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Friday Five : |ˈfrÄ«dā – fÄ«v| : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button in iTunes and share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up the media player of your choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

The Five:

“Home Again” by Michael Kiwanuka (from Home Again, 2012)

Filling the void left by Bill Withers’ 30 year absence from the music industry is no small mountain to tackle, yet Michael Kiwanuka seemed ready to scale the heights in 2012. Things have been pretty quiet on the Kiwanuka front ever since.

“Apple” by Cibo Matto (from Viva! La Woman, 1996)

For me, Cibo Matto always danced on that line between kitschy-cool and annoying. Viva! La Woman was fun for the first few listens, but lost its shine pretty quickly.

“Believe in Me” by Sloan (from Select Singles 1992-2011, 2011)

Who doesn’t like free music? If you have no clue who Sloan is and would like to remedy that, head on over to Noisetrade and download this most excellent collection of most excellent tunes. If you dig T-Rex, Slade, and any of the ’90s Brit-rock/pop acts you will likely find something to love in Canada’s Sloan.

“Your Smile” by RenÁ© & Angela (from Street Called Desire, 1985)

Aww, yeah. This record is as sexy as $240 worth of pudding.

“Borderline” by Madonna (from Madonna, 1983)

I imagine me hearing this is akin to my folks hearing the bubblegum pop of the ’50s; hearing the opening synths immediately transports me to a very specific time and place. Maybe that’s why I shun Madge’s recent, clawing attempts at remaining relevant, as her music relives itself in a very specific time—albeit a 15-odd-year span—in my mind. (It could also be that Madonna’s most recent records are truly awful.)

What’s on your shuffle today?

About the Author

Michael Parr

Husband, Father, Writer, Musical Voyeur, Pop Culture Glutton, Gourmet in Training. I'm the tall guy behind all these short guys. You can find me on the Twitter.

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