5 songs I'm digging

I've started listening to my iPod at my desk as well as using Grooveshark.com (thanks to a recommendation by a friend) and thus I've been able to listening to some music lately. Taking a cue from my friend Eric, here are five songs I've been digging lately, in no particular order (original album in parentheses):

"The Calculation"--Regina Spektor (Far): this little ditty is incredibly catchy and I can't help but smile when I'm listening to it. If songs can be described as adorable, that's this song in a nutshell.

"Avalanche"--Matthew Good (Avalanche): I have never been a huge Matt Good fan, but I really like this album and I love this song--it's long, minor-key epic.

"The Ghost of Genova Heights"--Stars (In Our Bedroom After The War): this is what happens when dreamy alt-rock meets up with funky soul. The chorus is totally unexpected, but amazingly catchy and has Caitlin and I humming it for ages after hearing it!

"Outshined"--Soundgarden (Badmotorfinger): admittedly, you've got to love to rock hard and listen to Chris Cornell shriek if you're going to dig this song. However, the ultra-heavy (though catchy) riff in the verses is offset by a cool, jangly major-key pre-chorus that lightens the mood before the song trudges back into the sludge for the chorus. Essential early 90s alt-rock from a band that only got better on their Superunknown album.

"Safe Haven"--Royal Wood (A Good Enough Day): this is a beautiful piano ballad from the brilliantly talented Canadian multi-instrumentalist. If you have never heard of Royal Wood, do yourself a favour and check out his stuff--it's gorgeous.


Unlike Eric, however, I will not recommend you preview these tracks on iTunes. Rather, listen to the songs in their entirety for free on Grooveshark--Caitlin and I are both loving this site and highly recommend it if you want to preview music before buying or set up an account and make playlists, like I have started doing at work. Gold!