1. Shostakovich-Liberated Dresden-I love how political his works are. I don't associate classical music with political activism, but Shostakovich put himself on the line for his music, to the point where Stalin viewed him as a threat to the state. The greatest, most haunted, and most compelling 20th Century composer, I wouldn't be surprised if he were called the first punk rocker. The ending, an acerbic twist on "Ode to Joy," is one of my favourite moments in classical music. That isn't saying much, since I'm not well versed in classical, but still. I always want to write political songs/poetry, but they always turn out preachy and diatribic, so I have the utmost regard for people who can.
2. Bad Astronaut-Needle In the Hay-I downloaded this song because the original by Elliott Smith is one of my favourites of his. This pop-punk cover isn't bad, but it doesn't evoke the same provacative, stark, spooky atmosphere of Elliott's version. Elliott's version always makes me teary-eyed, and so the fact that I can mosh to it is disconcerning.
3. PJ Harvey-Snake-The 4-Track Demos version. I'm not that big a fan of this version of the song-the anger doesn't seem to be as focused as it is in the actual cd, and she sounds more constipated than ailing when she moans. I have a poster of her on the wall above my bed, and the sound of that gorgeous thing making such an ugly noise doesn't help the fantasies.
4. DJ Assault- Ass n Titties-The most catchy song in human existance. I had never heard the song until my friend Mel sang it in the car, and even her a cappella rendition while speeding down College Ave embedded itself in my head. I used to sing this song to myself while walking down the halls of my high school before I had heard the song. This raunchy electroclashesque song, with lyrics like "Stanky-ass bitches who need to wash up/Don't get mad if I don't want to fuck/You need soap and water/Soap and water" is a great booty shaker. I always put this on mix cds when I'm trying to impress the fellas and the ladies.
5. Patti Smith-Gloria-One of my favourite covers of all time. This proto-punk landmark, with its false ending, sizzles and rocks; the perfect way to spice up an old Van Morrisson song, with one of the greatest opening lines in rock history: "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine." Her androgynous picture on the album's cover (shot by Mapplethorpe) was one of my first exposures to females who didn't dress feminine.
6. Wheatus-Hump'em, Dump'em-A catchy song. I always thought that the title--"Here we go again, another hump 'em and dump 'em situation"--would make a good blog post title, but unfortunately I've never had the opportunity to use it. I think an instrumental version of this song is used for the theme song to Jackie Chan Adventures, which either makes the song cooler or lamer. I can't decide which.
7. Plastic Bertrand-Ca Plane Pour Moi-French surrealistic punk. My French is pretty atrocious, but I can understand some lines--4 colours going hop! in the gutter? Very pop punk, with a go-go like beat. My best friend Kat used to quote the song in class when the teacher asked a question and she didn't know the answer. "Et que la colle me manquera, Mme. Cimbalo."
8. Svelte-Five Alive-More pop-punk, this time about the joys of Five Alive. I don't like the juice, but I like the song. "You like 5-Alive and I like you. You like 5-Alive and you're cool.... I want to have some after school with you." How sweet. This song was originally given to me by a girl I dated in high school; it was her favourite band because they weren't 'scary,' like the music I listened to.
9. The Wild Party-Gin (Wild)-Showstopper from the Broadway show. A huge hodge podge of the songs, compiled into a dizzying, drunken frenzy. One of my favourite songs from a musical. When I was stage managing the kids show, I gave the director a ride home once , and tried to impress him with my knowledge of this song. He was a musical theatre major, and I thought that I could finagle my way into his pants...er, heart, with my knowledge of musicals. I had just gotten my drivers license, and he was an intern, so I should have known that it wouldn't have worked out.
10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Maps-This was 'our' song. I'm still not over him, even though it's been 4 months, and so I've been trying desperately not to listen to any of the mix cds that he gave me, or to any songs that I remember giving to him. It was fine, since most of the songs weren't on the radio. Unfortunately, this song became a minor MTV hit, and it's hard not to feel like a complete moron when watching a music video of your favourite band and you start to feel depressed.
