Music Shuffle Monday 01.31.11

1. "The Call" by The Backstreet Boys
This one came out several years after my BSB phase I went through in early Junior High, but ya gotta admit, it's got a catchy, bouncy beat with a fun sing-along chorus. The song itself is kinda interesting, as is the chorus which is an exchange between a BSB and his girlfriend, saying "listen baby, I'm sorry... just wanna tell you don't worry - I will be late, don't stay up and wait for me.  You're really dropping out, my battery is low - I'm going to place nearby, gotta go!" In the verses we learn what happened - he went out with the boys and met a woman who invited her back to his place... because of him going and lying to his girlfriend they're no longer together. It's catchy and amusing, in my opinion.

2. "Take Me to Your Leader" by the Newsboys
This song was big at my youth group in late Junior High, as the Newboys are a Christian pop-rock band and this album/tour had a space/alien-type theme to it (like Powerman5000 a few years later, they too wore spacesuits in the videos and on tour!). It was fun though and the album mixed fun songs like this one and "Breakfast" with more serious-themed ones.

3. "Rock This Town" by The Stray Cats
Got some good ol' Rockabilly going on here! Like most of my generation, we didn't learn about Brian Setzer until the late 90s when he helped bring back the sound of swing with his hit "Jump, Jive and Wail." This one's an older one, with his former band, but a good, classic modern swing-time favorite!

4. "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums" by A Perfect Circle
This one is off APC's 2004 politically charged eMotive album and while it's often considered to be a remix of "Pet" which appeared on their previous album Thirteenth Step (one of my all-time favorite albums might I add), they claim it's actually more like part 2 of the song. This version is a bit darker and more haunting though! I'm excited that it was announced a few months ago that APC is back together, planning tour and getting ready to release new music as I missed out on their tours during my early days of college and by the time I was really into them they had taken a hiatus. For those not familiar with APC, they're basically a supergroup, lead by Tool's Maynard James Keenan and members include the infamous Josh Freese (most known for being part of NiN's touring line-up), James Iha (formerly of the Smashing Pumpkins), Billy Howerdel (from Ashes Divide).

5. "Getting Smaller" by Nine Inch Nails
This one is off another one of my all-time favorite albums, With Teeth, and has a great, fast-paced driving rhythm to it.