Summary: For today’s Pick Three, we’re joined by the Nobel Prize-winning economist, op-ed columnist for The New York Times, author, professor and self-described “60-year-old wannabe hipster” Paul Krugman. He talks about why he stopped listening to new music years ago -- and shares three tracks that convinced him to start listening again. Paul Krugman's Three Picks: Arcade Fire, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" from Funeral "Tunnels" bears listening to many, many, many times.... There's a sadness to most of the songs [on the record, Funeral], and even the ones that are uplifting, it's kind of uplifting after great sadness. And the lyrics are always elliptical, right? What exactly is "Tunnels" about? It obviously can't be a literal description of anything, and yet, somehow, I know it's exactly what it's about, even though I don't know what it's about. And that's what you want. Lucius, "Turn It Around" from Wildewoman This song is great on the record, but it's way better live, because of the sheer joy and the excitement. And of course, they do the whole thing -- the matching outfits and the whole thing. But the quality, the musicianship -- you might get distracted by all the theatrics and the visual production, but just listen to how good they are! It's amazing. (Listen to their Soundcheck session here) The Civil Wars, "Billie Jean" I really didn't like [the song as produced by] Michael Jackson. And then the Civil Wars... did this kind of deconstruction of "Billie Jean," really bringing it back to basics that you never heard from Michael Jackson. Just two voices and a guitar. And it is all of a sudden, "Oh, my god, what a gorgeous song that is!" Which you would actually really never have known from the recorded version from Michael Jackson.
