“Drug Store Bust” by Future Clouds and Radar (pictured above) was previously featured in my last episode of Michael Stanley Made Me Do It, but seeing as though I haven’t been able to get this one outta my head the past couple days, it’s worth a second mention.

Future Clouds and Radar are an Austin based band fronted by Robert Harrison, a man best known for his work in Cotton Mather in the Nineties. FCR recently released their self titled, debut double disc. I haven’t listened to the whole album yet — my double disc-o-phobia is getting in the way again. It took years for me to get over my fear of the double live, so excuse me if I’m still a little slow to listen to a double studio effort. That being said, the more I listen to “Drug Store Bust” the more likely it is that I’ll have to confront my double disc fears again. It starts out a bit disorienting, like, well you just busted up a drug store and took lots of drugs, before it settles into more traditional guitar pop territory and delivers some serious hooks.

MP3:Future Clouds and Radar – Drug Store Bust

Believe me. I’m as surprised as you are that I have a new Wilco song wedged in my head. My thoughts on Sky Blue Sky can be summed up in one word, “ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.” Yet, there I was Sunday night, watching the Cleveland Cavaliers on the tv, and there was this VW commercial being played during nearly every break. Maybe you’ve seen it — the tow truck comes along to tow an illegally parked vw, but after sitting in the car for a moment, the dude becomes smitten with the stylish and sophisticated volkswagen, and instead of towing the car, he moves it up a few feet to a legal spot. The song featured in the spot was definitely by Jeff Tweedy or Wilco, but it was not nearly as snoozesome as Sky Blue Sky — this soulful song actually had some tempo, a strong sense of melody, and a chorus made for singing out of car windows. A couple more cuts like this and SBS would have fared much, much better.

After a little research, I found out that “The Thanks I Get” was recorded for Sky Blue Sky, but didn’t make the cut. It has since been released as a free download from Wilco, intended as a thank you for buying Sky Blue Sky. I guess that means if you didn’t buy the album, then you can’t click on the song link.

MP3:Wilco – The Thanks I Get