Music week: Favorites

You’ve made it! As a reward for getting through all the lists, I’m giving you a Friday treat: I’ve supplied some “best of the best,” IMHO. What better way to end out the week than with the songs I like the most – all around. Here’s a fine collection of music I can listen to anytime, anywhere – cleaning the apartment, reading, writing, drawing, sitting at work. They suit any occasion.

Once you listen to the songs on this list (and the others lists, too), you’ll probably realize that I’m drawn to vocals. It’s not the lyrics – although those can be catchy and fun to sing in some instances – but the talented voice. I see singers as not only the a frontman for a band, but another instrument that completes the group.

Most of these are more contemporary – as opposed to the hodge podge from yesterday’s list. And after finding the videos, I realized they’re half the fun. Enjoy!



1. Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games - of Montreal
Of Montreal is fucking weird. I mean, look at this video. :D They add a bunch of different instruments, and sometimes can't maintain a consistent tempo throughout one song. But don't let that scare you with this one. Some of the other songs on The Sunlandic Twins take some getting used to, but this one's catchy from the get-go.

2. Milk - Kings of Leon
Now, bear with me. This is my favorite band, but there is no other song that showcases Caleb Followill’s vocals quite as much as this... because about 25 percent of the song has no other instrument, besides his voice. If you want to hear awesome guitars to accompany Caleb, try "McFearless" or, ooh, “Charmer” too, on KOLs Because of the Times.

3. Last Night - The Strokes
My favorite college band, I kind of played them out by listening to their albums incessantly. I picked a single, so you could all appreciate them. I can still tolerate this song and listen through the whole thing because I know all the lyrics, without hearing the song. Plus, good guitar solo in the middle.

4. I'll Believe In Anything - Wolf Parade
Like Clap Your Hands, Spencer Krug’s voice takes a little getting used to. But what can I say, I'm a sucker for vocalists (with good music to back them up).

5. Finally - The Frames
See the movie Once. That's all I have to say.

6. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
This is the first song I've ever heard Karen O. sing. It makes me think she's not all tooth and nail -- and her singing doesn't just come from being pissed off, it's because she's got some aching too. Plus, listen to that guitar. And those fucking drums.

7. Golden Slumbers - The Beatles
Only one song from the Beatles you say? I tried to limit them on the list. I could probably make a Top Five of just Beatles songs for every category this week -- but I'll spare you. The Fab Four's known for merging songs together, so if you're listening to Abbey Road, you'll start with this, but make sure to listen to the two following tracks “Carry That Weight” and “The End.”

8. My Mathematical Mind - Spoon
I fell in love with Spoon about five years ago, after buying their album Gimme Fiction. This appreciation was only reinforced by the fact that the movie Stranger than Fiction offers an (almost?) exclusive Spoon soundtrack. This was the first song I would go back to and repeat two or three times before I even listened to the entire album.

9. Exit Music (From a Film) - Radiohead
Radiohead makes my top five all-time favorite bands. I like them particularly when I'm trying to do something creative, like write or draw. I chose this song mainly because of the crescendo at the end, so you have to listen to the whole thing. If the movie Children of Men ended at the extended long shot scene when he's carrying out the baby, this song would be playing.

10. Mansford Roof - Vampire Weekend
Their instruments sound like they should be playing from the 50s, but they somehow incorporate a modern sound too. I don't know how to define this band -- but I'll relate them closest to "The Strokes." Entire album is worth a listen.



Runner’s Up: 3rd Planet – Modest Mouse; Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes – Paul Simon; Savior – Red Hot Chili Peppers; Get Myself Arrested – Gomez

Music week: Songs to escape with

My extras. And, maybe some runner’s up from tomorrow’s favorites. Here’s an eclectic mix of music from all over. I’ve got some Cuban, some jazz, blues – even some country. Most of these songs remind me of something, or someone. Or they're just really amazing.

This mix itself could be listened to for most anything – I’d say the best would be a long drive, or extended road trip.


1. Let's Boogaloo - Willie Rosario
This reminds me of Dexter, mostly because it's got some Cuban drum beats and crisp horns. Ami ami a Miami. It also makes me really, really (REALLY) excited to go on vacation to Florida next month.

2. Equinox - John Coltrane
I like listening to him when I'm cooking, especially with wine. Love when the horn kicks in.

3. Kaya – Bob Marley
When I was younger and first moved to Green Bay with my mom, she bought this album. I was in fourth grade. We listened to it to and from school for at least three months straight (along with REO Speedwagon and Michael Bolton – but I won’t hold that against her.)

4. Seven Bridges Road - The Eagles
This song reminds me of my dad. He loved the Eagles, and he kicked ass at playing the guitar. The entire album Hell Freezes Over has got to be considered one of the top five live albums ever. Great harmonization and acoustic guitars in this song.

