by SHANE SINNOTT

Happy Valentine’s Day, wankers. Normally, at this time of year, this space would be filled with bitter remarks pertaining to those lucky enough to have a special someone, as well as the requisite bickering re: the crass commercialism of the holiday, but—hark!—your Load-down writer finds himself newly in love, and thus he’s going to play it straight—some links to some appropriate songs, and comments on each.

Cat Power, “Sea of Love” (tinyurl.com/2zosmd): from The Covers Record, this is a gorgeous song of straight-up romance that kinda sounds like it should be played while vacationing in Hawaii. Chan Marshall sings it with the sultry sweetness you’d imagine, of course, and the result is classic without venturing into the adult-contemporary territory for which she’s known of late.

The Velvet Underground, “I Found a Reason” (tinyurl.com/yo78x3): This ranks as one of the best love songs ever. Here’s one of the refrains: “Oh I do believe… what comes is better than what came before.” If there’s a better song about the pure potential of new love, it hasn’t crossed my path. Fun fact: this was my brother’s wedding song—and it was beautiful.

Xiu Xiu, “I Broke Up” (tinyurl.com/2hzbut): Okay, not a love song at all, and I just posted something by Xiu Xiu last week, but this is a great bitter song, should you find yourself needing one on this day. It’s angry throughout, and at some moments straight-out weird, as when he sings/screams, “This is the worst vacation ever, I’m going to cut open your forehead with a roofing shingle!”

Sinéad O’Connor, “Nothing Compares 2 U” (tinyurl.com/34q8s6): Fun fact #2 (because I’m full of them) is that this song was the single best performing song of the ’90s, in terms of single charts. Not really a love song, I suppose, but a Valentine’s Day classic for those who find themselves newly lonely. Which again, for the record, is not me. Fun Fact #3: The Burning Hell, from Peterborough Ontario, played the best cover of this song I’ve ever heard (that includes Sunset Rubdown’s) two weeks ago at Divan Orange. Check them out at tinyurl.com/2f4qj9.