Hey let's do that iPod shuffle thing - that's always fun

[nathansmart]

So, every 6 months or so I make a new thread for this (the board goes down in that same interval so I have to create a new one). All you do is take your iPod or iTunes, put it on shuffle and then explain the first 10 songs that come up. It's just like that thing they used to do at The AV Club.

1) "Mistakes" - The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band, Self-Titled
I found these mixtapes that Chromeo released a few years ago where they mixed a bunch of songs that influenced them throughout the years. It's basically a bunch of electro funk from the 80s and it's all awesome. I went through and obsessively downloaded all the albums from each band (like the Todd Barry joke). This song is more disco than I like, but it's still a fine track.

2) "Doin Our Own Dang" - The Jungle Brothers, Done by the Forces of Nature
This is a nice Native Tongues track. The Jungle Brothers are one of those groups I slept on during the Yo! MTV Raps era but I don't know exactly why. I mostly only listened to rap through MTV because I only bought video games with my money. It's a great track and it's always nice to hear Q-Tip's voice.

3) "Some Kinda Love" - The Velvet Underground, Self-Titled
I have a ton of classic rock in my iTunes that I've downloaded but haven't really gotten into. I download so much stupid stuff and I don't give myself enough time to listen to any of it. This is one of those albums. I like the songs every time they come up but it doesn't occur to me to listen to the full album. This is a nice bluesy track - I like the lite guitar sound.

4) "Friends and Neighbors" - Mr. Lif, I Phantom
This is a great concept album from Mr. Lif - a lot of great beats and an interesting storyline. Mr. Lif has a really grimy voice that fits well with the subject matter. He's one of those rappers that just exudes New York even though he's from Boston.

5) "Raincoat" - Domino, Self-Titled
I always forget how much my iPod loves rap music. You might remember Domino from his Getto Jam single. He was seen as a clone of Snoop and the Warren G click and was boycotted according to Wikipedia although I thought he was once a part of the 213 group that Warren G and Snoop were in. I don't know. This is actually kind of a good song. It's nice and mellow and it makes me remember how undiscerning I was when it came to rap music back in the day.

6) "The List" - Metric, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
The first album I downloaded from Metric. I always think I like them more than I do when I end up going to their music. It's got a lot of the elements of indie rock that I like but it ends up not doing anything for me. I think I keep it around because I usually like the choruses of each song.

7) "Point Blank Range" - Preachas, Violent Playgrounds
Crap, this is where it's gets embarrassing. My parents didn't exactly want me listening to rap lyrics with swears in them so I would buy as much Christian rap as I could. It was the only thing I could play in the car with them without them getting upset. I just recently found a blog that uploads all the stuff I used to listen to and I've been on a nostalgic trip through Christian hip hop the last few months. This one actually surprised me - it's one of the few albums that was actually relevant for its time. Well, the beats are, the lyrics not so much.

8) "The Greatest Show On Earth" - Sparks, Terminal Jive
One of my friends told me about Sparks after I showed him the British Whale version of their song, "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us" and so naturally, I downloaded their entire discography. It's hit or miss for me but this is one of the ones I really like. I think I like their 80s stuff best. I'm a huge fan of rock bands that had to make the transition to the 80s even though it's not always good. It's just fun to hear classic rock bands do 80s pop in their own style. Sparks, though, translated really well because they were already eclectic enough. This song has some good disco elements to it.

9) "Gun Iz For" - EZD, A D&D Project in Association with DJ Premier (Vol. 1)
This is a great Afu-Ra/EZD split EP - classic DJ Premier. I'm not too familiar with EZD but I love Afu-Ra (even though he's just a perverted (monk) version of Jeru) and that's probably why I downloaded this album. You really can't beat a Primo beat no matter who's on it (Group Home proves this). Nice Biggie and Rock (Heltah Skeltah) cuts in the chorus - I always like a chorus made up of samples from other artists although I prefer them to be scratched.

10) "This is My Heart" - Boyz II Men, Cooleyhighharmony
This is my jam! I've been on a 90s R&B kick lately and of course you go to Boyz II Men when you're doing that. This song reminds me of when I was a kid and sitting in my bedroom. I used to be a good singer and I would belt out these songs from my room (and in my head I was imagining a record producer standing outside and running in to sign me). Another thing I remember about it was that it had so many slow songs right at the start of the album which was startling since Motownphilly had such an upbeat New Jack sound. The album doesn't really kick in until the second side. Love it, though.

