Even before I hit shuffle this morning I had a problem. Yesterday when I posted my Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least Not Yet) I pretty much lied. To be honest only two of those songs actually belong there and for some reason I just scrapped together three other songs together to make the list. This feeling sat with me for most of my car ride and then I listened to one of these falsely promoted songs, and I knew... I had lied to you all. So now please allow me to give you my actual Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least Not Yet)
1. Irish Rose- O.A.R.
2. Mr. Moon (live)- O.A.R.
3. Black Thumbnail- Kings of Leon
4. Get Some- Lykke Li
5. Coming Up Easy- Paolo Nutini
A LOST song is usually ideal but this morning I wasn't feeling it. It could be because I spent the majority of the morning trying to figure if I was cranky or not (results are still inconclusive). When the song started I was kind of indifferent. I wouldn't choose it for my We Have To Go Back playlist (otherwise known as my LOST score playlist), and for the life of me I couldn't figure out what scene this song plays during (for those of you who want to know click here http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/The_Swinging_Bendulum ). I had a feeling it had to do with the Lamp Post station but I couldn't pin point it.
My ipod was in a "Kevin's Favorite TV Shows" mood because the song that played after this was from Fringe. My ipod knows me so well.
A Double Dose Of Weekend
Saturday:
(Side Note: Yesterday was Shea's birthday and good times were had. With this being said I didn't have time to write a post so I put it off for today. Combined with today's song I didn't think that either one of the songs that were shuffled could fit a full post...as a matter of fact I'm not even sure they can fill this post. But here we go...)
If there's one thing in the world I love it's music. If there are two things in the world that I love it's music and free music. Today's song comes from a free album I downloaded off of http://www.spin.com/ (the magazine that I think is actually better then Rolling Stone. They actually have opinions over there, not like Rolling Stone that believes the greatest song ever made is Like A Rolling Stone... are you freakin' kidding me?! Dare to have an actual opinion or rate something based on the music not the person who puts it out. Grrrrrr)
This song isn't very good actually. To be honest I couldn't even remember it two hours after it played and writing the piece now I was having a really tough time remembering it. A victim of free music. It makes me think that it might be time to do some spring cleaning on the ole ipod.
Sunday:
Today's Guest Shuffler is brought to you by my friend Ken (yay a shout to someone some of you may know and others don't). I like the Guest Shuffler option it helps add a sense of adventure to the project don't you think? So Ken hit shuffle and music followed.
I am a lover of Pearl Jam but this song leads nothing to write about really. It's a minute there are no real lyrics. The only thing to really write about here is that my ipod has a sense of humor. Ken is a self proclaimed non Pearl Jam fan (yest we continue to be friends... strange). There is no doubt in my mind that my ipod chose this song as a way of saying "ha ha". I chuckled, Ken groaned, and Shea wanted to hit shuffle again (we did out of curiosity but alas nothing will come of it other then this tiny little mention).
See what I mean about having little to write about here? I don't like to combine songs into one posts but there really wasn't much to write about, and I'm still nursing a hang over from Shea's birthday party. So I will leave you with our Sunday ritual
Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least This Week)
1. Irish Rose- O.A.R.
2. Bar- Zac Brown Band
3. Mr. Moon (live)- O.A.R.
4. Maxwel Murder- Rancid
5. Shake Your Rump- Beastie Boys
(Side Note: Yesterday was Shea's birthday and good times were had. With this being said I didn't have time to write a post so I put it off for today. Combined with today's song I didn't think that either one of the songs that were shuffled could fit a full post...as a matter of fact I'm not even sure they can fill this post. But here we go...)
If there's one thing in the world I love it's music. If there are two things in the world that I love it's music and free music. Today's song comes from a free album I downloaded off of http://www.spin.com/ (the magazine that I think is actually better then Rolling Stone. They actually have opinions over there, not like Rolling Stone that believes the greatest song ever made is Like A Rolling Stone... are you freakin' kidding me?! Dare to have an actual opinion or rate something based on the music not the person who puts it out. Grrrrrr)
This song isn't very good actually. To be honest I couldn't even remember it two hours after it played and writing the piece now I was having a really tough time remembering it. A victim of free music. It makes me think that it might be time to do some spring cleaning on the ole ipod.
Sunday:
Today's Guest Shuffler is brought to you by my friend Ken (yay a shout to someone some of you may know and others don't). I like the Guest Shuffler option it helps add a sense of adventure to the project don't you think? So Ken hit shuffle and music followed.
