Zenformation Playlist 9/27/05

1. Come By or Call - Skating Club (Wishing Tree/Kimchee Records)
A down-tempo little track from the 2002 Bugs & Flowers album.

2. Move It On Over - Hank Williams
Now this is an old-school, my-woman's-kicked-me-out hillbilly stomp. Hank's early death was the first major underground/alternative tragedy (people tend to overlook the fact that early country music was considered uncool and unsophisticated by, well, almost everyone at the time. Folks wanted the latest Benny Goodman disc or the hottest Glenn Miller 45, not some Louisianan singing about love, death, and not-so-fun stuff.).

3. Code Blue - TSOL
My parents hated this song. I wanna fuck, I wanna fuck...the DEAD... hmmm. Wonder why? One of those great SoCal punk legends from the 1980s.

4. Riot Act - Bottom of the Hudson (Absolutely Kosher, 2005)
Absolutely Kosher has a much more diverse sound than many similar sized labels, most notably Saddle Creek. Bottom of the Hudson is one of their more talented artists, with a bit of that Pet Sounds/Brian-Wilson-as-deranged-artist sound.

5. The Wanting Bird - Rodeo Boy (Sit-N-Spin, 2001)
Rodeo Boy's probably one of the South's best kept secrets. The group has recorded several albums for North Carolina-based Sit-N-Spin. Still one of my favorite songs.

6. I Wanna Holler (But the Town's Too Small) - The Detroit Cobras, 2004
Reminds me a bit of the Blackhearts.

7. We're a Happy Family - The Ramones
I have about 50 favorite Ramones songs. This track is in the Top 10. Essential Ramones - random lyrics, three-chords, under three minutes.

8. Atlantic City - Bruce Springsteen
What can I say? Probably the best post-Dylan acoustic rock album. Dark and mysterious portrait of America.

9. Shattered Faith - Bad Religion
BR has been one of those stalwarts of punk music. Highly intelligent and just politically charged brain food.

10. Grounded - Pavement (Matador, 1995)
Across America, nearly every scenester kid in every scenester band has been essentially trying to rerecord old Pavement tunes for about a decade now - without admitting their trying to do so. Steven Malkmus's solo stuff has never hit me in the same way, but he's still a talented songwriter.