Blonde Redhead - "Spring And By Summer Fall"
The Wrens - "Jake Fakes A Hug"
Whiskeytown - "Easy Hearts"
Pavement - "So Stark" (live)
Blonde Redhead - "My Impure Hair"
Johnny Cash - "One"
Guided By Voices - "Pimple Zoo"
Jens Lekman - "Someone To Share My Life With"
Nada Surf - "Treading Water"
Whiskeytown - "Not Home Anymore"
Vulgar Boatmen - "Margaret Says"
De La Soul - "I Can Do Anything (Delacratic)"
The Flatlanders - "All You Are Love"
Dolorean - "You Can't Win"
Elliott Smith - "A Passing Feeling"
Sufjan Stevens - "Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?)"
Pavement - "Dancing With The Elders" (live)
Death Cab For Cutie - "Lowell, MA"
Elliott Smith - "Tomorrow Tomorrow"
X - "Come BAck To Me"
The Books - "Smells Like Content"
So much for my promise to at least throw up my daily playlist... It really was a busy month for me, but big thanks to anyone who's checked in only to see Day 174 sitting there like stale bread. Also thanks to some blog friends for keeping the concept alive with their own shuffle posts. In the meantime, you will be glad I haven't been posting the last couple of days, because these little anecdotes would be tinged with anger and vitriol. I have had back-to-back the two worst commutes in my 14 years living in NYC. Mysterious train stoppages and delays up the ying-yang. No matter what train I hopped on, it seemed to find itself behind a train having a police emergency, medical emergency or system malfunction. It's enough to squeeze the holiday cheer right out of an elf. Okay, I don't want to belabor it. I do want to get to my FAVORITE RECORDS OF THE YEAR before I am called into a meeting for get an urgent email or some other stupid work related thing happens. (But before that, quick comment on today's list: It's obviously Two-For-Tuesday! I don't think this has ever happened, double-plays from three different artists in one day. Interesting.) Okay, without further adieu, here is the list. (Note: This was really hard. There was a lot of good new music in 2008.)
1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Umm... duh. This was their year. I like to feel that I get a little share of their glory too. I actually wrote about them on this blog way back in May - - before the full-length album came out. They first showed up on the shuffle on May 12 and I sang their praises on May 23 and guaranteed fans of My Morning Jacket would not be disappointed. But this debut album has even surpassed my own expectations. It's an evocative, timeless, haunting, inspiring piece of music that I have yet to even remotely tire of. I wonder where it will stand in 5 years? 15 years? I have a suspicion it may find its way on some kind of all-time list.
2. Little Joy - Little Joy
This one blindsided me. Released just a month ago, I knew nothing about it, but one blog post somewhere hooked me right away. And it's just a side project! For those who don't know, Little Joy is The Strokes Fabrizio Moretti, his girlfriend an L.A. singer/songwriter, and a Brazilian musician friend from the band Los Hermanos. They holed up in a house in Silver Lake and made a laid-back, breezy and great record that mixes 70s pop, bossa nova and the Velvets. And the name? It's actually the name of the group's local bar. Appropriate - - this should be standard issue on any good cocktail lounge's jukebox.
3. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
At first I was freaked out like so many fans, but Evil Urges didn't take long to really grown on me and become one of the records I kept coming back to all year. Even "Highly Suspicious," a song so strange I first thought it had to be a joke, turned out to be my favorite driving song of the year. Is this blind devotion? Perhaps, but if a band is this good you just have to follow them wherever they go.
4. Department Of Eagles - In Ear Park
Another one that I never expected to like quite so much. Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen and buddy Fred Nicolaus have created an amazingly textured record that recalls Grizzly, but in many ways is much more listenable - - and pleasurable.
5. Vetiver - Things Of The Past
Can a covers-only record qualify as year's best. Why not? Especially when the songs and arrangements are this good. And since most of the covers are obscure anyway (the only song I knew was Townes Van Zandt's "Standin'" and I love this version), it might as well be a record of originals by one of the best modern folk bands out there. And FYI: There is nothing freaky about Vetiver's folk. Unless being awesome is freaky.
6. Deerhunter - Microcastle
How good is this record? So good that I think I've only listened to it 3 or 4 times and it still makes this list. It's worlds better than Bradford Cox's debut Cryptograms, with fuzzy guitars and dreamy pop in equal measure. It came out this year, but I'm going to be listening to this one a lot in '09.
7. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Lie Down In The Light
As soon as I start to forget Will Oldham's genius I hear a new record of his and get blown away again. This one's pretty straightforward 70s-style country rock, mixed with (yes, Virginia, I'm going to steal a phrase from Pitchfork) "front-porch spontaneity." I wish I had a front porch.
8. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
Just when I think I'm out, he pulls me back in. Oberst is annoying. Like, Ryan Adams annoying. But I can't shake him. (Ryan either, for that matter.) At first this record didn't thrill me. And then one day "I Don't Want To Die (In A Hospital)" came up on the shuffle and all I could hear was his exuberance and his talent. It's a winning combination.
9. She & Him - Volume One
No, it's not just because Zooey Deschanel is so darn cute. It's because she and M Ward made a record that surpassed expectations and defied modernity. It wouldn't be out of place in a dusty bin in some off-the-beaten-path record store. But since those don't exist, I'm glad this album does.
10. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend, Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs (tie)
Yes, it's a cheat. But I wanted to get them both on the list. They actually contrast quite well. Vampire Weekend came on like a bat out of hell and Narrow Stairs just kinda hung around like a lingering cold. The shine is off Vampire's debut slightly, but I can't resists its charms. And this wasn't Death Cab's best (or second or third best), but it's still a very satisfying record that saw Ben Gibbard and Co. stretching themselves sonically.
*Honorable Mentions (that seriously barely missed the cut): The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely, Beach House - Devotion, Boston Spaceships - Brown Submarine, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology, The Dodos - Visiter, Times New Viking - Rip It Off, Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
**And by the way...I changed my mind after my Mid-Year List. I now consider Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago to be a 2007 record. It came out last year on an indie and was re-released in '08. If it were officially a 2008 release, it would be 1A on this list - - right behind Fleet Foxes. (Interesting how my faves changed, by the way...)
There it is. Pretty great stuff all. So, I will definitely not be posting again until after the new year. But believe me this time, I really will start blogging about What I Listened To On My Way To Work again in '09. Happy Holidays, all.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 20
Total minutes of music (approx.): 110
Song with the most previous plays: "All You Are Love," "A Passing Feeling" (tie) - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I went to get my haircut, but had to abort! Commute was too long, and there were too many people waiting. I guess I'll have to start '09 as a long-haired hippy freak. Not really.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Canals Of Our City (Day 174)
Robert Pollard - "I Surrounded You Naked"
Ryan Adams - "Please Do Not Let Me Go"
Vetiver - "The Swimming Song"
Hello, Internets! I'm back-ish. Sorry to leave you (and you) wondering about what GE is listening to on his way to work all those days. It must have been awful. Is it Pavement? Some stupid jazz song? Etc. Maybe I was just too embarrassed to show my face after losing that bet with Comoprozac. Or maybe I ate so much on Thanksgiving I couldn't type. Or, gulp, maybe I was Bush-ed, a.k.a. downsized due to the fact that some moron(s) has been steering the national economic ship for eight years. Thankfully, none of the above. Still gainfully employed (fingers crossed) and just really busy. But today I actually have 5 minutes of downtime, and I've already read all there is to read about baseball's hot stove. (They should call it the lukewarm stove.) So, here ya go, a nice playlist from this AM. It's just in time - - I need to flex my blogging muscles before I unleash that all-important year-end list of favorite albums. Expect my list sometime before X-mas. In the meantime, here's a song from a strong contender to find it's way on there: Vetiver's Thing Of The Past. This collection of obscure covers is excellent from end-to-end - - breezy, 70s-flecked folk-pop. This particular track is a Loudon Wainwright cover from his 1973 album with a title you gotta love: Attempted Mustache.
fIREHOSE - "Honey, Please"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "After I Made Love To You"
Charlie Parker - "Mohawk"
Iron & Wine - "Innocent Bones"
Interpol - "Not Even Jail"
Magnolia Electric Co. - "Don't Fade On Me"
Calexico - "Nom De Plume"
Gnarls Barkley - "Go-Go Gadget Gospel"
Beirut - "The Canals Of Our City"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 12
Total minutes of music (approx.): 42
Song with the most previous plays: "Lion's Mane" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Well, my daughter and I have kicked the muffin-a-day habit on the way to drop her at school. Today's breakfast snack du jour? A waffle. Today's question of a 3-year-old with an exponentially inquisitive mind du jour? Daddy, where did the butter go? You try and explain why a solid melts to a toddler...
Ryan Adams - "Please Do Not Let Me Go"
Vetiver - "The Swimming Song"
Hello, Internets! I'm back-ish. Sorry to leave you (and you) wondering about what GE is listening to on his way to work all those days. It must have been awful. Is it Pavement? Some stupid jazz song? Etc. Maybe I was just too embarrassed to show my face after losing that bet with Comoprozac. Or maybe I ate so much on Thanksgiving I couldn't type. Or, gulp, maybe I was Bush-ed, a.k.a. downsized due to the fact that some moron(s) has been steering the national economic ship for eight years. Thankfully, none of the above. Still gainfully employed (fingers crossed) and just really busy. But today I actually have 5 minutes of downtime, and I've already read all there is to read about baseball's hot stove. (They should call it the lukewarm stove.) So, here ya go, a nice playlist from this AM. It's just in time - - I need to flex my blogging muscles before I unleash that all-important year-end list of favorite albums. Expect my list sometime before X-mas. In the meantime, here's a song from a strong contender to find it's way on there: Vetiver's Thing Of The Past. This collection of obscure covers is excellent from end-to-end - - breezy, 70s-flecked folk-pop. This particular track is a Loudon Wainwright cover from his 1973 album with a title you gotta love: Attempted Mustache.
fIREHOSE - "Honey, Please"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "After I Made Love To You"
Charlie Parker - "Mohawk"
Iron & Wine - "Innocent Bones"
Interpol - "Not Even Jail"
Magnolia Electric Co. - "Don't Fade On Me"
Calexico - "Nom De Plume"
Gnarls Barkley - "Go-Go Gadget Gospel"
Beirut - "The Canals Of Our City"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 12
Total minutes of music (approx.): 42
Song with the most previous plays: "Lion's Mane" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Well, my daughter and I have kicked the muffin-a-day habit on the way to drop her at school. Today's breakfast snack du jour? A waffle. Today's question of a 3-year-old with an exponentially inquisitive mind du jour? Daddy, where did the butter go? You try and explain why a solid melts to a toddler...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Lion's Mane (Day 172 & 173)
Note: It's tough. This is my busiest time of year at work and the blog is suffering. I don't want it to die. So, I'll do my best at least post the playlist. And more when I can. Bear with me, reader(s).
