InventingSituations
Similar MOGs' Top Songs This Week
Posts
Inspired by...no...directly derivitive of...no...stolen from The Onion , thought it'd be fun to do a "Random Rules" post. I'm sure someone's already done it and I'm sure that someone will let me know...but I haven't seen it done here and I'm not really harboring any delusions of originality, now am I?
Goes like this: Put your mp3 player on "Shuffle" and write a bit about each song that plays. No cheating or skipping tracks...the embarrassing ones are the most fun to hear about. Honor system, people.
Feel free to join in with five, ten or more...the more (and the more verbose) the merrier :)
ok, here goes...
The National - Baby We'll Be Fine
"The Alligator" didn't really grab me as tightly as it did for lots of people, I don't think...this one routinely sticks in my head when I do listen to it though, the "I'm so sorry for everything" bit is pretty sticky for some reason.
The Mooney Suzuki - Everytime
Love the Mooney Suzuki (well, their first two, non-"Matrix"-spoiled records anyway) but this one is kind of a bland straightforward R&B tune...they're at their best when they really rock out. It does get a little more interesting about halfway through as it builds to its chaotically fuzzy climax, but it's my least favorite on "People Get Ready"
Relax - G Love & Special Sauce
Coming from Philly, G. was a bit of a hometown hero...I've kinda grown out of him since, but I'll be damned if it doesn't still make for some good easy-going summertime music.
The Music - Float
Haven't listened to this for ages...I got really into the Music when their first record came out...got tired of it after all the songs started to kind of sound the same, but individually they really are pretty good. I love the drums, and the lead singer is a big ole ball of energy live and in the studio. That thick-ass fuzzy guitar riff that propells this tune is one of the better ones on that record I think, despite the fact that the song isn't the most pop-friendly of the bunch.
Miles Davis - All Blues
Not much to say about this one...cool song from the coolest record. I love the presence on this song, its an old recording but you feel like you're in the room with them. It's brilliant.
Pearl Jam - Can't Keep
I knew some Pearl Jam would wind up in here...I love this song. Eddie Vedder threw the fanbase into a frenzy when he started showing up live playing songs solo on a ukelele. This was one of those, but the band fleshed it out brilliantly for Riot Act. Arguably their worst record, but one of their finest openers. The big, loose drums and delay-drenched guitar just swallow you.
Evening on the Ground (Lilith's Song) - Iron & Wine
Great song, such a great sense of tension. Much was made of the use of distorted guitars on the "Woman King" EP, and while it's uncharacteristic on paper, it all fits together better than one would have thought...it was a great setup for the more fleshed-out collaboration with Calexico that was to follow.
ok, enough from me...I'd love to hear some others though. :)
Man...if having a baby and having to reprioritize my discretionary spending wasn't enough ("What's the more sensible purchase...Lollapalooza tickets or 13 packs of diapers?"), this recent event was a (rude) wake-up call:
You know when your listening to a mixtape (or "playlist" for you whippersnappers) and that Led Zeppelin tune pops up amongst the somewhat-more-current tunes, it's volume barely audible in comparison, reminding you that one day, long ago, when your parents were kids, the fidelity of all recordings must have been similarly lacking?
Just the other day, a song I love from a record I love from a band I love was.......the "low" song on the playlist. There I was, on "shuffle" enjoying some fairly annonymous Strokes song from...I dunno..."Is this First Impressions of Earth on Fire?" when the comparatively hollow (in terms of fidelity) opening sludge of Soundgarden's "Let Me Drown" eeked through my headphones. Could this be true??? One of the finest opening songs from one of a decade's finest records...reduced to this?? Did it always sound like that? That tinny? That distant? It didn't seem so at my fourteenth birthday party...Chris Cornell turned that mother out.
But such is life...you get older, you have kids, your favorite songs actually sound shitty compared to the damn Strokes.
eh...still beats the hell outta Audioslave. ;)
Comments
Periodically, I can be caught belting out "You're a Pink Toothbrush, I'm a Blue Toothbrush" by the Smurfs right next to the Eve 6, Pearl Jam etc. - you adapt, it's sad, but true. ;-P
Can't sleep at night for the endless brain rotation of "here's the mail, it never fails, it makes me want to wag my tail....." in HIGH fidelity. It does not mix well with Black Eyed Peas, Jane's Addiction, et. al.
by the way, I'd get the tickets....diapers hold an awful lot these days ;)
Ok, let's see here...
