Shuffled No.2

I’m back for a second installment of Shuffled, an idea which I’m basically stealing from the Onion’s AV Club has this great and their almost-weekly feature called Random Rules in which they ask some actor/musician/hyphenate to put their iPod on shuffle and see what comes up. It benefits from the interview structure a little, but I’m going to try and go it alone and see what happens. The following is a completely random selection of 13 tracks from my iPod (which currently holds 14,228 songs), followed by my comments.

Billy Joel, “My Life”

I grew up on Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits Vol.I/II. This wasn’t one of my favorite songs, but I remember it fondly mostly because of its use as the theme song to the Tom Hanks/Peter Scolari men-in-drag comedy “Bosom Buddies.” How I remember that is beyond me, as I was 4 years old when it went off the air, but it must’ve been a hit in syndication. Either that or I was a very tv-obsessed child.

Buckshot LeFonque, “Here We Go Again”

I don’t know how it happened, but in my early teens I was really into Branford Marsalis. Maybe it was from his stint on The Tonight Show, though I never really liked Jay Leno, so probably not. Either way, this was a Hip-Hop-inspired side project from Branford, back when Jazz & Hip-Hop joining forces was all the rage (Guru, Us3, etc). I can’t say I ever really loved this album, even back in ’93.

Youth Group, “Skeleton Jar”

The best James rip-off ever. I think I actually like this band even better than James, or, this album at least. Produced by Chris Walla (which is what I think originally intrigued me about it), the Australian band makes great moody pop that’s both dark and hummable. This is certainly one of the better tracks on that record, appropriately titled, Skeleton Jar.

Fiona Apple, “Pale September”

I distinctly remember seeing Fiona’s “Shadowboxer” video on 120 Minutes back in the day (man, I loved that show). I didn’t love that song, but then along came “Criminal.” The Mark Romanek stunner showed off a slinky, sexy Fiona and showcased an amazing song. I’ve been a huge fan ever since. That debut album, from which this comes, has some really great ballads on it.

R.E.M., “Sweetness Follows”

One of my favorite songs ever about loss comes, not coincidentally, from my favorite album ever. I didn’t own Automatic for the People for a long time, instead relying on a tape I made from my sister’s copy. Only when I played it out did I realize I had to buy it for myself. Though I always loved R.E.M., and though the first CD of theirs I ever bought upon its release was Monster, this was the album that turned me from enthusiast to super fan, and I’ve never looked back.

Rustic Overtones, “Girl Germs (Live)”

From the 6th compilation by Aware Records, a triple-A minded indie label who seeks to expose the world to great music. Their taste isn’t for everyone, but you can’t argue with their track record: John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Guster… these are just some of the names they helped put on the map. Rustic Overtones never really made it past their first album (which I also own), but that have that nice mid-‘90s HORDE Tour sound. I’m sure they were great live… this song is fun.

Dog’s Eye View, “Umbrella”

Back when MTV showed videos, I saw this one by Dog’s Eye View called “Everything Falls Apart.” To my high school-age ears this was a great new sound. I’m a huge fan of that first album, Happy Nowhere, and have followed front man Peter Stuart’s career ever since. This is a great little rainy day ballad from the underrated second Dog’s Eye album, Daisy.

Chris Isaak, “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Home”

It’s ’90s day here on shuffle. This is a solid song from a solid album that I was always this close to selling. And yet all these years later I still have it. Chris Isaak, much like Billy Joel, gets a bad rap. Just cause he’s got a little crooner in him—a modern day Roy Orbison—people shoot him down. It’s too bad, though, as he writes some memorable songs.

Ryan Adams, “Now That You’re Gone”

Here’s another guy that gets a bad rap, but for totally different reasons. Ryan Adams has no internal editor, and that gets on people’s nerves. Sure, it makes his albums and performances wildly uneven, but you know what? That’s also what makes for great art. Who’s to say that my favorite song on the double-disc Cold Roses (which is not this slow burner) is the same as someone else’s?

Cat Power, “After It All”

I got into Cat Power a little late (with the stellar You Are Free), and still haven’t really dug into her back catalog. I guess I’m so content with the two I have (this song is from the Memphis soul-inspired The Greatest) that I don’t really feel the need. Sometimes, like the original Office, a short burst of brilliance is better than prolonged averageness. (Note that I say this just one song after defending the prolific Ryan Adams).

U2, “Rejoice”

From the—for me, at least—oft-ignored October. Given that it’s my birth month, you’d think that would count for something. But it doesn’t. Despite owning this album for more than 10 years, I’ve probably heard the whole thing straight through no more than 5 times. This song is actually one of the ones I know and like, and even it I’ve not listened to much. I don’t know what it is about U2: I like them a ton but never really listen to their records start to finish anymore.

Pat McGee Band, “Beautiful Ways”

What is this? I had to look to know, even after a minute into the song. I have no idea how I acquired this, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never even played it once before. Weird. Even though I’ve got way too many songs in my library, there’s still only about 6% that I haven’t listened to at least once. Anyway, this was a band that did fairly at the tail end the Wuss Rock movement of the ’90s with songs like “Rebecca,” but this song proves they should’ve stayed in that milieu. You can almost hear them stretching.

Rogue Wave, “Nourishment Nation”

Ah, at least we get to end on a high note. I discovered Rogue Wave, oddly enough, through the iTunes song of the week (back when I downloaded every single one sound unheard) “Kicking the Heart Out.” I bought their debut not long after that, mostly because it was on Sub Pop and I had read lots of Shins comparisons. Three years later, Descended Like Vultures is one of my most played albums, and Rogue Wave, like one-time tour mates Nada Surf, has become one of my favorite bands without me even realizing it. Great album, great song. See you next time.