Day 172 (Monday)
Teenage Fanclub - "Chords Of Fame"
Rilo Kiley - "Does He Love You?"
The Cure - "The Walk"
Robert Pollard - "The Numbered Head"
Bodies Of Water - "Roar Roar Roar"
Iron & Wine - "Lion's Mane"
KT Tunstall - "Miniature Disaster"
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Harder Now That It's Over"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "After I Made Love To You"
Nick Drake - "Pink Moon"
Iron & Wine - "Teeth In The Glass"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 39
Song with the most previous plays: "Lion's Mane" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: That was yesterday, who can remember?
Day 173 (Tuesday)
Yardbirds - "Drinking Muddy Water"
Superchunk - "Popular Music"
Girl Talk - "In Step"
The Flaming Lips - "The Wizard Turns On..."
Midlake - "Roscoe"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 5
Total minutes of music (approx.): 19
Song with the most previous plays: "Roscoe" - 5
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I shared a train with another preschool dad.
Day 172 (Monday)
Teenage Fanclub - "Chords Of Fame"
Rilo Kiley - "Does He Love You?"
The Cure - "The Walk"
Robert Pollard - "The Numbered Head"
Bodies Of Water - "Roar Roar Roar"
Iron & Wine - "Lion's Mane"
KT Tunstall - "Miniature Disaster"
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Harder Now That It's Over"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "After I Made Love To You"
Nick Drake - "Pink Moon"
Iron & Wine - "Teeth In The Glass"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 39
Song with the most previous plays: "Lion's Mane" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: That was yesterday, who can remember?
Day 173 (Tuesday)
Yardbirds - "Drinking Muddy Water"
Superchunk - "Popular Music"
Girl Talk - "In Step"
The Flaming Lips - "The Wizard Turns On..."
Midlake - "Roscoe"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 5
Total minutes of music (approx.): 19
Song with the most previous plays: "Roscoe" - 5
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I shared a train with another preschool dad.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Weather Report (Day 171)
Maritime - "For Science Fiction"
Frank Black - "Wanderlust"
Modest Mouse - "Other People's Lives"
The Hold Steady - "Slapped Actress"
The Go-Betweens - "Born To A Family" (live)
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - "Cinnamon Girl"
Belle & Sebastian - "Seeing Other People"
Lily Allen - "Shame For You"
Dan Zanes - "Walkin' The Dog"
Neil Young - "Dance Dance Dance" (live)
Violent Femmes - "Waiting For The Bus"
Ray LaMontagne - "Three More Days"
Bon Iver - "Lump Sum"
Dan Zanes - "Weather Report"
Death Cab For Cutie - "Bixby Canyon Bridge"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 15
Total minutes of music (approx.): 58
Song with the most previous plays: "Weather Report" - 17
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 8
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Got my free coffee.
Frank Black - "Wanderlust"
Modest Mouse - "Other People's Lives"
The Hold Steady - "Slapped Actress"
The Go-Betweens - "Born To A Family" (live)
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - "Cinnamon Girl"
Belle & Sebastian - "Seeing Other People"
Lily Allen - "Shame For You"
Dan Zanes - "Walkin' The Dog"
Neil Young - "Dance Dance Dance" (live)
Violent Femmes - "Waiting For The Bus"
Ray LaMontagne - "Three More Days"
Bon Iver - "Lump Sum"
Dan Zanes - "Weather Report"
Death Cab For Cutie - "Bixby Canyon Bridge"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 15
Total minutes of music (approx.): 58
Song with the most previous plays: "Weather Report" - 17
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 8
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Got my free coffee.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
No More Shoes (Day 170)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "There Is A Kingdom"
Nada Surf - "Treading Water" (live)
The Wrens - "Jane Fakes A Hug"
Wilco - "Ever Fallen in Love"
Stephen Malkmus - "No More Shoes"
Jay Reatard - "You Mean Nothing To Me"
The Evens - "Get Even"
Charlie Louvin' - "Waitin For A Train"
Vetiver - "Farther On"
Okay, we're back. Sorry about yesterday's aborted post. To be honest, work is really busy this time of year and there may be a few more of those between now and New Year's then I'd like. In any case, if anybody's waiting with bated breath to know what I wanted to mention yesterday, here it is. (And apologies in advance because it's not that interesting, especially if you've been waiting 24 hours to read it.) Basically I was going to point out how incredibly, and uncannily, the Josh Ritter song "Rumors" (from yesterday's list) sounds like...wait for it...the Britney Spears song "Toxic." Don't ask how I might know this, but I actually thought John might be covering Brit. Trying to dig up some clips to prove this to you... You know what? It's not gonna happen. All the "Rumors" clips are live and all the Britney "Toxic" videos won't embed. Oh, well. I'll just ask you to do some homework and listen for yourself to see if I'm making any sense. In the meantime, an interesting list today. Anyone have any thoughts on Jay Reatard? I just recently uploaded the Matador Singles '08 album. He's one of those prolific dudes who appears to fart out a song a minute. It's all rough, lo-fi garage rock, but I think I like it.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 9
Total minutes of music (approx.): 40
Song with the most previous plays: "No More Shoes," "Waitin For A Train" (tied) - 6
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Tenth coffee card punch, baby! Next one's on the house.
Nada Surf - "Treading Water" (live)
The Wrens - "Jane Fakes A Hug"
Wilco - "Ever Fallen in Love"
Stephen Malkmus - "No More Shoes"
Jay Reatard - "You Mean Nothing To Me"
The Evens - "Get Even"
Charlie Louvin' - "Waitin For A Train"
Vetiver - "Farther On"
Okay, we're back. Sorry about yesterday's aborted post. To be honest, work is really busy this time of year and there may be a few more of those between now and New Year's then I'd like. In any case, if anybody's waiting with bated breath to know what I wanted to mention yesterday, here it is. (And apologies in advance because it's not that interesting, especially if you've been waiting 24 hours to read it.) Basically I was going to point out how incredibly, and uncannily, the Josh Ritter song "Rumors" (from yesterday's list) sounds like...wait for it...the Britney Spears song "Toxic." Don't ask how I might know this, but I actually thought John might be covering Brit. Trying to dig up some clips to prove this to you... You know what? It's not gonna happen. All the "Rumors" clips are live and all the Britney "Toxic" videos won't embed. Oh, well. I'll just ask you to do some homework and listen for yourself to see if I'm making any sense. In the meantime, an interesting list today. Anyone have any thoughts on Jay Reatard? I just recently uploaded the Matador Singles '08 album. He's one of those prolific dudes who appears to fart out a song a minute. It's all rough, lo-fi garage rock, but I think I like it.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 9
Total minutes of music (approx.): 40
Song with the most previous plays: "No More Shoes," "Waitin For A Train" (tied) - 6
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Tenth coffee card punch, baby! Next one's on the house.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Goodbye Caroline (Day 169)
Aimee Mann - "Goodbye Caroline"
Joe Henry - "Best To Believe"
Guided By Voices - "A Good Flying Bird"
Gang Of Four - "Contract"
The Replacements - "Merry Go Round"
Tokyo Police Club - "Nature Of Experiment"
The Books - "A True Story Of A True Love"
The Hold Steady - "Same Knocks"
Mew - "An Envoy To The Open Field"
Josh Ritter - "Rumors"
I have something I want to point out here, but it will have to wait until tomorrow...
Sebadoh - "As The World Dies, The Eyes Of God Grow Bigger"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 37
Song with the most previous plays: "Goodbye Caroline" - 12
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: The school drop-off is back.
Joe Henry - "Best To Believe"
Guided By Voices - "A Good Flying Bird"
Gang Of Four - "Contract"
The Replacements - "Merry Go Round"
Tokyo Police Club - "Nature Of Experiment"
The Books - "A True Story Of A True Love"
The Hold Steady - "Same Knocks"
Mew - "An Envoy To The Open Field"
Josh Ritter - "Rumors"
I have something I want to point out here, but it will have to wait until tomorrow...
Sebadoh - "As The World Dies, The Eyes Of God Grow Bigger"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 37
Song with the most previous plays: "Goodbye Caroline" - 12
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: The school drop-off is back.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Hopeless (Day 168)
Ween - "Drifter In The Dark"
The Beatles - "She Said She Said"
Thelonious Monk - "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are"
Pernice Brothers - "Somerville"
M Ward - "Deep Dark Well"
The Postal Service - "This Place Is Prison"
Tokyo Police Club - "Nursery, Academy"
Meat Puppets - "Plateau"
Roy Orbison - "Communication Breakdown"
The Mountain Goats - "Tianchi Lake"
Beck - "Movie Theme"
Wilco - "Yesterday"
The Beatles - "Get Back"
Big day for the Beatles on today's list - - three appearances, including Jeff Tweedy's cover of "Yesterday." Funnily enough I was reading a review in the NY Times of Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Outliers, and The Beatles play a fairly significant role. First, let me just say that I have not read either of Mr. Gladwell's wildly successful books, The Tipping Point or Blink, although I'm fully aware of them and what they're about. But this book sounds, form the review, like it's a bit half-baked. Basically this book purports that success is due to a mix of talent and opportunity. Well, like, duh. The Beatles figure into his hypothesis and evidently he feels their success is due to the fact that they practiced their music by playing a lot in Hamburg, Germany. Now, I know a lot of dudes in their garages who would probably have to agree that a lot of practice is not going to equal success. The theory seems to downplay their genius. The Times reviewer even says such, and cites other rock successes as the Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys who were just as influential without all the "practice." Pass.
The Wrens - "Hopeless"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 14
Total minutes of music (approx.): 47
Song with the most previous plays: "Hopeless" - 14
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: It actually snowed a bit when I was walking to the train this AM...a week and a half before Thanksgiving. Hmm...
