IFLTS: 'Feb 14,' Drive-By Truckers

'Feb 14,' Drive-By Truckers
From 2006's 'A Blessing and a Curse'

Assuming that Southerners are dumber than the rest of us is the last socially acceptable prejudice among the seemingly socially conscious. The Alabama-born, Georgia-based Drive-By Truckers may not peruse the Decemberists' thesaurus, but they smack you with plenty more horse sense ("If you were supposed to watch your mouth all the time, I doubt your eyes would be above it"), not to mention ol' fashioned grit.

'Feb 14,' like most of the brilliant 'A Blessing and a Curse' record, is a maudlin affair. The desperate "Be my Val-entine" chorus is the only hopeful words Patterson Hood utters in his heartbreakingly creaky vocals. The verses are dedicated to broken vases, dead flowers and sweet-nothings like, "You said, 'I'd rather be alone/Take your chocolates and go home!'"

If you 'Life's Rich Pageant'-loving R.E.M. fans haven't been paying attention, this should be your favorite band ... among the smartest working today.

What song do you freakin' love? Write our next IFLTS. Send it to us at spinnereditor@aim.com