"Doo Wah Doo" by Kate Nash

Kate Nash gets it. What "it" is is hard for me to explain, but basically some artists understand themselves better than others. Many artists are capable of producing great art, but a small percentage get where they fit into the fabric of a bigger quilt.

The current quirky girl Brit-pop movement is chalk full of talented gals, but I think the one who gets "it" the best Kate Nash... case in point...

In my current YouTube obsession with Miss Nash unearthed a live performance with her singing Kirsty Macoll's and Billy Braggs's "A New England" with none other than Billy Bragg himself. It clicked. She gets it... it get her... and with the release of her current collection of tunes... she is the reining queen of Brit-pop as far as I'm concerned.

"I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" by Wilco

I heard a funky cover of this song earlier which, while clever, just reminded me that some things need not be touched.

Jeff Tweedy will go down as, quite possibly, as the best songwriter of his generation. And by 'songwriter' I mean someone who understands to lineage of Ives, Guthrie, Dylan, etc.

That might not be everyone's cup of tea, but at the the end of the day when I look (or most us in this country for that matter) look in the mirror... I feel like we see a Jeff Tweedy staring back us... and not a Thom Yorke, a Brad Paisley, or Ke$ha... and maybe that's why music like his stays in the 'margins' so to speak... who wants to to see themselves in a mirror all the time?

But I do have moments of truth and Jeff Tweedy usually accompanies me as soundtrack. I admire his craft immensely.

"Am I Wrong" Love Spit Love

How can some songs give you goosebumps and make you feel like the first time you heard them? How is that even possible? I'll tell you why: Because it's a effing awesome song.

Richard Butler will always be remembered for the song "Pretty In Pink" with his first group The Psychedelic Furs... and that's fine. It is, after all, a classic song from a classic movie. But if you really want to hear a modern masterpiece of pop songwriting I suggest you listen to this song on repeat about three times.

"Goodbye, lay the blame on luck" is one of the most beautiful choruses ever written. Period.

The song is every bit as good and lilting as "Walk Away Renee" (The Left Banke classic from the 60's). For some reason my brain always lumps those two songs together and if that is not the highest praise I can wreak upon this song; then I don't know what is.

It was perfectly in the movie Angus, which seems fitting. This song is how I felt in high school. The version with the marching band in that movie is fantastic if you find a copy.

"Guns & Horses" by Ellie Goulding

The most creative generation continues...

I really don't have an "analysis" as to why I love Ellie Goulding so much. Usually I can single out a certain element of an artist and end up with the reason as to why I am so enamored with them. In the case of Ms. Goulding: she is talented, she is British, she is adorable, and she sounds a bit like Bjork crossed with Leigh Nash. All of those things are HUGE bonus points.

But mainly I enjoy her and her "wonky-pop" ilk because they symbolize the bright-BRIGHT creative furture of pop-music and perhaps (just perhaps) of the world.

To me she is a shining symbol of Generation A.

"Now you young twerps want a new name for your generation? Probably not, you just want jobs, right? Well, the media do us all such tremendous favors when they call you Generation X, right? Two clicks from the very end of the alphabet. I hereby declare you Generation A, as much at the beginning of a series of astonishing triumphs and failures as Adam and Eve were so long ago.

I apologize. I said I would apologize; I apologize now. I apologize because of the terrible mess the planet is in. But it has always been a mess. There have never been any ''Good Old Days,'' there have just been days. And as I say to my grandchildren, ''Don’t look at me. I just got here myself.''

So you know what I’m going to do? I declare everybody here a member of Generation A. Tomorrow is another day for all of us..." - KURT VONNEGUT