May playlist

The Top 10 played songs in my default jukebox application (in alphabetical order of artists) in the messy month of May. Maybe i should’ve listened to more sunshiny songs to lift myself up from the late night bad dreams?

1. Hate Me — Blue October.

2 .Maybe — Collective Soul.

3. Why? (Part 2) — Collective Soul.

4. Transatlanticism — Death Cab For Cutie.

5. A Bad Dream — Keane.

6. Porcelain — Moby.

7. Save Yourself — Sense Field.

8. Your Ex-Lover is Dead — Stars.

9. I Dare You To Move — Switchfoot.

10. The Humpty Dumpty Love Song — Travis.

The Flag

The phone rings, it’s early, it’s seven o’clock.
He says sorry I woke you, but I just had to talk
You know last night, remember when I tried to choke you?
I didn’t mean it, I was drunk, it was only a joke.
You should know that by now,
when the checquered flag comes down,
no one no one no one has won the race

The next night he’s over and over and under
and after he’s finished she lies there and wonders
just why does she need him and why does she stay here
and then in the darkness she’ll quietly say Dear,
you’ve never really known that when the white flag is flown,
no one no one no one has won the war.

They’re complicated people
leading complicated lives,
and he complicates their problems
by telling complicated lies
He tells her he’s sorry, she tells him it’s over,
he tells her he’s sorry, she says over and over
You’ve never really known that when the white flag is flown,
no one no one no one has won the war……………

buzzing in my head for hours.

– by Barenaked Ladies [Gordon, 1992].

Here’s one nice youtube cover (lyrics are a bit off, though).

Transatlanticism

By Death Cab For Cutie. The Song, not the album’s been buzzing in me atrophying brain for the last one week or so.  It’s always so. There’s this song or that travels through the corridors of mind for days. Then, phoom. Gone. But this one doesn’t want to leave.

This song is poetry. Deep.

(the unofficial video is a tad too mushy, but, well made for an unofficial video. Fits the song well.)

Song of the year

This song defines the year 2008 for me. Or maybe not since “define” is too a strong a word. But it’s close.

Plugplay

Today I have a mind to note down 10 albums I’ve really enjoyed. It’s not exactly a Top 10 list as I may be missing out some and I didn’t really get the opportunity to listen to every song from every album in my music library (time is a bitch), but it’s close. The albums are selected not only by presence of a few pleasing songs, but in their entirety, completeness, tone, rhythm and momentum of musical content. I am refraining from assigning the albums numerical values like a music channel countdown show. It’s not appropriate as I enjoyed each of these 10 albums in their own unique way.

Travis albums are not listed as truly each of their albums would comfortably end up in the list below. So I am giving all the 6 Travis albums an honorary mention. Here’s to you, guys.

To The Line!

1. Discovery (Daft Punk): The whole album is like a story, each song a chapter. Breathtaking. Notable songs: One More Time (we’re gonna celebrate), Something About Us, Digital Love, Voyager.

2. Ganging Up On The Sun (Guster): The songs slowly grew on me. One of my all-time favorite alt.rock albums. Notable songs: Satellite, One Man Wrecking Machine, The Captain.

3. Under The Iron Sea (Keane): Talk about existentialist angst. Rocking my Jockey. Notable songs: Bedshaped, A Bad Dream, Nothing In My Way, Walnut Tree.

4. MCMXC a.D. (Enigma): Bliss. Notable tracks: Principles of Lust, Sadeness.

5.  The Cross of Changes (Enigma): That’s what i call a complete New Age album. Notable songs: Age Of Loneliness, Return To Innocence, The Eyes of Truth.

6. How To Save A Life (The Fray): Saved my life from doldrums of everyday boredom. Notable tracks: Heaven Forbid, How To Save A Life, Over My Head.

7. Oxygene (Jean Michel Jarre): On a monsoon afternoon, I put the album on in the mp3 player and I’m teleported to another galaxy. Notable tracks: Oxygene (Part IV), Tangerine Dream.

8. Dreamland (Robert Miles): Exactly. Notable songs: Fable, Fantasya, Princess of Light, In My Dreams.

9. All About Chemistry (Semisonic)/ Welcome Interstate Managers (Fountains of Wayne): Both these remind me of my Higher Secondary high school days. I’m not a fan of the the album though I like it, I’m not sure about the band and I definitely don’t heart those two years of my life. Notable tracks: All About Chemistry, Sunshine and Chocolate; Hey Julie, Hackensack, Stacey’s Mom, Supercollider.

10. Blue (Third Eye Blind): Gives me the blues. Notable tracks: Never Let You Go, Slow Motion.

I think that’s just about it.