The Beatles - "She Said She Said"
Thelonious Monk - "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are"
Pernice Brothers - "Somerville"
M Ward - "Deep Dark Well"
The Postal Service - "This Place Is Prison"
Tokyo Police Club - "Nursery, Academy"
Meat Puppets - "Plateau"
Roy Orbison - "Communication Breakdown"
The Mountain Goats - "Tianchi Lake"
Beck - "Movie Theme"
Wilco - "Yesterday"
The Beatles - "Get Back"
Big day for the Beatles on today's list - - three appearances, including Jeff Tweedy's cover of "Yesterday." Funnily enough I was reading a review in the NY Times of Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Outliers, and The Beatles play a fairly significant role. First, let me just say that I have not read either of Mr. Gladwell's wildly successful books, The Tipping Point or Blink, although I'm fully aware of them and what they're about. But this book sounds, form the review, like it's a bit half-baked. Basically this book purports that success is due to a mix of talent and opportunity. Well, like, duh. The Beatles figure into his hypothesis and evidently he feels their success is due to the fact that they practiced their music by playing a lot in Hamburg, Germany. Now, I know a lot of dudes in their garages who would probably have to agree that a lot of practice is not going to equal success. The theory seems to downplay their genius. The Times reviewer even says such, and cites other rock successes as the Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys who were just as influential without all the "practice." Pass.
The Wrens - "Hopeless"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 14
Total minutes of music (approx.): 47
Song with the most previous plays: "Hopeless" - 14
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: It actually snowed a bit when I was walking to the train this AM...a week and a half before Thanksgiving. Hmm...
Monday, November 17, 2008
Soda (Day 167)
Damien Rice - "The Animals Were Gone"
Roy Orbison - "You're Gonna Cry"
Busy day at work, and to be honest I'm still in a haze from a weekend dominated by a sick toddler. She's fine, but fever and a cough mean frequent waking up and, naturally, I had to spend a good amount of time sharing a kids-sized bed with her. My back is the thing mostly gonna cry. So, this makes the first appearance of velvet-voiced crooner Roy Orbison on WILTOMWTWT. A coworker had a copy of the recent box set - - which is an incredibly comprehensive 107 songs - - so I uploaded it. Apparently the guy sang more than "Pretty Woman." This track appeared on Roy's first album, Roy Orbison at the Rock House. The record was for Sun Records so it has that rockabilly style (actually Sun owner Sam Phillips wrote the song too). Nice shot of early R&R for the AM.
The Mountain Goats - "Sept. 15, 1983"
Bright Eyes - "Make A Plan To Love Me"
Dr. Dog - "From"
Dolorean - "You Don't Want To Know"
The Roots - "I Can't Help It"
Marah - "Soda"
The White Stripes - "Suzy Lee" (live)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "The Carny"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 44
Song with the most previous plays: "Soda" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I started thinking about lunch early. Why? I made an awesome meatloaf yesterday and it was nestled between two pieces of bread for lunch today. So good.
Roy Orbison - "You're Gonna Cry"
Busy day at work, and to be honest I'm still in a haze from a weekend dominated by a sick toddler. She's fine, but fever and a cough mean frequent waking up and, naturally, I had to spend a good amount of time sharing a kids-sized bed with her. My back is the thing mostly gonna cry. So, this makes the first appearance of velvet-voiced crooner Roy Orbison on WILTOMWTWT. A coworker had a copy of the recent box set - - which is an incredibly comprehensive 107 songs - - so I uploaded it. Apparently the guy sang more than "Pretty Woman." This track appeared on Roy's first album, Roy Orbison at the Rock House. The record was for Sun Records so it has that rockabilly style (actually Sun owner Sam Phillips wrote the song too). Nice shot of early R&R for the AM.
The Mountain Goats - "Sept. 15, 1983"
Bright Eyes - "Make A Plan To Love Me"
Dr. Dog - "From"
Dolorean - "You Don't Want To Know"
The Roots - "I Can't Help It"
Marah - "Soda"
The White Stripes - "Suzy Lee" (live)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "The Carny"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 44
Song with the most previous plays: "Soda" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I started thinking about lunch early. Why? I made an awesome meatloaf yesterday and it was nestled between two pieces of bread for lunch today. So good.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Fire It Up (Day 166)
Brendan Benson - "Spit It Out"
Great playlist today. I was into it from this very first song. If you only know Benson (if at all) from his work with Jack Black and the Raconteurs, you're missing out. 2005's The Alternative to Love is a great power pop album. (Think Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend.) This song actually kicks off the CD, and it's just one of those toe-tappers that can't help but pump you up. (Kinda reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr.'s "Feel The Pain," by the way.) After dropping my daughter at school I have a 5-10 minute walk to the subway station and I was feeling a little Tony Manero strut coming on. I used all my energy to squelch it. No dice.
My Morning Jacket - "Smokin From Shootin"
Arctic Monkeys - "Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But..."
Modest Mouse - "Fire It Up"
Nina Simone - "Sunday in Savannah"
John Coltrane - "Locomotion"
Islands - "Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone"
Meat Puppets - "Climbing"
Okkervil River - "A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene"
Neil Young - "Ambulance Blues"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 48
Song with the most previous plays: "Fire It Up" - 11
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 9
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: A New York Times first today (I have to imagine) - - the description of a masturbating inflatable.
Great playlist today. I was into it from this very first song. If you only know Benson (if at all) from his work with Jack Black and the Raconteurs, you're missing out. 2005's The Alternative to Love is a great power pop album. (Think Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend.) This song actually kicks off the CD, and it's just one of those toe-tappers that can't help but pump you up. (Kinda reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr.'s "Feel The Pain," by the way.) After dropping my daughter at school I have a 5-10 minute walk to the subway station and I was feeling a little Tony Manero strut coming on. I used all my energy to squelch it. No dice.
My Morning Jacket - "Smokin From Shootin"
Arctic Monkeys - "Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But..."
Modest Mouse - "Fire It Up"
Nina Simone - "Sunday in Savannah"
John Coltrane - "Locomotion"
Islands - "Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone"
Meat Puppets - "Climbing"
Okkervil River - "A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene"
Neil Young - "Ambulance Blues"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 48
Song with the most previous plays: "Fire It Up" - 11
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 9
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: A New York Times first today (I have to imagine) - - the description of a masturbating inflatable.
At Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, AC/DC reminded a rabid crowd exactly what sort of band it is...the sort that, when playing “Whole Lotta Rosie,” about loving a woman of ample figure, inflates a gargantuan, nominally clothed doll that taps its foot in time with the beat and whose left hand works a circular motion below the waist.Long live rock.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
This Afternoon (Day 165)
Coldplay - "Shiver"
Nirvana - "Polly" (demo)
The Shins - "Black Wave"
Wilco - "Lookin' For A Lover"
Vetiver - "Double"
Red House Painters - "Make Like Paper"
This was a rare 10-minute plus jam (12:03, actually) that didn't have me anxiously fingering the skip button during my morning commute. These long songs don't usually fit my mood in the AM, but today I really relaxed and enjoyed the full bredth of the jam. Of course, I thought it was Magnolia Electric Co. the whole time. Apologies to Mark Kozelek but this had the same rumbling Neil Young-esque guitar and plodding rhythm that Magnolia's Jason Molina has perfected. It's uncanny. Even their voices sound remarkably similar - - which I'd never realized before. (I guess you can say my taste is consistent.) But, while this was a pleasant 12 minutes for me, evidently those minutes were torturous for Mark's label, 4AD. According to Wikipedia, "4AD asked Kozelek to edit out the distorted guitar crunch that appears more than halfway though the song. When he refused, it became one of the reasons that Red House Painters and 4AD parted ways." Kinda surprising because I think of 4AD as having some experimental acts over the years. Their roster right now is actually pretty impressive: Bon Iver, M Ward, The Mountain Goats, Department of Eagles and Beirut. Did I miss anybody?
My Morning Jacket - "Golden"
Johnny Cash - "Let The Lower Lights Be Burning"
Death Cab For Cutie - "Long Division"
Joe Henry - "This Afternoon"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 44
Song with the most previous plays: "This Afternoon" - 10
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I got an inordinate amount of pleasure out of showing my daughter how to make devil horns with her fingers and yelling, "Rock and roll!"
Nirvana - "Polly" (demo)
The Shins - "Black Wave"
Wilco - "Lookin' For A Lover"
Vetiver - "Double"
Red House Painters - "Make Like Paper"
This was a rare 10-minute plus jam (12:03, actually) that didn't have me anxiously fingering the skip button during my morning commute. These long songs don't usually fit my mood in the AM, but today I really relaxed and enjoyed the full bredth of the jam. Of course, I thought it was Magnolia Electric Co. the whole time. Apologies to Mark Kozelek but this had the same rumbling Neil Young-esque guitar and plodding rhythm that Magnolia's Jason Molina has perfected. It's uncanny. Even their voices sound remarkably similar - - which I'd never realized before. (I guess you can say my taste is consistent.) But, while this was a pleasant 12 minutes for me, evidently those minutes were torturous for Mark's label, 4AD. According to Wikipedia, "4AD asked Kozelek to edit out the distorted guitar crunch that appears more than halfway though the song. When he refused, it became one of the reasons that Red House Painters and 4AD parted ways." Kinda surprising because I think of 4AD as having some experimental acts over the years. Their roster right now is actually pretty impressive: Bon Iver, M Ward, The Mountain Goats, Department of Eagles and Beirut. Did I miss anybody?
My Morning Jacket - "Golden"
Johnny Cash - "Let The Lower Lights Be Burning"
Death Cab For Cutie - "Long Division"
Joe Henry - "This Afternoon"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 44
Song with the most previous plays: "This Afternoon" - 10
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I got an inordinate amount of pleasure out of showing my daughter how to make devil horns with her fingers and yelling, "Rock and roll!"
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Oh Asia (Day 164)
Illinois - "Oh Asia" (live)
Nirvana - "Here She Comes Now"
Okay, want to feel old? Here's the baby from the Nevermind album cover (released in 1991).
The now 17-year-old Spencer Elden recently recreated the famous shot. MTV has a story on the guy, whose parents got just $200 bucks for the famous photo shoot. The best part of the article: Elden told [MTV] that being the Nirvana baby has its perks. He references it when trying to pick up ladies, he said: "I have to use stupid pickup lines like, 'You want to see my p---s ... again?'"
[Update: The original, in case you misplaced your copy...]