[Jouster]

The board hasn't crashed since July 2008, for the record.

[nathansmart]

- just joking around gays

[CarolineEAnd]

Even though I'm not a major AST contributer, I'm skipping class right now and looking for an excuse. So forgive me if I'm not welcome to play....but this seems fun. And I'm skipping past comedy, because I don't think I have to explain to anyone here why I have 222 or En Garde, Society on my iPod.

1. I'm Lonely (But I Aint That Lonely Yet)- The White Stripes: So, I'm currently in the process of getting a music degree (which hopefully I'll drop out of soon) but I like to pride myself on listening to well-made music. Which makes it so beautifully ironic that White Stripes came up first. They are, how you say...not good at all? But they do cool stuff with stereophonics and really catchy. So there, stop judging.

2. Let's Hear That String Part Again Because I Don't Think They Heard It All The Way Out in Bushnell- Sufjan Stevens: Ugh, another embarassing one. Not that Sufjan is embarassing (in fact, he's awesome), but I generally hate the really-long-song-name-for-a-30-second-instrumental-interlude thing. But whatever, Sufjan earns the right because he's so awesome.

3. Blueberry Boat- The Fiery Furnaces: I love the Fiery Furnaces. This isn't my favorite of theirs, but I find their stuff to be tremendously listenable. It's good for when I'm cleaning my room or doing chores or what have you.

4. If You Find Yourself Caught In Love- Belle & Sebastian: First song that I got to that I geniunely love. Let's give it up for Belle & Sebastian. They're just so fun. I spent most of my adolescence being very dark and hateful, and when I started going on anti-depressants last year I realized what I was missing by not listening to precious music. Precious. Adorable. Lovely. Wonderful.

5. Think for Yourself- Covered by Yonder Mountain String Band: Ha....ha....so, what to say...do I love covers of The Beatles? Absolutely. Do I like unironic folk music? Absolutely. This is right in my wheelhouse (to quote something comedic I was listening to recently....comedy and everything else? Maybe).

6. Butterflies are Free- The Free Design: I can thank Jordan, Jesse Go for this one. I got super into The Free Design after I heard the theme song and now I listen to them constantly. The part of me that hates The White Stripes loves The Free Design.

7. Chickaboom- Tom Waits: So, this is the point in my list where I have to tell you all that I'm not an obnoxious ironic hipster. I just happen to like Tom Waits a WHOLE lot. His acting too. I like his entire catalog. He and David Bowie share a place in my heart, and it's my favorite part of my heart.

8. I Should Have Known Better- Covered by She & Him: Remember that one time I said I like unironic folk music and covers of The Beatles songs? I wasn't shitting you.

9. Dynamite by Jamiroquai: Oh Jamiroquai. Doing this list was probably a bad idea because now everyone will hate me. But, if I can defend myself, I walk about 2 miles a day to get to and from school and if it weren't for Jamiroquai, Justice, and Girl Talk I wouldn't be able to do it. Precious indie music isn't great when you're exhausted and have a mile to walk to a class you hate. I need to pump myself up.

10. Old School Off the Bright- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: Ah, this comes from the first album I ever purchased with my own money. Well, it was either Bosstones or Annie Lennox, which is a phrase that has never been used ever. But anyways, ska reminds me of being an abnoxious pre-teen judging all my friends for not being able to discern the difference between two-tone and third wave ska. I like trombones a lot.

So, go forth and mock me openly. That's a pretty terrible list, but to be fair, the majority of my iPod is comedy. When you go to music school, you get super tired of it super fast.

[nathansmart]

6. Butterflies are Free- The Free Design

I randomly found them in '01 when I was looking for indie pop (after figuring out the name of that genre) and came across a cover of Kites are Fun. I love this group and they worked with Enoch Light a bunch - the guy who invented the gatefold.

9. Dynamite by Jamiroquai

Do people not like Jamiroquai?

So, go forth and mock me openly.

You're too hard on yourself - it's a fine list. Who even cares anyways?

