A Little Bit of Rock & Roll

Many of my friends are proud operators of personal Pandora Radio stations. I hadn't listened to mine for some time, and I decided to re-visit my station in light of the type of distraction for which I was searching while outlining for my "Civil Procedure" course...

I quickly remembered my instant fascination with the "Music Genome Project." For those of us with an expansive musicial pallate, Pandora allows us to explore, but also it allows us to explain to ourselves what exactly ties our rhythms together.

I'll invite Pandora users to compare this list (from about an hour worth of play on my station) to their own. I suggest to those who have not yet discovered Pandora to check it out.

What do I have to say for myself? I dunno. It's clear that I grew up on rock-music. I always described my selections as "complex" music, however (I struggle with most acoustic music, for example, and LOVE stringed instruments). I have a slight bias toward male vocalists. I like multi-genre, mixed instrumentation music--I enjoy melody or music that I can move to--and lyrics matter.

What's on your (actual or future) station?

Who's Gonna Save My Soul? Gnarls Barkley.
Modern R&B stylings, electronia roots, blues influences, mild rhythmic syncopation and minor key tonality.

See Me Fall. Mic Burns (Matthew DeKay and Productors Remix).
Four-on-the-floor beats, trance influences, disco influences, house influences, and danceable beats.

Dirty Harry. Gorillaz.
Basic rock structures, electronia influences, rap influences, reggae influences, and heavy use of vocal harmonies.

Stellar. Incubus.
Pop metal qualities, electronia influences, a subtle use of vocal harmony, repetitive melodic phrasing and mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation.

Got Your Money. Ol' Dirty Bastard.
Club rap roots, east coast rap roots, party jam style, danceable beats and syncopated beats.
*By the way I "disclaim" these lyrics.

The Whole World. Outkast.
Club rap roots, southern rap roots, electronia influences, rock influences and party jam style.

Remind Me. Royksopp.
Rock influences, danceable beats, straight drum beats, a smooth male vocal and a laid back male vocal.

Storm. Andrea Wellard.
Basic trock structures, a prominent rhythm piano part, repetitive melodic phrasing, extensive vamping and mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation.

Trio Sonata for 2 Violins. Antonio Vivaldi.
Baroque style, a small chamber ensemble, a featured cello, harpsichord, and violin.

Changes. Tupac.
R&B influences, danceable beats, violent lyrics, lyrics with a political message and melodic part writing.

Is This Desire? PJ Harvey.
Mellow rock instrumentation, blues influences, punk influences, repetitive melodic phrasing and mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation.

The hour rounded out with Nas's "Hip Hop is Dead." :)