Friday Five

Ickmusic’s Friday Five: September 19, 2008

I am serious ... and don't call me Shuffle.

The mark of a truly great song is the ability to make minutes seem like seconds making time itself seem almost irrelevant. When used as a tool to make time fly it not only serves the purpose, but makes it all the more enjoyable. I’ve found myself counting units of time in measure of how many songs I can listen two. My commute to work used to be 6-8 tunes long depending on the traffic. My dentist appointment last week was 5 songs (one of which was that Miley Cyrus song “7 Things” which somehow made the work being done seem less painful by comparison). So it should come to no surprise to anyone that the Friday Five is my way of counting the minutes down to the end of the week and the start of the weekend.

Last weeks shuffle exposed my geeky soft spot for sci-fi soundtracks and confirmed that I’m not alone. Our regular cast of participants chimed in with everything from show tunes to a bit of heavy metal. How’s that for disparate genre representation? For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with a bit of insight for each track.

Then it’s your turn! Just share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments and see what your fellow readers are listening to as well.

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. Black Sabbath – Paranoid (from We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll)

Pete may have his AC/DC but for me it’s all about Sabbath. Would you believe that this tune was intended to be a filler track after the record company complained about the records length? Not bad for a throwaway track, eh?

2. The Toasters – Johnny Go Ska (from Thrill Me Up)

100% Ska from NYC’s The Toasters. Much in the same way that Sabbath defines the roots of Metal, The Toasters are, in my opinion, the defining Third Wave Ska band. This Five is really taking shape!

3. Toad the Wet Sprocket – Pray Your Gods (from Fear)

I’ve written at length about my love of Toad the Wet Sprocket and this song is one of the finest examples of why.

4. The Roots – Rising Up (feat. Wale & Chrisette Michele) (from Rising Down)

I geeked out on this track when it first was hot and I’m still feeling it every single time it comes on. I have to stop to give thanks to The Roots for introducing me to the brilliant Chrisette Michele who’s record will definitely fill the top spot on my year end “Best ‘New to Me'” chart.

5. Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love (from Spirit)

I’ll admit that I really did not like this song when I first heard it. It’s inclusion in a brilliant number on So You Think You Can Dance brought me around though.

It looks like Billy Joel was denied the first Friday Five Triple Crown, maybe next time Billy! What’s passing the time in your neck of the woods?

3 Comments

  • Kelly

    In case you were wondering, hurricanes can hit Ohio. The remnants of Ike unleashed a crazy windstorm on the Cincinnati area, leaving 90% of the area without power. So, this week’s shuffle has a theme to commemorate this crazy occasion.

    1. “The Dance Electric” by Andre Cymone from A.C. I kind of wish Prince would’ve kept this for himself. Andre does a good job, but Prince does it better.

    2. “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” by Arcade Fire from Funeral. My favorite track from this album. I was pretty disappointed in their second album and haven’t really listened to them in about a year.

    3. “Raging Storm” by Cyndi Lauper from Bring Ya to the Brink. Cyndi mixes it up on her latest offering and it’s probably the dance-iest she’s ever done. A friend of mine said it’s her Confessions on a Dance Floor.

    4. “The Wayward Wind” by Patsy Cline from Heartaches. I love Patsy. The end.

    5. “Storms” by Fleetwood Mac from Tusk. I always read reviews of this album that say it’s an underrated masterpiece. I tend to agree.

  • Anne

    Kelly–I love the mix!

    Now for my shuffle which I did on Friday but am not typing in until now.

    1. “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” by B5 on Disney Mania 4. I have two kids–that is all I can say.

    2. “Need U Bad” by Jazmine Sullivan. This was the free iTunes song last week and this is only the second time I am listening to it. I don’t think I will be buying the album.

    3. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles from The White Album, 1968. FINALLY! I was really getting worried about this shuffle. A song has finally come up that I actually enjoy.

    4. “Dreaming with a Broken Heart” by John Mayer from Continuum, 2006. I enjoy Mayer’s music as long as it doesn’t get overplayed and as long as I don’t think about what an idiot he seems to be personally.

    5. “How Far I’ve Come” by Martin Sexton from Seeds, 2007. Sexton falls in the catagory of music I enjoy but I cannot put in a catagory. iTunes puts his music in both the folk and rock catagory. So there you have it!

  • KathyB

    This sounds suspiciously like last week’s shuffle:

    1. “A Little Priest” from the December 2003 Royal Opera production of [i]Sweeney Todd[/i]–I have four different recordings of this musical in my iTunes, and that doesn’t count the original Broadway cast, which I haven’t yet put in.

    2. “I Can Wait” by Steve Earle and The Dukes from Bob Harris Country Radio Broadcast. (I probably got this from Pete.)

    3. “Ricercare No. 2: Ricercare secondo” by Sergio Vartolo from “Very Best of Naxos Early Music.” The entire album was a free download from Amazon (it may still be!).

    4. “Be a Catholic” from [i]Forbidden Broadway Vol. 1[/i]– a spoof of “Be Italian” from “Nine.”

    5. “Old Friends 4 Sale (#2)” by Prince. I’m willing to bet I got this one from Pete as well.

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