I am a lover of Pearl Jam but this song leads nothing to write about really. It's a minute there are no real lyrics. The only thing to really write about here is that my ipod has a sense of humor. Ken is a self proclaimed non Pearl Jam fan (yest we continue to be friends... strange). There is no doubt in my mind that my ipod chose this song as a way of saying "ha ha". I chuckled, Ken groaned, and Shea wanted to hit shuffle again (we did out of curiosity but alas nothing will come of it other then this tiny little mention).
See what I mean about having little to write about here? I don't like to combine songs into one posts but there really wasn't much to write about, and I'm still nursing a hang over from Shea's birthday party. So I will leave you with our Sunday ritual
Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least This Week)
1. Irish Rose- O.A.R.
2. Bar- Zac Brown Band
3. Mr. Moon (live)- O.A.R.
4. Maxwel Murder- Rancid
5. Shake Your Rump- Beastie Boys
A Response From My Ipod
Dear Kevin-
As you can see from today's song choice I took your suggestion of "no more rap" into consideration. After much thought I decided that in the best interest of today that I would indeed give you a non-rap song. But please allow me to explain something to you.
Without me and my random choices this project, this little "blog" is nothing. You are nothing without me. There is nothing to write about until I select the song. Do not think for one second that you can order me around to choose music to your liking. If I happen to be in a rap mood this week then I'm going to play rap music. Deal with it! You have multiple playlists to listen to what you want, the Shuffle is for me.
Your audacity in thinking that you can control me or the choices I make is ridiculous and insulting. Maybe tomorrow I want select anything...then where will you be.
Yours,
Your ipod
A Letter to My Ipod
Dear ipod-
Now I don't want this to be considered as me questioning you. We both know that you're one of my closest friends and I value you're judgement...buuuuuuuuut I don't understand you lately. If anyone knows what my music patterns are right now it's you. You know better then anyone that I'm listening to a steady dose of Foo Fighters, O.A.R., Kings of Leon, and Beastie Boys. So explain to me why you keep pushing rap on me? It was cool and nostalgic when you played Ready To Die but now I feel like you're forcing me to want to be in rap mood. It's just not happening right now. I appreciate today's attempt of Me by Atmosphere because they're like the rock band of hip hop, but I'm just not feeling it right now. There will come a time where I'm in the "rap mood" again but as of right now please stop forcing it up on me. The song was good today but could you maybe choose something tomorrow that better fits my music patterns? Thanks for listening to me and continue being awesome.
Awesomely Yours
Kevin
Can't Knock The Hustle
Something must be wrong. It's currently 9:48 at night and I am just now having my first Arizona Iced Tea. Usually it's one in the morning and then another late afternoon and sometimes (depending on how crazy I'm feeling of course) a final one when I gets home from work. I have a problem. To counter act the large amounts of iced tea I do drink a lot of water (to protect my kidneys and all) but lately I don't know if I'm keeping up with my large iced tea in take. Things to consider. Drink more water and maybe less Arizona? Hmmmm...
A full day has passed since the release of O.A.R.'s new album King and I'd say I've listened to it one and a half times (I jumped around a bit). Intital reaction... I really like it. It's definately a return to form, it's got the reggae undertones and upbeat feeling that I associate with O.A.R. music. This is something that pleases me. I want to listen to it again fully a couple of more times before I fully fall in love with it, but as of 9:51 today and I'm happy.
We're not here to talk about O.A.R.'s new album though. Yesterday we got ourselves a little bit of Biggie (I think that might be an unintential oxymoron) and today my ipod chose to stay in the same gangsta vein by giving us some Jay-Z.
Now I have no plans on knocking the hustle (pun intended here) but that Carlito's Way like intro probably would have worked a little better if Jay-Z had probably used an actual line from Carlito's Way. Although I do appreciate the effort. Every turns to Scarface for their latin, Al Pacino gangster ways and often forget about this masterpiece. Carlito's Way may not have the quoting magnitude that Scarface has but for Gods sake couldn't we have taken an actual piece of the movie instead of getting this guy at the start of the song who sounds like he's doing a bad impression of Al Pacino's bad impression of a latin person? But I digress.
Can' Knock the Hustle is made by Mary J's hook here. There's no mistaking that Jay-Z's rhymes and flow here are top notch (when aren't they though?) but that hook brings the song together. It's the foundation. I don't know how many of you have heard Jay-Z's Unplugged album (the Roots play as his band for the night), but the version of Can't Knock the Hustle is pretty awesome. As a matter of fact that whole Unplugged album is pretty awesome. You wouldn't think that a rap unplugged would be able to work but Jay-Z pulls it off. I think it has a lot to do with the Roots kicking out the jams.
