Monday, May 11, 2009

Musical Monkey

Put your mp3 on random and type the song that comes up. Answer the q's.
(I used my daily twitter playlist and random.org's sequence generator)

Song 1: Walking in the Dark - Goldfinger

How did you discover this song? On my ipod, when I put it there.
Is this a good dancing song? If by dancing you mean skanking, then hells yeah
Have you seen this band live? No, sadface.

Song 2: Chin Up - Catch 22

The hottest member of this band is? By default, the sax player. I don't even remember what he looks like.
Does this band have piano? No. Not even keyboards.
Is this your favorite band? Very possibly. Definitely top 3.

Song 3: Neon Rainbow - The Box Tops

anyone in this band have a beard? By now, probably
Do you like this song? Yeah, makes me think of 1960's Vegas
Are there any girls in this band? For the sake of their hair, I hope not.

Song 4: Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys

Has this band ever toured with fall out boy? ... HAHAHAHAHA
Does your best friend like this song? I just about guarantee it.
One memory with this song: The Drifters or Jan and Dean or somebody playin it at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk one Friday.

Song 5: My Eyes - Felicia Day & Neil Patrick Harris

Does this song make you cry? No, makes me sing
Do you have the cd this song is on? I don't know if they actually printed CDs of this album.
One memory with this song: Driving down Highway 9 during Indian Summer and singing Wayne's World tyle.

Song 6: Strawberry - Everclear

Does this song remind you of a boy? Art Alexakis
Have you ever heard this song live? No
What is the first line of this song? Never been here, never coming back, never want to think about the things that happened today.

Song 7: Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel

"Now she's a little boy in Spain
Playing pianos filled with flames
On empty rings around the sun
All sing to say my dream has come"

Song 8: Heart it Races - Dr. Dog

Did you pirate this song? Technically, I haven't even downloaded it.
Who told you about this band? Brian Ibbot via Coverville.com
Is this a christian band? They could be, but I doubt it.

Song 9: Punk Rock Rulebook - 88 Fingers Louie

Does this band use synth? Not at all
What is you favorite line from this song? The punk band wagon's taken you where you don't wanna go
Does your mom like this band? :)

Song 10: Death Or Glory - The Clash

Have you ever written the lyrics to this anywhere? I've used the title before
Are all of the original members of this band still in it? ...the band is not playing anymore
Is this your favorite song? Not nearly. It's a great song though.

Song 11: Two Hearts in 3/4 Time - The Avalanches

What is your favorite song from this band? this song is second to Frontier Psychiatrist
Does this song swear? I don't think so. It could be in a background layer.
Have you heard this on the radio? only the internet radio

Song 12: Papa was a Rodeo - The Magnetic Fields

What is your favorite line? I see that kiss-me pucker forming, but maybe you should plug it with a beer
Does this song sing about stars? It sings (sic) about their kids, i imagine
Who is the singer? Stephin Merritt. him doing the Coraline play makes me want to visit London

Song 13: Tighten Up - Archie Bell and the Drells

Is there a number in this song? I think not
Is this song special to you for any reason? you look nice today
Is this song good for moshing? No, you would really have to try hard with this one.

Song 14: Aruarian Dance - Nujabes

How long have you liked this band? Maybe a month
Is this song about a girl? Instrumental. If it's not, it should be.
Have you told someone about this band? Don't think so.

Song 15: Death to Los Campesinos! - Los Campesinos!

Do you listen to this for a certain mood? Whenever I want to smile.
Does this remind you of any one? hmm... I've told people about this band, but got no response, so no. Kittens and Unicorns.
What is the last line of this song?
If you catch me with my hands in the till I promise, sugar, I wasn't trying to steal
I'm just swimming in copper to smell and pretend like a robot!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Music!

I guess I have Twitter to thank for this in a weird way. Around the beginning of the year, I tried to write reviews for whatever music I was getting into at the time. I'd say I enjoyed it, even if it was a big time commitment. Well, with me being so busy being unemployed and all there was sure to be a conflict of interest with, say, looking for a job or sleeping all day. Also, the setup I have is rather uncomfortable for extended sessions of typing, so it's rather easier to not do it most of the time.

Sometime in January I noticed another person on twitter putting his playlist up on twitter. It was a track a day, often sprawling jazzy electronica which appeared to be his genre of choice. It was a cool idea, and I thought I could put my own spin on it. I could use my twitter account to let people hear some of my favorites, but at the same time use it to explore new stuff and introduce it to my friends, blah blah blah. It's been a bit more cathartic than I expected. It's strange- I dont have any way of knowing who listens to my playlist (if anyone at all) but I've become more introspective and self aware of my listening patterns.

Also, it forces me to listen to music more. For a long while I was one of the people you might hear disparaging new music. You could probably blame it on the re-branding of punk rock. Why, I thought, should I listen to (to pick a band at random) New Found Glory when there are decades of excellent music I haven't explored? I should be listening to The Dead Kennedys or Agnostic Front. I could be exploring the classics from The Clash, Cream, Nine Inch Nails, The Who. For that matter I could go back to the days before rock, discover Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.

It was last year that I realized my taste in music had expanded to the point that I could find music out there that I liked, and happened to come from the last decade. Ten years ago, I never would have listened to Neutral Milk Hotel. Even The Decemberists were well beyond my tolerance so long ago.

I've gotten a little distracted. The point of this post is, the playlist experiment is working. Search for #ctfs on twitter and you'll find brand new music alongside groups like Archie Bell and the Drells and John Coltrane. I think, now that the honeymoon with this idea is over, I may post here on occasion when I feel I have more than a sentence or two to spout off on a particular song.