The Music Library Shuffle Game

[frankie teardrop]

i saw this old thread while reading the archived version of the old ETS...and always kind of enjoyed it in a sick, voyeuristic way. the premise is simple. take your music library (at home or portable), hit shuffle, and listen to a bunch tracks without skipping any (no less than 10, please- and don't cheat!). list the results below, write a short description of the song, and rate it on a scale of 1-10 (1 being awful, 10 being a stone cold killer of a track). don't just list the tracks and post numbers! the descriptions are useful for those unfamiliar, and offer a little insight to things, so don't skimp or cheat. if you don't like a song, blast it.

the following choices are from my 160 gig ipod, which is missing a lot of my collection- which is split between home, the ipod, and my iphone. the ipod is my main go-to machine.

let's roll:

1. the fatal impact- dead can dance
the first track from the australian band's debut record... mostly instrumental, outside a few whoops and chants. an excellent blend of their joy division-esque roots and the world influences they would fully embrace down the line (6/10)

2. a reflected dream- the essence
the essence are from the netherlands, and basically were the cure in both songwriting and vocals. if you like early cure (mainly head on the door), this band captures the gloomier, yet driving side of that sound perfectly. once you get past the obvious ripoff vibe, the songs are excellent, and this one is no exception. (6/10)

3. last day of schools- trespass
really haunting torch song with a dramatic female singer. sax solos, minimal production, a spoken word sample reminiscent of 'leader of the pack'--- all in all, good melancholy new wave. (8/10)

4. japanisch- alexander von borsig
heavy groove/rhythm box track from alexander hacke (then known as borsig) from einsturzende neubauten. a mix of experimental electronics and an infectious dance groove- repetitive, unsettling nightmusic. (8/10)

5. crowds- a popular history of signs
minimal synthpop epic with vocals reminiscent of david byrne... the chorus kills me and was my theme song as an introverted DJ ('i love crowds...but crowds scare me'). sultry female vocals adding harmonies & little spoken influctions (10/10)

6. stratosphere- airiel
mid 2000's shoegaze calling to mind robin guthrie's guitar work, with syrupy male vocals. nothing mindblowing, but a sound that always pleases (6/10)

7. brick- fake
i think this one was a favorite in the synthpop/italo thread... immensely cheesy and satisfying synthpop smash from sweden... more of a new romantic vibe with a big male/female chorus (7/10)

8. do you believe in the west world- theatre of hate
i never loved these guys on the whole, but this track is a favorite. really western-obsessed post-punk, with a rollicking beat and melody, a sound that cult of youth (and other sacred bones bands) were heavily influenced by. sounds like a morricone film run through the leeds goth scene. (9/10)

9. 13 candles- bathory
immensely evil pre-black metal from sweden... brutal, unforgiving, and amazing. vocals are the sort of raspy, thin, haunting (lower in the mix) vibe i like from this sort of thing. riffs are powerful, but tone is thin. perfect for bleak winters everywhere. (7/10)

10. expiration- pretty poison
a complete 180. pretty poison were a philly-based dance pop/freestyle band known best for 'catch me i'm falling' which i'm sure you hear on hot dance stations to date. while i have a soft spot for that stuff, this track is a slightly darker/gotheir synthpop single, just as catchy but a little gloomier on the whole. it's nowhere near as dark as the cover would suggest, but still a far cry from their one-hit glory. (7/10)

11. X. lacrimosa (from a polish requiem)- krzysztof penderecki
one of my favorite "modern" composers, you may recall his work from several intense film scores (most notably 'the shining' or 'the exorcist')- this combines two of my favorite things, experimental classical arrangements and requiem masses. even on its own, it's incredibly moving (9/10)

12. sex, god, sex- swans
a perfect hybrid of brutal and hypnotic, as only swans can do. I WILL PRAY. (9/10)

13. summer-blink- cocteau twins
one of the cocteau twin's better songs from the post-4ad era... nowhere near as stellar as their earlier output, but still an excellent, if but a little breezy offering. little pleasant slip of a thing... (5/10)

14. kuff dam- happy mondays
i'm forever warming up to these guys. some days i love them, other days i just can't deal with them... this is from their first record, which has more in common with the factory sound and only slight hints of the madchester dance/rave scene, so it goes down a bit smoother for me. (6/10)

