The Archive’s Songs of the Week: 2/19/2024

Each week the Archive will shine a spotlight on our (my, I’m the only one on staff here) favorite songs. All songs are welcome, from swooning ballads and plucking folk ditties to pounding club bangers and sugary pop confections.

Genre(s): Synth-pop, ambient, country, dance, electronic

1. “Noonday Yellows” by Ernest Hood: The opening track to the 2022 release Back to the Woodlands sees Ernest Hood welcoming the listener into a glossy, airy world of nature sounds and synths. Though originally recorded in the ’70s, the release of this archival piece harbors no dust or mark of age. It’s a perfect song for starting the day or playing along while reading, as twinkling bird chirps and cricket songs envelop the ears. It’s a peaceful tune for a lazy Sunday, or perhaps the soundtrack to an evening sat outside on the porch, taking in the fireflies and the fleeting rays of the setting sun. Ernest Hood, like many great ambient musicians, paints pictures with his compositions, and “Noonday Yellows” is the title card for Back to the Woodlands, the faint woodwind melodies evoking Vince Guaraldi sensibilities or the scores to older Disney animated films. It’s a precious gem of a song, as is the entire Back to the Woodlands collection.
2. “16 Carriages” by Beyonce: I will be the first to admit that when Beyonce does country I don’t always buy it. There is no question about her authenticity in terms of background, but I do find it difficult to picture one of the most successful artists in the world, star of Tiffany’s campaigns and a multiple Grammy award winner, slumming it at a dive bar, feeding the jukebox coins in exchange for classic honky-tonk tunes. However, as she has proved time and again, Beyonce contains multitudes. While “Texas Hold ‘Em” might point out these contradictions, “16 Carriages” more than makes up for that, an honest ballad with just the right amount of twang to sell its fantasy. “Sixteen carriages driving away as I watch them ride with my fears away,” sings Beyonce, perhaps about the slew of buses transporting her latest tour, akin to a funeral procession. It’s a stark, beautiful image, picturing this diva on the road with her band, homesick but determined. Beyonce’s relatability to the average fan sometimes eludes her, but in “16 Carriages” she wonderfully displays her knack for appealing to the layman, mirroring insecurities, hopes, and fears in earnest. By the end of the song, you feel just as much a rider with her caravan as she does, rolling on to parts unknown down a long, dark back road.
3. “Cowboy Take Me Away,” by The Chicks: A few songs live in the upper echelon of my favorites list. “Cowboy Take Me Away,” the bright-eyed ballad from The Chicks’ 1999 album Fly, is one of them. This song is a harbinger of spring for me, as my hankering to listen to it always occurs as the cold begins to wane and the days become visibly, albeit minutely, longer. With tight harmonies and a classic country arrangement, this track is nothing but a bright spot, iconic in its earnestness. Seemingly a favorite for many, I distinctly remember a cashier at a Wendy’s drive-thru jamming along with me as she processed my order; when on the road with friends, no one is immune to singing along. “Cowboy take me away/ Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue,” sings Natalie Maines with a voice as bright as the sky through which she’s soaring. Its universal appeal speaks to the honesty and charm of country music, something that needs to be stated more often than not.
4. “Training Season,” by Dua Lipa: Dua Lipa has finally released her highly anticipated single, “Training Season,” after a long rollout. Following the dancefloor epic “Houdini,” “Training Season” picks up that same pace. Of course, the lyrics are nothing to dissect, but Dua’s charm comes in selling a sweaty, club-thumping fantasy. With Spanish-inflected guitar and synths evoking classic ABBA, Dua Lipa delivers with her expressive voice, flitting from falsetto to her deeper register for a roller coaster of a track that’s sure to guide many feet to the floor.
5. “Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth,” by Caroline Polachek: I love a song that’s main goal is to throw as much shit at a wall to see what sticks. I think nothing’s bolder or more fun than a pop artist experimenting. Caroline Polachek is never one to shy away from trying out new modes and methods. “Strawberry” is nothing short of an ’80s-inflected fever dream of a cover of Operating Theater, beginning with a Prince-style spoken word intro: “Dear Louise, there are so many things I want, but mainly, and like everybody, I want to be loved.” Already primed for the odyssey, Polacheck whirls through a glassy soundscape, bolstered by quirky synths under her wings. Then, her signature operatic soprano bursts over the skies like shining rays of the morning sun, welcoming her Spring, and the promise of new life and love, which is the thematic crux of Desire, I Want to Turn into You and this recent deluxe release. Borrowing lyrics from “Blood And Butter,” “Strawberry” is like a psychedelic recitative, forcing the listener through a thematic crucible, and Caroline Polachek is the mad scientist heading the experiment.