Random Quote from The Big Lebowski Random Quote Generator to get us in the mood:

On to the FRT. 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, you may have to sit out the next round of the tournament.

Here’s my list:

1. “Lowlands,” Gillian Welch (Soul Journey)
2. “Sky Stars Falling,” Doves (Some Cities)
3. “History Lesson — Part II,” Minutemen (Double Nickels on the Dime)
4. “Billy Vera Introduction,” Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan Theme Time Radio Hour — Coffee episode)
5. “Old College Try,” Mountain Goats (Tallahassee)
6. “Caterpillar,” Unwound (A Single History: 1991-1997)
7. “The Start of Your Ending,” Mobb Deep (The Infamous)
8. “Four Leaf Clover,” Badly Drawn Boy (One Plus One Is One)
9. “Vamp a Dub,” Lee “Scratch” Perry (Arkology)
10. “Sparkplug Minuet,” Mark Mothersbaugh (The Royal Tenenbaums Soundtrack)

Favorite Song: “Old College Try”
Least Favorite Song: “Billy Vera Introduction”
Favorite Album: Lee “Scratch” Perry, Arkology

What’s on your list?

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Fridays usually bring The Friday Random Ten to this blog, but Tuesday’s elections have me in a decidedly unRandom state of mind. So:

unRandom quote from Thomas Jefferson to get us in the mood:

Now, onto the unRandom Ten. To play in this week’s special edition of the Friday Random Ten, fire up your digital music player, search your music library for words like “freedom” and “victory” and “sanity” and “balance,” and list your ten favorite tracks.

Here are my top ten “freedom” tracks:

1. “The Freedom in the Loot,” The Drones (Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By)
2. “Freedom (Fila Brazilian Mix),” DJ Food (Ninja Tunes: The Zen Art of Relaxation, Vol. 1)
3. “Streets of Freedom,” The Gladiators (Back to Roots)
4. “Freedom Rock,” Frank Black (Teenager of the Year)
5. “Chimes of Freedom (live version),” Bob Dylan (No Direction Home: The Soundtrack (The Bootleg Series Vol. 7))
6. “Chimes of Freedom,” Bob Dylan (Another Side of Bob Dylan)
7. “End of Freedom,” Wilderness (Wilderness)
8. “Freedom Hangs Like Heaven,” Iron & Wine (Woman King)
9. “One Road for Freedom,” Ben Harper (Fight for Your Mind)
10. “Pardon My Freedom,” !!! (Louden Up Now)

Song that best expresses the energy I feel after this election: The Drones, “The Freedom in the Loot”
Song title that best describes the Bush Administration’s first six years: “The End of Freedom” (one of my favorite songs of the last few years — follow those drum-lines as you listen to it)
Album title that best describes the 2006 Election: “Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By”
Song lyric that best describes the 2006 Election:: “Chimes of Freedom”

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I’m short on time today, so here is a late and abbreviated FRT post. I’ll try to do better next week.

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, you must really be off your meds, like Rush says.

Here’s my list:

1. “Plain White T-Shirt,” Brady Earnhart (Manalapan)
2. “When My Boy Walks Down the Street,” The Magnetic Fields (69 Love Songs)
3. “Lady,” T-Rex (The Slider)
4. “John Riley (Instrumental Version),” The Byrds (Fifth Dimension)
5. “Big Time Operator,” Dead Milkmen (Death Rides a Pale Cow: The Ultimate Collection)
6. “Sprung a Leak,” Superchunk (No Pocky for Kitty)
7. “Good Cop Bad Cop,” Everything But the Girl (Walking Wounded)
8. “Cut Dead,” The Jesus and Mary Chain (Psychocandy)
9. “Perfect and True,” Ryan Adams (The Suicide Handbook)
10. “Those Girls (Song for Nico),” Low (A Lifetime of Temporary Relief: 10 Years of B-Sides & Rarities)

What’s on your list?

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I’m going to have to add my list later tonight. But, for those of you who’d like to play, here’s how you do it: 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, you’ll be cursed with worse luck than a Republican in November. And you don’t want that!

Update: I’m back from a trip to Staten Island today. I don’t think I went there once during the five years I lived in New York City. That’s a shame — it’s a pretty interesting place.