The Black Keys - "Remember When (Side B)"
Arctic Monkeys - "When The Sun Goes Down"
Elvis Presley - "Just Because"
The Roots - "The Show"
Stars - "The Beginning After The End"
The Clash - "Hate & War"
The Velvet Underground - "I'll Be Your Mirror"
Tortoise - "Blackjack"
Sonic Youth - "Eric's Trip"
Iron & Wine - "White Tooth Man"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 12
Total minutes of music (approx.): 39
Song with the most previous plays: "Oh Asia" - 7
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I had no idea, until I got to work, that it's the anniversary or Exploding Whale Day! Take a look.
Nirvana - "Here She Comes Now"
Okay, want to feel old? Here's the baby from the Nevermind album cover (released in 1991).
The now 17-year-old Spencer Elden recently recreated the famous shot. MTV has a story on the guy, whose parents got just $200 bucks for the famous photo shoot. The best part of the article: Elden told [MTV] that being the Nirvana baby has its perks. He references it when trying to pick up ladies, he said: "I have to use stupid pickup lines like, 'You want to see my p---s ... again?'"
[Update: The original, in case you misplaced your copy...]
The Black Keys - "Remember When (Side B)"
Arctic Monkeys - "When The Sun Goes Down"
Elvis Presley - "Just Because"
The Roots - "The Show"
Stars - "The Beginning After The End"
The Clash - "Hate & War"
The Velvet Underground - "I'll Be Your Mirror"
Tortoise - "Blackjack"
Sonic Youth - "Eric's Trip"
Iron & Wine - "White Tooth Man"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 12
Total minutes of music (approx.): 39
Song with the most previous plays: "Oh Asia" - 7
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I had no idea, until I got to work, that it's the anniversary or Exploding Whale Day! Take a look.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Pack Up Your Sorrows (Day 163)
Common - "The Corner"
David Bowie - "Speed Of Life"
Bob Dylan & The Band - "Open The Door, Homer"
Yo La Tengo - "You Can Have It All"
Built To Spill - "Don't Try"
Johnny Cash & June Carter - "Pack Up Your Sorrows"
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - "The Drum Thunder Suite"
New Radiant Storm King - "The Opposing Engineer (Sleeps Alone)"
Funny that this song came 'round the shuffle because my friends and I were just talking about it. Basically, I always liked the woefully underrated indie band New Radiant Storm King. Then I discovered about 8 years ago a coworker-turned-good-friend actually went to college (I think it was college) with one of the guys in the band and knows him well. Well, recently the band (or more specifically my friend's friend) came up and AJS immediately informed us that New Radiant Storm King recorded a split single with his fave band, Guided By Voices. Not only that, the indie lure goes that Bob Pollard actually wrote "I Am A Scientist" after repeated listens to this very song. Eureka! What does all this mean? My friends are geeks.
Thom Yorke - "Harrowdown Hill"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 9
Total minutes of music (approx.): 36
Song with the most previous plays: "Pack Up Your Sorrows" - 6
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Tried to picture Mets manager Jerry Manuel as he played golf at a charity tournament in California yesterday dressed - - as the Times describes it - - "in a light yellow, light weight sweater, slacks and a beige fedora." What, no photo?
David Bowie - "Speed Of Life"
Bob Dylan & The Band - "Open The Door, Homer"
Yo La Tengo - "You Can Have It All"
Built To Spill - "Don't Try"
Johnny Cash & June Carter - "Pack Up Your Sorrows"
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - "The Drum Thunder Suite"
New Radiant Storm King - "The Opposing Engineer (Sleeps Alone)"
Funny that this song came 'round the shuffle because my friends and I were just talking about it. Basically, I always liked the woefully underrated indie band New Radiant Storm King. Then I discovered about 8 years ago a coworker-turned-good-friend actually went to college (I think it was college) with one of the guys in the band and knows him well. Well, recently the band (or more specifically my friend's friend) came up and AJS immediately informed us that New Radiant Storm King recorded a split single with his fave band, Guided By Voices. Not only that, the indie lure goes that Bob Pollard actually wrote "I Am A Scientist" after repeated listens to this very song. Eureka! What does all this mean? My friends are geeks.
Thom Yorke - "Harrowdown Hill"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 9
Total minutes of music (approx.): 36
Song with the most previous plays: "Pack Up Your Sorrows" - 6
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Tried to picture Mets manager Jerry Manuel as he played golf at a charity tournament in California yesterday dressed - - as the Times describes it - - "in a light yellow, light weight sweater, slacks and a beige fedora." What, no photo?
Monday, November 10, 2008
Waitin' On A Sunny Day (Day 162)
Bruce Springsteen - "Waitin' On A Sunny Day"
Broken Social Scene - "Her Disappearing Theme"
Blonde Redhead - "Publisher"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "The Way"
Os Mutantes - "Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour"
I promised to kick this blog back in gear, and look what I cough up on a Monday. I know, I know, but it's not my fault - - exactly. After drop-off today, I rode the subway most of the way with another parent in G's class. It seemed a bit rude to excuse myself from the conversation and plug in. It's too bad because I actually uploaded some new music over the weekend and was anxious to see if anything came up. Guess we'll both just have to wait.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 5
Total minutes of music (approx.): 25
Song with the most previous plays: "Waitin' On A Sunny Day" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 4 (for lenght)
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: It's book fair at pre-school this week. The first book G zeroed in on today was a Wow! Wow! Wubzy! sticker book. Can any parent clue me in to just how nefarious this particular cartoon is? It comes on at 6am, so let's just say I haven't given it my full, undivided attention.
Broken Social Scene - "Her Disappearing Theme"
Blonde Redhead - "Publisher"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "The Way"
Os Mutantes - "Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour"
I promised to kick this blog back in gear, and look what I cough up on a Monday. I know, I know, but it's not my fault - - exactly. After drop-off today, I rode the subway most of the way with another parent in G's class. It seemed a bit rude to excuse myself from the conversation and plug in. It's too bad because I actually uploaded some new music over the weekend and was anxious to see if anything came up. Guess we'll both just have to wait.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 5
Total minutes of music (approx.): 25
Song with the most previous plays: "Waitin' On A Sunny Day" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 4 (for lenght)
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: It's book fair at pre-school this week. The first book G zeroed in on today was a Wow! Wow! Wubzy! sticker book. Can any parent clue me in to just how nefarious this particular cartoon is? It comes on at 6am, so let's just say I haven't given it my full, undivided attention.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Green To Gold (Day 161)
Tindersticks - "The Not Knowing"
Air - "Space Maker"
Leonard Cohen - "Stories Of The Street"
The Beatles - "Eleanor Rigby"
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Let It Ride" (live)
Minutemen - "The Big Blast For Youth"
Track Star - "Green To Gold"
Mark Mothersbaugh - "We Call Them Pirates Out Here"
Os Mutantes - "Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour"
David Bowie - "The Beauty & The Beast"
The Fall - "Fiery Jack"
I'll do better next week - - I promise.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 40
Song with the most previous plays: "Green To Gold" - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 8
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Tried to teach my daughter the days of the week. Was moderately successful.
Air - "Space Maker"
Leonard Cohen - "Stories Of The Street"
The Beatles - "Eleanor Rigby"
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Let It Ride" (live)
Minutemen - "The Big Blast For Youth"
Track Star - "Green To Gold"
Mark Mothersbaugh - "We Call Them Pirates Out Here"
Os Mutantes - "Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour"
David Bowie - "The Beauty & The Beast"
The Fall - "Fiery Jack"
I'll do better next week - - I promise.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 40
Song with the most previous plays: "Green To Gold" - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 8
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Tried to teach my daughter the days of the week. Was moderately successful.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Chimbley Sweep (Day 160)
Bob Dylan - "Tombstone Blues"
The Decemberists - "The Chimbley Sweep"
Radiohead - "Morning Bell/Amnesiac"
Sufjan Stevens - "The Avalanche"
Bob Dylan - "Bob Dylan's Dream"
Superchunk - "Indoor Living"
Sloan - "Everything You've Done Wrong"
I'm not going to lie to you: I've still got the fever. I thought I could return to my regularly scheduled program, but it's apparently not true. It was at this point in today's playlist that I managed to regain consciousness - - that is consciousness lost due to the Times special section on election results. What brought me back was the opening of this song from my favorite Sloan record, One Chord to Another. It's a straight-up Chicago-style horn attack. Imagine if Chicago was from Canada...and cool. This would definitely have been one of their hits. Sorry, that's all I got the. The fever will wear off eventually. I think.
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Trains"
The White Stripes - "Suzy Lee" (live)
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 9
Total minutes of music (approx.): 38
Song with the most previous plays: "The Chimbley Sweep" - 13
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 8
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I bought coffee. I drink coffee at home. And I drink coffee at work. I drink too much coffee.
The Decemberists - "The Chimbley Sweep"
Radiohead - "Morning Bell/Amnesiac"
Sufjan Stevens - "The Avalanche"
Bob Dylan - "Bob Dylan's Dream"
Superchunk - "Indoor Living"
Sloan - "Everything You've Done Wrong"
I'm not going to lie to you: I've still got the fever. I thought I could return to my regularly scheduled program, but it's apparently not true. It was at this point in today's playlist that I managed to regain consciousness - - that is consciousness lost due to the Times special section on election results. What brought me back was the opening of this song from my favorite Sloan record, One Chord to Another. It's a straight-up Chicago-style horn attack. Imagine if Chicago was from Canada...and cool. This would definitely have been one of their hits. Sorry, that's all I got the. The fever will wear off eventually. I think.
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Trains"
The White Stripes - "Suzy Lee" (live)
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 9
Total minutes of music (approx.): 38
Song with the most previous plays: "The Chimbley Sweep" - 13
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 8
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I bought coffee. I drink coffee at home. And I drink coffee at work. I drink too much coffee.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
On The Table (Day 159)
Magnolia Electric Co. - "Nashville Moon"
TV On The Radio - "Things You Can Do"
A.C. Newman - "On The Table"
Sonny Rollins - "You Are My Lucky Star"
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Withering Heights"
The Thrills - "Our Wasted Lives"
Pixies - "Where Is My Mind?" (live)
Coleman Hawkins - "Little Girl Blue"
Kings Of Convenience - "Failure"
Travis - "Closer"
The Silos - "She Lives Up The Street"
Grandaddy - "I Don't Want To Record Anymore"
Vetiver - "On A Nerve"
Wow. I'm not sure I really heard any of these songs this morning. All I could do was stare at my morning paper and grin. There's plenty of time to obsess about What I Listened To On My Way To Work, but today I just want to leave you with this.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 13
Total minutes of music (approx.): 49
Song with the most previous plays: "On The Table" - 12
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Even coffee tastes better...
