They Might Be Giants - “Instanbul (Not Constantinople)” from Flood
Where would this history lesson about the Turkish capital be without its old-world feel that comes courtesy of the squeeze box?
Mark Heard - “Rise From The Ruins” from Dry Bones Dance
Always a fan of obscure instrumentation, the late great songwriter used accordion all over the first of his trio of masterpiece records.
Vigilantes of Love - “America” from Jugular
Bill Mallonee’s underrated band would spend the 1990s going from alt.rock to alt.country, but it began as a trio with guitar, harmonica and accordion.
The Decemberists - “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” from Picaresque
The most picaresque song on Picaresque is driven by old-school accordion.
Beirut - “Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)” from Gulag Orkestar
Where the ukulele and trumpet take center stage elsewhere on the album, the accordion is the star here.
Nirvana - “Jesus Don’t Want Me For A Sunbeam” from MTV Unplugged
This Vaselines cover made the accordion acceptably cool for Gen Xers.
Arcade Fire - “Neighborhood #2 (Laika)” from Funeral
The accordion gets this anthemic rocker wound up early, and then comes the noise.
The Hold Steady - “You Can Make Him Love You” from Live at Fingerprints EP
Bar rock with accordion just feels right. And no one looks more like an accordion player than Franz Nicolay.
Madvillain - “Accordian” from Madvillainy
One of the few hip-hop songs to implement the accordion, this swervy jam also references Dick Dastardly and Muttley.
Ed Harcourt - “All of Your Days Will Be Blessed” from From Every Sphere
The young Brit used accordion as pulsating beat.
Honorable Mentions:
The Band w/Bobby Charles - “Down South in New Orleans” from The Last Waltz
Gogol Bordello - “Not a Crime” from Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike
Tom Waits - “Innocent When You Dream (Barroom)” from Frank’s Wild Years
Neil Young - “From Hank to Hendrix” from Neil Young Unplugged
Old 97’s - “Coahuila” from Drag It Up
The Pogues - “Fairytale of New York” from If I Should Fall From Grace
Talking Heads - "Road to Nowhere” from Little Creatures
Click here to read the "Squeezebox Redux" feature from this month's issue!
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