I just curse the sun so I can howl at the moon(Or Songs for the Night)

After all is said and done, you get ready for a night out. Music is most important in these situations because it helps set the mood for future adventures into the darkness. These five tracks encompass various types of nights, but they all can be part of something special. Enjoy!

Crystal Castles, Vanished, Crystal Castles
Imagine a night where anything is possible and you set out for a night that holds no barriers. Fro me this song represents the perfect example of what a fantastic night could be. Maybe it’s because I saw this performed at 1 A.M. at Bonnaroo and the electricity in the air was palpable, but it’s got this magnetic force to it. The beat is infectious, and while the vocals remind me of something you’d only here in another wise cheesy song, it works here. What Ethan and Alice manage to do is spectacular, and it’s a damn shame they aren’t a band anymore.

Deadboy & the Elephantman, How Long the Night Was, We Are NightSky
This track off the highly underrated release from nearly a decade ago had stayed with me so much, and there’s a reason for it. The guitar strumming is elegant yet mysterious, and Dax’s voice is straight out of the swamp if I ever heard one. The thumping picks up and it’s a rocking track that doesn’t let up until the conclusion. This band never got the recognition they deserved, but in my book this guy will always be a legend of local Louisiana music and how to do is right and not get caught in the bullshit.

Fever Ray, If I Had a Heart, Fever Ray
The snow is falling slowly on a pitch black night. The only reason you see it is the headlights glowing into the darkness as you venture down a curvy yet lonely world. That’s more or less how I imagine this world. Maybe it’s also the Swedish connection but I never don’t imagine this song in the highly superior world David Fincher brings to life in “A Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” It’s a slow burn of a track, and it’s mysteriousness is ominous and foreboding in the same way the film is. It’s a perfect companion piece that loosely ties in with the film, and for me it works wonders.

Queens of the Stone Age, You’ve got a Killer Scene There, Man, Lullabies to Paralyze
Queens is a band that can fit into any late night view, but this track totally belongs in a smoky, New Orleans dive bar at four in the morning. You can just imagine Homme strutting through the wreckage of what’s left as the night veers into early dawn. The smoothness of the song itself is what makes it so irresistible, and his vocals wind in and out while the music keeps a steady pace and never once buckles under the pressure. This album is one of the bands better ones, and if you’re ever in the mood for something calm and driven, look no further than this one.

Tool, Reflection, Triad
I rarely write about Tool because it’s slightly difficult to explain in depth how methodical they can be as a band, but this song, off one of the best albums of the last twenty years belongs on the list. It’s a meandering track that serves it’s purpose and brings the wonderful view of a clear night worshipping the sky to existence. Keenan’s vocals here for so thoughtful and poignant, but the also help to paint the perfect picture to bring us closer to the end of this record. At over eleven minutes, it’s not a quick listen, but it’s so amazing and all encompassing that you rarely think about it’s length. This is easily the band’s best album to date, and this track, and the journey it takes us on is one of the many reasons.

See you next time!