One song about love.
Two songs about love.
Spinto Band’s Oh Mandy is the kind of song that makes you want to meet someone named Mandy.
Momus’s Hairstyle Of The Devil is the kind of song that makes you want to punch Momus, and that’s exactly the point. Even if his kitsch-perv deal gets on my nerves with other tracks, Momus’s take on the Jealous Lover situation is positively perfectly infuriating. Instead of a sympathizer, Momus is the rival, the taunter. The devil.
DAMN YOU, MOMUS
STAY AWAY FROM MY LADY
Thanks.
Tons of songs, many of them NOT NEW:
Hope There’s Someone by Antony and the Johnsons
Just, holy wow. Listen to it alone, at night, on the road.
It Bothers Me It Bothers You I Snore by Applied Communications
I’m not sure if my brief little “I kinda got two degrees from a musician!” thing has seriously warped my view of this song or not, but I think it’s brilliant, and Rock Out to it. But, I understand this is probably beyond the comprehension of most: It’s not a Rock Out kinda song.
I paaaaid off our mortgage, I paaaid off my mortgage, I’ve fallen into my broken home I’m all alone you’re on the phone, you won’t stop yelling breaking doors, please stop yelling breaking doors, I’m pinning ever girl that I know for you.
Secret House by Basia Bulat
This Canadian folk-songstress first wooed me with Snakes And Ladders, but after enough time spent with Secret House’s complex melody and repetitions, it became the clear winner: A sweet gem of requited love in a snowy cabin.
Now at the edge of trees, and silent water: you will look at me, and I don’t want any other.
Misery Is A Butterfly by Blonde Redhead
The sulkiest sulk song I know! It’s almost like Portishead without the sass, and twice the ache. I hope this has been in a movie. If not, let’s make a movie that uses it.
7/4 (shoreline) by Broken Social Scene
No idea what this track ended up being called, or even if it’s on the new album. Don’t care, so good, builds better than 9/10 of other BSS songs and releases harder!
Yes/No by Bunky
Still rocking after all these months. “Yesyesyesyes, no no no no!” Sufjan Steven’s labelmates/underlings make good with some bass-heavy sparse-funk, and I loves it.
Kiss Chasing by the Chalets
It’s still not the vicious detachment of Sexy Mistake, but it’ll do. Kiss Chasing is a silly teenage dream for the most part, but holds a fantastic little melody, and contains the line Kissing in a tree made me shy: I don’t like being watched by some old guy.
The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
If you need me to explain, you obviously haven’t heard it. The opening organ on this song is like instant joy, you just have to hop and hop. I am so fucking seeing these people on the 18th.
Old School by DangerDoom and Talib Kweli
Like, in order to spit it dope, you’ve gotta have a criminal past, similar to the cast of Diff’rent Strokes!
Need I say more?
Get Your Hands Off My Woman by the Darkness
Octoped, you’ve got six arms too many!
I’m looking at YOU, Momus.
Easy To Be Around by Diane Cluck
I always think this would be such a pretty song to sing, but half of the fun is that creepy anti-harmony, and I never have someone to help out. Suck. Such a sweet, comfortable, experienced song.
12345 by The Diskettes
Have you ever heard a song and just wanted to fuckin’ hug EVERYONE? Seriously, Diskettes is the sonic equivalent of holding hands in a field in the summer.
It may seem naive but at least it’s sincere! That I don’t really care about anything else except hold me close and, hold me dear!
Blue Flowers by Dr. Octagon
Kool Keith only has a couple of tricks, but they’re at their best on Dr. Octagonecologyst, when he attempts to stop being an immature, hallucinating rapper and try for his immature, hallucinating medical degree. Suddenly, it’s not just funny, but it’s funny/scary. Blue Flowers paints a perfect picture of Keith as the madman with a scalpel instead of a microphone: Trippy, obscene, affecting.
Promised Land by Edan
Why aren’t there six stars in iTunes? If you missed my LJ entry about Promised Land: It’s a fantastic concept, incredible beat, lyrics so fresh it’s like modddddahn ahhhhhhhhrt.
And: it saves its hardest blow for the final measure. Even on tiny speakers, the song’s closing surrounds you and welcomes you.
In This City by Enon
I think I listened to this 8 times today. In a row. Pump it until you feel it rattling the teeth: That’s how you know you’ve got it almost loud enough. Roaring, snapping drums never quite fall under the shoegazing vocals and slippery Metric-esque synth, and just leave uncomfortable silence in their wake.
The Power Is On by The Go! Team
Just had to throw it up here. Didn’t want to get accused of missing it.
Peach, Plum, Pear by Joanna Newsom
I don’t remember exactly when this song put me under some kind of terrible spell, but it did, all right. When this song comes on in my car, please do not talk over it. Okay thanks.
The multiple vocal tracks in the middle sound more metal than the best guitar solo. To me. I don’t know why.
Theme, Eternal Sunshine by Jon Brion
For some reason, this never gets old. Even though it was initially associated with One Girl, the brilliance of Eternal Sunshine has somehow allowed me to separate the theme and make it more powerful than ever.
Put it on, sit back, and think about how much of everything there is. Or go for a walk, all alone.
Deceptacon by Le Tigre
I have probably done more stupid dances to this song than most people ever do in their entire life. AND I REFUSE TO STOP. I don’t understand why there aren’t 900 covers of this song by now.
Freebird by Lynard Skynard
No, for real! Watch Devil’s Rejects and tell me this song isn’t amazing. Or, don’t watch it, because it will probably scar many of you for life. It probably did with me.
