In lieu of anything more substantive, i defer to my examinations and my teaching load and instead belatedly offer a random shuffle for last friday.

The Cure. "Love song." The 311 cover and the whole emo thing kind of ruin this sing for me. I thought it was really profound when i was in high school. I think most people do. Or most people who know it when they're in high school, at any rate.

Booker T and the MG's - "Time Is Tight." This is a pretty incredible song, and you get a sense of how versatile the band was when you realize it's basically the same people playing on "Hold On, I'm Coming" or "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay," two songs which sound like they're in a different decade and genre from this one.

Liz Phair - "Canary." Weird moment in Exile in Guyville. Minute long piano solo intro and then the vocals kick in and it's incredibly bitter and fierce and fascinating. I skip to "Fuck and Run" too often.

Go-Betweens - "Boundary Rider."

Neko Case - "Maybe Sparrow."

Dusty Springfield - "Live Here With You." I have mixed feelings about owning this record.

Blind Melon - "All That I Need." Stop laughing. It's not a bad song.

De La Soul - "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa" This song samples six others, layering them on top of each other.

Curtis Mayfield - "We Got to Have Peace."

Grant McLennan - "Malibu 69". RIP.