How could it come to this? (Eclectic Playlist Series, 3.06)

I have no particular explanation for why Eliza Gilkyson's version of World Party's "Is It Like Today" feels so momentous. It's her voice, her phrasing, her arrangement--the *character* on display, an ineffable concept that makes or breaks every cover song ever attempted.
Meanwhile: has Elvis Costello written a better song that no one knows than "Crimes of Paris"? I'm thinking no. I'm also wondering how Stevie Wonder managed to make something that sounds like a harpsichord not make me run away screaming. This playlist is full of such minor mysteries. I'm not sure why Haley Bonar isn't a bigger deal. I'm not sure why Norah Jones is so alluring. And think about this: "The Wheel and the Maypole," closing things out here, with its improbably catchy two-part chorus, was the last song on the last album that the band XTC ever released. Always leave 'em wanting more--a great philosophy so few properly represent.

For the full playlist visit http://fingertipsmusic.com/?p=18085