I've been downloading so much music and cramming it onto my IPOD (the 160 gig variety) that now when I play it on shuffle I often have to see what the hell it is I am listening to. Or when I attach it to my girlfriend's sound system and click shuffle, I have to repeatedly get up out of my seat, cross the room, and once again find out what the hell it is I am listening to, until curiosity trumps laziness, which hasn't happened yet. I wish it would.
Right now, I will try to guess ten songs on shuffle.
Song 1:
My Guess: Something by Portishead from the album with "Sour Times" album. Mellow, cool, and creepy as a rubber fist.
Result: Ding ding ding! One for one. "Strangers" from Dummy.
Song 2
My Guess: Nick Cave song from Dig, Lazarus, Dig, an album I've only listened to once (downloaded it before the summer). His distinctive voice gives it away. The chorus--"We're gonna have a real good time!"--is upbeat but also seems dark, like it could be playing during one of the murder scenes in Natural Born Killers. It's happy and upbeat, but it's happy and upbeat filtered through the fucking insanity of Nick Cave, and so necessarily it is happy and upbeat and unnecessarily goofy and randomly violent.
Result: Winner. Two for two. "Today's Lesson" is the name of the track. It would fit well in a mix tape entitled "The Dance Mix of Hate." Killing with a grin, service with a smile.
Song 3
My Guess: Barry White. That is all I know. Lots of strings. He's really belting it out there. Based on the chorus, I'd guess the title is "I'm Qualified to Satisfy You."
Result: Boom, bitches. Perfect so far.
Song 4
My Guess: Robyn. I downloaded a couple albums by this chick in April or May. I think I've listened to a half-dozen of her songs, but her high-pitched delivery and heavy pop vibe are unmistakable in my collection. I think this artist is a misfire. I mean, I don't think I'll ever say, "I didn't really like Robyn at first, but after playing her shit every single day for a month straight, I now see the light." But the song isn't really a crime against humanity, which is the criterion that would lead me to delete her album from my collection.
Result: Robyn, "Dancehall Queen." Four for four.
Song 5
My Guess: Hmm, tough one. Female singer. And I recognize her voice. Who is she? Ah, I think I know. I'm going to guess Fever Ray, who is the woman from . . . and now I can't remember the band she's part of. They made an excellent album about 7 years back. [Edit: the chick from Fever Ray is a member of the band called The Knife, whose album Silent Shout fucking rules.]
Result: Wrong. It's Arcade Fire from the Suburbs album, which I've listened to maybe once. Funny, my first thought when the song came on was that it was an Arcade Fire album, but then I owned myself by thinking too much.
Song 6
My Guess: Easy one. Traffic, "John Barleycorn Must Die." Does owning Traffic albums make me lame? I suppose it does.
Result: Correct. Five for six. Based on past performance, I would've guessed I'd be batting .500 by now.
Song 7
My Guess: Starts with a piano playing a few notes repeatedly. Then the violin playing the same melody over and over. More strings. The sound is growing, which strikes me as the modus operandi of Godspeed You Black Emperor! If I'm right, I can expect to relax for a while, because this song should last about 25 minutes.
Result: Wrong. The band is A Silver Mount Zion. The song is "Stumble Then Rise on Some Awkward Morning." I feel ripped off with this one, because some of the members of A Silver Mount Zion are also members of Godspeed, but wrong is wrong. Five for seven.
Song 8
My Guess: Another instrumental tune with lots of strings. Drawing a big blank so far. Man, I can't think of a single band that this song sounds like.
Result: Fuck. I got owned by Brian Eno. "Variation on the Canon in D Major: (ii) French Catalogs" from the album Discrete Music, which I have not yet listened to. I downloaded this one some time over the last two weeks. Five for eight. I should make a rule for this: If the song is instrumental, and if I have no clue who the artist is, I should guess Brian Eno.
Song 9
My Guess: This sounds like music for a vampire movie. The sun has just set. Looping music, drum machine, creepy synthesizers. My best two guesses are either John Maus or else Matthew Dear. I'm going to guess John Maus. I bet I'm way off. These instrumental songs are brutal. In fact, I'm not even sure whether Maus or Dear even make instrumental songs.
Result: Sigh. I want to facepunch myself. Amon Tobin, "Deo," from Supermodified. I should definitely have known this one. Five for nine. Maybe I'll bat .500 after all. Oh, and the drum machine just kicked into high gear. I should've waited until the song ended to make my guess, because his drum sound would've given Tobin away.
Song 10
My Guess: Easy one. A friend of mine from college absolutely loved Kate Bush and played her albums endlessly. Almost without variation. Anyhoo, this one is "Running Up That Hill" from the Hounds of Love album.
