Saturday, March 27, 2010

Five Random Songs

Good GRIEF, it's cold outside: 15F when I woke up, and only 19 now. Brutal. I have lots to do before I leave for Washington again on Monday, so here are five random songs for the weekend.

1. "Answer to Yourself," The Soft Pack. See, I listen to new stuff. These guys are a young band from southern California, and I would describe their sound as post-punk. This was a free download from somewhere, but it's enough to make me want the self-titled album. If you're in DC, they happen to be playing tonight at the Black Cat.

2. "Refugee," Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. On a short list of songs I'd consider my personal theme music.

3. "Sempiternal/Amaranth," School of Seven Bells. More new music, but I can't take credit for this; it was a gift from a friend whose musical tastes are way more up-to-date and sophisticated than mine. I like it, though. This particular track is club music, eleven and a half minutes long with a driving electronic beat and incomprehensible lyrics. A good treadmill soundtrack.

4. "Teenage Lobotomy," The Ramones. Last night I played poker at a friend's house, and one of the other guests was complaining about his gray hair. "Don't even start," I said. "Yeah," the young man said, "but you've got 20 years on me." He was exaggerating — only slightly — but it made me want to go home and listen to my Ramones records. Yes, I said records, dammit. On vinyl. (Not that I have a turntable.)

5. "Swingin'," Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Ooh, a double shot of Tom Petty for a Saturday morning, and most appropriate to round out this set. This whole album (Echo) is a brilliant, heartbreaking (no, really), inspiring meditation on mid-life. I think I'll listen to the whole thing from the beginning.

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