Auto Shuffle.

So I went home last weekend, and it was fire. I spent an entire day alone. Ummm, when was the last time that happened? Far too long ago.

Anyway, where I'm going with this is that, well, I had to drive to get home. And besides the free food and laundry service that a trip home provides, it means I can listen to whatever I want to in the car. Driving = alone time = listening to whatever I want in the car without backseat drivers telling me what to put in my janky CD player (or telling me how to drive, holla!).

A selection of what is currently being held in my car for listening pleasure:

O and Bottoms of Barrels by Tilly and the Wall.
These are not bad selections. In fact, O is quite recent. I just can't bring myself to remove that BoB disc - you never know when you'll feel compelled to burst into a rendition of "Lost Girls." You just never know. And now some "Pot Kettle Black." Just because.


Various mix CDs.
The tracks on these CDs - made anytime during the past year and a half or so - range from the innocent ("4 Minutes to Save the World" by Madonna) to the vintage ("Stars and Sons" by Broken Social Scene) to the oh-so-killer ("Womanizer!!!!"). I try to make a new mix CD every few months or so. November 2008 is looking good. Track #1 will undoubtedly be "Shake a Fist" by Hot Chip, just for Ann.

Re-Arrange Us by Mates of State.
I think I played this too much over the summer. But it still gets regular rotation. If you hear "The Re-Arranger" being blasted throughout the streets of downtown Iowa City, just look for a red Grand Prix. I can't be too far away. My only offer (pun intended):


Under the Blacklight by Rilo Kiley/New Wave by Against Me!
I don't know why I decided to put these two on the same disc - probably because I was running low. But the cool thing is that New Wave is 10 songs long, so the Rilo album starts on track 11, which means that the first song on that album is #11, the second is #12, etc. That was the most pleasant surprise of my life. Right up there with - finally! - learning how to whistle, just so I could make "Alpha Beta Gaga" by Air interactive.

Pop-Up by Yelle.
Uhhh, can you say PERFECT driving music? Mademoiselle Yelle certainly keeps you awake, if not totally focused on the road: Evidence:


And last but not least, Rabbit Fur Coat by Jenny Lewis.
It's a classic, and yes, I know I should update it with her new album. But I will always keep this in my visor. Just a habit.

So if you ever need a ride, give me gas money and the chance to play some music for you. It'll be fun, and we'll probably stop at McDonald's.