Anyway, on to the Random Ten:

1. “Cars and Parties,” Edith Frost (Wonder Wonder)
2. “See America Right,” Mountain Goats (Tallahassee)
3. “Lay Lady Lay,” Bob Dylan (Nashville Skyline)
4. “In the Back Seat,” The Arcade Fire (Funeral)
5. “Long Time Comin’,” Bruce Springsteen (Devils & Dust)
6. “Kent,” Slint (Tweez)
7. “No Matter,” Cat Power (Dear Sir)
8. “Man-Size Sextet,” PJ Harvey (live, Festival de Paredes de Coura, 2003)
9. “Only One One and Only,” Gillian Welch (Revival)
10. “What’s the Word,” We Are Scientists (With Love and Squalor)

Favorite Song: “Lay Lady Lay,” but I want to throw “See America Right” in the mix, too. Hey!
Least Favorite Song: “No Matter”
Favorite Album: Nashville Skyline

What’s on your list?

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Random quote from The Big Lebowski Random Quote Generator to get us in the mood:

On to the FRT. 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, you’re not engaging the parlance of our times, dude.

1. “Air,” Talking Heads (Fear of Music)
2. “No More Trouble,” Bob Marley and the Wailers (Catch A Fire (Deluxe Edition))
3. “Variatio XX,” Glenn Gould (A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981))
4. “Honest With Me,” Bob Dylan (live, Atlantic City, 5/9/2003)
5. “Competition,” Spank RockYoYoYoYoYo
6. “July,” Low (Things We Lost in the Fire)
7. “Mr. Bad Example,” Warren Zevon (Genius: Best of Warren Zevon)
8. “Made of Stone,” Stone Roses (The Stone Roses)
9. “Inspector Blancheflower,” The Fiery Furnaces (Blueberry Boat)
10. “This Fire,” Franz Ferdinand (Franz Ferdinand)

Favorite Song: “Inspector Blancheflower”
Least Favorite Song: “Inspector Blancheflower”
Favorite Album: Things We Lost in the Fire

What’s on your list?

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Random quote from The Big Lebowski Random Quote Generator to get us in the mood:

On to the FRT. 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, you’d make a perfect Republican Speaker of the House.

1. “Naked As We Came,” Iron & Wine (Our Endless Numbered Days)
2. “Wheels,” Flying Burrito Brothers (The Gilded Palace of Sin/Burrito Deluxe)
3. “Thunderwing,” T. Rex (The Slider)
4. “International Small Arms Traffic Blues,” The Mountain Goats (Tallahassee)
5. “A Goodbye Rye,” Richard Buckner (Devotion + Doubt)
6. “The Wrong Road,” The Go-Betweens (Bellavista Terrace)
7. “Travel is Dangerous,” Mogwai (Mr. Beast)
8. “Goodbye George,” Van Morrison (The Bang Records Contractual Obligation Sessions (free downloads — thanks Martin))
9. “Break It Up,” Patti Smith (Horses)
10. “Brown Eyed Girl,” Van Morrison (Bob Dylan’s “Theme Time Radio Hour”)

hot. damn. That may be my favorite Random Ten, ever. Now comes the hard part:

Favorite Song: Brown Eyed Girl
Least Favorite Song: “Goodbye George” (only because we can’t say “goodbye” to George for two more years . . . unless . . . perhaps . . . )
Favorite Album: The Gilded Palace of Sin/Burrito Deluxe

What’s on your list?

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Doesn’t it go against the spirit of randomness for the Random Ten to appear on the same day every week?

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, you just might have the moral fiber necessary to be a U.S. Senator.

1. “Viet Name,” Minutemen (Double Nickels on the Dime)
2. “I Will (No Man’s Land), Radiohead (Hail To The Thief)
3. “I’m in Great Shape - I Wanna Be Around,” Brian Wilson (SMiLE)
4. “Daffy Duck,” Animal Collective (Feels)
5. “10 Lately,” British Sea Power (The Decline of British Sea Power)
6. “Paper,” Talking Heads (Fear of Music)
7. “Happy Day,” Talking Heads (Talking Heads: 77)
8. “Jóga,” Ben Gibbard (live Bjork cover)
9. “See You Around,” Vic Chesnutt (About to Choke)
10. “Fodder on Her Wings,” Nina Simone (Nina: The Essential Nina Simone)

Special bonus Eleventh Random Track: “Country Farm Blues,” Son House (Delta Blues)

Favorite Song: “I Will (No Man’s Land)
Least Favorite Song: “Fodder on Her Wings”
Favorite Album: Fear of Music

What’s on your list?