5. El Scorcho – Weezer
I might've put "Say It Ain't So," except for the simple fact that I've heard that song at least 455,755 times in my life. Don't get me wrong, it's a great song... but this one takes the cake. Off their best album, "Pinkerton" (less pop, more rock), this is a modern-day love song about a dude that just can't seem to tell the chick he likes, that he likes her. Aw.

6. The Lighthouse's Tale - Nickel Creek
Although I'm pretty impartial to country, and this family trio might be categorized as such -- I can still appreciate their folksy sound, harmonizing voices and crisp strings, including the ukulele they play in this song. Plus, based on MrB's response to country songs, this band's great at telling a story.

7. My My Hey Hey - Neil Young
I had to put something by Neil Young on this list, namely because any album of his defines autumn, especially Harvest. It has to be the melancholy vocals, and the flat notes he plays. Otherwise, try Live Rust too.

8. Walkin' After Midnight - Patsy Cline
Yeah, more country. But this is classic. Patsy Cline has an awesome, bluesy voice, with basic instrumentation to back her up. Nothing fancy.

9. Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
Start off with the bass, and bring in the drums. Strum the guitar and bring -- this guy? He sounds fucking crazy. Yeah, it's the name of the song. I try to sing along, and the chorus is catchy -- but it's the French that holds me up. No matter.

9.5. Fearless – Pink Floyd
(I cheated with the numbering system; what of it.)
Pretty mellow – but it fits Floyd’s standards. I’d say the hypnotic, repetitive guitar between the singing is really the chorus – if that makes sense. It’s not all dreary; there’s some subtle motivation in there too – if you listen to the lyrics.

10. Little Red Rooster – Howlin’ Wolf
Just listen to his voice. He’s straining to get it out of him. Howlin’ Wolf (a.k.a. Chester Arthur Burnett) also plays a mean (and I mean MEAN) guitar. Greats like Zeppelin, The Doors, Stevie Ray Vaughn, George Thorogood, Clutch and Soundgarden have all covered his music.


Runner’s up: Tangerine - Led Zeppelin; Sweet Jane – The Velvet Underground; Everybody Wants to Rule the World – Tears for Fears; She’s a Rainbow – Rolling Stones

Music week: Songs to drive by

I can be an aggressive driver; which you might determine based on some of the selections in this list. But hear me out; the majority of these songs are based on a few criteria:
A. How excellent they sound when you roll the windows down.
B. Singability behind the wheel.
C. Loudness

And, yeah this too:
D. Aggressiveness if someone pisses me off.

At least I take it out by turning up my music, instead of getting out of my car and starting a fight.


1. Goin’ Up The Country - Canned Heat
Okay… Number one in the category. I’d say the flute really brings this one home. You need to listen to this song in late spring on a sunny day, with your windows rolled down and your arms out the window.

2. Red Morning Light - Kings of Leon
I FUCKING LOVE THIS BAND. I'm pretty sure this song was featured in a car commercial, but I don’t remember which one. One where the car flies around curves without discretion and throws up dust as it leaves you there. But if you listen to this when you're driving, you are that car.

3. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - Postal Service
Add a little techno beat to some catchy lyrics and you've defined Postal Service. Deathcab's frontman displays his musical versatility with the entire album "Give Up." It's also pretty funny that UPS samples some of this band's songs, considering their name.

4. A Certain Romance - Arctic Monkeys
Another phenomenal Brit band, these guys are probably vulgar douchebags in real life, but they also kick ass. This is the first song I’ve ever heard from the band. I love singing it in a British accent – but it may take at least 10 times before you understand what in the hell he’s actually saying.

5. The Set Up (You Need This) - Reel Big Fish
I saw them my junior year of high school. Energy! Talent! So loud! It's my favorite song from "Why Do They Rock So Hard?" I like singing this song as loud as fucking possible, in hopes that the people around me won't necessarily think I'm weird, but absolutely crazy.

6. Waterfalls - TLC
Just for Michelle -- because nothing quite says driving 15 hours through California and Oregon like “Waterfalls,” with dancing and singing to boot. Especially when it's recorded via shitty camera video.

7. Thickfreakness - The Black Keys
A two-man band from Akron, this is the first song I'd ever heard from these guys. This album (same as the song title) is more raw (rawer?) than the ones that follow, and listening to the thing in its entirety helps when you're passing assholes on the road.

8. Excuse Me Mr. - No Doubt
Good for the highway. It's got a fast beat and catchy chorus. Plus, I like the 1850s-burlesque bridge with the piano and jazz horn.