[CarolineEAnd]

I feel like Jamiroquai is the punchline of a lot of music-in-the-nineties-sucked jokes. Good thing shuffle didn't bring up Two Princes (which is probably should have, it might be my most-listened song on there).

Eh, I guess I've seen so many newbies be sarcastically annihilated on AST, hence my fear to post sometimes. But I suppose if I show fear, I become more susceptible to predators.

[JuanCarlos]

You Let Me Down - Billie Holliday

I dig her, not only nerds feel despair and confusion ahd humilliation when trying to find love. Maybe if she was born 50 years later she would've been cosplaying instead of shooting heroin and dating shifty gangsters.

Ensayo de una boca - fernando delgadillo

He's a bit like James Taylor, but cornier. A phase a lot of Mexican teenagers pass and hopefully leave behind.

Public Pervert (Carlos D. Remix) - Interpol

One of the remixes in the C'mere single, pretty eerie and cool. Makes Interpol sound even more like non-twilight Y vampires.

Crying, Waiting, Hoping - Buddy Holly


I like Buddy Holly, only like. I think I like my classic rock less synthetic (as in reductive) and more soulful.

Opening - Brokeback Mountain


I really like this soundtrack, very sad and thoughtful. From the producers of several amazing spanish rock records Gustavo Santaoloalla.

[James Smann]

I like both your lists so far! But I never will hate on The White Stripes. I used to, but I've fallen for them hard in the last couple years. Here's mine...

1. I Can't Explain, The Who - C'mon. Who doesn't love the Who (probably a lot of people, ha ha)?! It's their first big hit I believe and the guitar tone Townshend had is pretty awesome...spanky, percussive and very distinctive. Awesome solo too, very George Harrison.

2. Shelter from the Storm, Bob Dylan - I'm not ashamed to admit my love of Bob Dylan. I discovered him for myself via the Beatles' professions of his awesome-ocity. This tune I found thanks to Jerry Maguire actually. I just love the perfect Dylan Narrative verses.

3. Erotica, Michael Showalter - This bit cracks me up every single time I hear it. From the different classes of fish he describes to the over-the-top porno descriptions of the sex. Also the line, and forgive me, "At some point my big dick slips inside her vagina, and we begin to buttfuck" gives me FITS.

4. If You Want Me, Swell Season - Once blew me away on every front. The performances both as actors and as musicians. Totally turned me on to Swell Season and the soundtrack is this perfectly crafted jewel of emotions. It goes from beautiful and hopeful to angry and bitter and everywhere in between. Any human being of any gender who's ever been in love with another human being of any gender can and should relate to this song in particular...

5. Tommy Gun, The Clash - The snare drum/machine guns in this song are really, really key to the song being so great. Also, the guitar tone is quintesential Clash of this era, and Strummer's voice is perfectly placed with it's anger, intensity and the feeling that, as with most Clash songs, that he's being pushed just to the brink of his range, but it still sounds great!

6. The Long and Winding Road, The Beatles - First, it's important to note that while I own it, I will never, ever listen to the Phil Spector debacles known as the Let it Be mixes ever again; not willingly anyway. So this is the Let It Be Naked version, in other words BRILLIANT. The Beatles are now, and will always be my favorite band of any era, ever. And this song is Paul at his absolute best. "Anyway you've always the many ways I've tried" rivals any other lyric he penned to me.

7. Having A Blast, Green Day - Green Day is second my favorite band of any era ever. And this cut off their major label debut is definitely lost in the shuffle, but everything in this song, just like the other 12 songs on the album, fits perfectly. Rob Cavallo pretty much created the Green Day tone, which sadly, created the Pop-Punk tone that was raped and pillaged in the years to come. "Do you ever wanna leave a long trail of destruction and mow down any bullshit that confronts you?" The 13 year old kid in me that first played this album every day for a year and a half straight will always love this song.

8. Shot Gun Blues, The Blues Brothers - I'm pretty sure Briefcase Full of Blues is still the best selling Blues record of all time, it definitely was for a long time if it's not still. Thiat should tell you everything you need to know about the legitimacy of this band. Yes, they made a comedy film. Yes it was a group fronted by two of the best comedic minds of all time...but holy shit can Belush sing! And Danny wasn't exactly a terrible harmonica player...in fact before John Popper hit the scene I thought he played the best harmonica of anyone I'd heard. This song has a) my favorite "Blues" performance of John Belushi and B)a sick sick sick solo from Matt Guitar Murphy.

