Song of the Day: Cowboy Junkies, "Angel Mine"

Three things stand out in this music video for a single from Canadian country-rockers Cowboy Junkies' seventh album Lay It Down.

First, it was filmed at the El Rey Theater on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, only a few blocks from where I currently live. While some of the base architecture remains in tact, the neighborhood surrounding the El Rey has changed a ton in the two decades since this was shot. 

Second, it features Janeane Garofalo, who was probably a pretty huge get for Cowboy Junkies in '96. Garofalo (whose name I have never spelled correctly on the first try) was at the peak of her fame, having just come off a breakout performance in Reality Bites, a movie-stealing performance in Bye Bye Love, an extremely well-received HBO stand-up special, and a top-lining star turn in The Truth About Cats & Dogs. She's lovely and understated here. 

Finally, what was up with Cowboy Junkies? They're one of those bands whose most notable contribution to culture is actually a cover—their version of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" got passed around a lot on soundtracks and mixtapes in the '90s (I had it on no fewer than four compilations). Their whole worldview seem to come from the idea that bluegrass is fine but it should be infinitely duller. They're a confusing act, and this was not a hit. But on the bright side: Garofalo!