SHUFFLE, PART 1

So here's what we're gonna do.

Set your iTunes or iPod on shuffle, and talk about the first 5 songs that come up!

01. "RED LANTERN GIRLS" BY VETIVER

I just saw these guys in concert in October when they opened for The Shins, but I that wasn't my introduction to them. Cameron had put me onto these guys last year, coincidentally after seeing them live here in NYC as well. It was an awesome show, but I was getting frustrated with the crowd because it seemed like none of them really knew Vetiver, and weren't giving them the participation and attention they deserve. I love the first half of "Red Lantern Girls", but when it suddenly changes instrumentation halfway through I usually skip to the next track.

02. "SUMMER SMOKE" BY GIRL TALK

I honestly don't know anything about Girl Talk, but my brother sent me a bunch of their stuff over the summer and its all pretty cool. Mostly just these crazy ass mash-ups of like a million different songs, all sampled into one. "Summer Smoke" for instance layers Kanye West's "Gold Digger" over Pilot's "Magic" LOL.

03. "NO ONE" BY ALICIA KEYS

I've wanted to marry Alicia Keys for as long as I can remember her being around. She's just incredible. Her albums have always coincidentally been released at really interesting times my life, where I was in the middle of learning and changing. Her first one came out during the crescendo of life in Tokyo, her second right in the midst of adjusting to living back in America. I've found I don't listen to a great deal of R&B anymore, but of course I picked up her new album. "No One" is amazing, and I hear something profound in her voice that wasn't there before.

04. "OPEN HEART SURGERY" BY THE BRAVERY

We used this song in our film "Twilight", so of course that's what it primarily reminds me of. As soon as the first chord comes in, I immediately envision the sped-up shot driving across the bridge at night, going into the scene with Aaron and Cole. If you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about. "Open Heart Surgery" has lyrics that are basically just professing love, but the music itself is super melancholy, or as Cam's brother eloquently put it like "suicide music" hahahaha. I love The Bravery though.

05. "THE SLEEPLESS" BY THE SHAKY HANDS

All bias aside, Portland Oregon has shit on lock. Who else is really touching us, musically? The Shaky Hands is one reason for that. "The Sleepless" was the first song of theirs I heard, and it remains my favorite. It reminds me of a sunny day back home, one of those days where there isn't much to do but you're perfectly content with just lounging around your neighborhood.