The Police And The Private by Metric
Kseniya turned me onto Metric’s Calculation Theme a few months ago, and while I still hold it in my top spot for Memorable And True And Let’s Just Collapse Song, Police and Private has taken its place as Best Metric Song as of late.
My relationship with song lyrics is an interesting one, because I really can’t hear them very well. I’ve never quite figured out why, but it makes purposefully obscure songs like this take oddly new meaning when I come out of my haze to hear punchy little line like “The whole world wants, what we got!” It’s not really about romance. But for me, that part is. Sniff!
Don’t Die In Me by Mirah
It’s the bestest breakup song. If you disagree, let me know, we’ll throw down.
Alas Agnes by the Mystery Jets
The more I hear this song, the more I wonder why I don’t hear it more often. Alas Agnes could have a few sharper points, but for the most part, it’s a driving, dizzy song about love and destruction that challenges Wolf Parade for my Favorite Over-Emotional Vocals song.
Seventeen Years by Ratatat
Why is this song not the national anthem?
Why is this song not the national anthem?
Why is this song not the national anthem?
When will we elect a president that cares about this issue?
With Seventeen Years in my headphones, I can’t imagine wanting to hear anything else. It’s perfectly timed, impeccably clean, huge, and explosive. Those high notes make my hands tense up. It’s that good.
Only This Moment by Royksopp
I can’t tell you exactly why this song produces the aching, loving, bittersweet feeling that it does. The alternating vocals and hushed “okay” are pretty sweet, but that’s still not it.
Anyhow. I’ve been trying very, very hard to keep from playing this song and falsely attaching it to some person or time. I’m Saving It. That sounds so lame.
Between The Lines by Sambassadeur
I put this thing on so many mix CDs, and people write back “Thanks Doug+I sure to love ______, by the _____!” and, you know, I’m glad. But what’s with no one mentioning Sambassadeur? Come onnnnn. Let’s all go stand under an orange tree and do a happy little Between The Lines dance!
She Won’t Look At Me by The Simple Carnival
I wish this was catchier, because, sonically, it’s one of the cleverest songs I’ve heard in months. Rock that flute! Rock that xylophone!
Parlour Games by Six Finger Satellite
Six Finger Satellite can put something into their music that not even the most metal of metal bands has the ability to: Rage. I always checked Six Finger Satellite and Liars as merely precursors to the great work Rapture did on Echoes, but listening to Parlour Games makes me wonder if Six Finger Satellite had it right the first time. Solos scream, chords are dropped, shit gets torn up.
Since U Been Gone by Ted Leo
Who wouldn’t love Ted Leo singing one of the best Kelly Clarkson numbers? Okay, even if that’s not enough for you, who wouldn’t love Ted Leo singing it and warping it into a heartfelt cover of Maps midway?
King And Queen Of Winter by VCR
This song has worn with time, sadly, but it still carries the punch I need on the way from the office to the car.
THE AIR IS E-LEC-TRICK
JUST
BE
FORE
THE STORM!
Rock 01 by Vitalic
This is the song that turns superheroes bad.
You’ve got these powers, you love humanity, you want to protect it
Rock 01 comes on the iPod
and you just have to start smashing cars. And then, you can’t stop!
Techno stripped down to pure vitriol. Go, Vitalic, Go!
Secret Knives by Wolf Parade
It was a hard call between Knives and Dear Sons And Daughter Of Hungry Ghosts, but I had to make it, and I made it! The downside of Secret Knives is that I have no idea what the lyrics are about. The upside is, it doesn’t matter. It’s about exactly what it feels like it’s about: Ripples and explosions, blades and deflations.
Really, you should’ve stopped reading a page ago.
Protect Ya Neck by Wu Tang Clan
One of Wu’s best Whole-Team numbers, Protect Ya Neck doesn’t contain the best of any single member (although it’s awfully close with Method Man’s tonally-diverse passage), but on the upside, it has Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and it puts him in at just the right place.
First things first man, you fucked with the worst! I’ll be stickin’ pins in your head like I’m a fuckin’ nurse!
Dear ODB up in the sky: We miss ya.
Triumph by Wu Tang Clan
Sorry, I had to. No Dirty, but some more of the best of the best. RZA drops one of his worst lines and saves it with an amazing chop-chop recovery, Inspectah rocks my absolute favorite Wu opening, GZA knows just how long to hold down his bit. It doesn’t end as well as it could, but come on, you got’em all!
—–
So that meeting went pretty well.
It’s always nice when someone says “See? I told you he was good.” I need more of that. Maybe I can hire some people to follow me around and do that.
—–
Later edit: Wow, repetitive language. I think I should put Badly Drawn Boy’s “This Song” on the list, just for Humor Joke Purposes.
HAHAHHAHA. Applied Communications. I know that kid. I saw him get thrashed by a member of A.R.E. Weapons. I never DREAMED he’d make it to Doug’s playlist.
Good lord.
*timoni is amazed and impressed*
The funny Applied Communications story is that I told a friend that she and he would look good kissing, so she contacted him and they went on a date.
Actually, that’s not funny, it’s creepy. They’re still friends and stuff, though!
His name is Max and he’s a scrawny little pipsqueak with a pageboy haircut. He’s from ACTIONVILLE, obviously. Liz doesn’t acquaint with rock stars on a normal basis.
Eb –
who are you? i haven’t had a “pageboy” haircut in at least 2 years, and i don’t know what’s so obviously about my being from jacksonville. i don’t know which of my friends you are!!