S16,E12: 8/05/19 (BIG NEWS! They Might Be Giants, Luna, Finnmark!, Elephant Parade, R.E.M., Doug Hoyer, Ben Folds Five, John Denver, La Sera, Combustible Edison, Air, The Muppets)

1. I've Got a Match - They Might Be Giants
2. No Regrets - Luna
3. Considering a Move to Sweden - Finnmark!
4. A Quiet Night in Stockholm - Finnmark!
5. Goodbye - Elephant Parade
6. Leaving New York - R.E.M.
7. Runaway - Doug Hoyer
8. Don't Change Your Plans - Ben Folds Five
9. I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane - John Denver
10. I'm Alone - La Sera
11. Utopia - Combustible Edison
12. Remember - Air
13. Movin' Right Along - The Muppets

This episode features a couple of clips from the not very good NBC sitcom Welcome to Sweden, as well as from a very classily produced BBC Newsnight segment juxtaposing the dueling narratives about Sweden that you routinely find in the media. I only excerpted the utopia bits, but the whole segment was quite good. Music I talked over included the theme for NPR's All Things Considered, "You've Got Your Troubles" by Billy Strange, "A Remote View" by Sambassadeur, "Magellan" and "Book of Swords" by Felt, "Your Last Goodbye" by Floyd Cramer, "Goodbye" by Goat, "Sad Baby" by Haley Bonar, and "Before Cologne" by Ben Folds.