Oh FM94.9. How do you always seem to know exactly the music I want to hear, even without me knowing? Maybe it’s just Big Sonic Chill, but you’ve gotten it perfectly at least twice in the last week:

1. Driving home from the Lupe Fiasco show, you played Cat Power’s “Lived In Bars.” Even after a fantastic show, it was pretty much the highlight of my night, just because sometimes I feel the same way about my life.
2. Tonight, after seeing Juno, I got in the car to drive home, only to hear the opening chords of “Transatlanticism.” Possibly one of my favorite Death Cab songs – only “Blacking Out The Friction” comes close, and that’s more because of a personal connection (I did once assume that making changes to my window’s view would give a new perspective). I saw Death Cab open for Ben Kweller in 2004 at the 9:30 club in D.C. I barely knew them and had just obtained a copy of Transatlanticism, and the title song was my definite favorite. I figured there was no way I’d hear them play it live – even though it was off of their new album, it’s freaking long and reliant on a lot of tension that could have easily fizzled live. We missed the first half of their set, due to a Dylan concert elsewhere in the city (unplanned). But a mere two songs or so after we showed up to the sold-out venue, they broke it out. And absolutely nailed it, in all its breathless tension and anticipation. The only thing better that night was when Ben Kweller played “In Other Words.” Oh yeah, and when Joe snagged Ben’s guitar pick as it was flying through the air at the end of the show. Sometimes it helped to be dating the guy that was 6’4″.

Anyway, thank you, 94.9, for bringing back that memory. Nevermind that after the show we hung around and missed the last metro back to Arlington and had to huddle in a bus shelter in a shady part of town until our one sober friend drove down to pick us up. It was totally worth it.