For our new column "Jams We Love," we're turning you onto the songs that keep us going every day. We'll showcase a new playlist every Monday so you can start the week off right. This week's playlist features the best songs we witnessed at Outside Lands.
Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) by Tomas Saez
1. Arcade Fire, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"
An oldie but goodie. It was the first song on their first album–essentially, the first song that would change it all. The majestic strings, guitar and piano start off like twinkling like a new morning, until the haunting bassline cuts in. Butler's voice wavers and builds, singing of digging tunnels, forgetting everything old and starting anew. It dissolves into an all-out holler fest, with drums like a racing heartbeat propelling this masterpiece. Hearing thousands of people sing "oooohooohoooh" together with their hands in the air felt like being part of an enormous church service being held in the middle of Golden Gate Park.
Standing At The Station, Ty Segall by 7x7SF
2. Ty Segall, "Standing At The Station"
This song's sexy swagger (fueled by Segall's yips and yelps)has just enough scuzz to instantly start a mosh pit, even if the pit's comprised of only one person who's blasting it in his or her bedroom.
Tune-Yards - Gangsta by The Vinyl District
3. tUnE-yArDs, "Gangsta"
"Never move to my hood, cause danger is crawlin' out the wood." Merrill Garbus, we want to be wherever it is you live and drink the water you're drinking. Maybe someday then we can be as amazingly talented as you are.
4. John Fogerty, "Ramble Tamble"
Easily the most psychedelic song Creedence Clearwater Revival ever made, from their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory. It's a doozy at just over seven minutes, but its moody beauty–in all its different forms–locks you in and won't let you go until it's over. Fogerty played this when the sun was high in the sky on Sunday with so much verve that a circle pit formed in the middle of the massive crowd.
5. The Stone Foxes, "Psycho"
A balls-out, slow and low bluesy romp that's a million times more fun than the girl who's the subject of the song. It's made for listening to in a bar, where you can get everyone sitting with you to yell "She's a psycho!!!" along to the chorus.