Week of April 16, 2012

1. "The Gavial"--Shudder to Think, High Art Soundtrack:
Shudder to Think was a great band in the late 80s and 90s with their best releases on Dischord Records. Craig Wedren, the lead singer, dabbled a bit in scoring movies including this soundtrack for the movie High Art. It was an independent art house film--an Ally Sheedy 90s comeback--and was decent. This song is instrumental music for the movie and doesn't play very well standing alone. Not really what one would typically associate with the band Shudder to Think. MEH.

2. "The Wind Cries Mary"--The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced?
When it comes to 60s rock, this is it for me. I probably don't listen to Jimi enough, but when he comes up on the shuffle, it has to be SHUFFLE GOLD!!

3. "When Love Comes to Town"--U2, Rattle and Hum:
The scene in the movie for Rattle and Hum where Bono is reading his lyrics to BB King marked the end of U2 for me. He was so earnest and impassioned, reading his lyrics with absolutely no humility to one of the true legends of rock music. He took himself so seriously in that scene that I no longer could. MEH.

4. "Personal Property"--Def Leppard, Adrenalize:
As stated in this blog many times before, I loved me some 80s rock. The problem, of course, is that Adrenalize came out in 1992, and I was done with it. I don't really know anything about this album and have never heard this song before. MEH.

5. "Green Fuz (Randy Alvey & Green Fuz)"--The Lemonheads, Varshons:
Evan Dando put out this album of covers in 2009. Some of them came off pretty well. This one doesn't do much for me. I don't know the original and just gave it a quick listen. It is labeled as 60s "garage trash" and has a little bit more of an edge than the cover here, but still not my bag. MEH.

Week of April 9, 2012

1. "Turned Out"--Helmet, Meantime:
I really liked Helmet for about 2 years, starting when this album came out. Whenever I try to listen to this album now, it just doesn't hold my interest the way it used to. I still like a few of the songs, including this one. This song brags the lyric "High Times, Hard Times, Downtown, Julie Brown." The lead singer and guitarist has one of the most awesome rock n roll names, Page Hamilton. He dated Winona Ryder at some point. NO SHAME.

2. "Got Some"--Pearl Jam, Backspacer:
After the second Pearl Jam album, I ignored them for a long time. This album came out a couple of years ago with the lead single "The Fixer," which quickly became one of my favorite PJ songs. This song is strong as well, along with a few others on this album. The most recent Cameron Crowe documentary on the band, Pearl Jam Twenty, demonstrates how the band has really stayed true to their music and thrived even after all the super grunge hype. A good reintroduction to the band and NO SHAME.

3. "Domesticated Lovers"--Josh Rouse, Country Mouse, City House:
This album came out right after I moved to Colorado in 2007. I saw a web interview and performance (linked) by Josh Rouse promoting this album. He played this song and a couple of others off of this album that are great. I like this album and have picked up a couple of his other albums. It's pretty mellow, 70s style singer/songwriter stuff. Solid and definitely NO SHAME.

4. "You Really Got Me"--Van Halen, Pasadena Civic Auditorium (Live Bootleg):
Technically, this is "Eruption" and "You Really Got Me" recorded in the 70s around the time the first album came out. I don't remember where I got this bootleg, but the sound quality is pretty bad. Of course, the songs are awesome but kind of hard to listen to all the way through because of the poor quality. However, the version of "Eruption" alone is worthy of SHUFFLE GOLD!!

5. "Pen and Notebook"--Camera Obscura, Score! 20 Years of Merge Records, Volume 9: David Byrne:
I believe I have mentioned this before, but the Score! box set was the best idea for a box set that I have ever seen. Merge Records chose 12 different people (artists, actors, musicians, etc.) to curate CDs of Merge releases. Each person was given an ipod loaded with the full Merge catalog (I would love to have one of these), and he/she chose songs for a CD. They were originally sold as a subscription, so I received 2 CDs every 2 months throughout the year. Obviously, this song is a Merge release chosen by David Byrne to go on his curated disc. While I am not a huge fan of Camera Obscura, this is a nice song and has Byrne's stamp of approval. NO SHAME.

Week of April 2, 2012

SKIP: From one of those custom kid's casettes with your child's name in all the songs. It was cute when he was 2. He's almost 10, so kind of weird now. Again, I need to get this off of the ipod.