Speaking of MTV I believe yesterday was it's 30th birthday. It's a milestone no doubt but I thought you stopped really celebrating birthdays when the thing died (oh snap!). Yes I know MTV still exists but not in the same capacity that it once did. Growing up MTV was everything, acutally music videos were everything. That time has passed. MTV has become less and less and less about the music and more about the crappy reality TV craze. Shows like Road Rules and the Real World used to be the minority, not it's all the station shows. I actually take offense to the fact that they still have the VMA's. How is it possible to dedicate a three hour show to music videos when your station only plays them at one o'clock in the morning?! So yes lets celebrate the fact that MTV has turned 30 but lets be realist here. The only music that can be heard there anymore is the crappy pop crap that they use during reality TV montages. Makes my 90's self sick.
A full day has passed since the release of O.A.R.'s new album King and I'd say I've listened to it one and a half times (I jumped around a bit). Intital reaction... I really like it. It's definately a return to form, it's got the reggae undertones and upbeat feeling that I associate with O.A.R. music. This is something that pleases me. I want to listen to it again fully a couple of more times before I fully fall in love with it, but as of 9:51 today and I'm happy.
We're not here to talk about O.A.R.'s new album though. Yesterday we got ourselves a little bit of Biggie (I think that might be an unintential oxymoron) and today my ipod chose to stay in the same gangsta vein by giving us some Jay-Z.
Now I have no plans on knocking the hustle (pun intended here) but that Carlito's Way like intro probably would have worked a little better if Jay-Z had probably used an actual line from Carlito's Way. Although I do appreciate the effort. Every turns to Scarface for their latin, Al Pacino gangster ways and often forget about this masterpiece. Carlito's Way may not have the quoting magnitude that Scarface has but for Gods sake couldn't we have taken an actual piece of the movie instead of getting this guy at the start of the song who sounds like he's doing a bad impression of Al Pacino's bad impression of a latin person? But I digress.
Can' Knock the Hustle is made by Mary J's hook here. There's no mistaking that Jay-Z's rhymes and flow here are top notch (when aren't they though?) but that hook brings the song together. It's the foundation. I don't know how many of you have heard Jay-Z's Unplugged album (the Roots play as his band for the night), but the version of Can't Knock the Hustle is pretty awesome. As a matter of fact that whole Unplugged album is pretty awesome. You wouldn't think that a rap unplugged would be able to work but Jay-Z pulls it off. I think it has a lot to do with the Roots kicking out the jams.
Speaking of MTV I believe yesterday was it's 30th birthday. It's a milestone no doubt but I thought you stopped really celebrating birthdays when the thing died (oh snap!). Yes I know MTV still exists but not in the same capacity that it once did. Growing up MTV was everything, acutally music videos were everything. That time has passed. MTV has become less and less and less about the music and more about the crappy reality TV craze. Shows like Road Rules and the Real World used to be the minority, not it's all the station shows. I actually take offense to the fact that they still have the VMA's. How is it possible to dedicate a three hour show to music videos when your station only plays them at one o'clock in the morning?! So yes lets celebrate the fact that MTV has turned 30 but lets be realist here. The only music that can be heard there anymore is the crappy pop crap that they use during reality TV montages. Makes my 90's self sick.
Biggie Smalls Is the Illest
Can you remember the first album that you listened to that made you a fan of a certain genre of music? Like the first time you listened to Sgt. Pepper's or Nevermind and understanding that this was the type of music that would follow you for the rest of your life. I had listened to plenty of rap songs when I was in high school and I thought they were cool enough, but the first rap album I ever truly listened to made me understand the awesomeness that was hip hop.
Ready To Die was the first real hip hop album I had ever listened to and I was instantly sucked in. People talk all the time about the best debut albums and I think that Ready To Die should be mentioned more in the conversation. From start to finish Ready To Die takes you on a hip hop journey that holds your speakers hostage for over an hour. It was enough to make me understand that there was more to rap then just listening to songs, that the albums could totally rock.
I like that Ready To Die is the title track of the album but it's song six. It probably sounds kind of silly but I hate when the title track is the first song on the album. I'm not really sure how to explain I just feel that we should work our way to the song that was the basis of the album. Don't just hand it out at the start. Let's build up to it so when it does play it packs the impact that it deserves. The listener should be like "damn this song is totally worth naming the album after".
