The Friday Five: November 9, 2012

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:

Let’s take a shuffle through 2012, shall we?

“Major” by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour (from Out of Frequency, 2012)

Most of you are probably peripherally aware of The Asteroids Galaxy Tour via their tune “The Golden Age,” which was heavily featured in a Heineken ad campaign a few years back. The band’s 2012 release, Out of Frequency, is a funky bit of pop that is well worth seeking out.

“Old Friend” by Sea Wolf (from Old World Romance, 2012)

I tripped over Sea Wolf during a spin through Spotify’s recommendations. While they reek of the typical trappings of AAC radio darlings, there is something a bit more sincere than their contemporaries. The Coldplay comparison is inevitable, but that’s not an awful thing, right?

“Gaucho” by Dave Matthews Band (from Away From the World, 2012)

There is something to be said for the dynamic that Á¼ber-producer Steve Lillywhite brings out in Dave Matthews and his band. There is a familiarity that exists between this band that is rarely documented as well as it is under his watch. “Gaucho” is thematically not far from “Funny the Way it Is” from the band’s previous record, albiet with a bit more force this time. It has been a long time since DMB has sounded like themselves; welcome back, boys.

“Star Machine” by Bob Mould (from Silver Age, 2012)

I recall describing this record early on as “a perfectly produced Sugar record where Bob stops mumbling.” My assessment still stands, and this is easily one of my favorite records released this year.

“Capitol (feat. 2 Chainz)” by Curren$y (from Stoned Immaculate, 2012)

Curren$y’s laid back flow on this track is straight out of the ’90s, and outshines the feature from 2 Chainz by a mile. I’ll admit that I haven’t listened to this since picking it up earlier in the year.

What’s on your shuffle today?