1. The Distance- Cake

• "No trophy, no flowers, no flashbulbs, no wine, he's haunted by something he cannot define, bowel-shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse, assail him, impale him with monster-truck force". This song is brilliant. I heard somewhere that the lyrics are based on a video game. Feel free to verify that on your time. "The Distance" mixes rock, funk and g-funk into a masterful blend. This song is featured on Cake's second release "Fashion Nugget" which also brought us a cover of "I Will Survive" that surpasses the original. Hearing Cake reminds me that it won't be long until I'll be in State College at the Darkhorse on a Saturday night listening to Spider Kelly. The band does a few Cake covers including a kick-ass version of "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" complete with vibraslap.

2. Dance All Night- Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

• She ain't lonely now see her shuffle 'cross the floor, yeah she's happier now see her smile and say 'come on'". I haven't been working on this blog very long yet this is the 3rd song from the "Cold Roses" album to be featured. This is proof that the shuffle feature is not as random as the folks at Apple would have you believe...the iPod definitely has preferences of it's own. I have a physical copy of the Cold Roses CD and find it humorous that it is a two-disc album given that the whole thing does fit on a single disc. "Dance All Night" features Dylan-esque harmonica and smooth harmonies from Adam's backing band The Cardinals. Adams would eventually disband The Cardinals, who could have provided years of stability (musically speaking). Perhaps Mandy Moore can be that rock.

3. Excuse Me Mister- Evan Dando

• "You do nice dances my feet have never followed nice dances, oh, but you do nice dances, excuse me mister, take me with you". "Excuse Me Mister" is a recording from the "Live at Brattle Theatre/Griffith Sunset EP", a stop-gap offering in 2001 to remind audiences that Dando was quite alive despite a prolonged absence from the spotlight. The album does a great job capturing the feel of Dando's shows from the early 2000s. Around that time one observer noted that seeing Dando perform live after so many years was like discovering an old sweater-there is a nostalgic rush and it feels cozy at 1st but then you realized that it is frayed and not what it once was. "Excuse Me Mister' is a cover, the original having been performed by folk singer Gale Garnett best known for the hit "We'll Sing in the Sunshine". In classic Dando form, the gender in the lyrics is not altered despite the fact that the song is sung about a man from the perspective of a woman. The Lemonheads cover of The Stone Poney's "Different Drum" is another great example...although truth be told when I play "Different Drum" on guitar I keep the lyrics in tack as well- "I'm not in the market for a boy who wants to love only me". I'm secure.

1. Keep Me Turning- Pete Townshend

• "River's getting higher, no wood for the fire, they saw the messiah but I guess I missed him again, that brings my score to a hundred and ten". Several years before Who guitarist Pete Townshend released his first official solo record "Empty Glass" he teamed up with Faces bassist/songwriter Ronnie Lane for 1977's "Rough Mix". The album features compositions from both artists. "Keep Me Turning" is a spiritual song that finds Townshend asking a higher authority for the energy to keep on keeping on. "Keep me turning I'm hanging on, stop me yearning I've had enough". Many of Townshend's hits (Bargain, Let My Love Open The Door, See Me Feel Me/Listening to You) had spiritual centers- perhaps the overtones were not always overt. Maybe Bart Simpson was wrong when he said "all the best bands are affiliated with Satan".

2. Overcast- Lucky Day

• "I fell through the clouds when I thought you'd make me fly, I'm back on the ground from here it only looks like it's gonna be overcast...overcast....overcast in my mind". "Overcast" is featured on Lucky Day's 2006 debut EP "All My Rainy Days". Despite the title, the EP features several upbeat numbers including the ultra-catchy "Time Will Only Know". If you haven't heard Lucky Day before, shame on you. The band features a great blend of pop hooks, melodies and harmonies...in short the vocals are silky smooth. I recently caught the DC area band in their natural habitat of Arlington Virginia at the famous Iota. The band achieves a sound that is both modern and reminiscent of 60s pop/rock. If you have a chance to catch Lucky Day live don't miss out on the opportunity.

3. Waiting- Glen Phillips

• "Well I'd like to think I'd help you if you needed saving, but I'm drowning here not waving and still you're only waiting". "Waiting" is a sweet country rock number from the "Mr. Lemons" album. I suppose it's roots lie in Toad the Wet Sprocket's "Nanci". "Waiting" features great acoustic guitar work augmented by mandolin and steel guitar parts that provide the song with vibrant color. Glen Phillips toured extensively with the bluegrass band "Nickel Creek" and the two joined forces as "Mutual Admiration Society" prior to the release of "Mr. Lemons". The bluegrass influence is not lost on this number. I'm not much for country tinged music but sometimes the sound is undeniable. "Mmm...that country music".

1. Home Life- John Mayer

• "And I will go to my grave with the life that I gave not just some melody line on a radio wave". On his sophomore album "Heavier Things" John Mayer yearns for simple pleasures on the song "Home Life". "Finish on a Friday and sit in traffic on the highway". I guess when you are young, wealthy and famous with unlimited access to models, actresses, singers, and miscellaneous hot women you look for what has eluded you...sitting around the house like a regular working stiff. Mayer went so far as to tattoo the words "Home" and "Life" on his arms to bring the point home.