9. You Turn the Screws, Cake - Prolonging the Magic is my favorite Cake album. This song is one of the best on the record by far. I've always been a huge fan of the production of Cake, and this song, with it's long, sustained piano chords, the busy-ass bass line, played in unison with the lead guitar for the verses, and the syncopated verses rolling right into the legatto chorus gets an A+ from me.

10. Cash Cow, Mike Doughty - I'm always surprised when people say they know who Doughty is. I first knew him as the lead singer of Soul Coughing, and this song is off his self-produced EP, "Rockity Roll". And it has all the elements of a Doughty song you need: Syncopated Guitar, Awesome Programmed Drums/Samples, Cute Synths, and Amazing Lyrical Prowess. "The quantize knob that drains the beat of all soul" is something I'd actually get tatooed on me somewhere...and that makes me weird, but shows how much I love this dude's lyrics.

[Itslikeimsayin]

We Get On (Kate Nash)
I heard this song playing in the UCB before a Comedy Death-Ray one night right when it came out and asked Scott Aukerman who it was. He told me, I bought it the next day and it didn't leave my CD player for a while after. This is my favorite track on the album. I'm a big Ben Folds fan and this reminded me of a female Ben Folds when I first heard it, but not so much anymore. I really like the rhyming in the story part of the vocals.

Basketball (John Mulaney)
A hilarious track off what is undoubtedly one of the best comedy releases of 2009. "Hey hey hey, don't you worry, son. We're gonna get you some free throws. And I was like, 'Ooooooh, no no no no no no ...'"

String of Racehorses (Hotel Lights)
A Hotel Lights song that sounds like all the other Hotel Lights songs. But guess what? I like what Hotel Lights songs sound like, so all's well.

Jak (Volcano Suns)
A friend sent me this song to show me that the Best Show theme song it inspired is a cover. I like the Best Show version better, but this is cool too.

Tattooed Women (Todd Barry)
Twenty-six seconds of Todd Barry is better than zero seconds of Todd Barry. Right?

Strangers (The Kinks)
From the Darjeeling Limited soundtrack. The Kinks songs on here make me wish I had known them earlier. Like all music from Wes Anderson films, just listening to this really evokes the feel of the movie.

Sunday Morning L.A. - Bonus Track (Counting Crows)
I think a lot of people hate Counting Crows because the lead singer is such a douchebag. I try to look past that and I think they make some good music. However, I rarely find myself listening to them by choice. I'm especially not a fan of the wailing vocals here.

Beginner's Luck (Eels)
One of the fun, bouncy songs from Hombre Lobo. Almost too simple, though. I had really high hopes for Hombre Lobo but in the end, it was a 12-song album where all the songs fell into one of two categories: Lightweight catchy songs like this or slow songs that sound too much like much of the rest of what Eels have put out in the last couple albums. Looking forward to "End Times" in January.

Citizens for a True Democracy (Scharpling & Wurster)
The one and only Maurice Kern!

I Can't Get Behind That (William Shatner)
From 2004's "Has Been," I think this track features Henry Rollins. Ben Folds' involvement in this album inspired me to buy it, and there are some good tracks. But this three-minute rant doesn't need to be in the regular rotation.

[CarolineEAnd]

So this is the Let It Be Naked version, in other words BRILLIANT.

THANK YOU! I loved the Naked album and all my family (also music degree holders/nerds) complained about how raw it was, but it might be my favorite piece of my Beatles library.

And on the topic of The White Stripes...I'm kind of in the same boat. I'll never shit-talk Jack White....but as long as that one lady is involved I can be a little more crass I suppose.

[Big Box Of Money]

Am I the only one who questions the "post the FIRST ten songs" aspect of these lists? I think a lot of people are skipping over that Harvey Danger song they downloaded off of Kazaa 8 years ago so they can show everyone they listen to Pissed Jeans. Fess up, peep-holes!

I think a list of the shittier songs on your ipod would be vastly more interesting.

[JuanCarlos]

2. Shelter from the Storm, Bob Dylan - I'm not ashamed to admit my love of Bob Dylan.

Who would be ashamed?

It's not like he spent 1998 dancing on conveyor belts in a furry top hat.

