Coming Up Baseball

Spring's official now, meaning, among other things, that all things good and right in the world are on their way. Consider: the sun's finally making an effort, NCAA is already upon us (disappointed as we may be), and school's about to finish. And, perhaps best of all, baseball's gearing up to begin. In my head, baseball is more than the best sport, it's a pastime I love deeply, warts and all. Sure, I buy into all the romanticized, patriotic notions - I don't see the harm in that. Baseball's something I can be proud of and get excited over, something I can become engrossed in. I'm a baseball fan like I'm a music fan. You can imagine my delight, then, upon discovering that artists I love are also fans of the sport I love. Again, it's a testament to the game's oft-mythologized unifying power and appeal.

The Mountain Goats - Cubs in Five [mp3] [buy]

Baseball works as a metaphor!

Buck 65 - 50 Gallon Drum [mp3] [buy]

Rich Terfry, aka Buck 65, was drafted by the Yankees. THE Yankees. That is, hands-down, the best fact ever. Many of Buck's songs, understandably, incorporate baseball. Check out his video for 463 to see a bunch of Bucks playing ball, very cool.

Buck 65 - 463 [video]

Ladyhawk - The Dugout [mp3] [info]

Ladyhawk's new to me, but this song is on heavy rotation. Not just because it's titled "The Dugout," although that doesn't hurt. These dudes rock unironic, heavy without dragging in the least. It's not too far from pop, actually, the way it's so enjoyable. I'm digging these muscular Jagjag/Secretly Canadian bands, this is the sound I want to catch on. And no, they did not pay me to say that.

M. Ward - O'Brien/O'Brien's Nocturne [mp3] [buy]

"The old baseball diamond" is only casually mentioned in Ward's beautiful composition, but the warm and worn crackle make it a central image. This one sounds like the perfect mental picture of a ballgame, all hot yellow summer air and grass and dust. Nothing hurried, no, nothing hurried.

Enjoy!