Biggie's slow, deliberate delivery here is excellent. Each phrase, each word just rolls through you speaker and into your ears. There's a fierceness to the way he rapped and the stories that he told that just captivates you. Biggie is one of best story tellers in hip hop and when I'm listening I'm instantly pulled into his world. It doesn't sound ridiculous or forced (like some of 50 cent's stuff), it's authentic and real. It almost makes me want to have grown up on the street... almost.
Listening to Ready To Die (the song not the entire album- I was too busy listening to O.A.R.'s King all day) brought me back to high school. I kept thinking about track meets and listening to rap mixes on my walkmen to get myself pumped up for the race. Yes I said walkmen. What was better than making a mix tape? That's right... nothing.
Favorite Line From Song: I got techniques drippin out my buttcheeks/Sleep on my stomach so I don't fuck up my sheets (awesomely hysterical)
Ready To Die was the first real hip hop album I had ever listened to and I was instantly sucked in. People talk all the time about the best debut albums and I think that Ready To Die should be mentioned more in the conversation. From start to finish Ready To Die takes you on a hip hop journey that holds your speakers hostage for over an hour. It was enough to make me understand that there was more to rap then just listening to songs, that the albums could totally rock.
I like that Ready To Die is the title track of the album but it's song six. It probably sounds kind of silly but I hate when the title track is the first song on the album. I'm not really sure how to explain I just feel that we should work our way to the song that was the basis of the album. Don't just hand it out at the start. Let's build up to it so when it does play it packs the impact that it deserves. The listener should be like "damn this song is totally worth naming the album after".
Biggie's slow, deliberate delivery here is excellent. Each phrase, each word just rolls through you speaker and into your ears. There's a fierceness to the way he rapped and the stories that he told that just captivates you. Biggie is one of best story tellers in hip hop and when I'm listening I'm instantly pulled into his world. It doesn't sound ridiculous or forced (like some of 50 cent's stuff), it's authentic and real. It almost makes me want to have grown up on the street... almost.
Listening to Ready To Die (the song not the entire album- I was too busy listening to O.A.R.'s King all day) brought me back to high school. I kept thinking about track meets and listening to rap mixes on my walkmen to get myself pumped up for the race. Yes I said walkmen. What was better than making a mix tape? That's right... nothing.
Favorite Line From Song: I got techniques drippin out my buttcheeks/Sleep on my stomach so I don't fuck up my sheets (awesomely hysterical)
On The Eve of New O.A.R. Album
Shhhhhh it's 11 o'clock and I just downloaded the new O.A.R. album King. Don't tell itunes. Actually I'm getting ahead of myself. Let us flashback to this morning.
7:45 This Morning
Our hero finds himself in his car. He's been on the road since 7:15 and the reception of sports radio has been getting on his nerves. Too much static and the FM station that the Mike and Mike program is usually on is currently spouting religious music (at least that's what he believes since he's not hanging around to find out). So what does one do when frustrated with morning radio... they turn to their ipod.
Our hero sets up his ipod to play and waits for a commerical. Even through his frustration he sticks to his routine. He hits shuffle and waits...
O.A.R.'s Delicate Few starts to play through his speakers as our hero reaches for the volume. He doesn't care how early it this song needs to be played loudly. As a matter of fact Delicate Few would make our heroes top five favorite O.A.R. songs. Although he prefers the live version (the crowd participation at the beginning of the song is good fun for all) he has no complaints with the studio version.
Return To Present
,
I found the playing of Delicate Few as a good omen. With the new O.A.R. album coming out tomorrow (shhhhh really 11 o'clock tonight) I've tried really hard not to be excited, but right now I can't help it. I need this album to be good. My relationship with the band hangs in the balance. If this turns out to be a mess and a re-hashing of 90210 themes I can't be held responsible for what comes next. But the Delicate Few omen and the fact that Taking On the World Today is a pretty good track has me feeling a little giddy. On top of that I've really enjoyed the Rolling In the Deep cover. It's almost like my band is coming back, but again I refuse to get excited. I can't make it through that kind of let down.
I downloaded the delux album (it had something like four bonus tracks attached to it and I recognized one or two of them as older O.A.R. songs which is has me pretty pumped to hear them recorded), and will be waiting until tomorrow to listen to the album. I don't want to start playing it now when I won't be able to fully appreciate it. Plus lets be honest here, listening to an album for the first time always sounds better when listening in your car (second helping should be done through headphones and third listening can be done within your home). I'm nervous.
