Recommendation for the Week, 11/14-11/20

For those of you who don't incessantly stalk my Facebook (good for you for having a life), you probably don't know that I'm a sophomore in college. I don't go out that much, so it's probably safe to say I'm not a "real college kid," because I rarely ever go to parties, and when I do, I'm dragged there. Part of me wishes this was different, but a bigger part of me is glad to be, because it allows me to stay as far away from my least favorite part of college relationships: one-night stands. It's an enticing proposal, sure. One night to make the most of the time you're given with someone with no consequences or meaning to it sounds like a blast, but where's the significance? Can you tell your kids or grandkids about all the random times you explored the opposite sex in college? Probably not.

As against one-night stands as I am, I'm also guilty of it, in a sense. There have been many times where I've heard a song from a band, loved it, and never really liked anything else from the band, or at least as much as I liked  the first song I heard. It's happened a lot more than I'd like to admit, but its also produced some of my most-played songs on my iTunes library. So without further ado, let's roll out my all-time greatest one-night stand songs:

Modest Mouse- "Float On"
Being able to play this song on Rock Band brought back the memories of how much I loved "Float On" when it became one of the most unexpected Top 40 hits of the last decade. Modest Mouse became my first taste of indie, and it tasted a little bitter for my taste. Whether I wasn't ready to give up my affixtion with the hit music stations or I just didn't think it was good, nothing from Modest Mouse's catalogue has stuck with me the way "Float On" has.

Midtown- "Give It Up"
Once I first heard "Give It Up" played through my TV on Madden 2005, I was immediately hooked by the big guitars and catchy chorus, but while Midtown are still regarded as one of the best bands of the initial wave of the emo scene, I still have yet to find a song that even comes close to the same amount of emotion and overall beauty that "Give It Up" possesses.

A Static Lullaby- "Toxic (Britney Spears Cover)"
This one stings even worse because its a cover, but after their creative take on "Toxic," I could only think that I'd heard the rest of A Static Lullaby's take on metalcore before. Covers are never a great  way to gain notoriety for your band, and I've posted on this blog about how tacky I think it is, but sometimes we can't help but contradict ourselves.

Drop Dead, Gorgeous- "Dressed for Friend Requests"
One of those bands that I can't believe I used to like, DD,G somehow still end up getting a listen or two every once in a while from me, and it's always "Dressed for Friend Requests." The musicality of the song is actually pretty good for a band who was originally signed by Rise Records (ew), but it's still in high rotation in DD,G's setlists and my iTunes somehow, and it's likely not going anywhere.

The Fall of Troy- "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X."
This isn't on this list as much for me as it is for everyone else. Most people will only know The Fall of Troy because "FCPREMIX" was on Guitar Hero 3, but it should be noted that Thomas Erak's guitar work is just as complicated and precise as the Guitar Hero gem. However, you won't find any of TFoT's work to be as catchy, which is likely why no one really latched onto the band after producing one of the most fun songs to play on Guitar Hero.

It's a tough thing to swallow pride and admit that I've been kind of shallow and never gave these bands a chance, but it's something I wanted to get a reaction from others out there. Who would you say you've had a "musical one-night stand" with? Leave it in the comments, and I'll catch you cats on the flip-flop!