Tom McRae on Paul Simon

It seems a little defeatist to choose a TV appearance as my musical highlight of 2008, but here it is. Paul Simon singing 'An American Tune' on The Colbert Report, a couple of weeks after Obama had won the Presidency. No flag waving, no politicking, just one of the genius song-writers of the modern era singing one of his many quiet masterpieces. In that one moment he seemed to sum up the relief, the hope, but also the trepidation of a nation at the crossroads of history. And he did it all in a three minute performance on a half hour comedy show. "We come in the age's most uncertain hours and sing an American tune." Perfect.

Tom McRae Site

Always good to knock some bias'...

a fantastic review just in from the idolator website, with some nice shouts for Jonathan Lethem, Jack Murphy, Hari Kunzru and Tom McCrae among others. And it finishes by opening up something of a discussion about John Kelly's (terrific list) The Pecking Order - Ten Songs About Chickens
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