And Now, The Ten Best Reader-Submitted Songs About Philly
Once again, we asked and you delivered. Whilst listening to an episode of American Routes last weekend, it hit us: Why isn’t there more of a canon of traditional and real, present-day songs about Philadelphia? So many of the great musical cities of America through the ages — we’re thinking New Orleans, New York City, San Francisco here — have a literature in songs based on those cities alone. And while it’s true that Philly has a canon of Philly soul and doo-wop, it occurred to us that music about one’s city need not be a museum piece, confined to the past. Because, as a whole bunch of you just showed us, music about Philadelphia is being written every day. Hell, you could even argue that on any given night, most local bands here are singing about Philly whether they mean to or not. To live in Philadelphia is to be consumed by it. You can’t help it. These ten tracks all touch on that. Enjoy ‘em, download ‘em, debate their worth, pass ‘em along to friends, whatever you like. We get the feeling they’re going to keep coming.
Berry Jones, “Philly Night”
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Once upon a time, Philly was so goddamned funky you could hardly stand it. And this track by Berry Jones reminded us of nothing so much as that time (and, in particular, the way we rolled back on Memorial Day 1983). “Philly Night” is a sexy rollerskate jam that could have been made any time in the last 25 years; just try to resist that groove.
The Chimeras, “Alphabet For Sale”
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This track by local indie rockers The Chimeras is representative of a lot of the submissions we received — gritty, shambolic and, yeah, pissed off in that way that is, of course, the Philadelphian birthright. “The city will never shut up/dealers push, pigeons shit and people shove/in the bedroom right beside me there’s a couple making love/the city will never shut up,” goes the first verse. And if you don’t believe them, obviously, you’ve never tried to watch a TV show at my house when the windows are open.
Church Sunday, “Make Out Under 95″
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But hey, there’s romance in that grit. Church Sunday continues that slack ’90s vibe with this ode to illicit love under the 95. Yo, I wonder if they’re Zoe Strauss fans?
Clean Equations, “Plenty of Fish in Fishtown (Meet Me In Kensington)”
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We might be falling in love with Clean Equations if they keep rocking this heavy sigh/early Clientele vibe. On this track, Mike Nyhan portrays the idle, easy-come-easy-go virtues of the ‘hood Philebs calls home. So true, bro. So true.
Heyward Howkins, “Flash Mob”
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Some of you might remember Heyward Howkins as the guitarist in The Trouble With Sweeney, the band our esteemed editor was in before he decided to go pro on the Internet daily. Don’t hold that against Heyward. In the unexpectedly elegant “Flash Mob,” Howkins imagines a protagonist caught in a flash (mob), and he can’t get out, because he loves you too much, baby. Heyward’s got a whole grip of Nick Drake-inflected jams like this up on his MySpace page, if you dig this one.
Miking Mihrab, “Schuylkill River”
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Finally, some beer-drinkin’ music! Miking Mihrab carouse through this one like their next gig at Murph’s or The El Bar depends on it. And while we personally would not characterize the Schuylkill as a “river of seduction,” they’re workin’ with what they got, which is a very Philly thing indeed.
The Nite Lights, “New Year’s Day On Second Street”
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By their own admission, the ultra-short “New Year’s Day On Second Street” is a pitch for a sitcom of the same name. If the Always Sunny guys are reading this, YO: We found your Joanie Loves Chachi.
The Spinning Leaves, “Bridges For Free”
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Expansive, Ryan Adams-esque country does not scream “Philadelphia” to us, but damned if the Spinning Leaves aren’t trying to tug the heart strings with this one, and damned if they aren’t succeeding wildly.
Thangs, “Dungeon Dookie”
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We’ll let the Avalanches-by-way-of-DJ-Shadow-esque Thangs tell you about this track, one of our faves in the set: “‘Dungeon Dookie’ is our ode to the that cave most foul, City Hall Station. Grimey as all get out. This goes out to all those poor souls, like ourselves, who perpetually get lost down in the dungeon, looking for a stairwell toward salvation, only to find another tunnel. Then all the sudden you emerge into the daylight, on some random street corner, looking for the clothespin.” For more on this particular vibe we all know so well, see also: Public Wall Writing In Philadelphia.
The Trademark Experience, “South Philly (You Got To Love It)”
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And we conclude our lesson in civics today with TradeMark, South Philly’s answer to The Fresh Prince. And if his rap about the same dudes hanging on the same corners for decades does not ring true for you, well then, you must like living in Narberth very much. Philebs OUT! And hey Philly: WRITE SONGS ABOUT PHILLY. It might wind up being the only way the people of the future ever really get to know about us!
[Top image photo credit: PhillySkyline]
Previously: Philebrity’s Thursday MP3 Dizzle: The 10 Best, Newest Local Tracks You Sent Us
