New York City of course has an enormous selection of songs that define the city. You think Sinatra. The younger kids may think LCD Soundsystem or Jay-Z. For me, it's Luna's "Freakin' and Peakin'" - it's a song off of their album Penthouse, an album that had I known about it when it was released, chances are likely that I'd name it "Album of the Year."
The album starts with Dean Wareham's dreamy, sleepy delivery, combined with Sean Eden's unmistakable guitar and Stanley Demeski's drumming. I would love to give a sample, but there are absolutely zero samples out there on YouTube and thanks to the folks at Apple, I no longer have LaLa to embed the song.
The song perfectly encapsulates the sounds of the city at 3:30 in the morning. Maybe it's Eden's guitarwork, but it sets an urban mood. Wareham's warbly voice describes "the streets, the shivering streets" and a couple "thinking to talk without speakin'".
The album goes into an extended solo. I would say it was noodling, but far from it. Every note seems necessary. And for those who consider Luna to be too downtempo, I challenge anyone to air drum Demeski's part toward the end as his drumming builds up to a car crash-like crescendo before falling back into the landscape like disappearing taillights.
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