The Work Shuffle

Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save My Soul?
Perfect way to start the day. Cee-Lo's the tits on this song. Not so hot on DM's production on other stuff (Modern Guilt, Attack & Release), but this is golden.

Arcade Fire - My Heart Is An Apple
Song from their first EP (precursor to "My Body Is A Cage"?), straightforward with a lovely vocal melody until Regine comes in mid-way to ruin it. Can I hate her and still love this band?

The Ramones - Chainsaw
They only had one song, but it was pretty good.

Grouper - Invisible
How can Liz Harris can make music that's this indecipherable, impressionistic, affecting and catchy all at the same time?

Modest Mouse - Black Cadillacs
Stop fucking around, indeed. Makes me think of Liam and Almost Studios. I hated MM for so long, what can I say? I was wrong. Even still, this song is the filing away of whatever rough edges were left.

PJ Harvey - Man-Size
I heard once that Steve Albini hates the sound of the human voice. Sounds about right to me. PJ was on to something here.

Scissor Sisters - Filthy/Gorgeous
Love that Super Mario Bros. bass line.

Lupe Fiasco - Sunshine
I'm such a rap music tourist: I don't know my way around the landscape, but I know a pretty sight when I see it.

Dizzee Rascal - Jezebel
Speaking of sight seeing... I love me some Dizzee Rascal, especially early stuff (though Showtime is my fav).

Joy Division - The Kill
Early song. Their punk roots are showing, but the rhythm section shines, showing the way forward.

The National - Racing Like a Pro
I run hot and cold with these guys. Their stuff is always good, but sometimes I’m just not in the mood. Great song. I like Alligator better.

My Bloody Valentine - Sometimes
This record is as influential now as Nevermind, which is amazing if you think about it. The power of song writing, production and cultish devotion.

Okkervil River - O’ Dana
Standard indie Alex Chilton reverence. His songs are so well built that no one can really ruin them, but this adds nothing. Not bad, but I’ll take the original any day of the week.

Lupe Fiasco - Put You On Game
Lupe can’t really be retiring, can he? He’s just getting started.

The Black Keys - Things Ain't Like They Used to Be
Speaking of Attack & Release, I’m just not that big fan of the production on this record. The hazy production doesn’t do the Black Keys any favors.

The Beatles – Penny Lane
One of my favorite MacCartney songs. He owns the rights to every song written by Buddy Holly.

Born Ruffians - I Need a Life (Four Tet Remx)
Better than theirs.

!!! – Dear Can
It took me so long to get past their bullshit name, but these guys were ahead of the curb.

The White Stripes – Hotel Yorba
One of my favorite Stripes’ songs. Keep it simple.

Santogold – You’ll Find A Way (Switch & Sinden Remix)
Is Santi White the new MIA or a new Missy Elliot. Neither is a bad option, but the paths are distinctly different.

R.E.M. – Sweetness Follows
I remember R.E.M. I remember when they meant something to me. This album, this song makes it easier to remember.

Guided By Voices – Storn Vibrations
I quite like this record. It may be out of classic GBV period, but there are some great songs here. This and “Cheyenne” are up there for me.

Rotten Hell – Menomena
I am always impressed when I go back to this record. The climax of this song kills me every goddamn time. Great video too.

Annie – The Greatest Hit
I love Annie. Why can’t American’s make music like this?

Camper Van Beethoven – Skinhead Stomp
It’s criminal that CVB’s albums were out of print for so long. They were out in front. They should be better known.

The Beatles - She Said, She Said
I find it interesting that conventional wisdom seems to be shifting and Revolver and Rubber Soul are valued higher than Sgt. Peppers or The White Album. The simple, perfect pop pleasure of this song reward more than the ambition of their later material.

The Ramones - Swallow My Pride
They only had one song, but it was pretty good.

Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah – Gimme Some Salt
Never got their second record, par for the course I suppose. They are good, can be great (Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth).

High Places – Shared Islands
Haven’t listen to this much. Like what I’ve heard, kind of like The Books, but less so.

The Misfits – Wolfblood
Does anyone take the Misfits seriously? I vaguely recall that they were considered threatening at one point in my life, but what the hell. Lot’s of fun.

The Ink Spots - Java Jive
One of my favorite bands of all time, no shit. I could listen to them all day and not get tired of them.

Jesus & Mary Chain – Never Understand
Psychocandy is the perfect name for this record. This is a goddamn Beach Boys song filtered through an organ grinder and accompanied by a banshee. What a sound.

Lou Reed - Andy’s Chest
A weird song from a weird fucking man.

The Misfits – I Turned Into A Martian
Whoa - A - Oh! Whoa - O - Oh!

Palace Music – Viva Ultra
Sad guy with guitar. Never gets old.

David Bowie – Kooks
A year off from Ziggy and boy can you fucking tell. He was goofy once.

Magnetic Fields - For We Are The King Of The Boudoir
Have you ever tried 69 love songs? If you did, you might end up with something like this.

