The Thermals - A Pillar of Salt

It's a great song on a great new record, but the important part for me is that fantastic guitar riff, and the chords/bassline that descend below it. I love that the notes are so jerky, and do not even need to fill up all the possible space.

But beyond that, it's amazing how well this little melodic figure gives me a feeling of youth, everything great about being a teenager, riding your bike with your friends around your stupid little town in perpetual summer. But the downward pattern of chords indicates something serious; a melancholy looming above, like a thundercloud that will break before the day is up.