I only get music a few times a year, but when I do, it’s usually a lot. The last time I let myself get any new music was June 2010, before I left for Los Angeles. The time before that was July 2009. In between “music upgrades”, I keep an Excel spreadsheet (called “Pending Music Lists”) open and fill it with tracks I aim to get. Then I spend a ridiculous amount of time organizing everything at once. But it is all worth it.
And as an added bonus, Philadelphia is getting slammed with over a foot of snow. I told myself I’d be ready to go back to Los Angeles come December 30, and I will, but I also need to still see people. But that doesn’t concern you; you want to know what kind of mix I got for myself. Here’s a sample of tracks, artists, and albums:
-“Sirius” (Chicago Bulls championship theme, had to get it.)
-“We Used to Wait” and “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”, from Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs.
-Finally got new Beatles tracks spread over six albums. Good looking out iTunes. “A Day in the Life” is downright scary if you are listening to that song at the wrong time of night. Or, in other words, right at the time I post this.
-I can’t stand Diddy live. He does not sound good at all. But I got a few tracks from Last Train to Paris by Diddy-Dirty Money, and I’m feeling “Coming Home”. Maybe it’s because I’m home now, but I like the track a little more every time I hear it.
–My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. These are the only full albums I felt like acquiring at this time. I know better than to not get all of Kanye’s albums, but I got all of Kid Cudi’s sophomore effort almost solely on the strength of Man on the Moon: The End of Day.
-“Radioactive” and “Pyro” from Come Around Sundown, Kings of Leon. “Pyro” is probably the lesser known of the two, but it has an awesome bridge that has me repeating it often.
Nicki Minaj's alter ego in Super Mario Bros.
-I am perpetually annoyed by Nicki Minaj. She really does sound like a “Monster”, I’m not a big fan of Young Money in general (and yet, I got two tracks off of Lil Wayne’s I Am Not a Human Being), and she reminds me of Wendy O. Koopa. But something told me to get five tracks from Pink Friday. I can be a sucker for crossover samples: in “Roman’s Revenge (Feat. Eminem)”, there’s a sample from A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario”; in “Blazin’ (Feat. Kanye West)”, you can hear elements from Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”, the track at the end of The Breakfast Club; and Annie Lennox’s “No More I Love You’s” is sampled in “Your Love”. Intriguing enough for me to spend a spot.
-Had to add Paramore (2007’s “Misery Businees” and 2009’s “The Only Exception”).
-Not sure what kind of randomness led me to get “Roots Radical” and “Ruby Soho” off of Rancid’s 1995 album …And Out Come the Wolves.
Skee-Lo, I Wish.
–I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller, I wish I had a girl who looked good I would call her, I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat and a ’64 Impala…
The Age of Adz, released in October 2010
-I was introduced to Sufjan Stevens by My Favorite Viking, but I didn’t expect to actually acquire tracks of his for myself. In addition to four tracks from Seven Swans and Illinois, I got the first ten tracks off of The Age of Adz. A lot of it sounds like music from a 1992 role-playing game (“Get Real Get Right” especially), but I’m into those kinds of sounds sometimes. I didn’t get the final track 11, “Impossible Soul”, because it is over 25 minutes long and I have an unspoken rule about not acquiring songs that last more than ten minutes long.
-Of the three Taylor Swift tracks I got (RE: President Obama is a member of Black Men for Taylor Swift), one of them was “Innocent”. I figured, if I was going to get one track that had people talking about the 2010 MTV VMAs, I should get the other. I’m soooo objective.
-And a lot of club/party tracks from 2010 that I don’t even like that much for the most part but my inner DJ moved me to get them. I don’t need to tell you what they are, you can probably figure it out: Enrique Iglesias, Far East Movement, Flo Rida, Taio Cruz, Trey Songz, Usher.
In all, about 100 new tracks to put my library at an even 3575. Sweet deal, and I don’t expect to get new music again for at least a few months. I’m satisfied with that. Definitely comment on anything that piqued your interest, even if you are an eclectic robot. Actually, especially if you are an eclectic robot.
(And for those of you who are still wondering what Kujichagulia is, it’s the second day/principle of Kwanzaa, which means “self-determination”. I’m determined to get some rest now, because I have snow to move until the gray sun fades.)
-1SKILLZ