TV On The Radio - "Things You Can Do"
A.C. Newman - "On The Table"
Sonny Rollins - "You Are My Lucky Star"
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Withering Heights"
The Thrills - "Our Wasted Lives"
Pixies - "Where Is My Mind?" (live)
Coleman Hawkins - "Little Girl Blue"
Kings Of Convenience - "Failure"
Travis - "Closer"
The Silos - "She Lives Up The Street"
Grandaddy - "I Don't Want To Record Anymore"
Vetiver - "On A Nerve"
Wow. I'm not sure I really heard any of these songs this morning. All I could do was stare at my morning paper and grin. There's plenty of time to obsess about What I Listened To On My Way To Work, but today I just want to leave you with this.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 13
Total minutes of music (approx.): 49
Song with the most previous plays: "On The Table" - 12
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Even coffee tastes better...
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Anyotherway (Day 158)
Bruce Springsteen - "4th Of July, Asbury Park" (live)
The Beatles - "One After 909"
Bon Iver - "Re: Stacks"
Joe Henry - "Shut Me Up"
Holly Golightly - "Anyotherway"
Tony Scherr - "The Good Life"
Oakley Hall - "Best Of Luck"
Well, it's finally here. Not much else anyone can think/talk about today and I'm no exception. Today's playlist for Election Day...not too much hidden meaning, I think. Sure, Bruce Springsteen kicked off the list - - and we all know who he's supporting. I suppose that could be a good sign. There was also something apropos about that achingly, beautiful Bon Iver song "Re: Stacks." Like most of his songs, the meaning is cryptic, but the tone feels like it projects pain and rebirth. And I especially like the line, "Everything that happens is from now on." Again, vaguely apropos. So, naturally, I voted today before work. My wife, 2 kids and dog all headed to our polling place, which is just up the block, at around 7:45. (Cute story: Before we left, I told my daughter - - who turns 3 today! - - that we were going to vote. To which se replied, "Are you picking a rocket ship or a peach store?" Huh? First, I worried she was still suffering from post-Halloween, post-birthday party sugar overload. Then I remembered: In school she and her classmates got to decide what to do with a big cardboard box the teachers brought in. The choice was rocket ship or peach store and, yup, the kids "voted." Rocket ship won. I think she actually wanted to make the box into a castle - - that's learning the true meaning of democracy the hard way. I explained what we were voting for, mostly to quizzical stares. But I did manage to get her to say, "Barack the vote!" a few times.) Sure enough, the polling place was packed. The line snaked around the inside of the school cafeteria, and there were by far more people than I've ever seen in my voting life. This in one of the bluest of blue states. All told, we waited about 45 minutes. When I finally got to the booth I asked my little girl to come in with me. She didn't want to at first because she was preoccupied with drawing using some markers the daughter of another voter brought. But, I insisted. I really wanted to share this with her. Once we got behind the curtain, she got into it. After I chose my candidate she gleefully helped pull the lever that records the vote. And I got chills. Best of luck, indeed.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 7
Total minutes of music (approx.): 33
Song with the most previous plays: "Anyotherway" - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I didn't get one of those "I Voted" stickers. Bummer.
The Beatles - "One After 909"
Bon Iver - "Re: Stacks"
Joe Henry - "Shut Me Up"
Holly Golightly - "Anyotherway"
Tony Scherr - "The Good Life"
Oakley Hall - "Best Of Luck"
Well, it's finally here. Not much else anyone can think/talk about today and I'm no exception. Today's playlist for Election Day...not too much hidden meaning, I think. Sure, Bruce Springsteen kicked off the list - - and we all know who he's supporting. I suppose that could be a good sign. There was also something apropos about that achingly, beautiful Bon Iver song "Re: Stacks." Like most of his songs, the meaning is cryptic, but the tone feels like it projects pain and rebirth. And I especially like the line, "Everything that happens is from now on." Again, vaguely apropos. So, naturally, I voted today before work. My wife, 2 kids and dog all headed to our polling place, which is just up the block, at around 7:45. (Cute story: Before we left, I told my daughter - - who turns 3 today! - - that we were going to vote. To which se replied, "Are you picking a rocket ship or a peach store?" Huh? First, I worried she was still suffering from post-Halloween, post-birthday party sugar overload. Then I remembered: In school she and her classmates got to decide what to do with a big cardboard box the teachers brought in. The choice was rocket ship or peach store and, yup, the kids "voted." Rocket ship won. I think she actually wanted to make the box into a castle - - that's learning the true meaning of democracy the hard way. I explained what we were voting for, mostly to quizzical stares. But I did manage to get her to say, "Barack the vote!" a few times.) Sure enough, the polling place was packed. The line snaked around the inside of the school cafeteria, and there were by far more people than I've ever seen in my voting life. This in one of the bluest of blue states. All told, we waited about 45 minutes. When I finally got to the booth I asked my little girl to come in with me. She didn't want to at first because she was preoccupied with drawing using some markers the daughter of another voter brought. But, I insisted. I really wanted to share this with her. Once we got behind the curtain, she got into it. After I chose my candidate she gleefully helped pull the lever that records the vote. And I got chills. Best of luck, indeed.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 7
Total minutes of music (approx.): 33
Song with the most previous plays: "Anyotherway" - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I didn't get one of those "I Voted" stickers. Bummer.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Running With Your Eyes Closed (Day 157)
Weezer - "Holiday"
Mojave 3 - "Running With Your Eyes Closed"
Animal Collective - "Chores"
Flight Of The Conchords - "Boom"
Camera Obscura - "Country Mike"
The Aracade Fire - "Poupee de Cire" (live)
The Sea And The Cake - "Darkest Night"
No Age - "Miner"
Pavement - "Sue Me Jack"
Outkast - "Spaghetti Junction"
The Killers - "All These Things That I've Done"
The Silos - "All Falls Away"
Just one word today: vote.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 12
Total minutes of music (approx.): 48
Song with the most previous plays: "Running With Your Eyes Closed," "Country Mike," "All Falls Away" (tie) - 7
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I think I found a new, better subway route to take after I drop G off at school. Who says CHANGE isn't possible.
Mojave 3 - "Running With Your Eyes Closed"
Animal Collective - "Chores"
Flight Of The Conchords - "Boom"
Camera Obscura - "Country Mike"
The Aracade Fire - "Poupee de Cire" (live)
The Sea And The Cake - "Darkest Night"
No Age - "Miner"
Pavement - "Sue Me Jack"
Outkast - "Spaghetti Junction"
The Killers - "All These Things That I've Done"
The Silos - "All Falls Away"
Just one word today: vote.
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 12
Total minutes of music (approx.): 48
Song with the most previous plays: "Running With Your Eyes Closed," "Country Mike," "All Falls Away" (tie) - 7
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I think I found a new, better subway route to take after I drop G off at school. Who says CHANGE isn't possible.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Haunt You Every Day (Day 156)
The Wrens - "6"
The Wrens - "Crawling"
A couple a days ago I was pointing out some microtrends on the list. Well, check this out. Two songs back-to-back, by the same artist - - from the same album. Yet, another WILTOMWTWTT first. Now isn't that why the handful of you keep coming back? It's either that or you're looking for a sleep aid, right?
Bright Eyes - "From A Balance Beam"
Bill Evans - "All Of Your" (take 2)
Weezer - "Haunt You Every Day"
Kind of an appropriate Song With The Most Previous Plays the day before Halloween, no? Actually I'm taking off tomorrow to enjoy the day with my little girl (turning 3 next week) and her littler brother. So now that she's fully aware of the holiday, we've obviously been talking about it for a while. When we first started asking her what she wanted to be for Halloween a few weeks ago she would answer, "A scary mask." Now, it's not that we're raising some sort of future fan of Fangoria (although you never know), it was just that she happened to be reading this really weird, and very random, book before bed called Rafi & Rosi: Carnival! It's about frog siblings in Puerto Rico and their adventures during the annual Carnival. But in one story the brother dresses up like a vejigante, which apparently is a clown-like figure that's supposed to scare off evil spirits. Here's what they look like (source):
Kinda cool, but kinda freaky, right? Not only that, but she said she wanted to dress up like a scary mask, AND SCARE HER FRIENDS. Gee, thanks Rafi and Rosi. This didn't seem like such a good idea. So we took that book back to the library and tried to gently suggest other costumes. Like a ladybug (she's already got that costume and often wears it around the house just for kicks) or a princess (plenty of that gear lying around too). Finally she settled on a cat - - probably not looking much further than our cat, Henry, who was likely knocking stuff off of the shelves in her room. (Yes, he could be the devil - - sans costume.) It will be simple. Tail. Ears. A little face paint. But, I'm worried. These things are always a gametime decision, and even getting her to try on the pants with the tail safety pinned to them the other night was almost impossible. They came right off and she declared she wasn't wearing them. Hmm. One thing I am pretty sure of will happen on Halloween, she's going to have a lollipop. She told me that this morning as we were leaving for school...and on the walk...and on the bus...and at school.
Gnarls Barkley - "Transformer"
The Replacements - "Merry Go Round"
The Rolling Stones - "Happy"
Josh Ritter - "Bone Of Song"
The New Year - "Gasoline"
Neutral Milk Hotel - "You've Passed"
The New Pornographers - "The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism"
Husker Du - "Whatever"
The Go-Betweens - "Black Mule"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 14
Total minutes of music (approx.): 55
Song with the most previous plays: "Haunt You Every Day" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 8
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Fourteen songs says it all - - sucky commute. The trains were ridiculously slow and everyone was packed in like sardines. By the way, that's my ass, buddy. Yeah, you know who you are.
The Wrens - "Crawling"
A couple a days ago I was pointing out some microtrends on the list. Well, check this out. Two songs back-to-back, by the same artist - - from the same album. Yet, another WILTOMWTWTT first. Now isn't that why the handful of you keep coming back? It's either that or you're looking for a sleep aid, right?
