Its days like today that test the limits of my ability to stay focused on the work at hand. Its 77°F, 50% humidity, sunny and the great outdoors (not to mention the pool) is beckoning and I’m doing my best to block it out. Thankfully I’ve got the Friday Five to keep my attention focused for the next little bit. Last week we celebrated the fourth with a themed playlist and the Fivers represented with their patriotic best. And since the playlist concept seemed to really spark some interesting tracks, here’s a playlist for this Friday:

Match ANY of the following conditions

NAME contains Sunny
NAME contains Beautiful
NAME contains Warm
NAME contains Summer
NAME contains Day
NAME contains Weekend

This called up a staggering number of tracks for me to shuffle through!

For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s the scoop: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and then show you my five with some words for each track.

Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.

That said…

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. Zwan – Endless Summer (from Mary Star of the Sea)

One of the few Billy Corgan projects that I’ve truly enjoyed since Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Zwan had a purity to it that could clearly not be sustained with a maniac like Corgan at the helm. It’s a damned shame, really as I truly believe that the combined creative forces of Zwan could have really produced some amazing music together. I would also be remiss if I did not at least mention the beautiful foil of Paz Lenchantin. She somehow balanced Billy‘s nasal falsetto and made it nearly accessible.

2. The Beatles – Good Day Sunshine (from Revolver)

Pleasant, I suppose.

3.  New Order – Blue Monday (from Retro)

While I can appreciate New Order (and even more so Joy Division) for the influence they have provided to countless bands that I enjoy, I’ve never really been a huge fan of their discography. I certainly enjoy all the hits to no end, but that’s about where it ends.

4. Prince & The Revolution – The Beautiful Ones (from Purple Finale)

From the final show of the Purple Rain tour (Orange Bowl, Miami: 7th April 1985), this is nothing short of astounding. The Revolution are as tight as ever and Prince provides a highly charged performance.

5. Flickerstick – Beautiful (from Welcoming Home the Astronauts)

One of my favorite records of the past decade, it kills me that these guys never made it the way they deserved. I suppose the dual curse of having been a reality show contest winner and releasing your major label debut on September 11^th, 2001 really was too much to overcome. The band has persisted through some line up changes and can still be seen occasionally in and around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

Now, excuse me while I slip outside for a quick walk, yeah that’s it… Tag! You’re it!