You got your Miller Genuine Draft - Your Miller Genuine Draft Light.
Ok.
You got your Miller High Life - Your Miller High Life Light.
Ok.
You got your Miller Lite - There's no plain "Miller" beer, is there?
Something's going on here.
Listening to Mute Math right now...one more reason missing most of Lollapalooza is going to be sad.
Comments
But if regular miller is MGD, then how can there be two lite versions of said beer? There is an MGD Lite to correspond with MGD; but no "Miller" to correspond with Miller Lite. How can something have a "lite" version if no full flavor version exists? Is there a god?
etc.
"A lot of people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch of unconnected incidences and things. They don't realize that there's this like, lattice of coincidence that lays on top of everything. I'll give you an example, show you what I mean. Suppose you're thinking about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly somebody will say like, plate or shrimp, or plate of shrimp out of the blue no explanation. No point in looking for one either. It's all part of a cosmic unconsciousness."
Comments
Franz Ferdinand-Take me out (love 'em love 'em love 'em) Bran Van 3000-Drinkin in L.A. (I consider this to b perfect 4 drivin') Tomoyasu Hotei-Battle Without Honour (from the Kill Bill ost,I congratulate my mp3 player on that one) Busta Rhymes-Touch it (word) Pussycat Dolls ft Snoop Dogg-Buttons (embarassin' one's ha?There.)
This is not to be considered typical of my musical tastes though ;)
That was fun....
Tired of Your Jive (live-1966) - BB King - from King of the Blues Box Set - Disk 2 -- I have not listened to this disk in the set much, but it is a nice classic blues guitar song - Lucille at her finest - it holds up very nicely at 40 years old.
2 Bailarinas - Max De Castro from Samba Raro (1999) - interesting modern Brazillian rythm, wish I spoke Portugeuse. A Brazillian label executive gave this to me when they were bringing a Brazillian stream on at Live365, and this was my favorite CD from a pile of good Brazillian music.
Polly - Nirvana - from Nevermind (1991) - I had not listened to that version in a long, long time but it was very nice. I had the good fortune to see Nirvana live just a few months before the end, on 30 December 1993 in Los Angeles, and this reminded me of one of that stirring performance.
My Heart, My Life - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook - from Night Song (1996) - ok so I wish I spoke multiple languages now... very sweet winding melody, rythm and vocals. My son used to fall asleep to this in the car as an infant.
Of Course - Jane's Addiction - from Ritual de lo Habitual (1990) - love this song and its middle eastern rythm with Perry Farrell's fantastic and unusual voice. Part of the brilliance of Jane's Addiction. The best band from LA at the time, and that was a fun time, late 80s at the Park Plaza Hotel.
I love this game. The urge to skip and lie is strong, but I’ll try to resist.
Velvet Black Sky -- Mocean Worker Not my favorite Mocean Worker, but a very fun tune. I can’t help bopping when this comes on.
Ants Marching -- Dave Matthews Band This is an “oldy” now, isn’t it? I hadn’t listened to this in a long time and stuck it on the iPod for old time’s sake. It’s still a great song.
Angels -- David Byrne Oh, David. What happened? You used to be so cool. This is one of about three songs I can listen to on this album, and I haven’t liked any since.
Getting Scared -- Imogen Heap I’m a big fan of Frou Frou, but it took me a while to get into Imogen Heap (testament to Guy Sigsworth I suppose). This one pushes along quite nicely though.
Treat Me Mean, I Need the Reputation -- Xploding Plastix I hadn’t heard of Xploding Plastix until a few weeks ago, but this is exactly the type of Jazz-House/electronica I love – fast, fun, jazzy and driving.
Factory -- Martha Wainwright I downloaded a few Martha Wainwright songs because I’m a big fan of her brother. Her music is so different and so incredible. Every syllable bleeds feeling.