iTunes Running Diary – Monday, September 28

Just a plain, old-fashioned playing of random songs tonight. I'm also no longer doing the combo album coverage image; it's kind of a pain in the ass, because it takes about 10 to 20 minutes just to do that. Anyway. On to the diary!

- "Let There Be Rock" by AC/DC. This song is now probably more recognized as the song from the Rock Band 2 commercial. I say this primarily because this is how I was exposed to the song. Sorry if I'm losing cool points for saying that, but really, it's not like this is some radically different, artsy song that is totally different from the rest of their catalog. It's not like I'm advocating "I Don't Know" by The Beastie Boys, which is different for them, since it's a soft, acoustic guitar song and awesome.

... That was a bit of a random tangent. But as long as I'm on it, go listen to "I Don't Know" instead of "Let There Be Rock." In fact, a cover of that song by this girl is also awesome, even though the recording is obviously a bit substandard.

- "Hate To Say I Told You So" by The Hives. I'm not sure what this band is up to now, but I really enjoyed three of their songs, this one included. It was the sort of blustering, heavy, hard rock that you could still yell to that made the previously mentioned AC/DC famous.

This isn't even by favorite song by them, as that honor goes to "Main Offender." That one takes the bluster of "Hate To Say I Told You So" and, in the words of Spinal Tap, makes it go to 11. Don't get me wrong, both songs are good, which is in stark contrast to...

- "Hulkster in Heaven" by Hulk Hogan. This is sung by Hulk, with a Casio keyboard in the background, about he and a young fan will "tag up in Heaven" if the kid dies of cancer. I think that's all you need to know about this. Oh, and also, around two minutes in, the backup singers sing over him by mistake, but it's clear the producer said, "Fuck it, we're not doing another take."

- "Home Stay" by Yoko Kanno. I first got into him a bit when I heard the awesome "Call Me" on the finale of Cowboy Bebop. I don't really like most anime, but that and Trigun and FLCL are the three I do like. The unifying theme between the three would be stellar music.

"Home Stay" is a little jazzier than "Call Me", but still neat to listen to. It is part of my study / "get shit done" mix, along with some other instrumentals and techno songs. Because of this, I oddly think that Muzack must work, but that they should just switch to music that is actually good as opposed to the stereotypical elevator music.

iTunes Running Diary – Monday, September 14 – Guitar Hero 5

This week's artists.
I decided to do another theme entry, since I just got Guitar Hero 5, and I'm loving it so far. (By the way, McDonald's, I am not paying for that usage, never ever.) Because I realize that some people – myself included – like to discover the game's songs as they play, I will preface this entry with the information that these songs are uncovered within the first hour or so. I only play the guitar, because I don't have any of the other instruments, and really, who prefers to play bass? On to the songs!

- "Fame" by David Bowie. It is already well-cataloged on this here blog that I'm a huge Bowie fan, so I didn't mind playing along with this version at all. I did really well, too, getting five stars easily with 99 percent, and only misplaying a single note. It seems like a song that is tailored more for the vocals, with the ending especially hard.

The song itself is one of Bowie's better, although it doesn't really work up to much of a crescendo. A fun fact from Guitar Hero 5: Some of the backing vocals at the end are by John Lennon. Good for him! I'm glad he had such great taste. I like the first and last minutes the best, with the 1960s "face-off" music giving way to the pluck and glitz of Bowie, which reaches its peak at the end of the song, with the echoing vocals.

- "Only Happy When It Rains" by Garbage, a.k.a. the Shirley Manson band. Their biggest hit might be "Stupid Girl", but I much prefer this song, and I had forgotten about how awesome it is until it came up as a playable for me. Hmmm, do I want to play Shirley Manson or Bob Dylan? The answer is simple, although I'm probably the only one who would chose for the Garbage over the art. (Get the double meaning, get it???)

On a game-related note, the avatar for Shirley Manson is shockingly hot. The actual Shirley is pretty attractive, but the goth makeup and outfits don't really do much for me. Her outfit in the game is just a red dress, and as a result, she has earned the spot as the lead singer in my make-believe band. The other two spots are still fictional characters though; still holding tryouts and what not, you know.

- "Gratitude" by The Beastie Boys. I was actually surprised that this song made it into the game. As a big fan of The Beastie Boys, I don't really consider this one of their signature songs, or one that lends itself well to Guitar Hero. Obviously, "Sabotage" is the easiest one to port, and that's already been done, along with "So Watcha Want?", which wasn't done as well to me.

Off the top of my head, if they wanted to go kind-of-artsy like "Gratitude", then "Sabrosa" would have been better, except that it doesn't have lyrics. My favorite Beastie Boys' song of all-time, "Live at PJ's", would have been an awesome selection because of the great lyrics, bass and drums. There is also some ambient sound in the background - people cheering and clapping to start and end the song - that would have lent itself well to the Guitar Hero crowd. Also better than "Gratitude" would have been "Jimmy James" and "I Don't Know" and "Heart Attack Man".

