Friday, November 21, 2008

Friday Music Game: What's Your Name?

A simple little variation on the Friday Music Game since it's snowing here in Central PA! This time, go to your MP3 player/iPod/iTunes or other music device and alphabetize your music by Artist. Skip to the letter "S" and pick an artist whose name begins with that letter, pick a song, and tell us what it is. Then go to the letters "N," "O," and "W."  So let's see what our snowy day music is like.

Here's mine!

1. Soul Coughing - Super Bon Bon. Just a fun indie-rap kinda tune. Move aside and let the man go through...

2. Neilson Hubbard - Towns. First song from the album "Why Men Fail." This guy is a freakin' genius from the vibrant Oxford, Mississippi music scene. Nice slo-core sound. Probably my favorite of his albums.

3. O'Death - Lowtide. Southern gothic Americana punk rock via Brooklyn. They kinda remind me of 16 Horsepower/Woven Hand. Glad I discovered their music this year.

4. Wild Sweet Orange - Wrestle with God. This is another band I discovered through WXPN and the My Morning Download. Also similar to the sounds of 16 Horsepower/Woven Hand, but more in the indie-rock vein. Really cool song.


OK. Your turn. Four songs or artists that spell out S-N-O-W. And if you don't have anything from that letter...be creative. I know you can do it!

16 comments:

shanelle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
shanelle said...

Sarah Slean - The Sweet Ones: quiet, melodic, a good song to listen to when I need a boost in my day.

Needtobreathe - Restless: Because that's what I am, all the time. And the song describes it pretty well. As much as I don't like to listen to Christian music, Needtobreathe does a decent job.

Onelinedrawing - Over It: I just like it. And I love Jonah Matranga.

War - Low Rider: Does this need a description? It's simply awesome.

Jeff said...

1. Steelheart - "I'll Never Let You Go": Really the last gasp of the hairbands; lead singer could hit some ridiculously high notes.

2. Noriko - "Hitachi Hard-Drive Project": A fascinating little track I picked up somewhere that consists solely of sounds from a failing Hitachi hard-drive (natch), turned into a mellow instrumental ode to dying silicon. Incredibly moving music, given the source.

3. Over the Rhine - "Snow Angel": Think of the saddest Christmas song ever. Got it in mind? Good. Now, take the emotional content and let it simmer for three hours, adding a few sepia-colored teardrops near the end of the cooking time. Add a cinnamon stick of lost love to the concentrate, and serve with a marshmallow of melancholy. Sniff slightly, and sigh deeply.

4. Wayne and Wanda - "Trees": 'cause after that last track, you need some Muppets to prevent you from completely going over the edge into suicidal depression.

Mandy Fleisher said...

1. Sigur Ros - Track 1. Sigur Ros' sound is kind of like a quiet, snowy morning...

2. Neutral Milk Hotel - In An Aeroplane Over the Sea. I love the weird, and yet oh-so-catchy sound of this band.

3. Old 97s - Designs on You. An old one, but a good one. Reminds me of open mic nights in college...

4. Wilco - What Light. I didn't like Wilco for a long time... and now I can't get enough of them.

Anonymous said...

Sarah Harmer - Peanut Butter Toast: ostensibly for kids, but more than tolerable for adults;

Nuttin' But Stringz - Thunder (Remix): indescribably delicious hip-hop violins;

Oscar McLollie - Dig That Crazy Santa Claus: because it snowed this morning and this is one kick-ass Christmas song;

Wilco - Passenger Side (Live) - one of my favorite old Wilco songs in an even-better live version.

Ken said...

Wow. Now these are some nice eclectic lists. Keep 'em coming!

Anonymous said...

Saves the Day: Freakish — Saves the Day is such a steady, solid band. This song is one of my favorites. It feels like they barely have the energy to even get the song going for the first few bars, and all in all, it's one of Saves the Day's most organic, loose songs.

The National: Fake Empire — The lyrics of this song are bizarre. The piano is beautiful. The vocals are haunting. This was a great album. Fake Empire was the opening track and I think it’s the best song on the record pound for pound.

Oasis: Cast No Shadow — Oasis seriously pisses me off. If they hadn't been so damn certain they were going to become the biggest band in the world, they might have kept making albums like What's the Story Morning Glory. This is my favorite track on the record. I have no idea why.

We are Scientists: This Scene is Dead — We are scientists play such stylish music. I don't really know how else to describe it. When you listen to With Love and Squalor you instantly feel like the coolest person in the room.

Please, call me Kris said...

1) Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Glue Girls
The depths of Missouri bring us this chanky jangle of a pretty pop song. It's a shame the whole album (Pershing) couldn't be this catchy.