9. Crosstown Traffic - Jimi Hendrix
Check the title. Plus, it's Hendrix. No question, there's great guitar -- but even though he still jams it's more controlled, and stays with the faster tempo. Great for cruising on a highway.

10. Longview - Green Day
From my favorite band in high school, you can't really do what this song's about while you're driving.

Runner’s Up: Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah; Blinded By The Light – Manford Mann’s Earth Band; Drive My Car - The Beatles; Bad Habit - The Offspring

Music week: songs to work by

While I'm sitting in my cube, I like a more mellow mix of music to listen to while I'm responding to emails and writing up stories. Plus, it helps drowned out the obnoxiously loud sales calls and people on the phone around me.

These songs also work well for background music around the house, or for artistic inspiration for writing or drawing on my own time.


1. Parasite - Nick Drake
If I chose one acoustic artist to listen to from here on out, it’d be Nick Drake. I first heard him on the Garden State soundtrack and thought, "Wow, this guy's great. He's probably a small act... maybe he'll be at Summerfest, or some other music festival." Guess what -- he's from the early 1970s. He made a post mortem comeback only because VW decided to use the title track of his album "Pink Moon" for a car commercial a few years ago. He plays clean acoustic with a unique voice.

2. The Wolves (Act I and II) - Bon Iver
Anything by Bon Iver (His real name's Justin Vernon) is phenomenal; but also really mellow. He recorded his entire debut album on his own in the northwoods of Wisconsin. After that album "For Emma Forever Ago" was released, he gained international acclaim, and even made the Top 100 albums of the year according to Rolling Stone.

3. Cigarettes - Russian Red
I can't find that much out about her, but she has an amazing voice. She's originally from Spain, and every site I find with information on her is in Spanish, but she sings in English. Hmm.

4. Tiny Vessels - Deathcab for Cutie
The crescendo at the end of this song makes it a little louder for work, but it still keeps a slow tempo. Most Deathcab can distract me from the bustle sometimes going on outside my fabric walls.

5. Ada - The National
Great piano, and with Matt Berringer's soothing baritone voice, it helps drowned out any other crap going on around the office.

6. The General - Dispatch
I first heard this song my freshman year of college when a guy opted to play it on his guitar as his final project for Philosophy 110. I don't really know what his reason was, but I immediately went back to my dorm and downloaded the song, along with any other Dispatch song I could get my hands on.

7. The Breeze - Dr. Dog
Listen to this if you need to calm down. If you close your eyes and relax for a few minutes, you'll feel much better.

8. Sun It Rises - Fleet Foxes
My favorite new band of 2008. I usually listen to the entire album at work. This is the first track, and a great introduction to the CSNY-esque band.

9. Stranger Things Have Happened - Foo Fighters
Thanks to Gregor, I've been introduced to more Foo -- and I'm not complaining. I usually associate them with a rich, louder rock sound, but I knew they had a greater capacity when I heard the acoustic version of Times Like These a few years ago. This is my favorite song from their new album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.

10. Take it Back - She & Him
Remember when Zooey Deschanel sang in the movie Elf? Well, she really can sing. She collaborated with M. Ward to form She & Him, which released their first album Volume One early last year. Sounds a little like something you might here on the radio in the 1970s.


Runner's Up: Sea of Love - Cat Power; Innocent Bones - Iron & Wine

Music week: Songs to sweat by

Update: I've added YouTube links to the songs, so you'll get an idea of what they sound like.

The first installment of Music Week involves the songs I listen to when I'm working out (they work as a secondary soundtrack to cleaning the apartment too).

I need loud music with a consistent beat to keep rhythm while I run, or work out in general. I can change my pace with these songs while keeping up with the beat, and still enjoy the music whether I’m outside or at the gym. It’s also one of the few times you’ll catch me listening to rap or techno.
1. List of Demands (Reparations) - Saul Williams
I first heard this song on a Nike commercial, and refused to rest until I found out who sang it. I mean, it has a fitness apparel commercial endorsement. If that's not enough to motivate you, you might be dead.

2. Hysteria - Muse
Not only does this song kick ass on Rockband, it also gives me motivation to run faster. The beat changes up a little, but the tempo always stays on track for keeping a great pace when I'm running. Awesome, gritty guitar with altered vocals.

3. I'm Me - Lil' Wayne
It’s rap. And, it’s Lil’ Wayne. Both I can only take so much of, but this guy’s arrogant, better-than-thou lyrics go along with the consistent beat to create a more-than-tolerable workout song. A little slower than some hip-hop, I find it hard to skip this song because I can sing along too.

4. Black Tongue - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Karen O. can rock, and she sounds like an angry bitch. On top of that, drums keep the beat with more distorted guitar.

