The flow of new music has slowed recently, as it always does this time of year. Thus, I’ve spent more time reviewing and whittling my Favorite Songs of the Year list lately, getting it ready for unveiling in about a month. 

So for today’s playlist, I decided just to open up Spotify, select my Songs, hit shuffle, and share the first five songs that popped out. Enjoy!

“Shark Fin Blues” – The Drones. Great, sludgy, grungy, emotional song from this Australian band, released in 2005. I remember it as a song I discovered on the great woxy.com. I just looked it up and found that it in 2009 it was voted, by a group of current Aussie songwriters, as the best Australian song ever. Wow! 

“Little Black Submarines” – The Black Keys. The Keys’ take on the “Stairway to Heaven” formula. And it works pretty well.

“This Lonely Morning” – Best Coast. We ought to be due for some new music from Best Coast in 2018. Please!

“Inside Job” – Pearl Jam. PJ’s 2006 self-titled album was a bit of a comeback after two straight albums that were often uneven. Fueled by anger about the Bush presidency and the way in Iraq, Eddie finally found something to get fired up about again. But this closing track was remarkable in being unlike anything the band had ever done before. It was written by guitarist Mike McCready. In fact, it was the first song he wrote entirely – including lyrics – to appear on a PJ album. 

“She’s A Girl and I’m a Man” – Lloyd Cole. Hey, it’s our old friend Dave introducing one of the greatest, forgotten pop songs of the early 90s.