Breaking up is hard to do, especially when your favorite bands are the ones making the split.

by Pierce Courchaine

Swedish experimental musicians The Knife broke up last month. Well, we think they did. Singer Karin Dreijer Andersson said the band doesn’t have any “obligations to continue” and the group will work on other projects at the conclusion of their current tour. So often band breakups are really just hiatuses and vice versa. Here are five songs from recently deceased bands we hope someday are resurrected, including The Knife.

The Knife – “You Take My Breath Away”

Throughout her career in The Knife, Andersson’s voice was often flat and harsh, which was part of her appeal. On “You Take My Breath Away,” she reminds listeners that, hey, she can be a pretty damn inspiring singer, even if she doesn’t have that traditional voice we hear on the radio. I’d like to preface this statement by saying I’m being totally genuine and unironic here: this is a song that makes me want to fist pump.

The White Stripes – “Rag & Bone”

This breakup still stings, but the White Stripes’ split shouldn’t be met with sadness as much as gratitude for all the great things they did. Ex-wife and ex-husband duo Meg and Jack White play their parts well on “Rag & Bone,” a humorous track about one’s trash being another’s treasure. “Rag & Bone” isn’t the band’s best track, nor its most well-known, but it shows some of the volatile give-and-take between Meg and Jack.

Vivian Girls – “Sixteen Ways”

Vivian Girls were a step ahead of the recent garage rock revival. Given the increased attention on the genre as of late, Vivian Girls’ albums seem more en vogue now than when they were released. The punk cover “Sixteen Ways” is confusing, with vague references to violence and recurring number sequences. A muddy guitar solo, also vague in form, splashes but recedes as fast as it came. The track is enticing, if not one of the more mysterious tracks I’ve ever recommended.

The Civil Wars – “To Whom it May Concern”

My mother dragged my brother and I to far too many craft stores in our youth. As we aged, we began to identify a new genre of music: “craft store music,” inoffensive, acoustic tunes usually coming from a boombox next to a small water fountain. I mean this as a compliment, but The Civil Wars is craft store music. “To Whom It May Concern” is a simple folk song told with simple instruments and by a duet of voices singing simple lyrics. But the simplicity is charming, never dull, like all good craft stores.

Rilo Kiley – “Silver Lining”

Like some kind of audio zombie, Rilo Kiley still lingers. A compilation album for the band was released in 2013, and frontwoman Jenny Lewis is putting out albums as a solo artist. Rilo Kiley is best known for the song “Silver Lining,” an ultra-catchy track that stands the test of time. Hopefully, this serves as an uplifting bookend to a rather dour blog. Pour out a forty for our dead homies tonight, folks.

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Pierce Courchaine is a contributor for The Riveter. You can follow him on Twitter at @PJCourchaine.