– Sidney Poitier
To play: put your digital music player on shuffle, click play, and list the first ten songs that show up. Leave your list in comments or trackbacks. If you click past the bad or embarrassing songs, I’m going to visit your house bearing a travel bag full of liquids and gels.
Here’s my list:
1. The Flaming Lips, “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 2,” Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
2. The Magnetic Fields, “I Wish I Had an Evil Twin,” i
3. Vic Chestnut, “Independence Day,” Little
4. Ghostface Killah, “The Splash,” (mixtape / download)
5. The Arcade Fire, “Haiti,” Funeral
6. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride,” The Beatles 1
7. Feist, “Secret Heart,” Let It Die
8. The Go-Betweens, “Too Much of One Thing,” Bright Yellow Bright Orange
9. Sebadoh, “Dreams,” Bakesale
10. Jurrasic 5, “Quality Control,” Quality Control
I don’t know that I’m capable of picking favorites among this group, but if I were, “Haiti,” “Ticket to Ride,” “Secret Heart,” “Too Much of One Thing,” and “Dreams” would all be in the running.
The Feist track is a cover of a Ron Sexsmith song from his 1995 self-titled album. It’s a great song, and Feist does a wonderful job with it. But it’s not my favorite Ron Sexsmith tune.
No, that title goes to the gorgeous Seem to Recall [mp3] — the last track on his 1999 album Whereabouts. Mired in autumnal regret, this wistful, mournful paean to lost love and lost dreams hits me hard every single time I listen to it.
Here are the lyrics, via Ronsexsmith.com:
SEEM TO RECALL
Well a bad day is when I’m up in the air
A better day is when I’m in repair
Like this it’s always been
Oh but then again
I seem to recall a time when…
The day ahead was an open book
For every page I read, a second look
What I knew then somehow
Can’t put my finger on it now
But I seem to recall doing without
I seem to recall when a daydream
Seemed to be all I’d take with me
My wherewithal
I seemed to recall
Now we’re bummin’ round feeling awkwardly at home
Amidst the “dumming down” and the talk shows
With nothing much to say
It wasn’t always this way
I seem to recall a brighter day
I seem to recall when your light
Seemed to be all all I’d go by
After nightfall
I seem to recall
What I knew then somehow
I’ve put my finger on it now
I seem to recall that there was no doubt
I seem to recall when your love
Seemed to be all I was so sure of
It could break my fall
I seem to recall
My wherewithal
I seem to recall
8 Comments on "Friday Random Ten — Total Recall Edition"
Spencer:
Shot Shot - Gomez
Don’t Change your plans - Ben Folds Five
The Day We Left Town - Magnet
White Limousine - Dunkan Sheik
Festival - Dungen
Everything She Wants - Wham!
Ambulance Driver - Superdrag
Vertigo - U2
Doa - Foo Fighters
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
Favorite of these? Good lord - I guess Shot Shot by Gomez - althought two years ago before Vertigo became the most overplayed song this decade.
Rod:
I love the Friday Random Ten.
Song Writes Itself - Pela
Your Baby - Dean and Britta
Moonlight in Glory - Brian Eno & David Byrne
Horses - Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
On The Subway - Lost In Soundtrack Soundtrack
Somewhere Not Here - Alpha
Mildred Pierce - Sonic Youth
Too Young - Nat King Cole
You’ve Got Everything Now - The Smiths
You And Whose Army - Radiohead
Favorite Song: This is a remarkably strong Random Ten, but I’d have to say, for old time’s sake, “You’ve Got Everything Now.”
Least Favorite Song: Also tough, but probably the Alpha song. Alpha can be a bit boring. This song sounds like Portishead Lite.
Favorite Album: Has to be Hatful of Hollow.
Curtis:
Hmm.
Charlie Christian - Lips Flips
Beck - Pay No Mind (Snoozer)
The Beatles - Good Morning Good Morning
Cypress Hill - Red Light Visions
Husker Du - Dreams Reoccurring
The Replacements - Like a Rolling Pin
Wilco - Far, Far Away
John Coltrane - Like Sonny
Camper Van Beethoven - Take The Skinheads Bowling
Thelonious Monk - Reflections
Favorite Song: Take The Skinheads Bowling
Least: Like a Rolling Pin
Favorite Album: Zen Arcade
Martin:
According iTunes, I have 6623 songs, and probably half of those I don’t have the foggiest idea what they are. I did skip past songs I have no connection whatsoever with and would make for a meaningless list of ultra-obscure (because mediocre) songs. I await your gelatinous cube.
1. Archers of Loaf, “Web in Front”
2. Guy Lafleur, “Scoring”
3. Van Morrison, “Scream and Holler”
4. The Deathray Davies, “Chainsaw (Denn Die Toten Reiten Schnell)”
5. The Danielson Famile, “Rallying the Dominoes”
6. FM Knives, “Just Like William Tell”
7. Super Furry Animals, “The Man Don’t Give a Fuck”
8. The Divine Comedy, “Something for the Weekend”
9. The Beta Band, “Round the Bend”
10. Holly Golightly, “Run Cold”
(2) is by hockey great Guy LaFleur, and is one of those delightfully loopy songs from the 1970s where the famous dude talks over a disco jam with a background chorus of women. I love that the album is called Lafleur!
(3) is from Van Morrison’s contractual obligation album, which might be the original contractual obligation album. He got into a dispute with his label, had to cut (I think) two albums, and went into the studio with an acoustic guitar and wrapped it all up in a couple of hours. In short, he sang whatever struck his fancy at that moment. “Want a Danish?” is amazing, and “You Say France and I Whistle” is another classic. It’s all on WFMU’s blog, I think, so go get it — now.
The rest are more or less self-explanatory, I think.
Best track might be (10). Most of them are quite good.
Eric:
Hey Matt. I just heard J5 is coming out with a new album. Cut Chemist won’t be on it, but I’m still pretty psyched. I burned a hole in Power in Numbers
Paige:
I just made a mix for someone with a superb live version of that Feist song on it. Great mix, Matt!
Matt:
Okay — I’ve got to ask: did no one listen to “Seem to Recall”? I want to know what you think of it!
Great lists, all. And thanks, Paige — it’s a really great cover . . . something not easy to do with a RS song, I think.
Rod, I love the Random Ten, too. And that’s why Martin’s abuse of the form hurt me so much. Martin, you broke my heart. You broke my heart!
But I’ll forgive you because of the VM tip. Thanks.
Claire:
I recently got the Feist cd and am enjoying it.
I love Ron Sexsmith, but don’t have that album. I love his sadness-tinged voice. It makes me want to snuggle deep into a feather comforter and lie there and listen.
Thanks for sharing that song.
Comments