The Strokes – What Ever Happened?
Never much liked this band, but wanted to know what the fuss was about. Unremarkable.

The Ink Spots - Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
You’re telling me.

John Lennon – Well Well Well
Lennon has been accused of slipping into adult contempo territory with his solo stuff, but not here. The guitar. That drum sound. Primal scream. His pain is explicit and real, and he knew how to communicate it. Harrowing stuff.

Micahel Jackson – Thriller
When I was a kid I wanted to marry Michael Jackson.

Rilo Kiley - The Good That Won't Come Out
Pretty and delicate, with a touch of country. A statement of purpose from Jenny Lewis.

Rilo Kiley - Three Hopeful Thoughts
Now it’s Blake’s turn, and god help him, he’s just not as strong a songwriter as Jenny.

The Mae Shi – Hlllyh
Hell yeah. They live in the same world as Marnie, Deerhoof, and Ponytail but got their own going on.

Girl Talk - No Pause
If it weren’t for the internet Greg Gillis would still be grinding his day job. Thanks god for the intertubes.

Ween – Cold Blows The Wind
My second favorite Ween record after White Pepper. These guys know what the fuck they are doing even if no one else does.

Thom Yorke – Skip Divided
This record came out when I was in a non-Radiohead mood, so it took a while for me to circle back to it. It’s good, but only as good as a he is w/o Ed, Phil, Jonny and Colin. Though I think this record allowed him to exorcise some digital demons and cleared the road for the superb In Rainbows. Well done.

The Cure – The Drowning Man
The Cure sometimes make it hard to like them (just retire the makeup already you’ll be 50 this year!), but whenever I go back to their older material I’m never disappointed.

Fiery Furnaces – Vietnamese Telephone Ministry (live)
Fuck yes. Any time spent imagining I’m seeing the fiery furnaces live is time well spent.

Weezer – Can’t Stop Partying
The song that recently reignited my Weezer love. I knew you were still alive in there Rivers.

Radiohead – 15 Step
Speaking of In Rainbows. They ground that beat into mulch, but once the guitar comes in it’s all good. Radiohead sound relaxed and it’s great. Who knew?

Rufus Wainwright – Across The Universe
I will always maintain that covers of Beatles songs are essentially useless, but what the hell, its pretty. I was always hit or miss with Rufus until I started dating his number one fan. It gave me some perspective on him and I’m actually quite a fan now.

Kraftwerk – The Robots
I find Kraftwerk inspiring in the most literal sense. When I listen to their music I just want to create… something, anything.

The Buzzcocks – Orgasm Addict
The blueprint for almost 40 years of power pop, and never topped, really.

Hot Hot Heat – This Town
Bum song on a decent record. Too bad they couldn’t keep it together. I liked their best songs.

Deerhoof – Rrrrrrrright
I think that Deerhoof can do anything – except make an uninteresting record, maybe.

Ra Ra Riot - Ghost Under Rocks
Along with the unstoppable “Dying is Fine”, the highlight of their debut.

Animal Collective – Chores
I have no idea how their minds work. But I like it.

The White Stripes – A Martyr for My Love for You
Jack and Meg have never made a bad record, but some are better than others. This isn’t one of my favs.

Pink Floyd – Goodbye Cruel World
I was so obsessed with The Wall for so long. Its hard to listen to now.

The Strokes – The Way It Is
The Strokes with a drum machine. The mind reels. Not bad, but like all of their songs it just slides out of my mind after its over.

Cracker – Wedding Day
Johnny Hickman. What the fuck? Why do you have to fuck up a good Cracker record?

Life Without Buildings – Young Offenders (Live)
This band mystifies me. Their songs not really remarkable, the ingredients similar to a million other bands. Sue Tompkins has the pure charisma to pull them up out of the crowd though. Too bad they’re no more.

The Beach Boys - Caroline No
My freeze on Pet Sounds has finally thawed. I used to get the importance instead of getting the music. Now I get both. Yah!

The Rolling Stones – No Expectations
I always find the more British Invasion-y Stones (ala “I Am Waiting”) more compelling than their straight-up Americana bids. Good song though.

The Dodo’s – Undeclared
Not my favorite song on Visiter, and clocking in at under two minutes its hardly essential, but worth it nonetheless.

Archers Of Loaf – Rental Sting
Great song from an undervalued band and record. Crooked Fingers can be great, but Archers is awesome.

Camera Obscura – I Don’t Do Crowds
One of my favorite bands. Great early song, but they’d be so much further a few years on. I love you Tracyanne!

Love Is All – Rumours
The Swedes are really good at constructing things: buildings, furniture, pop music. This song is built, not felt.

Big Black – He’s A Whore
Big Black covering Cheap Trick. That’s sick.

The Raconteurs – You Don’t Understand Me
I find the sound of Jack White actually trying to sign sweet, silly, and very compelling.