The Friday Five: July 10, 2014

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:

Since we’re officially 24 weeks away from Christmas it seems appropriate to shuffle through 2014’s offerings and see what sticks. —MP

“Sweetness Follows (live – Recorded in Cincinnati – Oct. 27,2004)” by R.E.M. (from Complete Rarities: Warner Bros. 1988-2011, 2014)

You know, for a defunct band, R.E.M. has sure put out a shitload of material in 2014. Granted, these rarities collections are just a simple re-packaging of the existing singles, and the Unplugged 1991/2001: The Complete Sessions set is (essentially) just a live release. Seriously, though, couldn’t you guys spread it out a little?

“Low Season” by Bob Mould (from Beauty & Ruin, 2014)

Beauty & Ruin is easily my favorite Bob Mould project since Sugar’s File Under: Easy Listening.

“Would You Even Try?” by Caleb Hawley (from Side 1, 2014)

Mr. Hawley switched stuff up pretty drastically with his latest release, bringing his R&B/Soul side to the forefront, and stretching outside the singer/songwriter box. The results are pretty compelling and definitely deserve a broader audience.

“Would You Fight for My Love?” Jack White (from Lazaretto, 2014)

So many questions today! I’m hot and cold on Jack White. I was never a fan of The White Stripes, but I really dug The Raconteurs. His first solo record had a few tunes that stuck in my craw, so I decided to give his latest release a try, but the jury is still out. There are a few winners, including this cut, but it’s not something I find myself going back to listen to repeatedly.

“Time Machine” by Ingrid Michaelson (from Lights Out, 2014)

I like Ingrid Michaelson, I greatly dislike her latest record.

Well, that was kind of a bust.

What’s on your shuffle today?