I’m calling a “sore thumb” lyric a bad line (or lines) in an otherwise good, well-written song. Something that sticks out like, well, a sore thumb.

It’s something that’s bad enough to be noteworthy, potentially even bad enough to ruin the entire song if it’s really potent. It is, of course, also entirely a matter of personal taste and preference. One person’s “sore thumb” lyric might be another person’s highlight.

Of note: it’s not a sore thumb lyric if you don’t like the song or think it’s poorly written in the first place. The point of the topic isn’t to highlight bad songwriting but to highlight misfires in otherwise good songwriting.

What are some examples of these lines in songs you like?

Explain why they stick out like a sore thumb for you personally.

Have you ever wondered where all the background music comes from in commercials, documentaries, training films, or TV shows? It is a genre of music called Library music, but also referred to as "production music" or "stock music".

For example, some American football fans might recognize this tune: Heavy Action by Johnny Pearson

Or maybe Tomfoolery by David Snell

I have some standout favorites myself such as Plucking the Strings by David Snell and really the whole Bruton BRN11 Prestige album has great tracks.

What I love about library music is how direct it is where every track tells you exactly what feeling or mood it’s meant to capture, so finding the right piece for a moment becomes straightforward. It’s music created for utility that is commissioned, catalogued, and sold to fit commercial needs. That makes it oddly fascinating to me. Out of the thousands of albums, some pieces slip into our collective memory while others fade into obscurity or as a one-time background sound. I feel the people making this stuff were clearly talented, but they worked in a strange niche where their art was never meant to be more than an enhancement to a visual effect. Digging into it feels like uncovering a forgotten corner of pop culture.

If you want to search more example of library music, I think the go-to's are any of the Bruton or KPM libraries, but there are many more out there.

KPM Playlist
Bruton Playlist

Hey all, I'm just curious what bands or songs you keep in rotation for your kids. I usually split this question into two lists: one that is for songs specifically geared towards kids or otherwise your kid loves to hear, and another for songs that are somehow enhanced in the context of your children (and example for me is Perfect Day from Lou Reed).

If you want to give any additional context to your answers, great-- but not required. That might be approx age or the decade you had kids, or some story about it. And yes, many kids just listen to whatever stuff the parents would normally listen to, including mine, that is normal, but not really the question here.

I'll start with one and come back later with more:

Kid: Okee Dokee Brothers
Me: Perfect Day - Lou Reed

What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as well, we'd love to see your hauls :)

Feel free to give recs or discuss anything about each others' listening habits.

You can make a chart if you use last.fm:

http://www.tapmusic.net/lastfm/

Remember that linking directly to your image will update with your future listening, make sure to reupload to somewhere like imgur if you'd like it to remain what you have at the time of posting.

What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as well, we'd love to see your hauls :)

Feel free to give recs or discuss anything about each others' listening habits.

You can make a chart if you use last.fm:

http://www.tapmusic.net/lastfm/

Remember that linking directly to your image will update with your future listening, make sure to reupload to somewhere like imgur if you'd like it to remain what you have at the time of posting.

There was some discussion here when the earlier singles for this album came out, so I figured it was worth posting the full album now that's out (as of today, September 5).

https://ladispute.bandcamp.com/album/no-one-was-driving-the-car

Have you listened yet? What do you think? Standout songs? What did you think of the rollout for this album? (If you're unaware, the band released nearly the full album, except for the final two songs, over the past several months. They essentially released each "chapter" in the story of the album as individual EPs or singles.)

For me, this is miles better than PANORAMA was, and I'm glad that I held off on listening to anything after Environmental Catastrophe Film was released until this full album drop. I sort of hated the rollout for that, but I also think I understand why they did it.

I don't think it tops Rooms of the House, but it's absolutely among the band's top three (with Wildlife being the third in that mix). It really does feel like a mashup of the urgency/aggression of Wildlife and the artistry of Rooms of the House, and brings in some of the band's spoken word releases as well.

Environmental Catastrophe Film is the best song on the record, but that was going to be hard to beat because it may be the band's best song in general -- certainly their best song in a decade. Steve has also caught my attention each time it's come up in my play throughs.