2) Noah And The Whale - 5 Years Time
You've probably heard this song in a few places nowadays, Saturn Commercials, in my head, etc. This song has all the ingredients for a happy me: banjo, handclaps, female vocals, and lyrics like FUN FUN FUN!


3) Ozzy Osbourne - Sympathy For The Devil
Come on, who's not a sucker for gag-covers from your favorite unintelligible former british heavy metal icon. Apparently there weren't many royalty checks flowing in from this endeavor, as last i've seen the wife-proclaimed Prince Of Darkness himself is shilling textable phones.

4) Paul Westerberg - Dyslexic Heart
I cursed this letter openly. W that is. Should I choose a track from Ween's Country album? Some White Stripes? Perhaps a Wilco track from AM? oooh, Wesley Willis! Nope. Westerberg. As in Replacements leader Paul Westerberg. With some seminal releases post-'Mats on his own, he really carved himself a niche in that meaty world of Soundtracks. This tune that I've picked embodies his sweet gift of fickle-pop married with the sugared-buzzsaw honk of that slide guitar. ahhh's, ohhh's, and even some buried accordion tracks in there.

Oh yeah, because I can sometimes trend towards nerd status, I've also conveniently uploaded my tunes for you to groove to:

http://rapidshare.com/files/166050504/SNOW.zip

hearsmusic said...

Cool idea! I like it.

1. Sam Cooke - "Bring it On Home to Me" One of my favorite R&B singers. His voice brings back a lot of good childhood memories.

2. Newton Faulkner - "Foundations" (Kate Nash cover). Another singer/songwriter discovered thru XPN. From BBC Radio 1's "Live Lounge" series.

3. Beth Orton - "I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine." Her music is really good for snowy days too.

4. Rufus Wainwright - "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" Hands down my favorite Rufus song. The lyrics are nonsense but his gorgeous voice pulls it off!

Mandy, that Old 97s song is probably my favorite of theirs, too.

Anonymous said...

Sounds, The - Ego:
Just a fantastic pop song. Such a catchy chorus. The singer's voice is so sexy. I hope their next album is at least as good as Dying To Say This To You.

National, The - Slow Show:
This is probably my favorite song on Boxer. It is so chill all the way through, and then at about the halfway/two-thirds mark, there is an excellent key change that carries out the rest of the song in a still chilled, but emotional feel. Almost make me want to cry.

Osker - Kinetic:
This would be the most catchy song (to me) on Idle Will Kill. Many of the songs are more up-tempo "punky," but this one has a great driving rhythmic mid-tempo feel. Great chorus.

Weezer - Pink Triangle:
One of my favorite Weezer songs, lyrically. I just love how fun this song is. I wish Rivers Cuomo would write another album like Pinkerton. Everything they write anymore is so much more shallow, and I can't say I am as much of a fan of them as I used to be. Anyway, Great Song.

Jeff McCloud said...

Sting -- An Englishman in New York. I've always loved this song.

The National -- Fake Empire. I haven't listened to "Boxer" much, so I'm not as familiar with all the songs. So I picked the firt one.

Over the Rhine -- Too many songs to pick from ... ok ... let's go with ... "I'm on a Roll" since my marketing presentation went so well today. I *am* on a roll!

Wilco -- the only W artist on my iPod. "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" dedicated to my boss, who is trying but not succeeding.

hearsmusic said...

@Kris, I think I love you. Thanks so much for posting Dyslexic Heart. It's not on iTunes and I haven't bothered to find my "Singles" soundtrack to rip it. Your other selections are excellent as well. Didn't know anyone else knew about SSLYBY (haha).

Please, call me Kris said...

@amanda : my pleasure!

Ken said...

whoa. settle down folks. I'm not running an online dating service here. And if I were, I would expect to generate some revenue off of it!

Chet said...

Why didn't I get this until this morning? Anyway, here beez my list:

Sam & Dave: Soul Man (that'll get ya meltin' that snow...)

Nick Cave: No More Shall We Part (Would've loved to use "15 Feet of Pure White Snow," but I've gotta stay true to the letters.)

Otis Redding: Ole Man Trouble (who came along when we hadda carry 25 bags of leaves down through the snow...)

The Who: "We're Not Gonna Take It"

Anonymous said...

Saint Etienne - Snow: I couldn't resist!

New Order - Temptation: This song will forever be linked to my late teens. Not that I was in my late teens when this song was released, but that was when it appeared on the Trainspotting soundtrack and I danced to it a billion times at Philly indie nights.

Olivia Tremor Control - A Sleepy Company: Weird noises, pretty harmonies, and a nice melody. Love it.

The Wannadies - Friends: Only people who speak English as a second language could come up with lyrics like, "I want you to know that I can break your motorbike, the one you like," and make it sound okay.