What? He did? Ok nevermind.

That's one of my favorite Dylan songs:

He came in from the wilderness,
a creature void of form,
come in, she said, I'l give ya
shelter from the storm.

3. Erotica, Michael Showalter - This bit cracks me up every single time I hear it. From the different classes of fish he describes to the over-the-top porno descriptions of the sex. Also the line, and forgive me, "At some point my big dick slips inside her vagina, and we begin to buttfuck" gives me FITS.

"Her vagina was dripping on the floor like MOLTEN LAVA" I love that album.

[CarolineEAnd]

Am I the only one who questions the "post the FIRST ten songs" aspect of these lists? I think a lot of people are skipping over that Harvey Danger song they downloaded off of Kazaa 8 years ago so they can show everyone they listen to Pissed Jeans. Fess up, peep-holes!

I think a list of the shittier songs on your ipod would be vastly more interesting.

I may or may not have less-than-accidentally re-pressed "shuffle songs" when Lady Marmalade came up first on my list. There.

Also, I skipped comedy, as I said.

[James Smann]

I didn't skip any songs, I swear. Hence the way random nature of what popped up!

Also, Caroline, any one of your classmates that's complains about the raw nature of Naked needs to have their tuition taken away and be sent to remedial courses again. Phil Spector ruined nearly every goddamned thing he touched. I yearn for what Lennon's solo stuff would've sounded like in George Martin's hands. Listen to Wings for Chrissakes! Wings sounds great, and while I love Lennon's solo catalogue to bits, I want to vomit at some the Spector-isms they have.

And JuanCarlos, you and I are sympatico for sure if you love Dylan and Michael Show, Internet BFFs even.

[sparkiepop]

MacBook Pro edition:

1. Girl Talk - Play Your Part (Pt 2): Not much to explain here.
2. Madonna - Act Of Contrition: Last song on Like A Prayer. Gospel/spoken word mix.
3. Mirah - La Familia: If we sleep together would it make it any better? If we sleep together would you be my friend forever?
4. Blond Readhead - Le Chanson de Slogan: Got this off the Trouble's 2008 WFMU Marathon CD. Je t'aime.
5. Avenue Q - My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada: What. I like musicals. So?
6. Cyndi Lauper - Yeah Yeah: She's So Unusual is one of the best albums of all time. Fact.
7. Ken Bishop's Nice Twelve - Subterranean Homesick Blues: From "The Young Ones".
8. King Khan & The Shrines - Live Fast Die Strong: All hail King Khan.
9. The Magnetic Fields - Love Is Like Jazz: Not my favorite MF song.
10. Stars - One More Night: Stars can do no wrong, really.

See you in six months.

[DiscoInferiorityComplex]

Radar Love (Golden Earring)--What can I say? I'm Scandinavian. Wait, they're Dutch? Son of a...
No Surprises (Radiohead) -- On one of the first episodes of The Daily Show, Jay Mohr called "OK Computer" the album U2 wishes they could make. What a douche.
Make It Real (The Jets) -- My wife put this on here to practice for ironic Karaoke. Now that she's dead, I should really delete it. Man, it sucks.
The Good That Won't Come Out of It (Rilo Kiley) -- I saw them open for the Breeders in 2001. 'Cause I'm hip like that.
Overkill (Colin Hay) -- Better version with less soprano sax than the original.
John, I'm Only Dancing (David Bowie) -- Pre-synth Bowie!
Please Come To Boston (Dave Loggins) -- My wife's absolute favorite album was the compilation "Super Hits of the '70s, Vol. 13". I should really delete this. Man, it sucks.
Waterloo (ABBA) -- Once again, my wife... You know what? It's mine! Deal with it!
Martin Scorsese (King Missile)--Roger Murdock's drumming on this album is amazing
There Goes My Gun (Pixies) -- Eff off, I liked them before they broke up. I also was a big Bill Hicks fan before he died. I'm also old.

As a side note, I SWEAR that "Butterflies Are Free" by The Free Design was my 11th song.

[rabbitandox]

This is actually a pretty representative sample. I'm proud of it.

1. Danger Mouse - The Grey Album - Change Clothes
This is a mashup of Jay-Z's Black Album over The Beatles' White Album. I just downloaded it yesterday so I haven't listened to it yet. I expect it to be great.

2. Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends - Fakin' It
Worried that I might relate to this song a little too much.

3. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - Bring it On Home
At first I thought this might be a Sam Cooke cover, which would be awesome, but it isn't one.

4. Mason Proper - There Is a Moth In Your Chest - Blue Lips Eternal Inquiry
Generic indie rock. I could do without it.

5. Patton Oswalt - Werewolves & Lollipops - The Best Baby In The Universe
I liked when Patton said in My Weakness Is Strong that he was trying to be less negative and cynical. I'm not too in to this track.

6. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - The Pharoahs
What is this song even about?!

7. Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow - It's Going Down
I just started getting into hip hop, but this is probably my favorite hip hop album.

8. M. Ward - Post-War - Today's Undertaking
Can't think of anything to say.

9. Grateful Dead - Grateful Dead - Morning Dew
I like Grateful Dead for American Beauty and Workingman's Dead. I could probably delete the rest.

10. Donovan - Sunshine Superman - Sunshine Superman
I got a Donovan Greatest Hits album and every song on it was amazing. This was one of those songs.

Full Disclosure: Skipped one song to avoid redundancy.

[aenemaTron]

Chances are I'm going to hear a lot of stuff I am not that familiar with or at all because I collect music much faster than I can listen to it, always have, and with stealing music so easy I have entire discographies of bands from whom I only know one song. Simply put, I have 110 days of music, so this is not going to be representative of my day-to-day tastes.

Love Train - Wolfmother (S/T)
Riff rock is my one real musical weakness. As much as I mocked it when I heard this guy's voice, I can't deny the sweet groove of this song. (They were also really sloppy on Conan and I didn't like that neither.) The whole thing is, to quote a friend's album title, box riffs. Not a lot of experimentation going on, just riffs in pentatonic scale.

Trip Through Your Wires - U2 (Joshua Tree)
Like most U2 songs, great production and singing, bad drumbeat. I've gone through different levels of medium enjoyment of this band. Really like some of their music, but they go back to the same well so often I could never be a huge fan of them. When I see the album cover I think "Bloom County." (Google it.) I don't know this song, I can't say I've ever heard it.

Post-Paint Boy - Stephen Malkmus (Face The Truth)
I was never big into indie rock, and Pavement was a band that I never liked much and then all of a sudden I "got" them. By that time, discovering Malkmus's solo stuff was one of the best things ever. I like the album before this one way better but I have yet to hear anything bad from this fella. I may have listened to this once before. Great line - "penny smart and dollar dumb."

Lost in Space - Aimee Mann (Lost in Space)
Aimee Mann is one of those artists I picked up because every music critic said I should. She makes music that from anyone else would bore me, but she makes low-key music that is still compelling. I don't know most of her songs, though. I robotically get all her albums and then never listen to them. This is good.

Give It Up - Kool and the Gang (Best of)
I bought this collection after hearing Jungle Boogie in Pulp Fiction. I managed to become familiar with one other song on it. This sounds like it's going to be an instrumental. Like I said, I love riff-rock and a lot of funk is more or less that except with more going on - the bass is laying down one groove, and the horns trade off on different lines. Reminds me a little bit of a more groovy King Crimson or Frank Zappa on a bucket of valium. Almost every funk song like this sounds like it could be covered by, say, Wolfmother, and be as awesome in a different way.

Sold! - Enon (High Society)
I saw Skeleton Key in college and loved them so much so when this thing came together it was an easy pick. The junk-playing guy left before this album. This was a short, poppy song. It's over already.

Come On, Come On - Cheap Trick (In Color)
This is the re-record of this album done with Steve Albini, I think. I never knew much about this band, when I was first getting into music their big hits were The Flame and Don't Be Cruel which was not representative of them as a band at all. I like this

I'm Only Sleeping - The Beatles (Revolver stereo remaster)
This is alright. It's not very high on my list of Beatles songs. The backwards guitar stuff is very cool. I like the change in the middle, but it doesn't last very long. Backwards guitar solo - things like this make me wish I had been around to hear it first and have my mind blown with everyone else. I tend not to like songs with monotonous lyrical melodies, and the first line of each verse is annoying to me.