Result: Yup.
So I got 60 percent. Or to put it another way, if this had just been my first quiz, I would currently be getting a D in my own music.
Right now, I will try to guess ten songs on shuffle.
Song 1:
My Guess: Something by Portishead from the album with "Sour Times" album. Mellow, cool, and creepy as a rubber fist.
Result: Ding ding ding! One for one. "Strangers" from Dummy.
Song 2
My Guess: Nick Cave song from Dig, Lazarus, Dig, an album I've only listened to once (downloaded it before the summer). His distinctive voice gives it away. The chorus--"We're gonna have a real good time!"--is upbeat but also seems dark, like it could be playing during one of the murder scenes in Natural Born Killers. It's happy and upbeat, but it's happy and upbeat filtered through the fucking insanity of Nick Cave, and so necessarily it is happy and upbeat and unnecessarily goofy and randomly violent.
Result: Winner. Two for two. "Today's Lesson" is the name of the track. It would fit well in a mix tape entitled "The Dance Mix of Hate." Killing with a grin, service with a smile.
Song 3
My Guess: Barry White. That is all I know. Lots of strings. He's really belting it out there. Based on the chorus, I'd guess the title is "I'm Qualified to Satisfy You."
Result: Boom, bitches. Perfect so far.
Song 4
My Guess: Robyn. I downloaded a couple albums by this chick in April or May. I think I've listened to a half-dozen of her songs, but her high-pitched delivery and heavy pop vibe are unmistakable in my collection. I think this artist is a misfire. I mean, I don't think I'll ever say, "I didn't really like Robyn at first, but after playing her shit every single day for a month straight, I now see the light." But the song isn't really a crime against humanity, which is the criterion that would lead me to delete her album from my collection.
Result: Robyn, "Dancehall Queen." Four for four.
Song 5
My Guess: Hmm, tough one. Female singer. And I recognize her voice. Who is she? Ah, I think I know. I'm going to guess Fever Ray, who is the woman from . . . and now I can't remember the band she's part of. They made an excellent album about 7 years back. [Edit: the chick from Fever Ray is a member of the band called The Knife, whose album Silent Shout fucking rules.]
Result: Wrong. It's Arcade Fire from the Suburbs album, which I've listened to maybe once. Funny, my first thought when the song came on was that it was an Arcade Fire album, but then I owned myself by thinking too much.
Song 6
My Guess: Easy one. Traffic, "John Barleycorn Must Die." Does owning Traffic albums make me lame? I suppose it does.
Result: Correct. Five for six. Based on past performance, I would've guessed I'd be batting .500 by now.
Song 7
My Guess: Starts with a piano playing a few notes repeatedly. Then the violin playing the same melody over and over. More strings. The sound is growing, which strikes me as the modus operandi of Godspeed You Black Emperor! If I'm right, I can expect to relax for a while, because this song should last about 25 minutes.
Result: Wrong. The band is A Silver Mount Zion. The song is "Stumble Then Rise on Some Awkward Morning." I feel ripped off with this one, because some of the members of A Silver Mount Zion are also members of Godspeed, but wrong is wrong. Five for seven.
Song 8
My Guess: Another instrumental tune with lots of strings. Drawing a big blank so far. Man, I can't think of a single band that this song sounds like.
Result: Fuck. I got owned by Brian Eno. "Variation on the Canon in D Major: (ii) French Catalogs" from the album Discrete Music, which I have not yet listened to. I downloaded this one some time over the last two weeks. Five for eight. I should make a rule for this: If the song is instrumental, and if I have no clue who the artist is, I should guess Brian Eno.
Song 9
My Guess: This sounds like music for a vampire movie. The sun has just set. Looping music, drum machine, creepy synthesizers. My best two guesses are either John Maus or else Matthew Dear. I'm going to guess John Maus. I bet I'm way off. These instrumental songs are brutal. In fact, I'm not even sure whether Maus or Dear even make instrumental songs.
Result: Sigh. I want to facepunch myself. Amon Tobin, "Deo," from Supermodified. I should definitely have known this one. Five for nine. Maybe I'll bat .500 after all. Oh, and the drum machine just kicked into high gear. I should've waited until the song ended to make my guess, because his drum sound would've given Tobin away.
Song 10
My Guess: Easy one. A friend of mine from college absolutely loved Kate Bush and played her albums endlessly. Almost without variation. Anyhoo, this one is "Running Up That Hill" from the Hounds of Love album.
Result: Yup.
So I got 60 percent. Or to put it another way, if this had just been my first quiz, I would currently be getting a D in my own music.
nice. i did a lolle at the last sentence
ReplyDeletehaha Thanks
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