Shuffled No.4

Today felt like one of those days to put the iPod on and see what popped up. The following is a completely random selection of 13 tracks from my iPod (which currently holds 14,453 songs), followed by my comments. Given the fact that I have so many tracks to choose from, there are bound to be surprises, even for me.

Shuggie Otis, “Aht Uh Mi Head”

I can’t quite remember what made me get Inspiration Information about 10 years ago, but I’m sure I read something about it in a magazine, possibly Rolling Stone. This was back when I bought albums without really hearing them first. I’m glad I did that here, as this is one of my favorite soul records. Probably a lot of people know songs like “Strawberry Letter 23” and “Inspiration Information,” but they don’t know Shuggie. They should.

Foo Fighters, “Skin & Bones (Live)”

This comes from their live album of the same name. I saw them on that acoustic tour, and it was one of my favorite shows in years. In addition to being one of the best arena rock bands of the last decade, Dave Grohl & Co. can also go small pretty well. Of course, they still sound kinda big. I love how they filled out their sound on that tour with other players like Petra Haden and Pat Smear. It adds a richness that comes through on this record.

Keb Mo, “Love Yourself (Live)”

From KMTT’s On the Mountain 4, the first of the station’s session CDs that I bought. Even though I don’t really listen to the station much anymore, I’ve gotten every one—all 9 of them—since. There’s something about live and stripped-down music that just appeals to me. I probably wouldn’t have a lot of artists in my library if it weren’t for compilations like this, and I think I’d be missing out if that were the case. This is a fun little bluesy song.

Squirrel Nut Zippers, “Hell (Live)”

It truly is funny how this shuffle thing works. Here’s yet another live in-studio track, this time from Atlanta’s 99x. A while back, not surprisingly, I was really into getting compilations like this from stations outside Seattle, so I scoured the internet and found 99x, where I bought up 4 volumes of their Live X series. This comes from Live X 4: Home and is another perfect example of a song that I like but almost certainly wouldn’t have otherwise. If another live or radio session track comes up next I might be a little freaked out.

Ben Folds, “Side of the Road”

Okay, good, a studio track. This is from the extended EP Songs for Goldfish. I first heard Ben Folds Five on a short-lived Bellingham rock station back in ’96, pre-“Brick.” I’ve been a huge fan ever since. I love how Folds balances the totally silly with honesty and earnestness. It’s like he’s saying, yes, I’m serious, but not that serious. This is one of the more thoughtful songs.

Brad Mehldau, “Exit Music (For a Film) (Live)”

Here we are again with another radio song. This is Mehldau doing Radiohead live on the venerable KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic. I stumbled across their Rare on Air volumes randomly in the late ’90s and have been buying up nearly every release since. They are just consistently good and so often include left-field gems like a jazzy Radiohead cover. I’m probably not the first to say that MBE has turned me on to a lot of great artists.

The Flaming Lips, “Mr. Ambulance Driver”

This might be the most dour, personal song the Lips have ever recorded, and I love it for that reason. It’s also just a fun little ballad. The Flaming Lips have always struck me as an odd success. They’re a very odd bunch of guys from Oklahoma City who make not-very-accessible music, and yet they’ve been popular and living on a major label for more than 10 years. The unique experience of their live shows and their consistently great songs keep them big, I guess. Sometimes you can’t quite make sense of things like this.

Doves, “Rise”

Here’s a band I’d love to see live some day. I got this, their first album (Lost Souls), solely on the strength of “Catch the Sun.” Little did I know how good the rest of the album, and eventually the rest of their catalog, would be. Their atmospheric, dreamy rock music has grown into a fuller, poppier sound, but I’m a huge fan of whatever they do. I can’t wait to hear what they come up with for their new record.

Clem Snide, “Jews for Jesus Blues”

I’ve bought every Clem Snide record since The Ghost of Fashion, but for some reason always underrated them. Recently I’ve been reintroduced, so to speak, to these albums, and I’m beginning to appreciate them a lot more. This is a great little tune. I love the lyric “Now that I’m found, I wish I was lost.” Not to geek out or anything, but this could be Jack Shephard’s theme song for his next flash forward.

The Incredible Moses Leroy, “Country Robot/Song for Dorothy”

This is one of those rare cases where I hear a song on the radio an immediately go out and buy the CD. The Incredible Moses Leroy became the Soft.Lightes with the release of this record. I’m not sure why, because I really liked them better before they changed their name. This song is a wonderfully clever near-sequel to the Wizard of Oz laid over a beautifully cascading piano melody. Love love love this song.

Dinosaur Jr., “Out There”

After being familiar with, but not too interested in Dinosaur Jr. for years, I finally got their greatest hits last year. This isn’t one of my favorite tracks of the collection, but it’s pretty good. I just love this grinding, melodic thing this band put together. To me a band like Dinosaur Jr. epitomizes the sound of the alternative ’90s—not instantly accessible, unconventional vocals, kind of jangly and fuzzy, but ultimately really into traditional song structures and pop melodies.

Gomez, “Whippin’ Piccadilly”

One of my favorite bands of the past decade. This comes from their debut, _Bring It On_— the one that got me hooked on the band, though not until four years after its release. There’s a quality to these songs that can’t really be explained. They have some odd instrumentation, some blips and beeps, but everything is so immediate and fresh. I could listen to that album all day if I had to. Ten years later, it’s still my favorite of theirs.

The Wallflowers, “Angel On My Bike (Live)”

Fitting that the last song for this Shuffled is another radio session. This comes from Volume 3 of the aforementioned Rare on Air series from KCRW. It’s hard to remember a time when Jakob Dylan’s band wasn’t reviled for being nothing more than a solid, Americana-influenced rock act. I really enjoyed Bringing Down the Horse, actually. Sure, they never really elevated themselves into something special. Sure, it wasn’t a spectacular record. There ain’t nothing wrong though with just plain good.