An estimated 92% of us experience earworms. Despite the annoying times we can’t get a chorus or a hook of an overplayed pop song out of our heads, getting a really good earworm stuck can be one of the best things, ever. We here at Nerdist are dead set on bringing you those types of songs—even if only for the weekend. So shove this into your grey matter!
Holy hell, you guys! This week marks a full year of doing Weekend Earworms! I thank my lucky stars every single time I get to write anything for this site so you could imagine that having a year of my own random nonsensical thoughts about my favorite music is even better. Thanks to everyone who read, shared, loved or hated this column. It warms my heart beyond belief.
I often make up nonsense excuses for why I’m sharing the particular songs in each column and it usually translates in some way to “Blake just picked something random from his iTunes library.” Since that model somehow seems to work most of the time with minimal rancor in the comments section, I figure why not just share one of my favorite bands of all time; Rustic Overtones.
“C’mon”
Deciding on all of Rustic Overtone’s music to choose only three to share was quite literally the most difficult decision I had to make recently and that includes finding a new apartment. So much so that I polled the only other two die-hard fans I know (shout-out to Grant & Feeney) weeks ago to see what they’d suggest. Ultimately, “C’mon” off of their 2001 album ¡Viva Nueva! seemed to be the consensus of what tune could be the quintessential introduction to the band for others. There’s also the small amount of cat poster-esque motivation, hokey as it may be, that I just love in the lyrics “If I try I’m halfway to triumph/ If I sigh I’m halfway to silence”
“Sugarcoat”
Describing the band to others always seems to be a bit of a task since they tend to span a few genres. There are elements of rock, funk, jazz, and even a bit of ska in most of their music. I think seeing them live is what really secures people as a fan and luckily, like “Sugarcoat” above, a fair amount of their live performances are available on YouTube. Oh yeah! It’s been quite a while since I’ve shared a band that’s still together! Check out their tour schedule here.
“The Show Must Go On”
The band took some time off from 2002-2007 but came back with a few albums that seemed to fit right in with their older ones. It’s rare for a band to come back after such a long hiatus with a consistent sound. This one from 2013’s Let’s Start A Cult Part 2 features the lovely vocals of  Sara Hallie Richardson and a bass line that is oddly familiar to certain areas in Super Mario Brothers 2. Coincidence!? Almost certainly.
And speaking of unintentional coincidence, I realize how fitting that last song is for the year mark of this column. Thanks again for allowing the “show” of my rambling nonsense that is Weekend Earworms go on for so long. This year has been great!
Already a Rustic Overtones fan? Let’s talk favorite songs in the comments below!
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Image: Rustic Overtones
Blake Rodgers writes for Nerdist from Chicago, IL where he lives happily with his Guinness World Record for High Fives. Be his pal by following him on Twitter (@TheBlakeRodgers)
