Whenever my friends and I get together, there is always some sort of music playing in the background. This is fine when it’s being played off of a CD or a record. However, whenever anyone sees an iPod, they all want to go up and look through it to put on something they want to hear. Sometimes, they get so caught up in what they want to hear next that they don’t even get to enjoy what’s playing at that moment. Personally, I like to leave the thing on shuffle. There are always songs that you wouldn’t think to play that are just as enjoyable as the ones you do. Granted, when it’s your iPod you probably like all the songs a little more than your friends do. There are always those guilty pleasure songs you have to skip out of embarrassment, as well as those songs that are simply just the wrong kind of vibe for the time. I mean…I like a little Marty Robbins just as much as the next guy, but I don’t need to hear it before a Panthers game. I decided to do a little experiment by hitting shuffle and seeing what the first ten songs on my iPod were today…no cheating.
Let’s see what happened…
1. “Crawl Away” by Tool off of the album Sleep Forever – This is a pretty rare live album that one of my friends found in high school. It’s just as good now as it was then.
2. “(A Shimmering Radiance) Diadem of 12 Stars” by Wolves in the Throne Room off of the album Diadem of 12 Stars – Hmm…here’s the first little misstep. Wolves In The Throne Room are great, but chances are you will have a hard time convincing people without a real attention span to sit through a 20 minute black metal thunderstorm.
3. “Caribbean Queen” by Billy Ocean off of the album Suddenly – Here comes the first guilty pleasure song. But come on… doesn’t everyone like this one?
4. “Undastand” – by Heltah Skeltah off of the album Nocturnal – Some good 90’s rap. I actually had to buy this album at least three times because people kept wanting to “borrow” it.
5. “Together Or Alone” by Sebadoh off of the album Bakesale – A pretty good song on what is still one of my favorite albums of all time.
6. “Touch Me” by The Doors off of the album The Soft Parade – An oldie but goodie.
7. “Untitled” by Landing On Land – This is a band an old friend of mine from Florida was in. I believe this was their first EP. I’m not sure because it was simply a burnable CD that just had the band’s name on it. I believe they are broken up now…but the music is still pretty good. It’s a little math rock-ish…similar in style to that of Faraquet or Chavez.
8. “Celestial Titanic” by Who’s Your Favorite Son God off of the album Out Of Body Diva – I had the opportunity to see these guys a few years ago opening up for Hella in what was basically a garage. I’m definitely glad I made the trip.
9. “Tearz” by Wu-Tang Clan off of the album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) – Still their best album…one of the best rap albums of all time in fact. Every song is good.
10. “Feels Like I’m Slipping Away” by Spectrum off of the album Forever Alien – Yet another reason why shuffle isn’t always a good idea in mixed company. This song sounds like a psychedelic demon possession. Chances are someone would find their way to skip it…
Well there you go…a pretty random mix of songs to pass the time. Nothing too embarrassing popped up which is a good thing. While I like all of these songs, somebody else would still probably be thinking of what they wanted to play next instead of listening.
So what comes up when you shuffle your iPod? And no cheating!
– Submitted by David Sheyda, Music Design