Week of October 29, 2012

1. "Oh Comely"--Neutral Milk Hotel, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998):
Neutral Milk Hotel has a huge cult following, and this album is widely considered their masterpiece.  I have to admit I missed the boat a little with these guys.  Released on my beloved Merge Records, this music should have been on my radar when it came out, but I missed it.  However, I have tried to catch up with it some and definitely am a fan of this album.  I would not say this track is one of the better known songs, but it is solid.  SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

2. "It's Not My Birthday"--They Might Be Giants, Then: The Earlier Years (Disc 2) (1997):
This 2-disc set of TMBG's songs is more than enough for me.  I always liked the band's singles but never had the stamina to listen to their entire albums.  My guess is that they would be amazingly fun live, but I have never had the pleasure.  Interestingly, since they have lately delved into making kid-friendly music, I have actually really enjoyed those a lot.  Most of the music for kids is too painful to listen to, so I really like listening to TMBG with my kids.  This song is not amazing but solid TMBG. SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

3. "Power Supply"--Portastatic, Some Small History (Disc 1) (2008):
Being a huge Superchunk fan puts Mac McCaughan at the top of my list of favorite songwriters.  Whenever Superchunk is on hiatus, Portastatic is Mac's outlet.  There are 6 studio albums and this compilation. He is the sole songwriter and gets other folks to help when he tours as a band.  This compilation, 2-disc set was a longtime coming.  Fans had been clamoring for a compilation of b-sides, covers,  and unreleased demos.  This 2 disc set is it.  This song is an original and is a slower acoustic number.  SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

4. "I Wanna Know Girls"--Portastatic, Bright Ideas (2005):
Back to back with Mac!  Bright Ideas came out in 2005 and was an important Mac fix for me as it was right in the middle of the huge Superchunk hiatus from 2001 to 2010.  This song was one of my favorites off of this awesome album.  It features the best Public Enemy allusion in its lyrics that I know of:  "Cause love is like an uzi, It weighs a ton." SHUFFLE GOLD!!

5. "Rockin' The Paradise"--Styx, Paradise Theater (1981):
One of the albums that I owned on vinyl back in the day.  I was in middle school when it came out.  The vinyl was way cool with etchings of the band's logo.  Ultimately, this was the only Styx album that I owned, but they were a solid radio band for me.  This song coming up on the shuffle right now is particularly apropos because I am watching the t.v. show "Freaks and Geeks" for the first time (I was out of the country when it originally aired) and am loving it.  The show places music in scenes as well as any show that I have ever seen, and Styx is featured in several episodes.  This song has not shown up yet, but there is a chance since the show is set in the 1980/81 school year, and this album was released in January.  This song is also a great example of the limitations of the mp3 format and the shuffle.  Technically, this song should be preceded by "A.D. 1928," which is the slow lead into this song that is more rock.  On the album they flow into each other seamlessly.  The link above should make it clear. SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

Week of October 22, 2012

1. "Our Lips Are Sealed"--Jane Wiedlin, 80's Hits Stripped (2006):
This CD is pretty awesome.  Since I have given him credit for some of the shameful songs, I have to give my friend Mark credit for this good stuff as well.  I was not a huge fan of the Go Gos back in the day, but this song is pretty nice as an acoustic.  This whole album is the original artists doing their "hits" acoustically.  It's good stuff.  SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

2. "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got"--Sinead O'Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990):
Sinead O'Connor's second album broke her into the spotlight as well as some infamy for her appearance on SNL.  I was a fan of hers from her first album and never minded her politics.  She has an incredible voice.  This title track from the album is an a cappella song that is good within the context of the album. Though not as good standing alone, it is still SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

3. "Silver Lining"--Rilo Kiley, Under the Blacklight (2007):
If I had to recommend one Rilo Kiley song, this would be it (more credit to Mark for this one as well).  This song is off of their last album--they appear to be either broken up or on indefinite hiatus.  I do not know a ton about this band but know this album pretty well.  Great song. SHUFFLE GOLD!!