1. "Everything is Everything"--Face to Face, Don't Turn Away:
Taking me all the way back to Spring Break 1993! A group of us took a road trip/pilgrimage to Graceland. This album was on heavy rotation on that trip. Face to Face got a little bit of popularity in the wake of the Green Day/pop punk national explosion. I never really listened to any of their other albums except this one. Nostalgic SHUFFLE GOLD!

2. "Please Please Me"--The Beatles, Please Please Me:
At the risk of alienating the rest of the pop/rock music obsessed world, I have never appreciated the Beatles. They disbanded when I was a kid and were never part of my world. Obviously, the songs are ubiquitous, and I grew up with them on the radio. This song is not one that I know much about but it sounds like an earlier one. A friend passed on all their music to me so that I could have it. Ultimately, I dislike that in any conversation about good music, the Beatles are a conversation killer, as if no band can ever live up to them. No interest but NO SHAME.

3. "Pet Rock"--Small, Chin Music:
Small, AKA Small 23, were a North Carolina band in the early 90s. Eric Bachman of Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers played with them in the very early days. This album was my introduction to them, and I love it. I bought all their albums after hearing this one. I don't know too many other people who know who they are, but I really liked them in the 90s. Good stuff and SHUFFLE GOLD.

4. "Oodles of O's"--De La Soul, De La Soul is Dead:
This song was one of my favorites off of the second De La Soul album. This album reminds me of driving with my friend Chris to our friend's lake house in 1990/1991. Great times and solid De La. NO SHAME.

5. "Palace of the Brine"--Pixies, Trompe Le Mond:
The end of the Pixies. Though they tour like crazy now in reunion mode, they have not put out a studio album since this one. I loved this record, because I loved all things Pixies back then. This song is solid but not the best on the album. NO SHAME.

Week of March 26, 2012

1. "Mountains of Your Head"--Buffalo Tom, Let Me Come Over:
I was a pretty big fan of Buffalo Tom. I discovered them as a d.j. at the college radio station. The song "Birdbrain" received heavy rotation on my show. It was off of their second album, which was produced by J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. They fit in with the other Boston-based rock bands that I was into during college (i.e. the Lemonheads, Dinosaur, the Cavedogs, and Blake Babies). I like this album a lot, and this is a solid cut off of the album. Though not one of their "big" songs, this song in particular and Buffalo Tom in general are worthy of SHUFFLE GOLD!!

2. "Best of Both Worlds"--Van Halen, Live, Right Here Right Now:
There has definitely been a Van Halen revival in my house of late. The new album and tour with DLR have me pretty cranked up. Off of the first album with Hagar, this song was a favorite at the time. This live version reminds me of the 4 or 5 times that I saw them live with Hagar. You know this is SHUFFLE GOLD!!

3. "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker"--Husker Du, The Living End:
Wow! This shuffle is shaping up nicely. I was never a huge Ramones fan, but I know the hits. I love this live cover by Husker Du. This album, in particular, is a great sampling of Husker Du songs and is a good purchase if you need some HD. First time we have had 3 in a row: SHUFFLE GOLD!!

4. "Holding Back the Years"--Simply Red, The Essentials:
Well, that is quite a shift. I did not enjoy the Simply Red when they were relevant or getting any airplay. I have to admit that I have come to appreciate the songs and Mick Hucknall's voice. I do not listen to them much at all, but I do like this song--just kind of a buzz kill after those first 3. NO SHAME.

5. "Driveway to Driveway"--Superchunk, Foolish:
It may be years before this particular shuffle is topped. In case I have not mentioned it before, Superchunk is my absolute favorite band of all time, and I don't think they have made a shuffle appearance yet. VH and Superchunk in one shuffle . . . Needless to say, I am beside myself with joy right now. This song is one of their classics. SHUFFLE GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week of March 19, 2012

1. "The Words"--Lungfish, Necrophones:

Lungfish is a Dischord Records staple. They were very prolific and were great live. The best quote about Lungfish is in the booklet from the Dischord 20-year box set: "Critics have complained that Lungfish seem to only play one song over and over, but those in the know say this: 'yeah, but what an incredible song!'" NO SHAME.

2. "Glueman"--Fugazi, Live Series, Volume 7, Ft. Lauderdale, FL:

The perfect follow up to Lungfish is always Fugazi. Another from the live series. "Glueman" is, without question, SHUFFLE GOLD!!

