Memophilia

From NYMary...

List ten songs that you are currently digging...it doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're no good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the ten songs in your blog. Then tag five other people to see what they're listening to.

Well, I generally just let my iPod cycle through in alphabetical order at work, so I don't really hone in on any specific songs. Generally speaking, when I need to put together a quick playlist at home, it's usually New Pornographers, Killers, and Keane. I'll try to "current-load" my favorite songs, but this is probably more of a mix of current favorites and all-time favorites, in no particular order:

1. "It's Only Divine Right", by The New Pornographers. Love the keyboard on this one. They have at least two other songs that could easily go on this list as well.

2. "Mr. Brightside"/"Somebody Told Me", by The Killers. Honestly, I just cannot choose here. Both absolutely great songs - I like "Somebody Told Me" more musically, but I just can't resist the bitterness and anger of "Mr. Brightside".

3. "Bend And Break", by Keane. I also like "Somewhere Only We Know", but I like the melody of this one better. Man, what a voice. Even sounds good live on SNL, which is rare, IMO.

4. "Hatred", by The Kinks. Not sure why this song never became popular. I find it catchy, and angry and bitter is always a plus.

5. "Asleep In Perfection", by Augie March. Just exquisite. Beautiful, beautiful song.

6. "Skin Deep", by The Stranglers. Smoothly sinister in both lyrics and music. Had a pretty keen video, too.

7. "I Go To Work", by Kool Moe Dee. I'm not a huge rap fan, but the lyrics are great, and the horns really make it work musically. Best. Rap. Song. Ever. I'm sure that's probably blasphemy, but what the hell.

8. "Please Remember Me", by The Swans. I found this song by accident, mislabeled as "100", by Nick Cave, who my girlfriend and I are big fans of. It turned out to not be Cave, or even anyone in Cave's orbit, and my girlfriend drove several huge Cave fans mad trying to figure out what it was. It's very spooky and haunting, and everyone I know of who's heard it has really dug it, including the Cave fans.

9. "Sonne", by Rammstein. I really like Rammstein, but most of their songs are relentlessly driving and ugly-in-a-good-way. "Sonne", however, has a chorus that mingles their usual German gutturals with very ethereal female vocals, and the effect is just beautiful. And the video where they're the Seven Dwarves and Snow White is a sexual sadist who shoots up the gold they mine, well, that's just icing on the cake. They also have a video with soccer-playing ants...

10. "I Believe In A Thing Called Love", by The Darkness. Very catchy, and I like how the lead singer's voice always seems to be just on the verge of spinning completely out of control. And yet another cool video. If this video were somehow beamed back in time to the 70s, these guys would have been worshipped as GODS.

Really, there's at least 10 more songs that could easily go on this list - I think it's probably just a matter of what day you catch me on. Some honorable mentions:

Rolling Stones - "Paint It Black"
Oingo Boingo - "Not My Slave"
Bach - "Singet Dem Herrn Ein Neues Lied"
AC/DC - "Thunderstruck"
Erasure - "I Love To Hate You"
Benny Goodman - "Sing Sing Sing (With A Swing)"
Nick Cave - "Nature Boy", "Supernaturally", "There She Goes My Beautiful World"
Delerium - "A Poem For Byzantium"
Sisters Of Mercy - "This Corrosion"
Europe - "The Final Countdown"
The Jack Rubies - "Wrecker Of Engines"

And so on (okay, more than 10)...

I'm not sure I can come up with 5 people who haven't been tagged already either, so if you want to list your Current Top Ten here or at your own place, please feel free.