1. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)"--Beyonce, I Am . . . Sasha Fierce (2008):
What can I say? It's a solid pop song. I'm not devouring Byonce's albums, but I do dig some songs, including some Destiny's Child. As a fellow Houstonian, it is cool to see someone from my hometown represent. I suppose it is appropriate that she pops up first as she is just coming off of her big Super Bowl appearance. It's on the ipod, so I am claiming it with MILD SHAME.
2. "Wake Up"--Rage Against the Machine, S/T (1992):
Not exactly a song that follows Beyonce well, but definitely more up my alley. A nice recovery by the ipod here. I have all of their albums, but this first one holds up best for me. This song is recognizable for all you Matrix fans, as the film closes with this during the credits. I don't listen to a ton of lyrics, but I have always enjoyed the Rage's lyrics. The band always works a sweet groove as well. Absolutely SHUFFLE GOLD!!
3. "Lightning Bulb"--Dinosaur Jr., Beyond (2007):
One of Lou's songs off of this "reunion" album. While J. put out several albums under name, the original lineup of J., Lou, and Murph reunited in 2005, and have been going strong ever since. They have already remained together longer than they did in the early years. Since 2007, they have put out 3 albums, matching their early output as a band. All of this is a very brief history of one of my favorite bands. I love Lou's solo work as well as his other band Sebadoh. He usually gets 2 songs on each Dinosaur album (because it is really J.'s band). On this particular album, this one is the weaker of the two. Regardless, still SHUFFLE GOODNESS.
4. "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"--Billy Joel, The Stranger (1977):
This shuffle is playing out as one of the most random, but still cranking out good tunes. I love this Billy Joel song. This album had 4 top 25 hits, with this song reaching as high as #17. I'm partial to his work prior to 1983. I saw him live once, and he is an incredible performer. He was easily one of the best songwriters of the 1970s. SHUFFLE GOLD!!
5. "Little Babies"--Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out (1997):
Sleater-Kinney is a band that was strongest in the late 1990s, right after I had good access to live shows. I would have loved to have seen them live. This is the only album of theirs that I own. I've meant to pick up others, but this one seems to fill my Sleater-Kinney needs. 2/3 of the band (Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss) is now in Wild Flag (Merge Records), while Corin Tucker now works under the name The Corin Tucker band. SHUFFLE GOODNESS.
