By Aaron Levy
CIVL Station Manager
MS: What do you think this shuffle’s supposed to be about? Aaron didn’t write an intro.
GE: Well, three out of the four songs look like something someone would listen to when they’re going through an adolescent grunge phase.
MS: Do you speak from personal experience?
GE: Um, maybe? I’m pretty sure we all did? Back me up? [looks to the rest of room]
ALL: [Silence.]
Staind — “Epiphany”
Such a pretty word, such an ugly voice, such a successful run in the early aughts, including a Fred Durst duet, as well as both underground ***and mainstream screamo / nu-metal hits with dark, suburban currents of unrest and disappointment! No, this isn’t Josey Scott, from the Spider-man / Nickelback / Hero song!
Gnarls Barkley — “Just a Thought”
This is one of the more asinine songs I’ve heard from Cee-lo Green, though in general he’s said some pretty righteously idiotic things in vastly public spaces. Here he discusses suicide as a remedy for self doubt and the haters. Still love his solo stuff, there’s gold wherever Danger goes.
System of a Down — “Soil”
You’d be surprised how philosophical these Armenian soul metal poli-rockers that got big with songs like “Toxicity” and “Chop Suey” are. Environmentalism, the business ethics of music, fascism, drug culture, and war are all common themes for this antidisestablishmentarianism outfit. This one addresses the ground, like CIVLOXFAM!
Refused — “Return to the Closet”
“Culture requires love design.” Dennis is always so cheeky when he describes the failings of a cultural set of norms that we’ve all been raised to know, love, and enforce with vehement peer pressure. If there’s a better melodic screamer with more en flic corporate analysis, I don’t know them.
