Uncompleted Works

I’m a bit of a music junky, and I rotate what I listen to in phases. Usually, it is a guarantee I am listening to something you’ve never heard of. Recently, I was in a synthpop phase. Now I’ve inexplicably found myself listening in a wispy pop-rock from Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland. (Lise Westzynthius, Stina Nordenstam/Anna Ternheim and Hera Hjartardóttir respectively). Not to mention, I always find myself coming back to popular music of Japanese origin, lately the strangley catchy techno-pop of Perfume.

I thought it would be interesting to take look at my most listened to music. It got a little out of hand, and I couldn’t address all 40, so I’m just taking choice selections. To give you an idea, when I began writing this post last month I had . At this rate, it is almost time to upgrade my iPod.

Here are the rules I set for myself:

1. No playlists, just the raw library of music.
2. No Podcasts, videos, streams or self made projects.
3. No cheating! Any embarrassing songs I’ve listened to must stay and be acknowledged.

Here are some choice cuts from my list, a little bit about them, and why they appear on my top 40.

Artist & Album: It’s hard to ignore there is a lot of Daft Punk on the list. Discovery is a great album especially with the accompanying movie Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. If your exposure to Daft Punk has been relegated to youtube videos of people shaking their hands or the Kayne West’s lame an sample-riffic song “Stronger” check them out.

How I got into them: I was at a party with one of those hokey “Let’s Pump IT UP!” DJ’s emceeing. Ya know, the kind usually only found at weddings and Bar Mitzvahs where the DJ tires to get everyone to play silly games with props to win a prize. I begrudgingly participated, I think I won the “freeze dance” competition. My prize was the four track single for “Around the World” I was enthralled; The way the bass thundered in, building slowly then exploding at 24 seconds. I was hooked.

Why they are on my top 40:
Discovery is one of those “every-time” albums. You’d feel at home listening to it in your car, or while you were cleaning your house. Certainly on the dance floor. The album is chock full of awesome grooves to dance to. Electronic music and synth music has always held a dear spot in my heart, I love the complexity of sound, which is often complemented by less complex lyrics.

Artist & Album: Ani Difranco’s “Back Back Back” takes my top spot as most listened to song in my playlist. The track comes from her 1999 album To The Teeth. Actually I’m surprised this is my top listen, but I love the song. The album To The Teeth was a departure from the “me and my guitar” folk sensibility I was used to on Not A Pretty Girl and featured a horns section and a noted Jazz influence. The song has an elegant break down mid-way as Difranco bemoans “You’d better put some beauty back, while you got the energy.”

How I got into them: Back in my days of following Tori Amos from concert to concert [more on that in a different post] I was hanging with a very emotionally perceptive crowd [read: Hurt people who wore everything on their sleeves]. Inevitably they’d bring up Ani Difranco as music for women scorned, and something I should check out. Being a guy, I couldn’t directly relate to some of the songs subject matter (i.e. “My Cunt is built like a wound that won’t heal”) but nonetheless I enjoyed the core message and rapid fire, and highly technical guitar picking.

Why they are on my top 40: In my freshman year of college I was going through some tough times. I had a 5 CD changer at the time and I looped the same five albums over and over again. Many of them appear on this list. There was a strong emotional connection to music for the scorned, and I gleefully wallowed in it. Some things never change.

Artist & Album: I was originally introduced to the Bôa song “Duvet” through the anime Serial Experiements Lain where it served as the opening theme song. “Duvet” comes from the 1998 album The Race of a Thousand Camels which I readily admit to never listening to. [Since beginning this post, I've actually tracked down the album.]

How I got into them: Serial Experiments Lain is one of those “chew your mind up and spit it out” sort of anime. The only breather you really had to reset your mind between episodes was the awesome theme song, which completely set the mood for the show. The more I watched and re-watched the show, the more ingrained this song has become.

Why they are on my top 40: The song is unique to me for many reasons; it is a one of very few Western opening songs for a Japanese Television show. (Speed Grapher did use “Girls on Film” and Densha Otoko used ELO’s “Twilight”) The lyrics of “Duvet” speak both as a component of the television show and its story – doubt, fear, losing oneself, identifying oneself – and as a stand alone narration “I am falling, I am fading, I drowning, help me to breathe…” Depressing isn’t it?

Artist & Album: Ah, yes, Japan. The quintessential New Wave Band from UK. Quiet Life is the title track and namesake of Japan’s 1980 album. The track also enjoyed some new exposures as it was licensed in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

How I got into them: Quite simply, I had never heard of Japan. A music-nut buddy of mine gave me a copy of the album and said “You’ve gotta listen to this album, it will rock your world!” Though I like to pretend I’m well versed musically, my friend can talk circles around me, so I took his word for it.

Why they are on my top 40: The whole album is infectious. David Sylvian’s vocals are haunting and mellifluous. The likes Japanese vocalist Gackt owe a lot to the sensibilities of the 1980′s New Wave movement. Songs like “Quiet Life” are a moment in time that I’m not sure will ever be recaptured.