2. Dive In- Dave Matthews Band

• "Summers here to stay, and all those summer games will last forever go down to the shore, kick off your shoes, dive in the empty ocean". "Dive In" is featured on the new album "Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King". Like 2005's"American Baby", "Dive In" sounds sweet at first but there is something darker just below the surface. Don't let the upbeat chorus fool you. For me this song and many others from the new album drive home how much drummer Carter Beauford helps define the sound of the band. His imprint is unmistakable. Critics agree that the Dave Matthews Band got it's groove back on "Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King". The album serves as a tribute to their late saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Strangely I saw the last DMB concert with LeRoi Moore last summer at Nissan Pavilion in northern Virginia. It was a fantastic show featuring the band's first performance of the Peter Gabriel hit "Sledgehammer". I'll head to Hershey, PA next Friday to see the band again.

3. Dancing Days- Led Zeppelin

• "Dancing days are here again summer evenings grow I got my flower, I got my power, I got a woman who knows". Every now and then my iPod decides to get the led out. In the 60s and 70s guitarist Jimmy Page had more riffs than the Bible has Psalms. "Dancing Days" is one of countless examples. If you don't recognize the song by title you'll know it the moment the song starts. 1973's "Houses of the Holy" also features several other Zeppelin riff classics including "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "The Ocean". Stone Temple Pilots would cover "Dancing Days" on the 1995 Zeppelin tribute "Encomium". That tribute album also features Sheryl Crow moaning her way through "D'Yer Mak'er". No complaints here.

1. While We Wait- Jack Johnson

• "It feels right, it feels wrong, it feels like when you have it, then it's gone". This little song (1 minute 28 seconds) is featured on "Sleep Through the Static" which is aptly titled given the sleepy nature of much of the album. This mellow number fits right in. I had the opportunity to see Jack Johnson in concert last summer in Camden, NJ. It was impressive to see someone command an audience with a single acoustic guitar. It was also impressive to see Jack not break stride mid song when a bug flew up his nose. The show must go on.

2. Sweet Illusions- Ryan Adams & the Cardinals

• "And I can feel the sweet illusion, coming sweet confusion, honey sweet illusion coming down, and I ain't got nothing but love for you now". It seems each time Ryan Adams puts out a new album critics call it his best since "Heartbreaker" (his 1st solo album). It makes me wonder if they listened to "Cold Roses" much. It is a truly great collection of songs. Sweet Illusions features a beautiful blend of acoustic, electric and slide guitar. With a great classic rock feel it sounds like it could have been recorded in the 70s. I've had my share of sweet illusions. Illusions and delusions are the same thing, right?

3. All the Young Dudes- Mott the Hoople

• "And my brother's back at home with his Beatles and his Stones, we never got it off on that revolution stuff, what a drag too many snags". David Bowie penned this tune for Mott the Hoople supposedly after they rejected the song "Suffragette City". If true I love that Suffragette City wasn't good enough for them. All the Young Dudes was featured on the soundtrack to the film "Juno" a few years go. The song is considered a glam anthem. Perhaps more than any specific sound glam was about getting dressed up like a woman with makeup- "Bowie you freaky old bastard."

1. Brooklyn Queens- 3rd Bass

• "She says she's pure from legs to her thighs and we should talk over some Chinese and fries, I tell her to step, but hey that's the scene cause she ain't nothin...but a Brooklyn Queen" This gem from the "Cactus Album" is based on the disco hit "Best of My Love" by The Emotions. Like the Beastie Boys before them 3rd Bass were considered a novelty in the late 80s-were people really going to accept white rappers? 3rd Bass didn't last very long but Eminem has sold more albums than any other artist this decade so maybe the answer is yes. Next time I have some fries I might need to do it with Chinese.

2. Eric B. Is President- Eric B. and Rakim

• "Eric B easy on the cut, no mistakes allowed cuz to me, MC means move the crowd, I made it easy to dance to this but can you detect what's coming next from the flex of the wrist.." Today this is widely considered "old school" hip hop but it was actually the beginning of a new chapter for rap music. This single (issued in 1986) and the subsequent debut album "Paid in Full" ushered in a new era in hip hop. Ironically the song pays tribute to the DJ (who built the foundation for hip hop) while forever putting the MC in the spotlight. Public Enemy's Chuck D lamented the fact that "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" was delayed and released after "Paid in Full". He felt "Paid in Full" made P.E.'s debut dated on arrival. On this track Rakim shows why he is widely considered the greatest rapper of all time.

3. Mean Mistreater- Johnny Winter

• "Remember, remember, baby when you were layin' out across my bed, you know you were drinking moonshine, baby and talking all out your head" Where would music be without the blues? This song wound up on a Sony "soundtrack of the century" double CD compilation in 1999 and subsequently into my collection. I enjoy the interplay between the electric guitar and harmonica and the down and out lyrics. This is straightforward blues about someone who did you wrong. I'm sure everyone can relate to that.