- "Hurts So Good" by John Cougar Mellencamp. I'm torn on Mellencamp as an artist; he is so freakin' pandering. He's like the generic, mass-market version of Tom Petty, like The Eagles of his generation. "Small Town" and "Jack and Diane" are especially guilty of this sin. I could stand them if they were played sparingly, or if he wasn't shilling Chevy trucks in every other commercial, but it's just all so muchery.

That being said, I do think "Hurts So Good" is the best song of his catalog. It is just a bit catchier and rockier than his other songs, and thus, it gets a reluctant nod of approval from me.

- "Sympathy For The Devil" by The Rolling Stones. Yes, I'm not much of a Stones' fan outside of "Get Out Of My Cloud", but I must admit that I did enjoy playing along to this song, as opposed to some of the alternatives at this point. Also, some of the other songs available - "Steady As She Goes" by The Raconteurs and "Gamma Ray" by Beck - I've already written about, so this song gets the last spot according to the two sweetest words in the human language, according to Homer Simpson - Dee Fault.

iTunes Running Diary – Monday, September 7 - The Best of Steve's Worst

This week's artists.

In case the theme of this week's diary isn't obvious, I'll just come out and say it: Songs I listen to even though they are not critically acclaimed in the slightest. In fact, most of them downright suck, and if you want to judge me, well, I can't really blame you. Admitting you have a problem with pornography is more acceptable than being a Limp Bizkit fan at this point. (And yes, I do enjoy them, but they didn't come up in the playlist Genius spit out.) Anyway, let's get this over with...

- "Mudshovel" by Staind. Prepare to see a lot of nu-metal / grunge / heavy rock / loud music on this list. I think just about every guy gets the impulse to listen to grinding guitars and hard rock at some point. Others who are luckier than me will find their heavy metal muse in something critically-liked, such as Metallica or Pantera, or at least in cheesy fun, like Kiss or Poison.

However, because I grew up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it means certain tracks are burned into my psyche, like "Mudshovel." First, from a literary standpoint, I feel like that should be two words. Second, this is the only Staind song I can remotely tolerate.

If I am following my stated goals with this entry though, it definitely fits the criteria. The guitar breakdown leading up to and into the chorus is excellent. And, although the song is loud and nu-metal, there is some harmony and melody, as the lyrics are synced up to the pulsating guitar at points.

- "Bullet With A Name" by Nonpoint. There are several bad things about this band. For starters, they're from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Since they're not old or supermodels, that means there is a strong chance a member of the band is on meth.

Second, the chance of this is increased because this song is on the soundtrack to, not just a video game, but a wrestling video game, Smackdown vs. Raw 2007. It's kind of like if I told you my friend had a drug problem, AND he was moving to Harlem or Compton.

Final bad sign: Wikipedia keeps track of the chart positions for pretty much any single released in the past two decades. Even though "Bullet With A Name" was featured in a popular video game, it still only hit #22 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock charts. Even worse is that it's still there most popular song. They've managed to have 10 singles that placed between #22 and #40 on the charts, but no higher. That's the sort of middling mediocrity that is equivalent to Troy O'Leary or Tim Thomas or Ron Coomer or Xavier Nady.

- "They Say" by Scars on Broadway. Similar to the first two, this is a heavier song that features a good melody despite its heavy sound. It was pretty popular last summer, I believe, but seeing as I don't listen to a ton of new music, there is a good chance it actually came out five years ago.

The weird, synth guitar that comes in especially hard toward the end of the song really helps "They Say" out in my estimation. Also, its short length (that's what she said) helps it from becoming super repetitive and effed out. By the time it's over, I've moved on to another couple of songs, and I wouldn't mind hearing it again because the chorus isn't really dragged out.

- "Peace of Mind" by Boston. I believe there is a rule out there that bands based on cities suck, and Boston does not dispel the trend to me. (Confession: I don't mind Chicago.)

They have, to me, one unquestionably awesome song, which is "More Than A Feeling." In every other aspect, they are beaten by arena rock brethren Journey. "Peace of Mind" is a decent little 1980s rock song, but it's not nearly as good at rocking as "Anyway You Want It." The best of Boston can't touch Journey's more somber offerings, like "Open Arms", or the cheese value of "Wheel In The Sky" or "Don't Stop Believing."

- "Lick It Up" by Kiss. I believe this is Chuck Klosterman's favorite song, but it kind of sucks. There, I said it. Then again, it's not like Kiss shows a lot of musical diversity, and I do always rag on other bands for straying too far out of their comfort zone.

To make another baseball comparison, "Lick It Up" is a .275 rock song. Is it an incredible, life-changing experience? Not really. Is it so bad that you change it every time it comes on? Not really. It fits the bill if you're trying to round out a Top Five for your favorite Kiss songs, or if it was one of the first hard rock songs you ever heard, which I believe is why it ranks high on Klosterman's list. Hey, I can be the same way - You shant talk me out of my love of Green Day, Everclear, Billy Joel, Counting Crows, Soundgarden and Sublime, despite their radically different sounds.