But lets just focus on the past... for a minute. The great thing about Delicate Few is it's actually two songs. For me the first half of the song is probably the best (especially live) but the second half is just as good because it gets you up and dancing. The band has actually been known to perform City On Down and have it lead into the second half of Delicate Few. This is enjoyable but I prefer the song whole.
It's tough to find a good live version of Delicate Few. I want the crowd to be loud at the start and sometimes you find versions where the crowd doesn't know all of the words and it just sounds like a jumbled mess. I think the first time O.A.R. played the Garden might be the best version of the song. Maybe though. I need to do my research on this. I'm hoping that King holds on to these principals and doesn't leave me pissed off in my car tomorrow morning.
Random Music Note:
To make tomorrow even better the Foo Fighters released a six song EP from their live itunes show in London. They've been streaming it forever through itunes and it was ticking me off that everyone else who played the festival got to put their show out on record, so I'm pretty happy to have these six tracks despite the fact that it isn't the full show. I've been looking for a live Foo Fighters album for awhile (outside of Skin and Bones) and this will satisfy those needs for now. I have to get my brother in-law, Paul, to record the Wimbledon show to his computer. Things to remember. So if O.A.R. blows I've got Foo Fighters goodness to fall back on. The Summer of Foo continues!!! (Random Note- I finally bought the Back and Forth documentary yesterday. Watch it... right now).
7:45 This Morning
Our hero finds himself in his car. He's been on the road since 7:15 and the reception of sports radio has been getting on his nerves. Too much static and the FM station that the Mike and Mike program is usually on is currently spouting religious music (at least that's what he believes since he's not hanging around to find out). So what does one do when frustrated with morning radio... they turn to their ipod.
Our hero sets up his ipod to play and waits for a commerical. Even through his frustration he sticks to his routine. He hits shuffle and waits...
O.A.R.'s Delicate Few starts to play through his speakers as our hero reaches for the volume. He doesn't care how early it this song needs to be played loudly. As a matter of fact Delicate Few would make our heroes top five favorite O.A.R. songs. Although he prefers the live version (the crowd participation at the beginning of the song is good fun for all) he has no complaints with the studio version.
Return To Present
,
I found the playing of Delicate Few as a good omen. With the new O.A.R. album coming out tomorrow (shhhhh really 11 o'clock tonight) I've tried really hard not to be excited, but right now I can't help it. I need this album to be good. My relationship with the band hangs in the balance. If this turns out to be a mess and a re-hashing of 90210 themes I can't be held responsible for what comes next. But the Delicate Few omen and the fact that Taking On the World Today is a pretty good track has me feeling a little giddy. On top of that I've really enjoyed the Rolling In the Deep cover. It's almost like my band is coming back, but again I refuse to get excited. I can't make it through that kind of let down.
I downloaded the delux album (it had something like four bonus tracks attached to it and I recognized one or two of them as older O.A.R. songs which is has me pretty pumped to hear them recorded), and will be waiting until tomorrow to listen to the album. I don't want to start playing it now when I won't be able to fully appreciate it. Plus lets be honest here, listening to an album for the first time always sounds better when listening in your car (second helping should be done through headphones and third listening can be done within your home). I'm nervous.
But lets just focus on the past... for a minute. The great thing about Delicate Few is it's actually two songs. For me the first half of the song is probably the best (especially live) but the second half is just as good because it gets you up and dancing. The band has actually been known to perform City On Down and have it lead into the second half of Delicate Few. This is enjoyable but I prefer the song whole.
It's tough to find a good live version of Delicate Few. I want the crowd to be loud at the start and sometimes you find versions where the crowd doesn't know all of the words and it just sounds like a jumbled mess. I think the first time O.A.R. played the Garden might be the best version of the song. Maybe though. I need to do my research on this. I'm hoping that King holds on to these principals and doesn't leave me pissed off in my car tomorrow morning.
Random Music Note:
To make tomorrow even better the Foo Fighters released a six song EP from their live itunes show in London. They've been streaming it forever through itunes and it was ticking me off that everyone else who played the festival got to put their show out on record, so I'm pretty happy to have these six tracks despite the fact that it isn't the full show. I've been looking for a live Foo Fighters album for awhile (outside of Skin and Bones) and this will satisfy those needs for now. I have to get my brother in-law, Paul, to record the Wimbledon show to his computer. Things to remember. So if O.A.R. blows I've got Foo Fighters goodness to fall back on. The Summer of Foo continues!!! (Random Note- I finally bought the Back and Forth documentary yesterday. Watch it... right now).
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