Stereogum recently had a post that where comedians were solicited to put thier iPods on Shuffle and comment about the first seven selections that show up. It's a pretty interesting read.

So I decided that I would comment about the last seven songs that show up. What would Sexxxy Party select that I would never, ever actually hear becuase I would never get that far? Well, here's what came up.


1) King Black Acid - Only Wine Will Tell
Jennifer Folker (of Dahlia) makes one of her two lovely guest appearances on this track from Royal Subjects. Beautiful, indeed. She’s in the elite class of goddesses that I want to sing in my bedroom, because they have the powerful, sultry, sexy voices. Think also Sky Cries Mary, Hooverphonic and the like.

Check out Jennifer’s beautiful voice when Dahlia plays the Doug Fir in Portland on June 30. And get there early enough to see Stalking Jane, as Jessica is also mighty fine. Granted, I’m biased - I’ve been a fan before the band existed, but you can fall in love with them yourself at their myspace.

2) Sigur Rós– njósnavélin (the spy machine)
Cut out any part of my shuffled playlist and you're bound to get a Sigur Rós track, mainly because they take up almost a meg of space on the nano. I love everything they do. I don’t catch on to the brilliance immediately, but eventually I just sit back, relax and give in. Seriously, listen to them. See? There’s nothing else you can do.

And this makes for the second lengthy track. Hmm. What’s next?

3) Wolf Parade – Dinner Bells
I’m having a disinterested love affair with this band. I don’t know anything about them and haven't made any effort to know anything about them, but I do know, 1) I crazy love their sound, 2) the lead singer must sing to me in my bedroom, and 3) you need three things to make a list.

Also, incredibly, this is another lengthy track, clocking in at seven and a half minutes. Is this shuffle really random?

4) Pretty Girls Make Graves – Liquid Courage
This falls into my narrow window music from rockin’ chick-fronted bands that I can tolerate. Think also Sleater-Kinney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gram Rabbit and the like.

5) Beirut – Postcards from Italy
What can I say? I’m a sucker for this new wave of male singer-songwriters. Zach Condon (aka Beirut) has eeked his way onto the bedroom list. And artists and songs like this make a fine example of what I like about where the music industry is heading.

<rant> I stopped listening to radio in the mid to late nineties, when every single radio station had a constant rotation of female crooner schlock like “Angel” or “Building a Mystery” or “Closer to Fine”. Even our only alternative radio station succumbed.

So bravo to the musicians and fans on the web who take the time to share music and opinions about bands they like, about so that others can wade though the wide assortment and find what they like, not what’s foisted on them by record companies who pay off radio stations to play what they want to sell. I never want to go back to the old ways. Ever. </rant>

6) King Black Acid – Passing Though the Photon Belt
Ok, my penchant for dreamy ambient pop is obvious, but I SWEAR, this isn’t all that I listen to. However, I do have all of KBA’s albums on the nano except Loves a Long Song (an album which ironically finds them abandoning their typical 18-minute long ambient tracks for catchy 4-minute pop songs). This song, again from Royal Subjects, clocks in at respectable (and amazing) 4-minutes.

And the very last song (drumroll please):

7) José González– Inst.
Oh, I love this man. He is beautiful. I don’t know why I don’t already have tickets to his show on Sunday night, (well, I do - money) but I think I’m going to go anyway, because I will kick myself for missing this show. This song is the last track on this only US-released EP, Stay in the Shade. I can safely say that there is nothing that he has put out to this point that I haven't liked.

So that's it boys and girls. Now back to more vacation adventure posts.