing today, even though it was written 25 years ago.
The Beatles, “Hey Bulldog”
Dan: Well, seeing Paul and John sharing a mic and a lyric sheet and just delivering is always thrilling. This song rocks and shows the Beatles just having a ton of fun. And who else has found a way to work the word “wigwam” into their lyrics? Hoooowwwllllll.
The Sundays, “Summertime”
Yuri: This song makes us instantly happy when we listen to it. A few people have mentioned that we have a little bit of this band’s vibe in our own music, and that’s a huge compliment. We play this pretty much every year when summer rolls around.
Mark Eitzel, “The Last Ten Years”
Dan: We have this on vinyl and love putting it on during home DJ sessions. It’s moody and really exceptional, and some of the lyric concepts really stay with you. “I’ve spent the last 10 years trying to waste half an hour.”
Tricky, “Hell Is Round The Corner”
Yuri: I used to work as a bartender in San Francisco and every time the DJ played this song, I would witness a room full of strangers collectively shift into a sexy, groovy mood. I’ve always admired this song for its ability to cast a spell like that.
Talk Talk, “Life’s What You Make It”
Dan: I remembered seeing these guys on MTV back in the day but didn’t really pay a lot of attention then. After reading Phill Brown’s account of working with them (“We don’t have any songs ready, how about we just start recording drums”) in his book Are We Still Rolling? I just had to hear more. So glad I did. This song is a good place to start.
R.E.M., “Wolves, Lower”
Yuri: The first we heard from an amazing band that not only wrote great songs but created an entire genre of music. When I was a nerd in high school wrapping my head around global problems and what “little me” could do to change things, R.E.M. was constantly streaming through my headphones. I’m very thankful for that!
Robyn Hitchcock, “I Want To Tell You About What I Want”
Dan: We’ll take Robyn any way we can get him: acoustic, electric, talking about buckets. But it was good to see him back with a full-band sound this year. This song will help you understand what Robyn wants.
Patti Smith, “Birdland”
Yuri: The reason I got into music is because I like to write words. There are so many great Patti Smith songs worth mentioning, but this one showcases how transcendent words can become when you put them to music. She is just so untouchable here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OReJIwNVOz4
The Orange Peels, “Bicentennial Bridge”
Dan: Our favorite band, our favorite people. A few of them—really all of them—helped us make our album. When I first heard this song, I absolutely loved it. It has an indisputable forward momentum and grabs you from the opening guitar riff. What I hadn’t realized was that it was about jumping off those crazy little bridges in aquatic Foster City —where Allen Clapp and I both grew up. Once I learned that, I loved it even more.
