The Best Of 'Song Of The Day'

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Mates of State's cover of Tom Waits' "Long Way Home" takes an unexpected approach to the morose original. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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courtesy of the artist

Mates of State's cover of Tom Waits' "Long Way Home" takes an unexpected approach to the morose original.

courtesy of the artist

Every weekday, NPR Music's Song of the Day features a new piece of music -- and gives users a chance to play the track, link to the artist's websites and read about what makes each selection special.

But five songs a week can add up to an overwhelming burden for listeners, so NPR guest host Mike Pesca has brought in Song of the Day editor Stephen Thompson to showcase the latest highlights. Here, they discuss Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "Save Me" (which mixes a 1980 synth-pop hit and a 1967 Aretha Franklin classic), Mates of State's "Long Way Home" (an unlikely take on a morose Tom Waits song), Lloyd Miller and the Heliocentrics' "Spirit Jazz" (a hypnotic exploration of jazz and world music), and Blonde Redhead's "My Plants Are Dead" (a sweet and aching, surprisingly catchy study of alienation).

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