It’s been snowing in Chicago, like it has been across much of the country. We’re serious about snow removal around here ever since a snowstorm ended a politician’s career. As well it should have. We don’t expect much from our elected officials in Chicago, but they damn well better collect the garbage, fill the potholes, and plow the streets when it snows. Those are the minimum requirements of the social contract between the citizens and their government. When the first flake falls around here highly-paid professionals are already coating the streets with a thick blanket of salt, all part of a titanic effort to corrode everybody’s car and assure that no plants can grow that aren’t native to a salt marsh. Every titanic effort needs its own soundtrack and I’m here to provide it.

Snow Patrol “Crazy In Love” (Beyonce)
At one point this Scottish alterna-rock band forgets what their strengths are and they start rapping. It’s not pretty, but the non-rap portions of the song are quite nice.

Knut Reiersrud Band “Sometimes It Snows In April” (Prince)
The original song was a very sad ballad that ended Prince’s Parade album. Here we have a Norwegian band giving it a soul treatment that is much more hopeful and forward looking.

Johnny Winter “Let It Bleed” (Rolling Stones)
Has every weather guy and gal in the Midwest just moved here from Florida? It’s winter, it snows every year around this time. You bundle up, you move the snow out of your way, and you get on with your life. To judge from the media coverage you’d think that we’re all going to be buried in snow drifts and be easy prey for hungry zombie squirrels.

And just for the record, it drives me insane when they send the weather guy out into the snow to tell us that it’s snowing. Like I wouldn’t believe him if he was in the broadcast studio like a sensible person. Like I can’t look out my freaking window and see that it’s snowing.

Rose Laughlin “Cold Rain And Snow” (Traditional)
This is an old folk song most often associated with the Grateful Dead. Rose Laughlin delivers a very spare and spooky version featuring her voice, an organ, and a bodhran. It gives me chills in a way that the Dead’s aimless twiddling never could.

Phoebe Snow “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” (Huey “Piano” Smith)
Ms. Snow says right upfront that she likes to find old songs and make them contemporary. And she does a great job of it here. She really wails over a groove that’s a half-step slower than you usually hear this song played. I especially like that she explains how the song is based on a story by Chaucer.