Monday Random Ten

I was busy having a fun visit to DC on Friday (thanks again, Christina and Ben for showing me around), so I didn't get around to posting. Besides, it's my blog, I can do what I want. Hehe... So here's the quick random 10:

1) Dave Matthews Band, "Lie in Our Graves" - Sure, he's trite and frat-boy-rock, but I still like most Dave, especially earlier stuff. Crash was just a good album to listen to, due in large part to Carter's drumming...

2) Aerosmith, "Kings and Queens" - Classic Aerosmith is always a good thing.

3) Steve Reich, Sextet, 5th Movement - Few people have the ability to appreciate mallet percussion minimalism. I happen to be one of those few. Organized chaos is one of my favorite musical styles, and that's probably the best way to describe minimalism. Random, repeated notes, but it all fits together to create a harmonious whole. Interesting that I've never noticed the way this piece has both very even rhythms and jazzy, rocking ones...

4) Radiohead, "Everything is in its Right Place" - Wow. I was planning on listening to Kid A when this was finished, and here's the opening track. I cannot rave about this album enough. Each track contrasts with the previous, adding a new layer of sound. But it's all synthesized. "Robot rock" is one way that I've heard it described. If you like experimental music that really is a masterpiece of style blending, check out Kid A.

5) Toad the Wet Sprocket, "I Will Not Take These Things For Granted" - In high school, I traded with my friend Tony, giving him my Alice In Chains Dirt CD for his Toad Fear CD. He couldn't get rid of Fear fast enough, simply because the lyrics contained the words "God damn" at one point. Tony was very religious and blasphemy was very serious to him. Best CD trade I ever made, though. I loved every track of it and became a big Toad fan for a long time. Just great, pleasant stuff.

6) Led Zeppelin, "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" - Very uncharacteristic Led Zeppelin tune. It's kind of like a bluegrass/country jam, but in a good way. I have never been timid about voicing my complete disdain for country, but this is just such a fun song. Makes me want to tap my foot to the beat. It's because of tunes like this that I've always thought Zeppelin was even better than people gave them credit for. They were talented musicians that could write and play any style of music.

7) Sergei Rachmaninov, "Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini," Variation XVII - Short little filler section. Variation XVIII is the famous one. If you've heard of this piece, you no exactly what part I'm talking about.

8) Medeski, Martin & Wood, "Sasa" - The iPod has good (and very diverse) taste today. MMW's kind of an acquired taste for people who aren't really into jazz. Sure, I was pissed when I saw them and they didn't play an encore. But getting this CD for free from a friend made up for it.

9) The Clash, "Bankrobber" - Not my favorite Clash song, but not a bad one either.

10) PJ Harvey, "Down by the Water" - This was a big radio hit for her (mid-90s), probably the only one she ever had. She's a bit too freaky/alternative for mainstream radio, but she's always had a pretty loyal underground following. I saw her open up for Live in the summer of '95. She puts on a great live show and I became a fan.

OK, that's it for today... I'll probably post something real later this week.