15. i'm falling- ministry
i really only have room for early, wax trax/with sympathy/twitch-eraministry these days, and this was always one of my favorites from the era. killer tune, really gloomy guitar and bass, catchy-as-fuck chorus... a DJ staple. "i'm farting, i'm farting"- you will never unhear it. (10/10)

16. purple lips- nico
from nico's less-celebrated foray into more post-punk/gothic songwriting, complete with bass, drums, and all the trimmings- the sound is very reminiscent of iggy pop/bowie's sonic adventures in berlin, heavily inspired by the idiot. just as great as anything that came before it, even if desertshore still trumps all... (8/10)

17. return of the roughnecks- the chameleons
one of my all time favorite bands, one of the best songs from their second and most undersung record of their original run. as always, killer guitar lines, tight rhythm section, and one of the best post-punk vocalists of the era. shimmering, driving, and amazing. (10/10)

18. grey streets- felt
while felt are one of my favorite summer go-tos, this song starts off a bit too bombastic for me, though eases into a nice enough song, if but ill-suited for my mood. (4/10)

19. i wonder- the ronettes
classic girl pop from the masters of the sound- ronnie & phil spector. tumultuous and terrifying relationship, awesome songs. (7/10)

20. pristine christine- the sea urchins
wonderful, summery jangle-pop reminiscent of early R.E.M. for those unfamilar with the sound. i can't get enough of this stuff sometimes. (8/10)

21. enigmatic dream- neutral project
one of my favorite gloomy tracks from the french la vague froide/coldwave movement. cassette sourced, with the hiss only adding to the fragile beauty of the track. (9/10)

22. western dream- new model army
another western themed post-punk track, this time from the mid-80s, more punk answer to u2 and the like. politically charged and catchy as hell, and this isn't even one of their best songs... (6/10)

23. if anyone falls- stevie nicks
i recently gave into my love of cheesy 80s stevie nicks. really nice guilty pleasure. (6/10)

24. on the wall- the jesus & mary chain
always preferred darklands to psychocandy--- this repetitive dirge is one of the many reasons. like an old sweater. (8/10)

25. elegia- new order
a fitting epilogue to this shuffle game... new order's take on the moody, synth instrumental. a highlight from an already flawless album (my favorite of theirs by a country mile). (9/10)

[blackholesun]

I remember this from before. Always fun. From my 160gb iPod which is also missing a chunk of what I have on my external.

1. Dead Meadow - Either Way
Acoustic jam from this pysch band. From my favorite album of their's, Old Growth. This one is nice enough, but it's not a highlight for me. (6/10)

2. Growing - Below Sea Level
Oh man, I probably haven't listened to Growing in about 3 or 4 years. 15 min. long drone jam here. First half drones on, there's a sound that sounds like the ocean waves. During the second half it kind of sounds like there is a harmonium. I dig it, but probably wouldn't be my first choice to put on if I wanted to listen to drone. (6/10)

3. A.A. Bondy - Surfer King
Folk music...well not really. Bondy's first 2 albums were rooted in folk, but this is from his latest album, 2011's Believers, which was one of my favorites that year. I don't know exactly what it sounds like. Reverbed guitars. Catchy chorus. I love the subtle organ that lurks beneath this song. (8/10)

4. Arborea - Shagg Pond Revival
Alright now we have folk music. Short track coming in at just over 2 minutes. Gorgeous, wordless female vocals. Nice little percussion coming in about 50 seconds in. Pretty nice track, but it's too short. I like it still. (7/10)

5. Saul Williams - 1987
Not much to say. I haven't listened to Saul in a while. Love Saul's words, but the music falls flat here for me. (5/10)

6. Nine Inch Nails - The Day the World Went Away
Yup. (8/10)

7. Agalloch - They Escaped the Weight of Darkness
Short orchestral track from black metal band Agalloch's latest album, Marrow of the Spirit. There's some running water and bird sounds and a cello is playing over it. It's decent, but really only works in context of the album. (4/10)

8. Pianos Become the Teeth - Shared Bodies
American post-hardcore. Very similiar to Touche Amore. These guys are better live I think. (7/10)

9. Tera Melos - Weird Circles
Quirky track from their newest album X'ed out. Starts out with some guitar noodling before exploding into crashing drums and guitar chords. Interesting melodies. Kinda mathy. (6/10)

10. Sharks Keep Moving - Sailor
Math rocky stuff. The singer from Minus the Bear was in this band. Not as interesting as MTB, but still good. This one is a little too repetitive for me, but it's decent. (6/10)

