I put the ol’ iRiver on shuffle and post the first five songs that come up.
B’z – ULTRA SOUL: B’z is an incredibly popular pop rock band from Japan. The duet has regularly released music for almost two decades since 1988, managing to produce fifteen original albums. B’z is, however, a case of quantity over quality and I have never been entirely convinced that their music is relatable and deserving of the acclaim they receive. However, Tak Matsumoto and Koshi Inaba are quite capable of producing radio-friendly songs and “ULTRA SOUL” is one exception to my dismissal. With a catchy chorus accompanying an almost synth rock quality amidst a refreshingly open guitar solo, “ULTRA SOUL” was a fantastic single when it was released in the Spring of 2001, but it makes an even better summer single for any year.
MSTRKRFT – Work On You: For a while there, I was really getting into electronic-dance music, you know, when it seemed all the hipsters and college kids were switching from stale indie-rock to upbeat dance music like this song here…until I realized how freakin’ annoying electro-pop can be in large quantities. While I still think it’s an incredible genre filled with unique and incredibly talented artists like Cut Copy (and I can’t freakin’ wait for their new album), Junior Boys, and Venus Hum, I’m becoming wary of music that seems a mish-mash of bleeps and bloops and robot voices. On that note, how many more remixes of Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” can we hear before the album drops on the 11th? For realz.
Erasure – A Little Respect (Acoustic Version): Erasure is a popular synth pop outfit that began releaing music in 1985. However, despite their consistent releases, the group still retains only a cult following, perhaps for their cult classic “A Little Respect,” a typical 80s pop number from 1988. This version is an acoustic rendition of the single, and while it’s interesting to hear a toned-down rendition of the song, I do recommend you track down the original, as the acoustics do little illustrate the quirky nature of the original.
Ashlee Simpson – Boyfriend (Garcia & Page Club Mix): Don’t judge me!!
Hans Zimmer – Drink Up Me Hearties: From everybody’s favorite movie starring pirates, this is the final song played in the very last scene of the trilogy. While I applaud Hans Zimmer’s entire discography and his ability to take over where Klaus Badelt left off on the original soundtrack, I am however, almost appalled how similar Zimmer’s latest pieces are beginning to sound (compare The Da Vinci’s Code’s “Chevaliers de Sangreal” to “One Day” off of the same Pirates soundtrack and you’ll get an idea of what I mean). However, you don’t really need to worry too much about that in this song, as it’s basically yet another take on the classic theme song that everybody is getting sick of.
appears 