10 and 1 - Seems Like Old Times

Remember these guys?

OUT WITH THE NEW...

by Matt Bond

I love new music. I'm not quite at the point in my life where I'll tell anyone that will listen that everything was better in "my day", mostly because I'm hoping "my day" hasn't officially happened yet, but I digress. I love new music and one of the benefits of being a music "blogger" or "writer" or "crazy person" or whatever it is you want to call us, is that you get to hear A LOT of new music that lovely people have taken the time to send you. You listen to so much, that a song that was released barely a year ago can seem old. Which if you're looking at it in a literal sense, yes it's old, but stop trying to be clever and work with me here. I love new music, but sometimes I just want to spend some time with old favourites. 

Which I got to do yesterday when I was doing a big clean up at home and hit the jackpot. My friends... I found an old iPod. Yes. An iPod. For our younger readers, the iPod existed in a time long forgotten, pre-iPhone. I know, it's horrific to imagine such a world, but there was a time when the iPhone did not exist and you had this thing called an iPod and all you could do was listen to music on it. I won't go into discmans and walkmans because I don't want to scare you, so let's move on. After several arduous hours minutes spent locating a charger, I let that bad boy juice itself up and then sat down to listen to music I was listening to back when I was a lad. So like three years ago. Four max. For tonight's 10 and 1, I'm going to invite you to stand with me, just for one night and say out with the new and in with the old! Ten tracks from my iPod adventure that took me back to the good 'ole days and one that made me regret bad life choices.

THE TEN:

Easy Tonight

by Five For Fighting

You thought they only had that song about how hard life was for Superman. You were wrong. Five For Fighting also had this track 'Easy Tonight' appear on Scrubs and I was in love with it. Not in love enough to listen to anything else Five For Fighting ever did, but this was such a brilliant Matchbox Twenty-ish, early 2000s pop rock track and listening to it again... ah, good times. "You were free, now you're not, you were free, now you're not." That clip gets real. 

At Home

by Crystal Fighters

Now remember, I did say songs that even relatively newish songs seem old to me, so here we have the Crystal Fighters' 'At Home' which is maybe... four years old. Which essentially makes it ancient. It existed when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. 

Worn Me Down

by Rachael Yamagata

The underrated, incredibly talented Rachael Yamagata. The official 'Worn Me Down' recording is a pop-rock number, some guitars and drums and all upbeat despite the sad, defeated lyrics. Which is why I have this piano version on the old iPod. It's a beautiful piano ballad, the performance is sublime. Why is this woman not uber-famous? She should be right up there with the likes of Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. 

Helplessness Blues

by Fleet Foxes

What happened to Fleet Foxes? Helplessness Blues was a ridiculously good album. I'm not going to lie, I forgot about the existence of Fleet Foxes. Listening to 'Helplessness Blues' again makes me wonder how I ever could have. So I did the whole research thing and found out Fleet Foxes himself, Robin Pecknold, decided to go to university and get an undergraduate degree last year, so that's why they've been so quiet. And yes, when I say research I mean Wikipedia. 

Wise Up

by Aimee Mann

If you have not seen Magnolia, go and see it. Now. You will hear the music of Aimee Mann and you will thank me. I'll just say you're welcome in advance. 

Funeral Dress

by William Fitzsimmons

Another great singer-songwriter here in William Fitzsimmons. This is one of the most calming songs you'll ever here. I'm so mellow right now. Aren't you feeling mellow? TELL ME YOU FEEL MELLOW? I'm going to listen to 'Funeral Dress' again now. 

The Battle

by Missy Higgins

Oh, Miggins. Even though I have a lot of love for Miggins, I'm pretty sure I first heard 'The Battle' on the episode of Grey's Anatomy where George dies. Shut up, that was great TV. This would have to be one of Higgins' best tracks and I don't think it even ended up on a proper album. From my "research" it looks like it showed up as a b-side for 'Steer' and on The EP Collectables in 2010. This time, "research" was just putting the song name into Spotify. It's alright guys, I have a journalism degree. I've got this. 

Goodnight Elisabeth

by Counting Crows

I was convinced for the longest time that he had actually killed Elisabeth. Anyway, great song. 

A Sorta Fairytale

by Tori Amos

Tori, Tori... what's the story? It's a fairytale about a princess with a foot for a body and Adrien Brody plays the prince. Well, that's just the music video. This one really takes me back. Even further than the iPod's existence and even further than this song, which is an early 2000s number. 90s Tori, 'Cornflake Girl', 'Winter', 'Hey Jupiter'. Might have to go listen to a whole lot of the Amos now. 

Diamonds From Sierra Leone 

by Kanye West 

There was heaps of Kanye on the iPod. There's heaps of Kanye on my iPhone. Some things just don't change.

THE ONE:

Keep On Loving You

by REO Speedwagon

But some things do change. 'Keep On Loving You' is kinda creepy. More in a 'Blurred Lines' way than the dude with the dreads from Counting Crows taking out Elisabeth. When I listen to 'Keep On Loving You'... it really makes me want to hear some new music. Not 'Blurred Lines'. But wait, that's old. Urgh, I'm confused now. This walk down memory lane is over. Shut it down.