Random Rules: DW Edition

For those not familiar with it, The Onion AV Club has a feature called "Random Rules" where they get a musician or celebrity to set their mp3 players on random, play a bunch of tracks, and comment on whatever pops up. It's an interesting insight into their artistry, so in an attempt to feign both insight and artistry I propose we all do the same. I'll start:

Ratt's Random Rules:

1. Cursive: There's A Coldest Day In Every Year (from the album "The Difference Between Houses and Homes)

I adore Cursive's last three albums; they were all concept albums that didn't get up their own ass in pretense and actually presented some impressive allegories and symbolism. And they managed to reinvent their style through each album with the introduction of a cellist or horn section. But Cursive has been around for a lot longer than those three albums; they have many many more that dip back into the emo days, and quite frankly their music from that era is bland and atonal. This album is actually a B-Sides collection, so I don't expect much more, and the track pretty much lives up to my expectations. Hey, Tim, it's called an electronic tuner. They're not expensive. I purged my iPod of all the older Cursive stuff, but perhaps left this B-Sides on in the hopes of finding a gem. Looks doubtful.

2. The Early November: Session 07 (From the triple album: Mother, Mechanic, the Path)

The Early November is an anthemic, punkish, emo-ish, indie-ish group. They have some really fantastic songs, but decided to push the boundaries of their sound and scene by releasing a triple album. I've never heard anyone do this, least of all a pop-rock group, and it's obvious why. There is an absurd amount of filler and crap on this album. If you cut it out, this would be a very decent single album, but instead we're left with b-sides, cutting room floor tracks, and spoken word tracks (like this one) that aim for artsy and land squarely at "retarded".

It's interesting to see what happens when an artist tries to push the envelope and force progression into their sound. It can be incredibly successful (see: Radiohead) or embarassingly pathetic, as seen with groups like Angels and Airwaves. They're a band fronted by former Blink-182 guitarist Tom Delonge, who incorrectly thought he had what it took to go from dick-and-fart pop punk to epic and transcendent stadium art-rock. Boo, you fail.

3. Dr. Dog - The Way The Lazy Do (from the album "We All Belong)

These guys are great. An old coworker of mine grew up with them and got me into them. Their sound is more or less a lo-fi Beatles/Brian Wilson sound with a bluesy/Motown jangle to it. It's a familiar and catchy but expressed in an original way. Every time I listen to it I wonder why I don't do so more often.

4. They Might Be Giants - Pencil Rain (from the album "Lincoln")

Great song by a great band off one of their best albums. TMBG's career speaks for itself, so I won't bother. Besides, they're really one of those bands you love or hate, so no point in me expounding on their brilliance.

5. Chisel - The Guns of Meridian Hill (from the Fort Reno Benefit CD)

I got this CD for $1 in Roanoke at a used CD store; it has an old Dismemberment Plan song I haven't heard anywhere else, plus some interesting tracks from other DC bands. Chisel is fronted by the now-very-popular Ted Leo; his signature sound isn't completely developed but it's still there in spades. Neat song for any Ted Leo fan, and a nice reminder that he had his beginnings in DC.

6. Wolfmother - Colossal (from the album "Wolfmother")

A lot of bands like to compare themselves to the great classic groups like Zeppelin and Sabbath. Most of the time those bands end up being shit stains like Puddle of Mudd or Creed. Wolfmother is one of the few bands that can honestly lay credit to such inspiration but have the good taste to never do so. This track is so Sabbath, so bombastic, and will shake the teeth right out of your head.

7. James Carter - Po Lazarus

I think this is James Carter. I think this is from the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack. I'm not really sure. Having an 80 gig iPod means having piles of stuff you didn't even know you had. This certainly has the "O Brother" slave-anthem sound, so it's pretty good. I really need to clean up my music collection...

8. The Most Serene Republic - Sherry and Her Butterfly Net (from the album "Population")

These guys are on Arts and Crafts with all my favorites (BSS, Stars, etc.). They have sort of a Broken Social Scene sound, but more frenetic with faster drums and more piano. This is one of my favorite songs by them. They're pretty fantastic and highly recommended.

9. The Toasters - Go Girl (from the album "Thrill Me Up")

It's well documented that I had a heavy obsession with ska in high school and college. The addiction has passed, though I still love it. I keep a small collection of my favorites on my iPod. This album by the Toasters is one of the first ska records I bought; it's absolutely fantastic and reminds me of high school in a good way. They, like Madness, are a great ska band.

10. The Beatles - Wait (from the album "Rubber Soul")

I have a confession to make; there are LOADS of Beatles songs I don't know. There are probably only a couple albums I've sat down and listened to start to finish. My big introduction to the White Album was mainly through Danger Mouse's remix of the Grey Album with Jay Z. I of course love the Beatles and rightly recognize their brilliance and impact on music. But with the exception of Sargent Pepper and Abbey Road, I don't have much of an album commitment for them. So as much as I adore other Rubber Soul songs like Ticket To Ride, Nowhere Man, and Norwegian Wood (my favorite Beatles song), I've never even heard this one. I have a lot of Beatles stuff on my iPod I've never heard. It's on my to-do list. The list just happens to be many gigs long...