The Ukulele Alphabet: Minneapolis by that dog.

Letter T, Week 1
“Minneapolis” by that dog.

It’s not easy to create a perfect album. Artists have done it from time to time — and Fountains of Wayne somehow pretty much managed it on each of their five studio albums, which feels miraculous — while others never quite get there.

I’ll make the case that Retreat from the Sun stands as a near-perfect one. It’s a tight 13-song flow, each track a four- or five-star solid piece of the puzzle. It kicks off with a killer, ends on a poignant note, and hits the highs and lows in between.¹

“Minneapolis” comes right smack dab in the middle of the tracklist, immediately following the title song (track five! there’s one on every album). It might not be as complex and layered with harmonies and strings as some of the other songs, but cough that makes it easier for me to tackle on ukulele.

It’s a sweet little intermezzo in the middle of the sonic buffet, and I love it for its simplicity.

Listen to the original version of “Minneapolis”:

What’s the Ukulele Alphabet?

Read all about my 2025 ukulele performance project (and its rules) here.

I want to A-B-SEEEE some more!

Watch all the performances in the Ukulele Alphabet project.

1. Much like making a mixtape, there are a lot of rules. ↩︎