Bright Eyes - "From A Balance Beam"
Bill Evans - "All Of Your" (take 2)
Weezer - "Haunt You Every Day"
Kind of an appropriate Song With The Most Previous Plays the day before Halloween, no? Actually I'm taking off tomorrow to enjoy the day with my little girl (turning 3 next week) and her littler brother. So now that she's fully aware of the holiday, we've obviously been talking about it for a while. When we first started asking her what she wanted to be for Halloween a few weeks ago she would answer, "A scary mask." Now, it's not that we're raising some sort of future fan of Fangoria (although you never know), it was just that she happened to be reading this really weird, and very random, book before bed called Rafi & Rosi: Carnival! It's about frog siblings in Puerto Rico and their adventures during the annual Carnival. But in one story the brother dresses up like a vejigante, which apparently is a clown-like figure that's supposed to scare off evil spirits. Here's what they look like (source):
Kinda cool, but kinda freaky, right? Not only that, but she said she wanted to dress up like a scary mask, AND SCARE HER FRIENDS. Gee, thanks Rafi and Rosi. This didn't seem like such a good idea. So we took that book back to the library and tried to gently suggest other costumes. Like a ladybug (she's already got that costume and often wears it around the house just for kicks) or a princess (plenty of that gear lying around too). Finally she settled on a cat - - probably not looking much further than our cat, Henry, who was likely knocking stuff off of the shelves in her room. (Yes, he could be the devil - - sans costume.) It will be simple. Tail. Ears. A little face paint. But, I'm worried. These things are always a gametime decision, and even getting her to try on the pants with the tail safety pinned to them the other night was almost impossible. They came right off and she declared she wasn't wearing them. Hmm. One thing I am pretty sure of will happen on Halloween, she's going to have a lollipop. She told me that this morning as we were leaving for school...and on the walk...and on the bus...and at school.Gnarls Barkley - "Transformer"
The Replacements - "Merry Go Round"
The Rolling Stones - "Happy"
Josh Ritter - "Bone Of Song"
The New Year - "Gasoline"
Neutral Milk Hotel - "You've Passed"
The New Pornographers - "The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism"
Husker Du - "Whatever"
The Go-Betweens - "Black Mule"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 14
Total minutes of music (approx.): 55
Song with the most previous plays: "Haunt You Every Day" - 9
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 8
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Fourteen songs says it all - - sucky commute. The trains were ridiculously slow and everyone was packed in like sardines. By the way, that's my ass, buddy. Yeah, you know who you are.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Just Drums (Day 155)
Modest Mouse - "Satin In A Coffin"
Stars - "The Night Starts Here"
The Decemberists - "Odalisque"
Tapes 'n Tapes - "Just Drums"
The Fall - "New Puritan"
I think I just found the coolest new website. For those of us who grew up on MTV - - when they actually played videos - - the demise of that once great source of music left a void. Sure, blogs are cool but couch surfing and coming across the video for "Fish Heads" was waaay cooler. So who among us hasn't wished there was an archive of all those great videos? Well, sometimes dreams really do come true. MTV, with little to no fanfare apparently, has created a new site that does just that. And, it's as good as you'd hope. At MTV Music you can watch all the classics like "Thriller" (long version!), "Hot For Teacher," "We're Not Gonna Take It," et al, but there's also tons of stuff that you know never really ran on MTV. Pavement's "Gold Soundz"? No way! The Pixies' "Monkey Gone To Heaven"? Okay, maybe once on 120 Minutes. Now you can find it all. The site also works really well with easy searches and x-referencing, etc. I was using today's playlist to really test just how much cool shit might be hidden on there and sure enough, there's a video of The Fall's cover of The Kinks' classic "Victoria." Not random enough for you? See what you can find. (Look, you can embed the stuff too.)
Beck - "Missing"
Elliott Smith - "A Fond Farewell"
Pavement - "It's A Hectic World"
Her Space Holiday - "The Luxury Of Loneliness"
Damien Rice - "The Blower's Daughter"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 40
Song with the most previous plays: "Just Drums," "The Blower's Daughter" (tie) - 12
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Forget to get my "coffee card" punched. There goes another $0.19, right out the window.
Stars - "The Night Starts Here"
The Decemberists - "Odalisque"
Tapes 'n Tapes - "Just Drums"
The Fall - "New Puritan"
I think I just found the coolest new website. For those of us who grew up on MTV - - when they actually played videos - - the demise of that once great source of music left a void. Sure, blogs are cool but couch surfing and coming across the video for "Fish Heads" was waaay cooler. So who among us hasn't wished there was an archive of all those great videos? Well, sometimes dreams really do come true. MTV, with little to no fanfare apparently, has created a new site that does just that. And, it's as good as you'd hope. At MTV Music you can watch all the classics like "Thriller" (long version!), "Hot For Teacher," "We're Not Gonna Take It," et al, but there's also tons of stuff that you know never really ran on MTV. Pavement's "Gold Soundz"? No way! The Pixies' "Monkey Gone To Heaven"? Okay, maybe once on 120 Minutes. Now you can find it all. The site also works really well with easy searches and x-referencing, etc. I was using today's playlist to really test just how much cool shit might be hidden on there and sure enough, there's a video of The Fall's cover of The Kinks' classic "Victoria." Not random enough for you? See what you can find. (Look, you can embed the stuff too.)
Beck - "Missing"
Elliott Smith - "A Fond Farewell"
Pavement - "It's A Hectic World"
Her Space Holiday - "The Luxury Of Loneliness"
Damien Rice - "The Blower's Daughter"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 40
Song with the most previous plays: "Just Drums," "The Blower's Daughter" (tie) - 12
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Forget to get my "coffee card" punched. There goes another $0.19, right out the window.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
I'll Do The Driving (Day 153 & 154)
Day 153:
Guided By Voices - "Alien Lanes"
David Bowie - "Life On Mars"
Flight Of The Conchords - "Think About It, Think Think About It"
R.E.M. - "Until The Day Is Done"
Seu Jorge - "Starman"
Jack Johnson - "Broken"
Ben Kweller - "Living Life"
Radiohead - "Optimistic"
The National - "Squalor Victoria"
Tindersticks - "Nectar"
Here it is, the first-ever WILTOMWTWT double post. Since a busy Monday at work left me with no time for blogging, I could have just skipped the day altogether. But I figured I have the playlist so why not put it up anyway. Plus, it was a pretty good one and I specifically made a mental note right here about what I wanted to mention. This is an interesting 2-song block for me because for the longest time The National reminded me of another band - - but I couldn't remember their name! It was always on the tip of my tongue and I could even picture 2 of their album covers. You know how you can't remember something obvious and it drives you crazy. This was happening, big time. I even started Googling things like "The National sound like..." Funnily enough I found this on their own bio: "The National sound like no one so much as themselves: a meditative rumble that starts in the heart, gets caught in the brain, and resonates outward." But I was undaunted. Finally I had a spare minute and I thumbed through some CDs at home with the sole purpose of figuring this out. Voila! There in the 5th or 6th bin of CDs was The Tindersticks. I uploaded a few of their albums and upon review I can say that now I feel....they really do sound remarkably similar. Anyone else know both bands? It's uncanny. The low, baritone vocals. The dark, moody music punctuated by acoustic bass and violins. If you were just a casual fan of both, I'm telling you may not be able to tell them apart. So I figured I'd mention this on the blog at some point, but I never figured iPod would force the issue by playing them back-to-back. And, yes, a quick search on the web reveals The National is often mentioned as contemporaries of the Tindersticks. So I'm not crazy. (One commenter on The National's Take-Away Show even wrote: "I liked these guys better when they were called The Tindersticks." The comment is funny, but not nearly as funny as the commenter's name: Bucky Wunderlick.) All of this does not take away from my enjoyment of either of these bands. And The National's Alligator remains one of my favorite albums of 2005.
The Beatles - "It's All Too Much"
Sloan "Money City Maniacs"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 45
Song with the most previous plays: "Think About It, Think Think About It" - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: That was yesterday. Who can remember anything from yesterday?
Day 154:
Los Campesinos! - "Drop It Doe Eyes"
David Bowie - "Fill Your Heart"
Any observant readers notice why I pause here? Well, for the second straight day, a David Bowie song is the second song on the playlist. Weird. It kinda makes me wonder what other microtrends there could be on these "random" lists...
Fountains Of Wayne - "I'll Do The Driving"
Jim O'Rourke - "Through The Night Softly"
Pixies - "La La Love You"
John Doe - "Worried Brow"
Eleventh Dream Day - "Exit Right"
Radiohead - "Exit Music (For A Film)"
Speaking of micro trends, how about this little two-some: exit songs. Has the iPod gotten lazy? Has shuffling been replaced by simply playing the songs alphabetically. Actually, no. In fact, if you sort all the songs on my iPod alphabetically (a fun little exercise), the Fugazi song "Exit Only" actually appears sandwiched in between these two songs. And while I'm on the subject of My Music A to Z (I'll think of a snappier title when this becomes a book), what is the first song alphabetically on the iPod, you (ok, I) ask? Well, you'll be dissapointed because symbols come before letters so the Final Fantasy song emoticonically (did I just make up a word?) named "->" is first, and Pavement's "Zurich Is Stained" is last. Now you know.
Led Zeppelin - "How Many More Times"
The Dodos - "Fools"
Rilo Kiley - "Close Call"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 53
Song with the most previous plays: "I'll Do The Driving" - 11
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Well, it freaking poured today in NYC. After dropping off G, I made my way to the gym only to get drenched. (Some day I'll be adult enough to remember to bring an umbrella when it is so obviously going to rain.) I decided not to shuffle at the gym today, but instead listened to Perfect From Now On (I'm still obsessing over it), which actually made for decent workout music. I get so absorbed in that record it helps take the mind off the task at hand.
