The Rules: I reset the play counters for all the songs currently on my iTunes. Then at the end of every week, I check to see what the top five most played songs are. Whatever happens to be in this top five are then presented in order here from most played to least. If I have posted a particular song in the past, then I will bypass that song and post the next in line. If one artist dominates the list, then I will write about that artist in lieu of a Top Five list.
I cannot wait for the film, Monsters Vs. Aliens, to hit the theaters next weekend. CANNOT WAIT!!!! It’s a must-see in my book.
This week’s Top 5 list, coincidentally enough, has NOTHING to do with the movie… here are This Week’s Top 5 Most Played Songs From Swap’s iTunes…
Best I Ever Had – Chris Isaak
Chris Isaak has always fascinated me. From his first step into stardom with “Wicked Game,” he’s been a comedian, actor, talk show host… all while remaining true to his form. This week’s top song, “Best I Ever Had,” continues this tradition.
His latest album, Mr. Lucky, does seem to be a mish-mash of different styles, but it’s Isaak’s pure voice that holds it all together. He runs through his various styles, from alt. country to some country pop, and it all works as a whole. I’m a big fan of his falsetto singing, and he doesn’t disappoint on Mr. Lucky.
I’ve often wondered exactly how to categorize him as an artist… he’s done so much, but is primarily a musician. I missed his Showtime show, “The Chris Isaak Show,” when it ran from 2001-2004. That’s something I’ll have to YouTube someday.
He duets with Trisha Yearwood (“Breaking Apart) and Michelle Branch (“I Lose My Heart”) on a couple of gorgeous tracks, but for this week it was the rocker “Best I Ever Had” that caught my ear….. 15 times.
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Best I Ever Had
Chris Isaak on Amazon
Chris Isaak on iTunes
If U Seek Amy – Britney Spears
Alright. I’ll admit it. Britney Spears‘ latest album, Circus is quite a good record. Yes, I’m a sucker for pop music, and I have to say that Spears is a pretty good go-to person for that need. Her hit song, “Toxic” is one of my favorites, and it’s not because of the fact that she looks smokin’ in the video… it’s because she rides a motorcycle AND looks smokin’ in the video.
“If U Seek Amy” actually had some controversy surrounding it. For those unaware of this song, take a listen to it and tell me what you hear during the chorus, when she sings the line “All of the boys and all of the girls are beggin’ to / If you seek Amy.” It’s a play on words, you see… “If you seek Amy” sounds like “F**k me.” Get it?
The song has created quite a stir with parents. Here are some highlights of their reactions:
“I was astonished and totally taken aback when I heard my five and seven year old kids walking around the house singing, ‘F-*-*-K. When I asked them what it was, they told me it was Britney Spears. I was horrified.
“Listening to it, it is extremely blatant and offensive. I feel I have been deceived into believing that this was acceptable content for children but instead it is objectionable.”
All i have to say is this… if you think that Britney Spears was EVER acceptable for 5-7 year old CHILDREN, then you must also think hardcore porn would be a great tool for teaching them about sex.
I found this so amusing that I listened to “If U Seek Amy” 12 times this week.
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: If U Seek Amy
Britney Spears on Amazon
Britney Spears on iTunes
Trepanation Party – Voxtrot
Austin, TX based band Voxtrot has just released their first single in two years, “Trepanation Party”. Yes, for two years it’s been mighty quiet in Voxtrot land, but they’re definitely back in business with this new single.
Band member Ramesh explains their absence as follows, “sometimes one needs to disappear in order to regroup; situations change and human beings are swept here and there by the marvelous ebb and flow of culture.”
We get ya, Ramesh. We get ya.
I just got my hands on this track a couple days ago, and I’ve spun it enough to land it in the third spot this week. Take a listen to “Trepanation Party” down in the Dig-It section. If you dig what you hear, make sure to check them out on MySpace.
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Trepanation Party
Voxtrot on Amazon
Voxtrot on iTunes
Enemy – Chris Cornell
I want to make a note for the record that I am a HUGE Chris Cornell fan. That being said, Chris Cornell‘s latest album, Scream has a fitting title. If you’re a fan of Cornell, you’ll undoubtedly scream when you hear it. Whether you scream in rage or in ecstasy depends on how much you love R&B/hip-hop, and if you think that was the direction he should have taken.
Yup. Chris Cornell, the singer for the legendary Soundgarden, doing R&B/hip-hop. Yup.
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails wasn’t too enthusiastic with this new sound of Cornell’s. He made his opinion public when he wrote this on Twitter, “You know that feeling you get when somebody embarrasses themselves so badly YOU feel uncomfortable? Heard Chris Cornell’s record? Jesus.”
Cornell teamed up with Timbaland and stated that “Tim [Timbaland] lent a lot to what I describe as sort of the psychedelic aspect of this album, kind of a Pink Floyd or ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ or almost like a Queen ‘Night at the Opera’ type of a feel to me. That’s something I never would have predicted.”
Say, Chris… I love your music and all, but I would never have predicted that either, because it’s NOT THERE.
Here’s one of the few songs off of Scream that I can actually listen to all the way through. I frankly have no idea how I played this song ten times this week, but somehow, I did.
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Enemy
Chris Cornell on Amazon
Queen on iTunes
Angels Like Her – Trent Tomlinson
Trent Tomlinson is a different kind of country singer because he doesn’t wear a cowboy hat, he wears a bandana around his head. That immediately makes him different. Some country singers wear a cowboy hat, others a baseball cap, others a beanie… he wears a bandana. Nice.
In 2006 he released Country is My Rock, which held four singles: “Drunker Than Me”, “One Wing in the Fire,” “Just Might Have Her Radio On,” and “That’s How It Still Oughta Be.” The album climbed up to #20 on the Country Charts, and Tomlinson’s been on a roll ever since.
He’s had quite a past… I guess he was a basketball star and was drafted by the Cleveland Caveliers… he’s also been a teacher and a high school assistant principal. I wonder if he wore the bandana back then? Did the high school students say, “There goes Mr. Bandana!”
I was just the kind of student who would have said that. I guess I’d be the sucker because Tomlinson’s now a big country star and I’m not.
“Mr. Tomlinson? I know I got a ‘C’ in your class, but can I get some free tickets to your show?”
“Sure… but first, you need to answer this:
Let f(x) be a function defined on the positive integers such that:
f(x) = x/2 if x is even
f(x) = (3*x+1)/2 if x is odd
Then the conjecture is: iterates of f(x) will eventually reach 1 for any
initial value of x.”
“Aw, man!”
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Angels Like Her
Trent Tomlinson on Amazon
Trent Tomlinson on iTunes
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