Monday Morning Shuffle

1. 21st Century - Red Hot Chili Peppers, off of Stadium Arcadium
Lyrics that don't make any sense + catchy chorus + super-funked out bass line = Every RHCP song you've ever heard.

2. Friend of The Devil - Counting Crows, off of Films About Ghosts
Somber mournful lead singer + minor key piano + high sing-along factor = Every Counting Crows song you've ever heard. (We seem to have reached a common theme here...)

3. Guillotine - Cascara
This should be fun.

I'm probably one of 8 people in the world with a recording of this song and i was really hoping that Nole would become a famous drummer so i could be interviewed on Behind The Music and sell unreleased bootlegs and B-sides of their first few songs to all the scenester kids. Alas, it wasn't meant to be and i'm left with nostalgic recordings of songs called, "This Song Can't Be About Blowing Stuff Up Because of Terrorism." But there was a time when i would walk from my house in Tempe down to the Big Fish pub and watch Nole and company tear the place up with 17 people in the audience and me dancing around like a jackass right up front. Those were the days... (I'd love to hear what you have to say about this Nole...)

4. Please Bleed - Ben Harper, off of Burn To Shine
I've never really quite had the appreciation for Ben Harper as i should have but he really is one of the best artists of our time and definitely under-appreciated. This song is one of my particular favorites because of the up tempo beat and the almost thrash metal chorus. Ben is usually a pretty subdued guy but this song rocks it out hard and has a pretty angry edge to it. "Please bleed/ so i know that you are real/ so i know that you can feel / the damage that you've done / whoa who have i become/ to myself i am numb." Yikes.

5. Tell Me A Lie - Griffin House, off of Lost and Found
I've talked about him before but if you haven't listened to Griffin House yet, get to it. He's pretty top notch and right down my alley right now. I've been craving some simpler tunes lately and a lot of the "guy and his guitar" tracks have been in heavy rotation these days. I really like the effect that they put on the guitar in this song too. Just listen to it. Trust me.

Alright, we might have to switch up the Monday Morning Shuffle. It's getting to the point where i've said pretty much all their is to say and i hope it's not as boring to read as it's getting to write. I might have to come up with some new ideas for posts. Anyone have any thoughts?

The Monday Morning Shuffle: The Brevity Edition

Alright, i've gotta keep this short. There's a ton of crap going on right now. I hope i don't get carried away.

Also, for those of you just tuning in, i don't pick these songs. I open iTunes, hit shuffle and then click play and i write about the first 5 songs that come on. Some times the songs are awful, or it's a skit or a repeat and i'll skip them but 99% of the time, these are the first 5 songs that i hear on a Monday morning. There seemed to be some confusion about that and i just wanted to clear things up.

1. Ah Me - Griffin House, off of Lost and Found
I think i talked about Griffin House way way back when i first started this blog but i'm just now getting into him. It's all part of that guy and a guitar folky music phase i'm in right now. This CD is awesome and really soothing to listen to. I highly recommend it. And if you need it, just ask. Also, if anyone watches Grey's Anatomy and knows what the name of the song that was playing at the end of last week's episode is, would you please tell me because it's awesome. I've rewatched the end of the show on my DVR 3 times just to hear it. Pretty sure it's Damien Rice but if anyone can confirm that, i'd appreciate it.

2. Your Boyfriend Sucks - The Ataris
You know who else sucks besides your boyfriend? The Ataris.

3. Total Eclipse of the Heart - The Dan Band, off of the Old School Soundtrack
So this was definitely one of the funniest scenes in Old School and i really hoped that the band from the movie was a real band and not just actor's playing in some Hollywood construction. And my wish came true. They're a real band and they cover songs that had female vocalists...pretty hilarious really. I also have a version of them doing Lady by Styx, which isn't a girl lead singer but still awesome.

4. Streets of Laredo - Johnny Cash, off of American IV: The Man Comes Around
I've mentioned Robert Earl Keen in this space a few times and he has a reference to this song in his latest CD that i didn't put together until just now. Weird.
Anyway, this is a great song on a great CD. I recently picked up American III and American V, so my Cash collection is starting to get very respectable. I'm looking forward to the Top 5 Cash songs post. Want to do it first Nole?

(Let the record show that Ben Folds - Rockin the Suburbs came on next and i skipped it because it was on the shuffle last week. The odds of that happening are 1 in 4,652.)

5. Trouble - Alicia Keys, off of Songs in A Minor
Are all of the songs on this CD in A Minor? Any music theory students out there that want to tackle this question? (These are the thoughts that kept me out of the really good schools.)
I haven't had a chance to listen to this entire CD yet but to say that it's critically acclaimed would be an understatement.
This would also be a good time to mention that girls who can sing and play the piano are so unbelievably sexy. I once really thought i had a chance with Alicia Keys. I definitely thought we'd get married. Hey, we still might, who knows? She was so good looking in that video she did with Mos Def. And it helped that Mos is absolutely the man. I want to be his friend too. I think he'd be cool to kick it with. (Mos, if you're reading this, call me? And can you give my number to Alicia too? Thanks man, you're the best!)

Sorry for being brief. I got's me too much shit to do. I'll be better next time.