Guided By Voices - "Alien Lanes"
David Bowie - "Life On Mars"
Flight Of The Conchords - "Think About It, Think Think About It"
R.E.M. - "Until The Day Is Done"
Seu Jorge - "Starman"
Jack Johnson - "Broken"
Ben Kweller - "Living Life"
Radiohead - "Optimistic"
The National - "Squalor Victoria"
Tindersticks - "Nectar"
Here it is, the first-ever WILTOMWTWT double post. Since a busy Monday at work left me with no time for blogging, I could have just skipped the day altogether. But I figured I have the playlist so why not put it up anyway. Plus, it was a pretty good one and I specifically made a mental note right here about what I wanted to mention. This is an interesting 2-song block for me because for the longest time The National reminded me of another band - - but I couldn't remember their name! It was always on the tip of my tongue and I could even picture 2 of their album covers. You know how you can't remember something obvious and it drives you crazy. This was happening, big time. I even started Googling things like "The National sound like..." Funnily enough I found this on their own bio: "The National sound like no one so much as themselves: a meditative rumble that starts in the heart, gets caught in the brain, and resonates outward." But I was undaunted. Finally I had a spare minute and I thumbed through some CDs at home with the sole purpose of figuring this out. Voila! There in the 5th or 6th bin of CDs was The Tindersticks. I uploaded a few of their albums and upon review I can say that now I feel....they really do sound remarkably similar. Anyone else know both bands? It's uncanny. The low, baritone vocals. The dark, moody music punctuated by acoustic bass and violins. If you were just a casual fan of both, I'm telling you may not be able to tell them apart. So I figured I'd mention this on the blog at some point, but I never figured iPod would force the issue by playing them back-to-back. And, yes, a quick search on the web reveals The National is often mentioned as contemporaries of the Tindersticks. So I'm not crazy. (One commenter on The National's Take-Away Show even wrote: "I liked these guys better when they were called The Tindersticks." The comment is funny, but not nearly as funny as the commenter's name: Bucky Wunderlick.) All of this does not take away from my enjoyment of either of these bands. And The National's Alligator remains one of my favorite albums of 2005.
The Beatles - "It's All Too Much"
Sloan "Money City Maniacs"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 45
Song with the most previous plays: "Think About It, Think Think About It" - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: That was yesterday. Who can remember anything from yesterday?
Day 154:
Los Campesinos! - "Drop It Doe Eyes"
David Bowie - "Fill Your Heart"
Any observant readers notice why I pause here? Well, for the second straight day, a David Bowie song is the second song on the playlist. Weird. It kinda makes me wonder what other microtrends there could be on these "random" lists...
Fountains Of Wayne - "I'll Do The Driving"
Jim O'Rourke - "Through The Night Softly"
Pixies - "La La Love You"
John Doe - "Worried Brow"
Eleventh Dream Day - "Exit Right"
Radiohead - "Exit Music (For A Film)"
Speaking of micro trends, how about this little two-some: exit songs. Has the iPod gotten lazy? Has shuffling been replaced by simply playing the songs alphabetically. Actually, no. In fact, if you sort all the songs on my iPod alphabetically (a fun little exercise), the Fugazi song "Exit Only" actually appears sandwiched in between these two songs. And while I'm on the subject of My Music A to Z (I'll think of a snappier title when this becomes a book), what is the first song alphabetically on the iPod, you (ok, I) ask? Well, you'll be dissapointed because symbols come before letters so the Final Fantasy song emoticonically (did I just make up a word?) named "->" is first, and Pavement's "Zurich Is Stained" is last. Now you know.
Led Zeppelin - "How Many More Times"
The Dodos - "Fools"
Rilo Kiley - "Close Call"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 53
Song with the most previous plays: "I'll Do The Driving" - 11
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Well, it freaking poured today in NYC. After dropping off G, I made my way to the gym only to get drenched. (Some day I'll be adult enough to remember to bring an umbrella when it is so obviously going to rain.) I decided not to shuffle at the gym today, but instead listened to Perfect From Now On (I'm still obsessing over it), which actually made for decent workout music. I get so absorbed in that record it helps take the mind off the task at hand.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Waitin' For A Superman (Day 152)
Jack Johnson - "Wrong Turn"
The Clash - "Koka Kola"
Death Cab For Cutie - "The New Year"
Jeff Tweedy - "A Magazine Called Sunset" (live)
Kings Of Convenience - "Leaning Against The Wall"
The Killers - Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine"
Mose Allison - "Stand By"
I pause here to highlight two artists on today's playlist that have a connection that you probably didn't realize. Yes, Mose Allison and...(anyone?)...The Clash! Like two peas in a pod: The literate jazz pianist with the honey-flecked voice and the seminal British punk rock band. Well, not exactly. But The Clash did cover a Mose Allison tune on Sandanista! - - "Look Here." Mose actually gets a lot of love from the rockers. Elvis Costello and The Who have also covered him...and Frank Black actually claims the Pixies' "Allison" is about Mose. And you thought it was about a chick...
The Flaming Lips - "Waiting For A Superman" (remix)
Belle & Sebastian - "I Fought In A War"
Coleman Hawkins - "In A Mellow Tone" (mono)
Holly Golightly - "Snake Eyed"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 41
Song with the most previous plays: "Waitin' For A Superman" - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Talk about strange bedfellows: An intersting Op-Ed piece in the Times is authored by Billy Beane, Newt Gingrich and John Kerry! It actually proposes that we use the small-market team model, and its reliance on stats, Beane and his A's have perfected to help deal with health care costs.
And then there was this. Word.
The Clash - "Koka Kola"
Death Cab For Cutie - "The New Year"
Jeff Tweedy - "A Magazine Called Sunset" (live)
Kings Of Convenience - "Leaning Against The Wall"
The Killers - Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine"
Mose Allison - "Stand By"
I pause here to highlight two artists on today's playlist that have a connection that you probably didn't realize. Yes, Mose Allison and...(anyone?)...The Clash! Like two peas in a pod: The literate jazz pianist with the honey-flecked voice and the seminal British punk rock band. Well, not exactly. But The Clash did cover a Mose Allison tune on Sandanista! - - "Look Here." Mose actually gets a lot of love from the rockers. Elvis Costello and The Who have also covered him...and Frank Black actually claims the Pixies' "Allison" is about Mose. And you thought it was about a chick...
The Flaming Lips - "Waiting For A Superman" (remix)
Belle & Sebastian - "I Fought In A War"
Coleman Hawkins - "In A Mellow Tone" (mono)
Holly Golightly - "Snake Eyed"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 41
Song with the most previous plays: "Waitin' For A Superman" - 8
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Talk about strange bedfellows: An intersting Op-Ed piece in the Times is authored by Billy Beane, Newt Gingrich and John Kerry! It actually proposes that we use the small-market team model, and its reliance on stats, Beane and his A's have perfected to help deal with health care costs.
And then there was this. Word.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Put Me On Top (Day 151)
Neil Young - "Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)"
I consider myself a pretty big Neil Young fan. And I always knew this song was about Neil's feelings of becoming obsolete in the era of punk and New Wave, but I never knew the specific story. It's pretty interesting, so allow me to crib it from Wikipedia.
The Beatles - "Your Mother Should Know"
Willie Nelson - "When I Was Young And Grandma Wasn't Old"
Kings Of Leon - "My Party" (live)
Beirut - "St. Apollonia"
Joy Division - "Passover"
The Flying Burrito Brothers - "High Fashion Queen"
Aimee Mann - "Put Me On Top"
Uncle Tupelo - "Graveyard Shift"
The Beatles - "Good Day Sunshine"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 34
Song with the most previous plays: "Put Me On Top" - 7
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: The coffee cake muffin obsession continues.
I consider myself a pretty big Neil Young fan. And I always knew this song was about Neil's feelings of becoming obsolete in the era of punk and New Wave, but I never knew the specific story. It's pretty interesting, so allow me to crib it from Wikipedia.
The song "Hey, Hey, My, My..." and the title phrase of the album, "rust never sleeps" on which it was featured sprang from Young's encounters with Devo and in particular Mark Mothersbaugh. Devo was asked by Young in 1977 to participate in the creating of his film Human Highway. A scene in the film shows Young playing the song in its entirety with Devo, who clearly want little to do with anything "radio-friendly". ( Of note is Mothersbaugh changing "Johnny Rotten" to "Johnny Spud" ) Also, the famous line, "It's better to burn out than it is to rust" is credited to Young's friend Jeff Blackburn of The Ducks.It's a pretty interesting irony that his fear of obsolescence led to him becoming a progenitor of a new new movement. Incidentally I saw Young on the tour that on which Social Distortion and Sonic Youth opened up for him and, well, let's just say most of his fans didn't exactly embrace the lineage.
Some reviewers viewed Young's career as skidding after the release of American Stars 'N Bars and Comes a Time. With the explosion of punk in 1977, some punks felt that Young and his contemporaries were dinosaurs, and that such artists now seemed too content to rest on their laurels and release halfhearted material. Young worried that these punks were right. The death of Elvis Presley that same year seemed to sound a death knell for rock, as The Clash gleefully cried, "No Elvis, Beatles or The Rolling Stones in 1977!," in the song 1977.
From Young's fear of becoming obsolete sprang an appreciation of the punk ethic, and the song was born, initially an acoustic lament that became "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)". Upon embarking on a tour with his backing band Crazy Horse, the song took on new life in a rock arrangement, punctuated by Young's guitar solos that would go on to inspire players of the proto-grunge scene, including Sonic Youth, The Meat Puppets, Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. - who in turn begat Nirvana.
The Beatles - "Your Mother Should Know"
Willie Nelson - "When I Was Young And Grandma Wasn't Old"
Kings Of Leon - "My Party" (live)
Beirut - "St. Apollonia"
Joy Division - "Passover"
The Flying Burrito Brothers - "High Fashion Queen"
Aimee Mann - "Put Me On Top"
Uncle Tupelo - "Graveyard Shift"
The Beatles - "Good Day Sunshine"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 34
Song with the most previous plays: "Put Me On Top" - 7
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: The coffee cake muffin obsession continues.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Sunshine And Clouds (And Everything Proud) [Day 150]
Radiohead - "The Amazing Sounds Of Orgy"
Ry Cooder - "Cardboard Avenue"
My Bloody Valentine - "Soon"
Talking Heads - "Tentative Decisions"
A real grab bag today with songs and artists (Holly Golightly?) that I don't think have ever shown up here before. But the one song that stands out for me is this one right here. What a cool freaking band the Talking Heads were. (Can I get a witness?) All that nervous energy, disjointed temp, and later, Afro-Caribbean beats. All in a nerdy, new wave package. The only one of their albums I happen to have on my iPod is their first (Talking Heads '77), which is cool because it is such an original debut (right, Tapes 'n Tapes?). And this is one of the songs that is a bit lost on the album with "Uh - Oh, Love Comes To Town" and "Psycho Killer," but I really like it. David Byrne in his best robotic voice starts off by sing-talking the lyrics: "Now that I can release my tension, let me make clear my best intention. Girls ask can I define decision. Boys ask can I describe their function." And then there's a march like drum roll and then the song is off in another direction completely. It works so well because the song is as indecisive as the lyrics ("Decide! Decide! Make up your mind!") The Talking Heads were also the first band that made me fully realize the intersection of music and fine art. Part of the reason was their art house sensibilities and the other was this book that I had called "What The Songs Look Like," that featured artists' interpretations of their songs (drawings, puppets, you name it). It was very cool, and to be honest I have no idea where that book went. Too bad. I would love to see the artist's interpretation of this song. In the meantime, how about a picture of the band? I found it on a very cool website that I came across recently which features a lot of great images and ephemera from years gone by. Check it out.
