Thursday Random Eight (06/11/2009)

Sugar - Changes: A power track from Bob Mould's post-Husker Du band, this is one of the more uninspired songs from a group who could really put together some blistering music during their short tenure.

Tom Waits - Just the Right Bullets: From The Black Rider, part of the creepy musical Tom was a part of in the early 90's.

R.E.M. - Maps and Legends: This is a live acoustic version that was floating around on bootlegs for years before being released by the band, in this case, on an "extended" version of my favorite album, Fables of the Reconstruction. Twenty-some years after the fact, there are some tracks from R.E.M. that haven't necessarily aged well for me, but this is not one of them as it is a fantastic song with a great composition.

Death Cab for Cutie - Scientist Studies: An enjoyably placid song from a band that grew tiresome for me shortly after the We Have the Facts... release.

Tom Waits - 16 Shells from a Thirty-ought Six: A very energetic some from Tom, comically fitting in well with the Big Time songs.

Stereolab - Perversion: From the Peng album, probably on the whole my favorite release from the band. They weren't quite as trippy at the time as they would grow into being, but still very fun to listen to.

Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear: Well, this drives away from the happy 90's indie sound the iPod has focused on most of the morning. This is the title track from the first full length album from the band, a typical progressive song introducing the misery the band would sing about for four records before their split with the lead singer and everyone got sober, happy, and relatively dull.

Divination - Dream Light: From one of the many Bill Laswell ambient releases that litter my iPod, I really need to remember these albums are loaded on the machine when I want basic yet enjoyable background noise.