My Top 1000 Songs #903: I'm Not Bitter

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

Seattle living legend Scott McCaughey is attached to so much great music--both with his two long-running primary bands, the Young Fresh Fellows and the Minus 5, and with countless other projects--that highlighting any particular song(s) as standing head-and-shoulders above the rest is a fool's game. This is particularly true with the Minus 5. While the Young Fresh Fellows have loads of stand-out songs that have been a huge part of my life, the Minus 5 (with R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and other revolving players) has been more of an act with reliably consistent output--jangly, catchy indie pop songs, often quirky, but maybe a little more comfortable than attention-grabbing.

That said, my home-made Minus 5 best-of comp is riddled with wonderful songs. "I'm Not Bitter," off 2003's terrific Down With Wilco, is a personal favorite, balancing a catchy tune with just enough dark irony, buoyed by an absurdly infectious chorus. As with the rest of the album, the band is joined by Jeff Tweedy and other members of Wilco; and the Posies' Ken Stringfellow provides helpful backing vocals.

Live 2019: