Friday Five : ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

The Five:

Nirvana – “Come as You Are” (from Nevermind, 1991)

If I’m being completely honest this is probably the first time I’ve listened to anything from the seminal grunge record in probably the last couple of years.

The Gaslight Anthem – “Casanova, Baby!” (from The ’59 Sound, 2008)

The ’59 Sound is one of those records that gets under your skin and just hangs with you. Since discovering the band I’ve found myself coming back to the record time and again for a blast of tried and true rock n’ roll.

P.M. Dawn – “I’d Die Without You” (mp3) (from The Bliss Album…?, 1993)

Boys and girls, during the summer of ’93 this track was my ‘jam’.

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds – “Granny” (from Live at Luther College, 1999)

Quite simply this is a perfectly simple and sweet love song.

Dream Theater – “Another Day” (mp3) (from Images and Words, 1992)

As much as I like this song I’ve come to realize that in the context of the rest of the band’s discography that this tune stands out as possibly the worst. With its Kenny G inspired sax breaks (lest we not forget that Mr. Gorelick’s Breathless was one of the biggest records of 1992) and overall adult contemporary leanings – I swear, it would not surprise me at all if David Foster had a hand in its creation – it could easily represent the group’s weakest moments.

What is shuffling up for you this week?