The Random Ten #11

Yes, it's John Lacey doing the Random Ten. After reading all of Matt Steele's Random Ten columns, I thought it looked so fun that I decided to give it a whirl myself. With Matt's blessing, I'll be writing the latest Random Ten column and hopefully it lives up to the amazingly high standards Mr. Steele has set for all of us.

I have a ton of music in my iTunes, and a good deal of it I'm honestly very unfamiliar with. There are probably thousands of songs I've never even heard on here, and I would imagine some of those will come up through the course of the project. Perfect time to get to know them! Let's jump right in!

Sublime - "Caress Me Down" - Sublime (1996)

I used to really like Sublime...in sixth grade. Since then, my enjoyment of their music has been whittled down to the point where I was surprised that they even came up because I didn't know they were in my iTunes. In college, Sublime symbolized to me the attitudes toward music of everyone that didn't know anything about it. Ask the drunken oaf wearing the beanie indoors in 80 degree temperatures what his favorite band was, and he was sure to answer, "Sublime". Not that I wasn't a drunken oaf, but I considered myself a tasteful drunken oaf.

Though those people are idiots, there really isn't a lot to dislike about the band's actual music. "Caress Me Down" is a catchy, if unspectacular, reggae-themed song infused with Sublime's signature goofy vulgarity. There's not a whole lot going on here, but I'll be damned if it doesn't recall eating 7-11 burritos in a dimly lit, smoke-clogged dorm room at 3 AM. That's actually a compliment.

Pink Floyd - "Eclipse" - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

"Eclipse" is the finale of perhaps the greatest assemblage of music ever, The Dark Side of the Moon, and as such, it's really meant to work as the denouement of everything heard before it. But it is powerful in its own right, with fantastic lyrics that get more powerful with each passing line. The line "and everyone you meet", immediately followed with soulful female vocals, gives me chills every time I hear it.

Modest Mouse - "Karma's Payment" - The Fruit That Ate Itself (1997)

The final song from Modest Mouse's 1997 EP begins with an interesting reverse loop sound that they employ in several other songs, opening into a textbook Modest Mouse song; abrupt, pressing lyrics sung by frontman Isaac Brock teamed with feedback-drenched guitars. It doesn't do much to stand out, but it's a fine 3 1/2 minute listen.

Yo La Tengo - "Sometimes I Don't Get You" - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass (2006)

"Sometimes I Don't Get You" is a fine, bright pop song that's quite conventional and classical in its delivery. The bass moves the song where it needs to go, and an echo effect on the lyrics provide a slight air of mystery around what on the surface is a fairly straightforward pop song. The tune is brought to its conclusion neatly with a piano interlude about 3/4 through. Really good stuff.

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "Biomusicology" - The Tyranny Of Distance (2001)

The opening track from the 2001 studio album The Tyranny Of Distance, "Biomusicology" features a memorable guitar riff coupled with Leo's identifiably strong voice. It's a bouncy indie pop song, imbued with a tinge of sadness by a violin interlude a few minutes in. This interlude unfolds nicely into a faster, louder, and more powerful verse.

Indie rock, despite having many subgenres and nuances, tends to follow certain conventions, regardless of which area the music resides. This song may be as close to the definition of "indie rock" you can get. If a confused Siberian man asked me to explain indie rock to him, I might start by playing this for him.

Percy Hill - "Soggy Weather Skunk" - Color In Bloom (1998)

Percy Hill is (was?) a jam band a few friends of mine liked back in high school, and at some point I was apparently given this album. It sounds quite a bit like a reggae-infused Dave Matthews. Though that sounds horrible, it really isn't that offensive.

Like a lot of jam band studio efforts, "Soggy Weather Skunk" goes to the well too many times and there aren't enough ideas to justify even about six minutes, which is rather pedestrian in jam band terms. It seems like jam bands just can't control themselves in the studio, and songs that would be good with a bit of focus and brevity are bled of all their worth by stretching them out too long. Percy Hill and some of their colleagues (moe., for instance) could stand to learn a lesson. Enjoyable and nicely groovy, though.

Talking Heads - "Hey Now" - True Stories (1986)

True Stories was released at the same time as frontman David Byrne's 1986 film of the same name that I've never seen. Though the album True Stories is not considered a soundtrack album, I'm not sure I want to investigate the film after listening to this. It's just too annoying. Often Talking Heads are able to mask their overly cutesy jungle rhythms with strong choruses and by other means, but here it kind of sounds like I'm listening to "Kokomo". I love Talking Heads, but they can be a bit much sometimes. Here's exhibit A.

Busta Rhymes - "Where We Are About To Take It" - E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front (1998)

I do like a number of hip-hop acts, and though I truthfully only bought this album for hit single "Gimme Some More", I always liked Busta's flow, showmanship, and awesome music videos. His image was cool and different; he acted like a goof and sang about all sorts of crazy crap (when he wasn't busy writing love songs to his label, Flipmode), and he simply wasn't doing what everyone else was doing at the time.

This song has a decent beat but fairly boring "I'm the man, you a bitch"-type rhymes. It's really not very memorable or good, and proof that Busta could rest on his laurels too, even in the midst of his glory days.

The Police - "Demoliton Man" - Ghost In The Machine (1981)

Written by Sting for the Police but covered successfully by a few others, including actress/singer Grace Jones, Manfredd Mann, and Sting himself, "Demolition Man" is the longest song by the band, clocking in at a shade under six minutes. It features an awesome bassline and great use of horns, both of which collaborate to keep the song moving along. It's simply a fun song, and if you're looking for a no-frills, straight ahead rocker from the Police, I'd start here.

Frank Sinatra - "I Love Paris" - Sinatra 80th: All The Best (1995)

"I Love Paris" clocks in at only two minutes, but that's plenty of time for the king of crooners, and he truly belts it out in the song's short run time. It's seemingly over before it starts, though, and not one of his classics.

John Lacey