- "Only Women Bleed" by Alice Cooper. I'm apparently closing this entry out with some of the worst / most dubious songs by rock legends. While Alice Cooper has some great songs, this is not one of them. Adam Carolla cited it as one of the worst songs to play at a wedding, and I happen to agree with him.

To be honest, I giggle like a 12-year-old at the chorus, so I don't even know that much about the content of the song. The chorus is so blatant and overbearing that the rest of the song's lyrics kind of get swept under the rug, similar to how "Rape Me" by Nirvana isn't endorsing rape in the slightest. Wikipedia says it is a song about a wife in a relationship with an abusive husband, and on second listen, it is a song with a message, and I'm probably going to Hell.

iTunes Running Diary – Monday, August 31

This week's artists.

First, a procedural thing. To better comply with Twitter, and my own schedule, I'm going to switch these to Monday night. Monday is the big music day on Twitter, and since this is generally one of my more popular and easy-to-do weekly features, it doesn't make much sense for me to bury the entries on Sunday nights.

And secondly, to test out the new iTunes and my new computer, I used the Genius application. It is supposed to create a playlist from a song of your choice by analyzing your library and deciding your other tastes. I used it on a past iTunes diary song, "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis, and the playlist it suggested was pretty decent.

- "Everything Is Average Nowadays" by The Kaiser Chiefs. I don't really have any idea of how popular the Chiefs are. As far as I know, my friend DJ (who appropriately loves music) is the only other person who listens to them.

They play "kind-of" rock-ish songs; I'm not entirely sure how to describe them. They fit in that nebulous category with Modest Mouse, The Killers and TV On The Radio, in that they aren't quite hard rock or alternative, but they're not emo or techno or anything like that. Has there been a good category for these bands yet?

- "Live Forever" by Oasis. When I was in high school, I didn't really appreciate Oasis that much. In reflection, I think it was because a couple songs - "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back In Anger" especially - were played incessantly on the local radio stations.

While by any stretch of the imagination they aren't The Beatles, the band they seemingly emulate, their deeper tracks are quite enjoyable. "Live Forever" would be one example, as would Guitar Hero and Rock Band track "Some Might Say." Even their title track, "Morning Glory," is good because it wasn't over-exposed with radio play.

- "Lithium" by Nirvana. This one seems a little out-of-place with the rest of the playlist, but hey, maybe that's the idea? It does seem the song with "hardest edge."

Although I fondly remember Nirvana from my youth, I was also way too young to really appreciate / understand it. For example, I had no idea what *this* song was about, and because I was about 8, I couldn't really relate with the angst of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Despite that though, I could still recognize that it was a really great song, which I didn't realize with Led Zeppelin at the same period of my life.

Because of this, it does make me question the "backlash" that Nirvana has gotten in recent years. Yeah, the music is kind of simplistic, but if it still made 8-year-old me stop and realize it was something special, then it has to have some redeeming value.

- "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" by Cage The Elephant. I'm not really sure where this band came from, but man, they sure are catchy. Yet, they still have a bit of an edge to them. The two local stations I listen to - 95.5 WBRU and 94.1 WHJY - both play them, even they are alternative, college and modern rock, and hard rock and hair rock, respectively.

They also have more than just this song, as a second single, "Back Against The Wall", is just as catchy. I think both songs should be retroactively placed on the There Will Be Blood soundtrack, but that's just me.

- "Heroes" by David Bowie. Genius actually spit out two Bowie songs for my playlist, but that could be because I have like 30 or so in my iTunes library.

Nonetheless, this is a great song, and it even has a pretty good cover by Bob Dylan's son. I do prefer the Bowie version though, because it seems less preachy. I could be saying that because the cover was a tie-in to the horrible Godzilla movie with Matthew Broderick...

- "Pump It Up" by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. This is the final song on the playlist of 25, and it seems like a 1980s version of the artsier, modern rock also on the list.

Not surprisingly, this is another suggestion from Rock Band, since I'm not the biggest Costello fan in the world. The only other song I have from him is "Radio Radio," and mostly because of the SNL connection.

The full list picked by Genius: "Pinball Wizard" by The Who. "Dashboard" by Modest Mouse. "Wolf Life Me" by TV On The Radio. "Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)" by Lostprophets. "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" by Ida Maria. "Do What You Want" by okgo. "Troublemaker" by Weezer. "Reptilia" by The Strokes. "Life on Mars?" by David Bowie. "Daylight" by Matt and Kim. "Heinrich Maneuver" by Interpol. "You Don't Know Me" by Ben Folds. "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Cream. "The Angry Mob" by The Kaiser Chiefs. "The WAND" by The Flaming Lips. "Do The Panic" by Phantom Planet. "Cannonball" by The Breeders. "Train In Vain (Stand By Me)" by The Clash.