iTunes Running Diary – Sunday, August 23

This week's artists.

Please excuse the somewhat late posting tonight. I got a little busy playing hoops in Wakefield today, which meant I started this a bit late. Since this is the second post of the day, I figure a little latitude toward me is appropriate. Anyway, on to the running diary...

- “Still Not A Player” by Incubus and Big Pun. If it seems like I use a lot of cover songs in these running diaries, well, it's true because I love covers. This is a pretty decent one, even if the swears from the original Big Pun song are taken out. The hard-driving guitar helps speeds up the rapping a bit, as the original is a bit slower-paced.

I also have fond memories of this song because my high school friend Adrienne and I used to sing it when we worked at Dunkin' Donuts when I was 16. In reflection, that crew was a weird mix of Chariho people I never really saw again, but it was fun times while it lasted. There were also some A-holes from other towns there too, but some cool people that I'm still Facebook friends with. I think every minimum wage job is like that though – Half assholes, half decent people trying to make a buck.

- “Sink Into Me” by Taking Back Sunday. I know, this might be shocking, since it is a song that has been released this year. I heard it on WBRU a couple days ago, and the sound reminded me of my first exposure to Warped Tour artists in 2001 and 2002. On the bill that year were bands like The Vandals, Little T and One Track Mike, Ween, Less Than Jake, Alien Ant Farm and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.

Now, I feel largely disconnected from a lot of that music, mostly because I don't fit into that scene at all. I remember going to the Warped Tour and seeing people loaded on booze, moshing and throwing fists in pits, getting absolutely filthy in the 90-degree weather. While it seems odd to someone who has ever seen my room, I hate getting messy, and as I said in previous posts, I'm not much into dancing or tattoos or piercings, which was all in abundance there.

- “Everything Is Alright” by Motion City Soundtrack. Appropriately enough, we're concluding this mini-diary with another of my few trendy favorites.

I originally downloaded it about three years ago, and listened to this and “The Future Freaks Me Out” about 500 times on my way to work that summer. While I eventually got over my addiction – with a lot of prayer and the help of the Lord, of course – I still never, ever change the song when it comes on the radio (which is rare) or on my iTunes (which is much more common). There aren't many songs that achieve this status, but Motion City Soundtrack has two of them, and even writing this entry makes me realize I should check out more of their stuff.