Playlist: BPR’s Shuffled

Last year, I compiled a playlist of the music I played the most throughout the entire year via last.fm and made a mix CD for all of my friends. It turned out to be a one-time thing, but when Boston Progress Radio asked me to contribute for their Shuffled! project – write about the songs that come up on their iPods in shuffled mode – I thought it was a good idea.

The fact that my iPod has mostly songs that I’ve played the most in 2007 is just pure coincidence. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

The blog post for bprlive won’t be out for another month or two, but here’s an unabridged version of what I wrote for the post:

1. Tracey Thorn – It’s All True [video]

   I’m a huge fan of Everything But The Girl, thanks to a little Todd Terry remix of “Missing” that I listened to over and over again in college. This is my favorite track from her solo album – her sultry and sad vocals complement the driving electronic beat nicely. This is my pinnacle “dance in the kitchen while you’re washing dishes” song.

2. Inara George – Fools Work [video]

   Doing some YouTube searches on Bird and the Bee I came across this simple but beautiful music video by it’s lead singer, Inara George. The video was enough for me to run on iTunes and buy the entire album on the spot. The song is both memorizing and heartbreaking.

3. Federico Aubele – Postales [video]

   I’m a big fan of Thievery Corporation, and I’m a big fan of Gotan Project. So when someone in Brazil that I met off a social network recommended recommended this Argentine down-tempo artist to me, well, there’s no real way I’m going to NOT like the album. I listen to this track in bed before I drift off to sleep – the accordion and classical guitar is perfect to chill out to.

4. The Cat Empire – In My Pocket [no good video on youtube]

   I can’t find a good video for this song on YouTube. This is a damn shame, because this is an incredibly fun song by an incredibly fun Australian fusion band – you know, those rock, rap, ska fusion bands that have a brass section that play songs that frat boys smoke weed to. Should you get a chance to listen to this song, wait until the “na na na na” part, and I guarantee that you’ll have the tune in your head for the rest of the week.

   Coincidentally, this is the only song in this shuffle mix where it’s a guy singing vocals. Draw your own conclusions.

5. Tokyo Jihen – 遭難 (sounan) [video]

   I picked up both of Tokyo Jihen’s albums when I went on vacation to Tokyo this year. I won’t lie – because this song is in Japanese I have no idea what lead singer Shina Ringo is singing about. I don’t care. This song rocks.

6. Catherine McPhee – Over It [video]

   Up to now, if you didn’t know any better you would think I’m only into indie, or at the very least, non-mainstream music. This is an outright lie, as I’m actually one of the biggest whores of pop music you’ll ever meet. Case in point, Catherine McPhee, runner-up to Taylor Whatshisface in American Idol. Pop music – especially cheesy ballads – is awesome because they capture one emotion amazingly well: the feeling of getting your heart ripped out from your chest and being stomped into a million pieces. Or convincing yourself that you will get over said heart-ripping, when everyone knows you’re really just fooling yourself.

   I had a couple of heart-stomped-on moments last year, and Ms. McPhee has done wonders for my sanity. For which, I am truly grateful.

7. Priscilla Ahn – Dream [video]

   Asian American artist alert! I first heard about Priscilla Ahn on MP3 blog aurgasm.us, where the following comment was posted on the blog: “A songbird voice, if ever I’ve heard one. She makes me relax and feel like I am sitting right in the middle of nature. To be able to sing a song and bring a near 60 year old woman back to feeling like she’s 12 again is an amazing feat.” Yeah, that pretty much describes it nicely. Dream kinda makes me want to cry.