Thursday Random Eight (10/30/2008)

The first eight songs of the day after setting the iPod to shuffle play:

Chainsaw Kittens - Sgt. Whore: From the entertaining Angel on the Range EP, a mix of rock and a touch of Tyson Meade weirdness.

Husker Du - Back from Somewhere: Another track from the Warehouse CD, this one is a fun Grant Hart track that he continued to play live on his solo shows for years.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Love Comes Home: The more I explore Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's music, the more I find a wide range of genres. The folks who were clamoring to collaborate with him towards the end of his life was remarkable, and this collection mixes his traditional singing with near-electro beats and sounds.

Dengue Fever - Lake Dolores: Looks like the iPod has found a new band to stalk. This is a bouncy instrumental from the Escape from Dragon House release, a fine exhibition of the musical talent this band brings.

Joe Walsh - Malibu: So, when I was in high school, I got a bit overwhelmed by a number of record/tape clubs I was a member of, and without really caring about what I ordered, I sent for the unfamiliar Got Any Gum cassette from Joe Walsh. It instantly became one of my favorites and I played it to death for a year or so. Eventually it went the way of all cassette tapes (buried in a drawer somewhere), but I couldn't resist tripping down memory trail when the CD was reissued a few years ago. It is a kinda silly album; it isn't moldy classic rock like one might expect from Walsh, but it isn't really contemporary either (even for the time). It is just kinda there, but it still makes me feel happy when I hear a song from the release, so on the iPod it stays.

Hella - 1-800 Ghost Dance: The first disjointed punk song of the morning. I'm not sure what makes Hella stand out above hundreds of other bands who play music like this, but I'm always drawn to their sound.

Boredoms - Feedbackfuck: I suppose you could call this the second disjointed punk song of the morning, but I never really thought of the Boredoms as punk as much as just crazy. The song is mostly noisy guitars, drums, and screaming; maybe not as innovative as the Boredoms can be, but certainly as weird.

Yo La Tengo - My Heart's Reflection: One of those songs that really made me like Yo La Tengo years ago; a very calm, soft track with the potential for noise, slight-off-tune riffs, and a general feeling that you never really quite knew what to expect from them.