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What I’m listening to this week:

“Gender Bombs” — The Stills. One of my coworkers recently made me a mix CD and this is the first track, an anthemic little gem that makes for great driving music. The entire chorus consists of the phrase “The girl will school you,” repeated over and over, just in case you missed the point the first time. The song is from the band’s album Logic Will Break Your Heart, which may be one of the best titles I’ve ever heard.

“Destiny” — Zero 7. I was first mesmerized with Zero 7 when I heard “In the Waiting Line” while watching Zach Braff trip on Ecstasy as he played Spin the Bottle in Garden State. (Which reminds me, I just saw Natalie Portman’s gangsta rap SNL digital short, which is one of the most brilliant things SNL has put out in ages. My favorite line? “All the kids lookin’ up to me can suck my dick!” Heh, girl’s got a brass set to match. But back to the song.) This one’s about, what else? Destiny. It’s not quite as heady or sensual as “In the Waiting Line,” but it has its own mesmerizing beauty about it.

“Sorry” — Madonna. Once I get past her abysmal attempts to apologize in French, German, and Italian, I’m in the zone and coasting along on any project I’m working on at work. I get a lot of things done to this song, and I get them done fast. Who knew the material girl could boost productivity?

“Alone in Kyoto” — Air. What can I say? I just watched Lost in Translation again. When I need to tune out the chatter and remember that there’s more to life than the superficial, I just slip on the earphones and listen to this song.

“Roads” — Portishead. Dummy is one of my favorite albums, and this is my favorite song on that album (athough “Glory Box” is a close second). It’s haunting, sensual, hypnotic, and heady. Oh, and sexy as hell.

 

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What I’m listening to this week:

“Remember the Name” — Fort Minor. This one is currently set to continuous repeat on my iPod. I first noticed it on an ESPN commercial last week promoting the Florida-Auburn game. Now it’s the first rap song in my iTunes library. I cannot stop listening to it. It’s a great song about determination that also challenges your mad math skillz. And, c’mon, what motherfucker doesn’t love that?

“Take Me Out” — Franz Ferdinand. When I’m not listening to “Remember the Name,” I’m listening to this quirky gem. The tempo change-ups rock and showcase some great musical originality.

“Mr. Brightside” — The Killers. No explanation necessary. How can you NOT love this song, the most upbeat ditty about seething jealousy ever recorded? Just crank it up–all the way up–and go. However, if you’re driving while listening to this song, don’t blame me when you get that $250 speeding ticket. You’ve been warned.

“How to Save a Life” — The Fray. Yeah, it’s totally mediocre and everybody in middle America is listening to it. Well, so am I, and I don’t even watch Grey’s Anatomy.

“Under the Gun” — Supreme Beings of Leisure. It’s an old one that I first discovered on the very first episode of Alias, my favorite TV show in the world until it sucked ass and started feeding me shit about the Covenant and Prophet Five and eventually turned into Sydney Joins The CIA And Totally Gets Mauled By Vampires And Zombies And Shit While Her Fiance Gets Shot A Bazillion Times At Point-Blank Range With A Semi-Automatic And Totally Lives To Father Two More SpyBabies And Live Happily Ever After, And All Because Lena Olin Totally Screwed Everyone Over By Wisely Jumping Ship Before It Was Too Late. Suck it, J.J. Abrams! I’m not going to be there when Lost turns into Gilligan’s X-Files (Now With Asians!) Got that? Not that I’m bitter or anything. Anyway, the show did feature some kick-ass music over the years. If you want to feel superswank (copyright: one Marshall Flinkman), just crank up the opening sequence of this tune and try to walk without attitude. You will fail.

“Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell” — The Flaming Lips. Listen to it and tell me you don’t feel like you’re tripping in some alternate space odyssey. But of course you have no experience with that, right?

“Right Here, Right Now” — Fatboy Slim. Because when the shit’s going down, this is a great song to have playing in the background. And of course there’s nothing more important than having the right background music when the shit’s going down. Everybody knows that.

 

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I’ve recently discovered two new bands, and now I can’t stop listening to either one of them. The first band is Death Cab for Cutie, whose latest CD, Plans, is incredible. It’s the only thing I play in my car nowadays. One of my friends who has excellent taste in music introduced the band to me, and I’ll listen to anything she recommends. The other band is called…wait for it…I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness. Really. The name alone makes them worth checking out. I first heard them while Robert, Sarah, and I were road tripping across the state on our winery trip last week. The album I’m currently addicted to is called Fear Is On Our Side. Both are great for road trips or for when you just want to chill for a while. Check them out, I think you’ll like them.