5. Smack My Bitch Up - Prodigy
Along with Daft Punk, Prodigy usually offers some pretty decent techno songs. I usually only listen to them when I feel like dancing drunk, or want to work out. I picked Prodigy because they're an old love -- Fat of the Land was the first CD I ever bought on my own (along with TLC's CrazySexyCool.)

6. Sleep Now in the Fire - Rage Against the Machine
Anything by Rage better make you angry. What better motivation than being pissed off at something – regardless if it’s a co-worker or country.

7. Heresy - NIN
GRRR. I can feel my feet pounding with every step on this song. If I heard it driving, I might start going 80 mph (highway OR side street), but this just makes me go faster on foot.

8. The Creator – Santogold
With a voice similar to Karen O. from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Santogold also sounds pretty pissed off. This song’s also got a little bit of techno, a slower beat and some tribal drums. Good when you need to find a flow.

9. Till I Collapse – Eminem
This song motivates you. I was first introduced to Eminem when I heard the Marshall Mathers LP up-north at a friends cottage at the tender age of 16. I bought it immediately when I got home. For the most part, I had hung him up on the shelf, because I played out that and the other subsequent albums. I partly blame MrB for talking about Eminem a whole lot over the last month, but it helped me go back and listen to a few of the better songs I haven’t heard in awhile, including this one.

10. Stronger – Kanye West
This song made it because it incorporates a hip-hop beat along with Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” Techno can become droning with the same beat over and over, and over – but this song has an even amount of both electronic sounds. Add comprehensible lyrics (vs. DP), which usually help avoid getting sick of a song.

Runner’s Up: Fuel – Metallica; Anti Matter – N.E.R.D.; Touch It/Technologic – Daft Punk; Positive Tension – Bloc Party; No One Knows – Queens of the Stone Age; Sober – Tool

Music week

This week, I'm focusing on something near and dear to me: music. Everything thing I do revolves in some way around the music I listen to, and I thought I'd let you guys in on the secret. I'm by no means musically inclined. The extent of my musical talent involves playing the violin in high school and singing alone in my car. Loud. I appreciate all genres (yeah, even country), and hope to introduce a few of you to some new songs.

There are five categories each including 10 songs, in no particular order. Some you might dispute, others may disgust you. Some, you'll just say, "oh, yeah" and agree.

I'm hoping I can figure out how to add these lists to last.fm, so I can share them with everyone. Either way, if you're genuinely interested in hearing any or all of the songs, I'll do my best to get them to you.

If anything, check out MySpace music. Over the last year, artists have been utilizing the site to offer more of their songs -- most of the time in their entirety. You might be able to find a few on there.

Without further ado, I present to you my personal soundtracks.

CD's nuts!

In the wake of lawsuits swimming around the ethics of downloading music illegally (think Napster, and the Metallica tiff), I find it odd that artist's would go out of their way to remain exclusive to one distributor -- essentially cutting off access to fans that might be interested in their work.

Exhibit A: AC/DC turns off iTunes for "Black Ice" And, not only are they refusing to offer their new album to millions of adoring fans via charged internet downloads; they've sold rights to distribute the album ONLY AT WAL-MART.

The Rolling Stones and the Police did it with albums and DVDs at Best Buy. Bob Dylan made a CD just for Victoria's Secret shoppers (In all fairness, I think his main motivation was being featured in a TV commercial next to Adriana Lima). Dave Matthews Band and Elton John recorded songs available only at Starbucks.

So if artists (or the powers that be, for said artists) limit the purchasing power of their audience, aren't they taking the risk of losing out on more fans hearing their music? And worse, not getting all their monies?

If you limit access to your music by exclusivity, you risk giving listeners the opportunity to use other means to get it, à la Napster, Kazaa or Torrent.

Some musical talent has looked for other ways to distribute their music. Radiohead started by offering their latest album, "In Rainbows," exclusively on the Internet as a download before the hard copy release date, letting listeners name their own price to download and hear it.

That's not to say I don't have some issues with downloadable music; like not having the physical evidence of it's existence. I want to be able to hold my music. Plus, buying an album supports that band. But, I'm also really good at destroying said CDs, so burned copies work just as well for my car when I don't have an axillary adapter for the iPod.

And more and more, artists profit just as much off downloads.

Bands have also started releasing songs via downloads for video games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero, or free downloads on iTunes. I'm also a big fan of Pandora, where I've been introduced to a variety of kick ass songs and new bands.

So there might be hope for AC/DC yet. Come November, they're releasing their own version of "Rock Band" for avid players, with songs from their 1991 "Live at Donington" DVD.

But then again, that game too, will only be available at Wal-Mart.