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This edition of the Friday Random Ten is dedicated to margins of all kinds: musical, cultural, and, textual. Textual margins (in the most basic, literal sense) are foremost on my mind today as I format my dissertation for deposit.

As usual, here’s some random dialogue from The Big Lebowski Random Quote Generator to get us in the proper mood:

Thankfully, “What the fuck are you talking about?” is one question that did not come up at my dissertation defense last week.

Anyway, on to the Random Ten. 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 make you reformat my dissertation (and, trust me, you don’t want to have to do that).

Here’s my list:

1. “I Shall Be Released,” Nina Simone (Blue For You)
2. “Requiem,” King Crimson (Beat)
3. “The Nurse,” The White Stripes (Get Behind Me Satan)
4. “Screwville, USA,” Spank Rock (YoYoYoYoYo)
5. “Firefly,” Ida (Will You Find Me)
6. “Only a Rose,” Geraint Watkins (Bob Dylan Theme Time Radio Hour)
7. “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fail,” Bob Dylan (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964 - Concert at Philharmonic Hall)
8. “An Architect’s Dream,” Kate Bush (Aerial)
9. “Mountaineer’s Courtship,” Ernest Stoneman and Hattie Stoneman (Anthology of American Folk Music)
10. “Chase the Devil,” Max Romeo (Arkology)

Favorite Song: “I Shall Be Released” (”Screwville, USA” runs a surprising second)
Least Favorite Song: “Requiem”
Favorite Album: tough call, as always, but I’ll go with Arkology

Finally, I’m not going to quote the words of Donny or Walter in the comment section of this Cornell Daily Sun review of Bob Dylan’s new album, but it sure is tempting.

(via Tom Watson)

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Random Quote from The Big Lebowski Random Quote Generator to get us in the mood:

On to the FRT. 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 gonna throw you in the shower with Bunny Lebowski — and let Brandt watch for free.

Here’s my list:

1. “I Don’t Blame You” — Cat Power (You Are Free)
2. “Hearts and Daggers” — Espers (Espers)
3. “It Ain’t Me Babe” — Bob Dylan (Another Side of Bob Dylan)
4. “Suite No. 6 in E-Major” — J. S. Bach played by Glenn Gould (French Suites, Overture)
5. “True Faith” — New Order (Substance)
6. “Belle” — Jack Johnson (In Between Dreams)
7. “Stormy Weather” — Spaniels (Bob Dylan Theme Time Radio Hour)
8. “I Pity the Poor Immigrant” — Bob Dylan (John Wesley Harding)
9. “Suite 1 in G Major - Sarabande” — J. S. Bach played by Pablo Casals Suites for Cello
10. “Hungry Heart” — Bruce Springsteen (The River)

Favorite Song: “It Ain’t Me Babe”
Least Favorite Song: “I Pity the Poor Immigrant”
Favorite Album: Another Side of Bob Dylan

A Bob Dylan sweep. I hope to put up a post about his new album soon.

Random live mp3: Cat Power, “Wonderwall” (Peel Sessions) [mp3]

And, hey, as long as we’re talking music, take a look at this inventive stop-motion video for the song “Oh Mandy,” by The Spinto Band (via The BM Rant; video after the jump):

Read the rest of this entry »

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Random Quote from The Big Lebowski Random Quote Generator to get us in the mood:

On to the FRT. 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 gonna make you watch Electric Company videos until you’ve straightened yourself out.

Here’s my list:

1. “Something Extra,” Roky Erikson (Never Say Goodbye)
2. “Ecstasy,” PJ Harvey (4-Track Demos)
3. “Children’s Story,” Slick Rick (The Great Adventures of Slick Rick)
4. “You’ve Changed,” Billie Holiday (Fine & Mellow)
5. “Good Boy,” Big Bill Broonzy (Whiskey and Good Time Blues)
6. “Blue and Wonder,” Ben Gibbard (live Richard Buckner cover)
7. “Count Me In On This One!” Richard Buckner (Impasse)
8. “Stop Breathin,” Pavement (Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain)
9. “The World at Large,” Modest Mouse (Good News For People Who Love Bad News)
10. “Everybody’s,” Low (live, Great American Music Hall)

Favorite Song: “Children’s Story”
Least Favorite Song: “Something Extra” (love that album, though)
Favorite Album: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

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