via//chicago

the return of the shuffle post...

10 songs. 10 thoughts.

Rufus Wainwright - "The One You Love" (taken from Want Two)
Believe or not I'm a pretty big fan of Rufus, he's got a dramatic flair that I fall easily for. This is an example of his great pop sensibility - such an impossible to ignore melody combined with such typical Rufus lyrics as "let's fuck this awful art party". His melodramatics are kept in check pretty well here, but this still has a very distinct Rufus vibe.

Crystal Castles - "Alice Practice" (taken from Crystal Castles)
This is one of Crystal Castles' noisier experiments, all insistent bass, distorted vocals, and digitzed bleeps and bloops. Certainly makes for a rough transition from the last track. If you like noise in your electro this is probably right up your alley, but this is one my least favorite Crystal Castles tracks.

Dead Meadow - "Lady" (taken from Dead Meadow)
This shuffle is certainly taking me all over the place, as we downshift to backwards looking stoner metal that owes a great deal to bands like Black Sabbath. The guitar tones, as expected from this band, are dark and murky and chock full of low-end. This rumbling, plodding type of sludge isn't for everyone, but I can't get enough of the smoky, Orange amps turned to eleven vibe these guys exude.

Bob Dylan - "Thunder on the Mountain" (taken from Modern Times)
A little recent Dylan for the ears, this is the rollicking (I really can't think of a better word to describe this swinging rhythm) lead off tune from his most recent album. Probably most famous for the lyrical shout-outs to Alicia Keys, I love the way this song really kicks into gear with that guitar solo about a minute and a half in. This is the timeless, classic sound that Dylan can pull off like no other.

Reatards - "You Ain't No Fun No Mo'" (taken from Bedroom Disasters)
Nice track to follow on the heels of my last post, this is a blistering garage rock nugget from Jay Reatard's ex-band. Dirty, scuzzy, poorly recorded, but packed with enough napalm to melt your computer speakers. If you've been into Blood Visions, you need to hear some of Jay's earlier work.

Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Forever Heavy" (taken from Dandelion Gum)
Another rather jarring transition takes us from the scummy bar stages of the Retards to the hippy-dippy rainbow psychedelia of Black Moth Super Rainbow. This track features lots of oscillating synths, computerized vocals, and a rather insistent beat. I imagine this is what might result if Daft Punk recorded an album after ingesting copious amounts of magic mushrooms.

This Heat - "Cenotaph" (taken from Deceit)
This Heat, the British experimental post-punkers, are one of those bands I always mean to listen to more of but never really seem to do so. Probably because you really need to be in a certain mood to absorb some of their more outre moments, but this track is sounding really good to me right now. The off-kilter harmonics and reliance on rhythm remind me a lot of Liars, which can never be a bad thing. I love the way this track totally falls apart at the end.

Future of the Left - "Wrigley Scott" (taken from Curses)
Why should you know this band? Because this is two-thirds of the awesome, awesome Welsh band Mclusky. If you don't know Mclusky, you need to remedy that by picking up Mcluskyism. Now. This track, meantime, lacks that classic Mclusky wit, but makes up for it in sheer energy.

Frank Black - "White Noise Maker" (taken from Teenager of the Year)
Such an underrated album. You hear critics right and left lauding the Pixies, and deservedly so, but I feel like the early solo work of Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV gets short shrift. This is alterna-rock heavily indebted to both his former band and classic rock. Dig that guitar solo.

Dalek - "Corrupt (Knuckle Up)" (taken from Abandoned Language)
Speaking of underrated. This New Jersey hip-hop crew is criminally underrated, being one of the most forward looking groups out there right now. Their complex, layered approach to music making puts them in a category far removed from stuff like Nas and Young Jeezy - but these guys remain remarkably loyal to the basics foundation of hip-hop. We need more boundary pushing hip-hop like this.