11. Aidan Baker/thisquietarmy - Blood
Colloboration between two of my favorite drone/ambient artists. Guitar drone. A mere 6 minutes. It's beautiful to my ears, but I think both of them have better material. (6/10)

12. Built to Spill - Center of the Universe
Good song from my 2nd favorite BTS album, Keep It Like a Secret. (7/10)

13. Russian Circles - Malko
Chicago post-rock. These guys are closer to metal. This song is great. Sweet guitar line starts the song. Energetic fast beats come in. Right around 1:30 the bass kicks and on the song goes into high gear. I feel the second half isn't as strong. (7/10)

14. Owls - I Want the Blindingly Cute to Confide In Me
Classic 90s emo sound. Members of Capn Jazz and American Football. Kinsella bros. Beautiful guitar here. Great drum work. All around great song. (9/10)

15. Bill Callahan - All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast
All good ol' Bill. He has a new one coming out soon. One of my favorite songs. Love the lyrics. Beautiful. (10/10)

[r_z]

ok.

1. Polyrhythm Addicts - Not Your Ordinary (7/10)
This is a rap group from the 90s produced by a guy called DJ Spinna. He's a great hiphop and house producer, who adds "spacy" sounding elements to his productions. Very unique style. Rap here is by three underground rappers, but I'm listening for the producton.

2. Rob Sonic - Death Vendor (9/10)
This came out on EL-P's label Definitive Jux. Imo on of the best releases on there (along with EL's own releases and/or stuff like The Cold Vein by Cannibal Ox). This is very futuristic sounding Hip Hop with clever word play and fun lyrics. One of my favorite rappers.

3. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Spoiled (7/10)
This is from their "Damage" album and it sounds like what I imagine it feels like being on drugs in Hawaii. Love the band!

4. LCD Soundsystem - (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing (7/10)
I love LCD, but I love Heaven 17's original version more.

5. Four Tet - She Scanned (7/10)
From his first album. Jazzy "folktronica".

6. Convextion - Laconic (8/10)
Detroit Techno.

7. Madvillain - Curls (Koushik Remix) (8/10)
Koushik is a very underrated producer and he got a chance to officially remix a few songs off Madvillainy. His remix of Strange Ways is even better.

8. Public Enemy - Dark Side of the Wall (9/10)
The intro to their album from 1999 "There's A Poison Going On", which is my favorite album of theirs.

9. Bahamadia - Beautiful Things (9/10)
She's a rapper from Philadelphia with a very unique voice/delivery. Great minimal and soulful production and concious lyrics.

10. Ex Hex - Another Dimension
My 5 year old daughter loves this band! It's 80s sounding rock music with poppy melodies and female vocals. Great stuff!

[BRoswell]

Rocket Fuel - DJ Shadow
(Single from the 2019 album "Our Pathetic Age". Groovy stuff!) 8/10

Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem
(One of my favorite tracks. Has gotten me through some hard times.) 10/10

Like A Prayer - MOTHERMARY
(I really dig this Madonna cover from the Italians Do It Better label.) 7/10

Harpoons - The Chemical Brothers
("We Are The Night" isn't one of my most listened to TCB albums, so I'm not as familiar with this one, but it's still TCB, so I still dig it.) 7/10

Bring On The Lucie (Freda Peeple) - John Lennon
(It's John fucking Lennon. Nuff said.) 9/10

Starfire - Low
(Underrated song from Low off of 1999's "Secret Name".) 8/10

Floodgate - Soft Kill
(A friend turned me on to the album that this is on, "Dead Kids, R.I.P. City". Haven't heard the rest of their music, but the album is pretty good.) 7/10

On An Axis - Oneohtrix Point Never
(From OPN's latest album "Again". If you haven't seen the video where a drone continuously flies through a drive-thru donut place to this song, look it up.) 7/10

We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings - The Smile
(One of my favorite tracks from the first Smile album. Really captures the anxiety of opening your phone up to see what today's tragedies are going to be.) 8/10

Jynweythek - Aphex Twin
(I love these twinkly little interludes on "druQks".) 7/10

[Space Suicide]

Thread starts with iPod shuffle challenge haha.

[frankie teardrop]

man, dragging up a 10+ year old thread. wild!

i still use a portable mp3 player (fiio m11) for max storage. spotify doesn't cut it for me, and never will.