Music

Ever curious what music people are listening to when they run? No? Well, unfortunately that's all I have to offer this week, so maybe check back next week.  But before you go, if you haven't already, how about a donation to support Team Brookline?  Just click the big green banner on the right.

For those of you who are still reading, the following is a sample of what has been loaded into my iPod shuffle for what feels like the last 50 years. Which is odd, because while I don't have "a lot" of music by some people's standards, I still have 700+ hours worth. Yet I keep listening to these same songs. At first I assumed I was just being lazy. But then I bought a new shuffle and, yup, loaded the exact same songs. Note the "comfort in repetition" theme from my last post. Occasionally new tracks will sneak in, and this is not an exhaustive list. But these are the anchors that will carry me through April.

Disclaimers:

1) I watched most of most of these links, but if something inappropriate happens to surface, you know what to do. That's right, dump the nearest hot liquid on your computer.

2) You may not like any of this music.

Without further ado, my top 19, in no particular order:

• Percussion Gun by White Rabbits - "I know which way to run!" Apparently this was on the Friday Night Lights soundtrack? Who knew.

• Dance Yrself Clean by LCD Soundsystem. Bonus versions featuring absurd street skiing, and Muppets. 

• Atlas by Battles. How is this not the entrance music for an NBA team? (Maybe because the lyrics sound like gibberish.
• Mountains in the Sky by Noah's Arkestra. But this track was featured in an old NBA playoffs commercial.
• List of Demands by Saul Williams. And I lifted this from a Nike commercial a few years back. A lot of overlap with my "good music from commercials" playlist. 
• I Gotta Rokk by DJ Shadow. "Shake yourself alive!"  Must listen with good headphones.
• Stomp by The Roots. I always thought the first 30s of this track was my own little personal "Any Given Sunday" speech. (Turns out it was a Georgia Tech pre-game speech.)
• Escape Velocity / Superflash by The Chemical Brothers. This is probably better suited for a 5k. Also, honorable mention for the rest of the Don't Think album.
• Air War by Crystal Castles. According to Dan this is the only good track this group has.
• Not Even Jail by Interpol. iTunes claims I've only played this song 109 times. I think that's conservative.
• Higher Ground by TNGHT. This post does a much better job of describing these guys than I ever could: "These are beats that are part Star Fox soundtrack, part mad/evil scientist, part synths bigger than the house you grew up in, part snap music that will crack your knuckles in two"
• Middle Distance Runner by Sea Wolf. Not a very clever song. But as a former middle distance runner it's good reverse psychology on the longer runs.
• Heaven by U.N.K.L.E. Atmosphere music for when you're zoning out on a run. Or dead. Either one really. Bonus points awarded for an awesome Spike Jonze skateboarding video. Make sure you get to at least the 2 min mark.
• Unsung by Helmet. Metal circa 1992? I have no idea how this ended up in my walkman, but I listened to this track before every single race in college. Without exception. Hasn't really held up that well, but it always gets the sentimental nod.
• Little Black Submarines by The Black Keys. Helps me start slow. And then blows out my eardrums.
• (Just Like We) Breakdown (DFA Remix) by Hot Chip. A quick lesson in self-hypnosis. Comes in handy when running 26 miles.
• Rock Co. Kane Flow by De La Soul ft MF Doom. This is a pretty obscure De La track from a not-so-great De La album. But coming out of the breakdowns is best summed up by Doom: "He said it made him tougher than a bump of raw medicine."
• Don't Pretend You Didn't Know by Dinosaur Jr. "Waiting on the line, all the people thinking why." Amherst MA natives still rocking 30 years later. God bless Dinosaur Jr.
• Wolf Like Me by TV On the Radio. Live Letterman version linked. Sorry, I need to go for a run. Be right back....