Metronomic

I must admit, I think I had a harder time with this month’s theme than either Matt or Rudi because I’m just not as musical as the two of them. Rudi plays guitar (beautifully, I might add) and was in a band in high school, and Matt is a freakishly talented hip-hop producer and DJ and is also in a band. Me? I’m just a voracious fan of music with a loud mouth. To wit: when talking about finding tunes for our lists Matt talked about reacting to the boogie bassline throughout “Drive My Car” and trying to match that. Me? I tried to find songs whose beat made me tap my fingers at the same rate. Not quite as insightful, right? But hopefully just as fun.

So that was my brilliant plan for this month: isolate that driving, metronomic, cowbell-ready beat from “Drive My Car” and find its twins (or at least first cousins) in my music collection. What I discovered is that, at least to my ear, “Drive My Car” has a rather unique beat/tempo: nearly all of the songs I auditioned for my list were either just a little slower or just a little faster than it. So if my list isn’t a perfect match, I beg forgiveness. It’ll still make your fingers tap all the way from Newton to Garden City, KS, tho…

1. The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army”
   This is, of course, lead single and biggest hit from Elephant, the album that welcomed the Stripes to the mainstream. Jack White’s guitar solos are blistering and lyrical, and Meg transforms that consistent, driving beat into an awesome, thrashy stomp. I get bonus points, too, ’cause the song name-checks Wichita.
2. Spoon, “The Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentine”
   Something about sound of the drums and the added strings here reminds me of the Beatles’ “white album” — dunno exactly what it is, but I like it. Actually, I absolutely lurved Spoon’s Gimme Fiction, which this song is from.
3. Texas, “Where Did You Sleep?”
   Sadly, most American audiences probably know Texas (the band, that is) best from the soundtracks to movies like Bend It Like Beckham and Love, Actually, and that’s a real shame: the Scottish band has been steadily releasing albums of unbelievably catchy, smart, blue-eyed soul-pop for years, and frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri has a can’t-miss voice. Time to give them their due, folks. This should have been the biggest single from their 2003 album Careful What You Wish For, but it didn’t even get an official release. It’s an excellent, excellent song.
4. Gorillaz, “Dare”
   The animated collaboration between Damon Albarn and Danger Mouse was a spectacular success, and this second single from Demon Days features famous drunk/Mancunian Shaun Ryder on vocals. According to Wikipedia, the song was initially titled “It’s There,” but Ryder’s thick accent while delivering that line sounded more like “it’s dare,” so it was changed.
5. Looper, “Mondo 66″
   I owe my pal Julie for hooking me up with the mp3 of this song — it was always one of those tunes I heard in commercials and movie trailers that made me say “what is that song!?!,” so it’s nice to finally figure it out.
6. Wilco, “The Thanks I Get”
   It’s crazy, but the best song from Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky sessions isn’t on the album — it’s this tune, released as a digital single just before the album’s release back in May. Alt.country-rock at its finest.
7. The Darkness, “Friday Night”
   I was actually really heartbroken when The Darkness broke up earlier this year: I loved their serious/smirking take on bombastic hair metal, and I’m sad that we won’t likely see any genius music videos featuring giant, furry, purple aliens again anytime soon. We can still revel in the tunes, tho, especially this cheeky anthem. Its video, by the way, is absolutely brilliant.

Download: The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Spoon, “The Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentine” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Texas, “Where Did You Sleep?” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Gorillaz, “Dare” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Looper, “Mondo 66″ (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Wilco, “The Thanks I Get” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Darkness, “Friday Night” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Uncle Sam’s “Metronomic” (XML Playlist)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

You can grab the whole thing in a single ZIP file, too:

Download: “Metronomic” (ZIP)
(Click here for download instructions)