#16: Deer Tick, "Twenty Miles"

I told you that the list was going to get more country before it was over, and so it does. Of course, given my aversion to Nashville, my brand of country comes from Providence, Rhode Island. And was the first featured artist on Brian Williams’ indie music show, “BriTunes.” (Yes, by Brian Williams I mean the anchor of NBC Nightly News. And that is, apparently, the best name they could come up with.)

Deer Tick’s third album, The Black Dirt Sessions, was actually recorded at the same time as their 2009 effort, Born on Flag Day. Yet, while Flag Day was a playful, alt-country rocker, Black Dirt comes off as far more mature, far more dark and dirty, making the album title seem to be more coincidental than it is (the album was simply completed at Black Dirt Studios).

“Twenty Miles” is a straight forward lover’s lament, but it has the best line yet heard on the list – “Well you are the things that make up my dreams/And I’ve spent every dime that jingles my jeans.” But it’s the cello - the simple, heartbeat-esque, ba-dum, ba-dum – that wins me over and leaves me humming every time.

The Hype Machine won’t steer you wrong: http://hypem.com/#!/search/Twenty%20Miles/1/.

Video is for viewing.