3. "Fix Up, Look Sharp"--Dizzee Rascal, Matador at 21 [Disc 4]:

I love my box sets, but that means I often get stuff on the ipod that is a complete mystery. Wikipedia tells me this is an English rapper. He is blending lots of different styles here, including a pretty sweet sample of Billy Squier, which I can definitely get on board with. However, the song is mostly annoying. MILD SHAME.

4. "Mod Lang"--Big Star, Live:

I got into Big Star because of the Replacements' song "Alex Chilton." I bought this album since it served as a sort of greatest hits. I like almost all of the songs. When "That 70s Show" became a big deal and were using a Big Star song for the opening credits, I felt pretty cool that I already had some Big Star in the catalog. NO SHAME.

5. "If I Can't Change Your Mind (Solo Mix)"--Sugar, Besides:

A great way to end the shuffle this week. Besides is Sugar's b-sides and previously unreleased album. This solo mix would be familiar to anyone who has ever seen Bob live when he is doing a solo set. This song is originally off of Copper Blue and, like most songs on that album, is SHUFFLE GOLD!!

Week of March 12, 2012

1. "Hailee's Song"--Eminem, The Eminem Show:
I like some Eminem songs but do not listen to his whole albums. I tend to like the "hits," as it were, and confess that I like the movie 8 Mile. However, I have never heard this song before and would typically skip this song in a shuffle. Not sure why I have this full album on my shuffle. MILD SHAME.

2. "Spy of Love"--INXS, Shabooh Shoobah:
INXS was about as "alternative" as I got in high school. I was a hard rock dude and really thought I was exploring some 80s new wave when I cranked the INXS. This album was popular when I was in high school. Some of my classmates had a cover band that played the school dances and always covered "Don't Change." This song is a deep cut on the album and is good. NO SHAME.

3. "It's on the Rocks"--The Donnas, Spend the Night:
The Donnas are an all girl band, following the trail of the Runaways and ripping off AC/DC riffs (in a good way). Making the rock their own and carrying off all the sexual innuendo, they are a great party band. However, you just need one Donnas album. The songs all run together a bit. NO SHAME.

4. "I Miss the Girl"--Soul Coughing, El Oso:
As stated in previous posts, I have come to appreciate Mike Doughty's more recent solo work more than the Soul Coughing. There are a few Soul Coughing songs that stick, but this is not one of them. MEH.

5. "Kracked"--Dinosaur Jr., You're Living All Over Me:
Old school Dinosaur saving this shuffle on the last song! You're Living All Over Me is definitely on my top 1o album list. The greatest thing about Lou Barlow returning to the band is that they played a lot of these songs when I saw them live a few years ago. Anything off of this album is automatic SHUFFLE GOLD!!

Week of March 5, 2012

1. "Hot Hot Hot"--The Cure, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me:
In high school, I was NOT a fan of the Cure. It was too soft and too weird. My freshman year in college I started opening up to different music, and this album was one of my gateways. It had just come out, and "Just Like Heaven" was all over the place. I could not resist that song and bought the cassette. I remember laying on my bed in my dorm and reading the lyrics while listening from start to finish. Even though this song was one of the singles off of the album that received some radio play, it was not one of my favorites. But any song off of this album definitely takes me back to that beginning. NO SHAME.

2. "Sight, Flight"--Wye Oak, The Knot:
Wye Oak has been on my radar for a few years since they are on Merge Records, a label that I follow religiously. However, I did not lock into this duo from Baltimore until last year's album Civilian. The Knot is the previous album and their sophomore release from 2009. I just bought it recently and have only given it a few listens. This song is one of the more familiar, so it must have gotten my attention. Good stuff that will get more listens. NO SHAME.

3. "Free to Go"--Dwight Yoakam, Tomorrow's Sounds Today:
I associate Dwight Yoakam with the last of the old-style country singers. I have a decent amount of his music but don't listen to it very often. I don't know this song or album very well. The next road trip to Texas may require some more Yoakam on heavy rotation. NO SHAME.

4. "Heart Attack Man"--The Beastie Boys, Ill Communication:
Old School hardcore from the Beasties getting back to their roots. SHUFFLE GOLD!!

SKIP: I have GOT to get this Cal Ripken, Jr. book on tape off of my ipod!

5. "Zak and Sara"--Ben Folds, Ben Folds Live:
One of my top 5 favorite Ben Folds songs. Great Folds storytelling and great live version. SHUFFLE GOLD!!