Category: Music

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Thursday Shuffle

When I upgraded to my 160GB iPod Classic, I gave my old 120GB one to my wife, who is decidedly not as up on recent music as I am. She gave me a list of artists, albums, and songs that she wanted uploaded to her new device, and the list was relatively short. I was astounded, because there was so much more music her iPod would hold, and I felt it was my duty to help her out. So, in addition to the entire Beatles catalog, Sting and the Police, Taylor Swift, Madonna, Maroon 5, and Sade, I uploaded a few more artists I thought she might like, thinking she would thank me. Well, I was a little bit wrong.

It turns out she liked having only certain artists, and unlike me she wasn’t really up for listening and evaluating something new. So, after I un-synched the additional 30 artists I had placed on her iPod, I began to realize that it was okay. I don’t have to always be the great decider of what music gets played and when. There didn’t have to be some amazing revolution of new songs on my wife’s iPod. What made her happy were the songs and artists she already knew and loved. That was okay for her, and that would have to be alright for me too. I made my peace with it. Then I grabbed my iPod, plugged in my headphones, and put it on shuffle:

1. On the Outside – Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow has some really good b-sides, and this is one of them. “Standing on the outside, looking in…”

2. Animal Instinct (Live in Stockholm) – The Cranberries

Many people think The Cranberries stopped recording music after “Zombie” but that is entirely untrue. Animal Instinct comes from their fourth album, Bury the Hatchet, which is a great album in its own right. On their Greatest Hits compilation, they included this live version of the song.

3. Gold Rush – Snoop Dogg

This was back when G-funk ruled the west coast, and when Snoop was still calling himself a Dogg instead of a Lion.

4. Wildflower – Sheryl Crow

You know, there are some times when I honesty think that shuffle isn’t a true shuffle at all, like when two songs by the same artist show up back to back, or when someone like Sheryl Crow shows up more than once on a small section of the shuffle list, like in this case. This song is even better than the first, though, slow like a ballad. Continue reading “Thursday Shuffle”

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Monday Shuffle

So, I got an iPod Classic, with 80GB of space, or room for nearly my entire iTunes library at the time. That way, when I put it on shuffle there was a chance I would hear nearly every song I owned, eventually. But of course, being the music fanatic that I am, my iTunes library continued to grow, and I was forced to pick and choose what I would have on my iPod at any given time. But the shuffle function remained my favorite one on that iPod, and is still my favorite one today. A friend of mine liked to play this game where she would put her iPod on shuffle and list the first 18 songs that came up. They were always 18 of the wildest songs you could imagine, and usually crossed genres as well. So, I decided I would play along using my blog to list them. Here goes. Putting my Classic on shuffle…again…

1. Bad Girl – Madonna

“Bad girl, drunk by six. Kissing someone else’s lips. Smoked too many cigarettes today. I’m not happy when I act this way.” This video is dynamic, almost a little movie in its own right, with Christopher Walken doing a cameo in it. I remember watching it nearly every morning on VH1 during homeroom.

2. The Dynamo of Volition (Live) – Jason Mraz

You haven’t heard Jason Mraz until you’ve heard him live. Continue reading “Monday Shuffle”

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Sunday Shuffle

The old-school iPod Shuffle.

I thought I would try something new on here, and do something I saw someone else do a long time ago. My first MP3 player was an iPod Shuffle. You know, the small device that was the size of a pack of gum, had no screen, and held probably about 300 songs at most. When I first got it, I was ecstatic. I mean, up until that point I had been using audiotapes that held only 45 minutes worth of music on each side. A device that held nearly 300 songs was like heaven at the time.

The glory of the Shuffle was that it allowed me to — go figure — actually shuffle the songs, so they would play in random order, making it a surprise every single time. I even took to guessing what would be coming up next, and every once in a while I would actually be right. It was such a fun time, discovering that Shuffle and its amazing capabilities, until I realized that 300 songs wasn’t nearly enough. You see, at the time I had an iTunes library of over 40,000 songs (it has since grown to nearly 250,000 songs) and there was no way I could get every single song I wanted on that Shuffle.

What a Classic!

So, I got an iPod Classic, with 80GB of space, or room for nearly my entire iTunes library at the time. That way, when I put it on shuffle there was a chance I would hear nearly every song I owned, eventually. Continue reading “Sunday Shuffle”

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7 Albums from 2013 You Must Have in Your Collection

This year is more than halfway over now, and there have been numerous albums released since the start of it. I did a bit of a retrospective at the end of 2012 that celebrated those albums, but I have yet to give homage to the amazing records that have come out during this year. A small reminder: these are albums I fully endorse and appreciate, but they aren’t necessarily my favorite albums. There are some albums I think everyone already has, so I’m not going to put The 20/20 Experience here, even though it’s a dynamic record, and I’m also not going to talk about Magna Carta Holy Grail because, well you know. So, without further ado, here are seven albums from 2013 that you must have in your collection:

Product Details1. Dido – Girl Who Got Away

This is the first album from Dido since her debut album that I feel is truly her from start to finish. There was way too much outside influence on the previous two, and I think it showed in her live shows as well. Something was missing. But she’s found it again with Girl Who Got Away. Like Alicia Keys’ return with Girl on Fire, this album showcases the voice of an angel in rare form. Every single time I listen to it, I hear something new and profound, and I hope Dido never forgets her voice again. Standout song: Let Us Move On. Continue reading “7 Albums from 2013 You Must Have in Your Collection”

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The DJ Must Die

Block-rockin’ beats, yeh

Us “old folks” have an unrealistic view of what a DJ ought to be. We think he/she needs to play every single song we want to hear when we want to hear it so we can dance our booties off. We think he/she needs to mix up fast songs with slow songs (for all the lovers out there to have a change of pace in their favor). We think he/she needs to play all the “happening” songs from our youth, like Love Shack, Thriller, and Walkin’ on Sunshine. If a DJ played (I Just Died) In Your Arms Tonight we would probably faint from the excitement. To us “old folks” that would be the perfect DJ. Continue reading “The DJ Must Die”