Shuffled! Van
Shuffled! is a weekly column appearing every Thursday here on BPRLive. Each week, we welcome an APA artist to share some thoughts about the music they listen to. Check out the Shuffled! archive for past articles.
Today’s Shuffler: Van
Van is a SoCal girl transplanted in the craziness of Boston. The proud mama to cats Tom and Jerrie, she spreads her time over many, many different interests - traveling the globe, learning new languages, working to support Asian American college students, and of course, enjoying good music. She also misses palm trees. Frequently.
Van’s passion for creating change—with the students she works with, with her involvement with Boston Progress, and her own continuing journey—guarantee that her Shuffled! will be exciting.
For the month of August, the crew members of BPRLive are sharing music from each of their own music collections.
I never use the shuffle option on my iPod because I like to be in control of what I’m listening to and I’m always going through stages of listening to different genres. This is why letting the shuffle play through is going to be a bit of a difficult task for me. Must…not…hit…the forward button. To stay true, I didn’t create a playlist either so here it goes. Yeh-ah!
“Fake Plastic Trees”
Radiohead
One of my all time favorite bands. This track is one of their most popular songs from their second album, The Bends. My interpretation of many of their lyrics always settles around the theme of living up to standards and losing yourself in the process or how mortal we all are. If we break down everyday life in this way, it can be pretty depressing. But for some reason, artists that talk about real things that can stir up emotions, really gives me strength and helps me work through my own issues. Whoa, deep.
Interlude, “Milo”
Modest Mouse
Organ playing and a baby gibbering in the background at the end. I really have nothing to say about this except, cool band.
“Could You Be Loved (12″ mix)”
Bob Marley
A classic! I love me some Bob Marley. The extended mix of this song brings back memories and puts me in a great place. Toward the end of high school, I was almost always listening to Bob. I had multiple Bob Marley posters plastered on my walls, along with the Wu Tang Clan, and some other posters my parents found questionable. My parents, as well as myself, are Chinese immigrants from Vietnam so they had some difficulties with their teenage daughter growing up so American. In their eyes, I was pretty lost, but in mine, I had it all together! I was also a part of a lip sync performance to this song in high school. But perhaps the best memory of is that the box set this track is on, Songs of Freedom, was a gift from my Dad whom I love and miss dearly.
“Streets of Chinatown”
Kevin So
An artist from Boston who represents! Funk, soul, jazz, folk: all of my favorite things. This track is from the album, Leaving the Lights On. He talks about being raised in Chinatown, and how you can take a man out of Chinatown but you can’t take the Chinatown out of the man. I love the way he incorporates his Asian American identity in his work. Yes ladies, he is one great example of how Asian American men are hot, and he’ll sing about it too!
“Kissing the Lipless”
The Shins
Great band. When I listen to The Shins, I’m always transported to this alternate reality, something like a parallel universe where I’m experiencing the song in the third person. What tha? I’m not even sure what I’m trying to say but it’s a good feeling. I think it’s because of all the unique sounds they use in their music. This track is from Chutes Too Narrow, which I believe this was their first album. It’s about a relationship that ended and you parted but then you or they come back with someone else and there is that lingering feeling from the past relationship you wonder about. Haven’t we all had one of those?
“Video”
India Arie
Nice finish! This woman is really a queen, soulful and earthy. She really transcends the soul of a woman in her music. India talks about how her struggles and triumphs with identity and relationships in her songs. In this track from her debut album, Acoustic Soul, she dispels the material things and what people may think of her by just being her and most importantly, loving herself unconditionally. A very positive message to all women and girls. Gotta say that my favorite track on this album is Wonderful, a beautiful tribute to the brilliant Stevie Wonder.
Last 5 posts by shuffled
- On The Shuffled! Side Of The Ear: Bryan Thao Worra - November 20th, 2008
- Shuffled! Saymoukda "moOks" Vongsay - November 13th, 2008
- Shuffled! Charles Jang - November 6th, 2008
- Shuffled! Emily Lawsin - October 30th, 2008
- Shuffled! Grace Talusan - October 23rd, 2008
Tags: Shuffled!.
that kevin so track is a favorite. it’s fun and exciting kinda, but actually it’s kind of sad too when he says “it’s the only place i understand” because it’s mad real.
Radiohead. Ah, Radiohead. I’ll admit that I liked their early work in Pablo Honey and The Bends far more than their ventures into the electronic world with Ok Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac (the latter two I don’t own…) With In Rainbows, I’ve heard that they’ve gone back to their roots. Maybe I’ll finally tune in again.
interesting eugene. i don’t think they hit their stride until ok computer.
but at least we still have one thing in common musically: we both like the same carpenters cover recorded by a japanese all-girl pop-punk band. we’ll always have that.
i think chutes too narrow was the second shins album… i killed that album in college. some girl told me they were marxist and i kept trying to find it in the lyrics. good track - *clap clap clap clap clap clap WHOO!*
i really like the electronic stuff after ok computer. kid a and amnesiac rock. i also think in rainbows is a pretty good album, a good mixture of old and new. Thom Yorke’s solo album is also good if you like the electronic stuff.
marxist? interesting, if you ever find anything in the shins lyrics, let me know.
Hmm… maybe I ought to give those albums another chance now that I’m all grown up.
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