The Walkmen - Heaven

Our children will always hear
Romantic tales of distant years
Our gilded age may come and go
Our crooked dreams will always glow

A day or so ago I received an email from Spotify telling me about my listening habits in 2016. It came with an AWESOME playlist that had much of what you'd hear on our TMIS playlist (you totally subscribe to that, don't you?) Of course, we can't get to everything, and we've been focused on the new and fancy, so a few heavy rotated oldies are bound to fall through the cracks.

At the top of that list is this gem from The Walkmen, who are, sadly, on hiatus at the moment. "Heaven" is one of those new classics. It came out in 2012, but will be around for years to come. It's fresh, but also feels like a throwback to some of the best rock to come out of the 80s and 90's. Think Billy Bragg, James, The Pogues, The Replacements, etc.

RIYL: The Replacements, James, Spoon, Titus Andronicus, Nada Surf

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Strand of Oaks - Radio Kids

So play it, play it loud on the radio
I've got my headphones on and my parents will never know
It's something that we had
Before we lost control
Of the radio

2014's Heal, the last album put out by Indiana-based songwriter Tim Showalter, aka Strand of Oaks, was terrific and had a solid run on my heavy rotation, so I was excited to get some new music from him. "Radio Kids" is the first release from his forthcoming album Hard Love, is solid and interesting, with a bit of a swing back to the more folksy end of the folk-rock he's known for. For me, it also had a bit of a Gaslight Anthem vibe, which I like. Good stuff.

It's also got a fun, brightly colored video, have a look.

RIYL: The Gaslight Anthem, Okkervil River, War on Drugs, My Morning Jacket

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Finish Ticket - When Night Becomes Day

Sorry people keep me humble
They stop me before I stumble
Cause what I have is far too good to leave it all behind, I could
I am just the average person
Trying to make a lifetime worth it
But I worry it'll bleed me dry
Always try to catch their eye

I go where I go
You may not like it, though
The world at my feet
If I could find it, though
But when night becomes day, oh
Yeah, when night becomes day
I'm the better man

I'm trying to track down and post any artists/songs that we have accidentally skipped that made an impact in 2016. San Francisco quartet Finish Ticket made it onto the Billboard Alternative Top 40 this year with "Color" which is a great song, but since you've likely heard it a hundred times and their other songs are just as good, I thought I should feature a different track on TMIS. "When Night Becomes Day" is the title track off their third EP and the first thing they released after being signed to Elektra. 

RIYL: WALLA, Junior Prom, Knox Hamilton, Catfish and the Bottlemen

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