4. "Citizens of Tomorrow"--Tokyo Police Club, A Lesson in Crime (2006):
Tokyo Police Club has a similar vibe as The Killers.  This song is one of their songs that got me hooked on them and is one of their best.  I think this EP and their next album, Elephant Shell, are their best. They are one of the more recent bands that I follow and look forward to releasing new material.  SHUFFLE GOLD!!

5. "Going Home"--Luna, Bewitched (1994):
Though I am not a huge fan of Luna, this album is a classic.  Luna is Dean Wareham's band after he left Galaxie 500. Regardless of whether you are fan of his music, Dean Wareham has written one of the best rock music memoirs that I have ever read.  I highly recommend his book Black Postcards: A Memoir for anyone who enjoys reading about musicians, bands, and their lifestyles.  He manages to be both arrogant and humble throughout the book, as he is very self-effacing about his role in these bands and how he interacted with his band mates.  As for this song, it is solid. SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

Week of October 15, 2012

1. "Imaginary War"--Jawbreaker, Unfun (1990):
From their first album, this song is solid early Jawbreaker.  I came on board with Jawbreaker a couple of years later with their second album, so I have always been playing catch-up with this album. I know that Jawbreaker is often championed as an early "emo" band or influence on "emo" music, but that was not my world.  I think all of that was put on them after they broke up.  I just thought of them as Bay Area punk rock. Though I don't know this song as well as some of their later music, it is definitely SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

2. "Cakewalk"--Swiz, No Punches Pulled (1993):
Swiz was a D.C. hardcore band that was only around for 3 or so years. They were done by the time I had heard of them.  This album was put out by Jade Tree a few years after the breakup and has all of their songs in one place.  A couple of these guys went on to play in Shudder to Think, Sweetbelly Freakdown, and Bluetip.  SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

3. "Pissed"--Harlem, Hippies (2010):
Garage rockers from Austin (via Tuscon, AZ), these guys are currently on Matador records.  I have given them a few listens but am not connecting with them much.  I will continue to listen, but at this point just a MEH.

4. "Down"--Stone Temple Pilots, Thank You (2003):
Thank You is a greatest hits compilation, which is exactly how I like my STP.  When they first came out, I wrote them off as an Alice In Chains rip-off and typical grunge band. However, over time, they proved to be solid, and I think their songs have held up better over time than most of their peers.  SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

5. "Papa Don't Preach"--Madonna, Immaculate Collection (1990):
Again with the greatest hits. While this song has absolutely no business being with this particular set of songs, I will own it.  I am not much of a Madonna fan.  I hated her when all these songs came out, but they serve as nostalgia.  This song is not necessarily one that I like, even for nostalgic purposes.  However, I do like to use the phrase "Papa Don't Preach!" as an exclamation when I am fired up about something. If I were a sports announcer, it would definitely be my signature call.  MILD SHAME.

 

Week of October 8, 2012

1. "Casanova"--Knapsack, Silver Sweepstakes (1995):
Knapsack was a solid, mid-90s, pop punk band that was on Alias Records.  Their songs tend to run together. However, their formula works for me.  This song sounds like the rest, which is not a bad thing.  SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

2. "Night Creatures"--Superchunk, Tossing Seeds (Singles, 89-91) (1991):
In case I have not made it clear before, Superchunk is my all-time favorite band.  This song is a cover of an 80s punk band, the Flys. I have never heard the original.  This singles compilation is a good mix of Superchunk's early songs plus four covers.  I love Superchunk, but this song is just SHUFFLE GOODNESS.

3. "Broken Face"--Pixies, Surfer Rosa (1988):
I love this song.  I came on board with the Pixies with Doolittle but quickly caught up with Surfer Rosa and the Come On Pilgrim ep.  This album was produced by Steve Albini, and pretty much any song off of it would be SHUFFLE GOLD!!

4. "Don't Talk to Strangers"--Rick Springfield, Rick Springfield: Greatest Hits (1989):
Dammit, Mark!  (my "friend" who I hold responsible for me owning this song) This song is ruining a perfectly good shuffle. 80s cheese "to the max." I have to admit that I owned Working Class Dog on vinyl as a kid, but it is shameful that this song is on my ipod. As catchy as it may be, it is completely inexcusable for this song to follow the Pixies in a shuffle.  SHUFFLE KILLER.