We are the Music Makers - Aphex Twin (Selected Ambient Works 85-92)
OK, this was bound to happen. When the popular culture told me to, I went through a serious electronic phase. 1996/1997. As it stands, I prefer the more mainstream Chemical Brothers and the less mainstream IDM though I really didn't like where Squarepusher went after the two first albums. Aphex Twin, I love, but mostly his late 90s stuff which according to the title of the album isn't included here. This really is ambient, in that it's great background music. Willy Wonka sample aside, it would be good for a movie montage where people are hacking a sexy computer or burgling a chill nightclub.

He Kissed Me (Rock Version) - Atom and his Package (Making Love)
I got into this guy through his Fugazi cover, and I like it so much I bought all of his stuff. This is good, live or pseudo-live and not like his other stuff, except for thematically, since it's weird.

Note: All Comedy or spoken word is automatically left out of my shuffles.

[bao]

Madness -- Deltron 3030
Probably the fifth best song off of the album, but being the fifth-best song on one of the great hip-hop albums of all-time is not so bad. And having lived for years in Chicago and Mexico City, I do believe that in the year 3030 everybody will want to be a DJ.

Rollin' and Tumblin' -- RL Burnside
Probably my favorite Burnside song, coincidentally. Though I feel like I have passed through the "Burnside Period" of my life, I still run to this album all the time. Very energetic. Not bad for an old man (him, not me).

Chains -- RA the Rugged Man and Killah Priest
RA was one of my favorite MCs for years -- a true underground legend. When this album finally came out after years of guest appearances, freestyles, and mix tapes, I must admit I was underwhelmed. I think I have listened to this song about three times in my life.

Like I Care -- Helmet
I love Helmet. I love Helmet so much that I even loved Aftertaste. And I love this song. So there you have it.

Cop Killer -- Body Count
One of my favorite bands from high school. A couple of years ago I found my Body Count tape while cleaning some shit out of my parents' house, and I was transfixed. Since then, I listen to KKK Bitch about once a week, and the rest of the album once a month.

Nature of the Beast -- Q-Unique
A weird bit of sorta gangster rap from Q-Unique's solo album. The Arsonists are probably one of my top 15 favorite groups ever -- just really fun, energetic, and super talented, then Q-Unique put this super serious solo album out. Its good, and I actually really like this song, but give me the Arsonists any day.

We Gotta Live Together -- Jimi Hendrix and Band of Gypsies
Like much of the western world, I went through a one-year period when I practically memorized Hendrix's entire catalogue. Band of Gypsies is still my favorite. Not necessarily this song, but I'll take it.

Flossin -- Yak Ballz
One of my favorite live MCs ever, who has never managed to make a good album. Flossin was his first single, and is still pretty goddam good. I just wish he could make a great album.

Polkas Palabras -- Molotov
I really got into Molotov's first album back in the late 90s (I was living in Mexico) -- when I was a young man. As time has gone on, I have continued to buy their albums, though they have officially become a guilty pleasure. This is off of their second album (which sucks), but is actually a fairly defensible song. Music for a generation that I am no longer a part of.

Riz Mixtape Freestyle 97 -- Necro
Ok, Necro is my guiltiest of guilty pleasures. Oddly, as a subgenre, I actually like some gore rap -- specifically that with its tongue placed firmly in cheek. Necro is nothing if not entertaining. That is, of course, if you like hearing about Martha Stewart's pussy or Carol Burnette's cancer. If you don't take him too seriously, he's fun to listen to. Also, its funny to hear everyone in the studio laughing their asses off.

Africa -- Stetsasonic
I was (and am) a huge Stetsasonic fan. Really the most underrated hip-hop group of the 1980s. They were huge, and then they disappeared in a week. Nonetheless, they pioneered live instrumentation in hip-hop, and were both politically astute, and occasionally even subtle about it.

* I'll admit that a second Burnside song and a second Molotov song came up. Oh, and eleven Wham songs.

[bao]

Do people not like Jamiroquai?

Yep. Some people really fucking hate Jamiroquai. I mean, wish-he-would-put-his-dick-in-a-chipper-shredder-and-then-light-himself-on-fire-while-punching-himself-in-the-face-with-spiked-gloves hate Jamiroquai. Some people.

A friend of mine shit on his dressing room floor in Madrid. You know, for comedy.

(True story)