The green grass down below (Eclectic Playlist Series 7.04)

I didn't plan it this way but I see now that this month's playlist, reacting to the anxiety and insecurity of the current moment, has been populated by many familiar names. Good, solid ones they are: The Smiths, Emmylou Harris, U2; Björk, Depeche Mode, Fiona Apple. The Monkees, for crying out loud. Led Zeppelin! The gang's all here. Not that there aren't a couple of curveballs too. And in any case, as always, few songs you're likely to hear on any kind of radio station or playlist at this point, certainly not gathered in one place like this. And: just as I was finishing this mix, the awful news about Adam Schlesinger sprang onto the internet, further attacking our already beleaguered psyches with a gut-punch of targeted sadness. The lilting, literate dirge that closed the band's final album provides an apt coda to this month's playlist. General advice: lean on music as you can; it seems unusually able to provide solace. For more info visit http://fingertipsmusic.com/?p=20672.