Sleater-Kinney - "Steep Air"
Holly Golightly - "A Length Of Pipe"
Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah - "Sunshine And Clouds (And Everything Proud)"
Jim O'Rourke - "Eureka"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 8
Total minutes of music (approx.): 35
Song with the most previous plays: "Sunshine And Clouds (And Everything Proud)" - 15
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I'm getting pumped for the World Series. Not nearly as pumped as fans in Tampa Bay, however.
My predcition (hope): Rays in 7.
Ry Cooder - "Cardboard Avenue"
My Bloody Valentine - "Soon"
Talking Heads - "Tentative Decisions"
A real grab bag today with songs and artists (Holly Golightly?) that I don't think have ever shown up here before. But the one song that stands out for me is this one right here. What a cool freaking band the Talking Heads were. (Can I get a witness?) All that nervous energy, disjointed temp, and later, Afro-Caribbean beats. All in a nerdy, new wave package. The only one of their albums I happen to have on my iPod is their first (Talking Heads '77), which is cool because it is such an original debut (right, Tapes 'n Tapes?). And this is one of the songs that is a bit lost on the album with "Uh - Oh, Love Comes To Town" and "Psycho Killer," but I really like it. David Byrne in his best robotic voice starts off by sing-talking the lyrics: "Now that I can release my tension, let me make clear my best intention. Girls ask can I define decision. Boys ask can I describe their function." And then there's a march like drum roll and then the song is off in another direction completely. It works so well because the song is as indecisive as the lyrics ("Decide! Decide! Make up your mind!") The Talking Heads were also the first band that made me fully realize the intersection of music and fine art. Part of the reason was their art house sensibilities and the other was this book that I had called "What The Songs Look Like," that featured artists' interpretations of their songs (drawings, puppets, you name it). It was very cool, and to be honest I have no idea where that book went. Too bad. I would love to see the artist's interpretation of this song. In the meantime, how about a picture of the band? I found it on a very cool website that I came across recently which features a lot of great images and ephemera from years gone by. Check it out.
Sleater-Kinney - "Steep Air"
Holly Golightly - "A Length Of Pipe"
Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah - "Sunshine And Clouds (And Everything Proud)"
Jim O'Rourke - "Eureka"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 8
Total minutes of music (approx.): 35
Song with the most previous plays: "Sunshine And Clouds (And Everything Proud)" - 15
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I'm getting pumped for the World Series. Not nearly as pumped as fans in Tampa Bay, however.
My predcition (hope): Rays in 7.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
I Will Dream (Day 149)
Wilco - "Magazine Called Sunset"
She & Him - "I Was Made For You"
Son Volt - "Methamphetamine"
Emmylou Harris - "I Will Dream"
Hüsker Dü - "Reoccurring Dreams"
Here's one that tested the "rules" of this blog. Really there's one "rule" - - shuffle and don't skip. Well, after a great start to today's playist (special nod by the way to the She & Him song "I Was Made For You," what a cool little tune that approximates a 50s-era girl group song), here comes "Reoccurring Dreams." Now, I appreciate Zen Arcade on many levels. It really is the missing link between punk and alternative rock. You can almost hear where music is going in the next 10 years and picture Paul Westerberg rising from the primordial ooze. I mean any album with "Never Talking To You Again" and "Indecision Time" is a special record. But, that doesn't mean I really want to hear all 14 minutes of "Reoccurring Dreams" on my way to work. I mean intellectually it's very cool: an epic instrumental, almost space-age jam, that closes a sprawling concept album - - by a punk band! (I bet this song made Wayne Coyen, hanging out somewhere in Oklahoma, sit up and take notice.) But by minute 6 of the song, I have to confess, I was fingering the iPod ever so lightly. What if I just pressed skip? I could even blog that I listened to the song. Maybe I would blog about how annoying it was. No one would ever know!
Elliott Smith - "Between The Bars"
Maritime - "Human Beings"
The Velvet Underground - "The Gift"
The Elected - "Not Going Home"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 9
Total minutes of music (approx.): 48
Song with the most previous plays: "I Will Dream" - 10
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 5
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Just, ya know, making my way through the "ground zero of anti-America."
She & Him - "I Was Made For You"
Son Volt - "Methamphetamine"
Emmylou Harris - "I Will Dream"
Hüsker Dü - "Reoccurring Dreams"
Here's one that tested the "rules" of this blog. Really there's one "rule" - - shuffle and don't skip. Well, after a great start to today's playist (special nod by the way to the She & Him song "I Was Made For You," what a cool little tune that approximates a 50s-era girl group song), here comes "Reoccurring Dreams." Now, I appreciate Zen Arcade on many levels. It really is the missing link between punk and alternative rock. You can almost hear where music is going in the next 10 years and picture Paul Westerberg rising from the primordial ooze. I mean any album with "Never Talking To You Again" and "Indecision Time" is a special record. But, that doesn't mean I really want to hear all 14 minutes of "Reoccurring Dreams" on my way to work. I mean intellectually it's very cool: an epic instrumental, almost space-age jam, that closes a sprawling concept album - - by a punk band! (I bet this song made Wayne Coyen, hanging out somewhere in Oklahoma, sit up and take notice.) But by minute 6 of the song, I have to confess, I was fingering the iPod ever so lightly. What if I just pressed skip? I could even blog that I listened to the song. Maybe I would blog about how annoying it was. No one would ever know!
Elliott Smith - "Between The Bars"
Maritime - "Human Beings"
The Velvet Underground - "The Gift"
The Elected - "Not Going Home"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 9
Total minutes of music (approx.): 48
Song with the most previous plays: "I Will Dream" - 10
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 5
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Just, ya know, making my way through the "ground zero of anti-America."
Monday, October 20, 2008
No Juice (Day 148)
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 0
Total minutes of music (approx.): 0
Song with the most previous plays: n/a
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): n/a
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Um, you can probably guess it - - the iPod battery was dead. And the ambient sounds of my commute were not helping the situation. Mostly I listened to the train conductor announce further delays due to a "stuck door on the train ahead of us." Happy Monday!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Long Legs (Day 147)
*It's Friday, and I'm in the mood for something different. So, here's today's little Internet art project/experiment. I'm going to let the vast Intrawebs comment on today's songs - - visually. I will simply type each song name, word for word, into the Yahoo! Image Search engine and post the very first photo that comes up. This may be my big shot at meme-dom? We'll see...
Elvis Costello - "Go Away"
This one is awesome. (Source.)
The Magic Numbers - "Long Legs"
Literal, but fortunately not too dirty. (Source.)
Karl Blau - "The Dark, Magic Sea"
Evocative. (Source.)
Spoon - "Eddie's Ragga"
The only real dud here. It was bound to happen, but I'm glad the actual cover of the album one of the songs is from only came up once. (Source.)
Billy Bragg & Wilco - "Joe Dimaggio Done It Again"
Again, very literal. But oh-so-sweet. (Source.)
Yo La Tengo - "Story Of Jazz"
Not what I would have expected. The caption reads: "After dessert, we went to a nearby place called Jazz Story. It's not quite a jazz club, because they play more 1960s classic rock than jazz, but the mood is mellow and the decor is interesting. These things were mounted on the walls -- I guess they are metal dies for casting plastic things like cassette tapes and shampoo bottles.They have styrofoam packaging cushions on the ceiling too." (Source.)
Kings Of Leon - "Razz"
Thirsty? (Source.)
The Mountain Goats - "First Few Desperate Hours"
Amazing. The best image and somehow perfect for the song too. Cheers, Flickr user c300! (Source.)
Travis - "Luv"
I was worried that one of these would lead to a less-than-PG image - - and I had a right to be. This is the 2nd photo that came up after searching for "Luv." The first was indeed NSFW, but actually kinda tasteful. See for yourself here. In the meantime, this works - - in a Duran Duran album cover kind of way. (Source.)
Final Fantasy - "I'm Afraid Of Japan"
This doesn't look like anything to be afraid of. (Source.)
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 40
Song with the most previous plays: "Long Legs" - 14
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: The weather is gloriously seasonally appropriate.
Elvis Costello - "Go Away"
This one is awesome. (Source.)
The Magic Numbers - "Long Legs"
Literal, but fortunately not too dirty. (Source.)
Karl Blau - "The Dark, Magic Sea"
Evocative. (Source.)
Spoon - "Eddie's Ragga"
The only real dud here. It was bound to happen, but I'm glad the actual cover of the album one of the songs is from only came up once. (Source.)
Billy Bragg & Wilco - "Joe Dimaggio Done It Again"
Again, very literal. But oh-so-sweet. (Source.)
Yo La Tengo - "Story Of Jazz"
Not what I would have expected. The caption reads: "After dessert, we went to a nearby place called Jazz Story. It's not quite a jazz club, because they play more 1960s classic rock than jazz, but the mood is mellow and the decor is interesting. These things were mounted on the walls -- I guess they are metal dies for casting plastic things like cassette tapes and shampoo bottles.They have styrofoam packaging cushions on the ceiling too." (Source.)
Kings Of Leon - "Razz"
Thirsty? (Source.)
The Mountain Goats - "First Few Desperate Hours"
Amazing. The best image and somehow perfect for the song too. Cheers, Flickr user c300! (Source.)
Travis - "Luv"
I was worried that one of these would lead to a less-than-PG image - - and I had a right to be. This is the 2nd photo that came up after searching for "Luv." The first was indeed NSFW, but actually kinda tasteful. See for yourself here. In the meantime, this works - - in a Duran Duran album cover kind of way. (Source.)
Final Fantasy - "I'm Afraid Of Japan"
This doesn't look like anything to be afraid of. (Source.)
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 40
Song with the most previous plays: "Long Legs" - 14
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: The weather is gloriously seasonally appropriate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
