10 TRACK MIND: Random Rules

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10 TRACK MIND: Random Rules

POSTED: Monday, April 19, 2010, 9:40 PM

Filed Under: Music 10 Track Mind

I set my iPod on shuffle. Here's where it led me.

1. O'Death, "Lean-To" Not too shabby. Kind of a brash cymbal crashing thing. I'm more familiar with O'Death's quieter, scarier moments. But I dig this. Somebody book them on a tour with the Felice Bros.

2. Deerhoof, "Siriustar" I've never given Deerhoof much of a chance, having dismissed them as a too-purposelessly weird band that got away with murder because they were cute and strange. But this one's kinda tuneful, and it goes from soft to loud in non-annoying ways. Good strong freakouts, too. Maybe I was the problem all along.

3. Karate, "Sever" I've always reserved a darkened corner in my soul for Geoff Farina's melting butter vocals and jazzy guitar solos. Especially with Karate where even a catchy rock number song like this one can really spook me out. "Once again back out on the highway/ watch the traffic, you know it's a Friday/ all the seat belts in all the vans won't change your plans."

4. Tullycraft, "Fall 4 U" I have a feeling the opening keyboard riff was swiped right from the concert scene in Revenge of the Nerds, but I don't wanna look it up and find out I'm wrong. It would just make so much sense for this adorable little bedroom pop song, with its girl-boy vocals (Jen Abercrombie and Sean Tollefson) and jingle-worthy melody. "Dusty couldn't blame us/ we were young and indie famous still/ not enough to save us from our fear of heights/ You know they might call it a gamble/ or an Oklahoma scramble/ we left the basement in a shamble on those summer nights." God, it feels like it's been centuries.

5. Quasi, "Mama, Papa, Baby" Beautiful old rocksichord-driven song from Quasi's 1997 record R&B Transmogrification. They play Johnny Brenda's on Friday, and their new one has a sleeper's shot at best album of the year. 6. Illinois, "Hang On" I listened to this one so much last year I got sick of it, but I guess that's over. Still great song. Catchy verses, strange electronic chirps and a wonderfully paranoid worldview.

7. Elfin Saddle, "The Living Light" Total Decemberists-lite snoozefest until the three-minute mark, when the drums and guitar get rolling. Then it's a galloping Lord of the Rings kinda thing. Not my scene, but hey: They are called Elfin Saddle, so they make no bones about it. How they got on my iPod is the real mystery.

8. Mary Margaret O'Hara, "40 Stories" A pretty acoustic-jazzy thing from The Believer's 2009 Music Issue. Turns out she's Catherine O'Hara's sister. Huh. 9. Lefty's Deceiver, "Harbour Sounds" This is a live track (recorded at The Coda Tavern in DE, not sure when) by one of my favorite bands of all time. I can't ever write about them because I know them too well, but damn. Amazing loud mathy rock and roll. This track is excellent. A little lo-fi and totally fierce. There's a little Facebook movement going on to get a Lefty's reunion together.

10. Pavement, "Unseen Power of the Picket Fence" Ah. This is the recently reunited indie godfathers' tribute to R.E.M. I first heard it on the once-revered No Alternative comp, but my iPod tells me it's on the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain expanded deluxe reissue that came out a couple years ago. A weird song in general, but kinda linear for Pavement. Wanna do a 10 Track Mind? Write me: pat@citypaper.net.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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