Here’s my second set of favorites from the 2006 SXSW BitTorrent, 7 this time. A little background on the process: I’ve got all the songs in an iTunes smart playlist – anything with the album of ‘SXSW 2006 Showcasing Artist’, playcount less than 1, and shuffle is on.

Today’s a pretty serious heads down work day, so the songs listed here break through the din of background music in the first listen.

• Under the Bed by Stephen Clair
  Coincidentally, Jen’s had “Working 9 to 5” stuck in her head for a week now. This is an updated version of that song, not sung by Dolly Parton.
• St. Patrick’s Day by Neck
  I didn’t realize how much I missed the House of Pain, until this track came up.
• What if She’s an Angel by Tommy Shane Steiner
  Like any genre of music, country can be trite, clichéd, sappy, and sentimental. Sometimes this works – my favorite example is Hank Williams III. Other times it’s just plain awful. On our longer drives (>3 hrs) for entertainment, Jen and I regularly tune to a country station in hopes of finding that one awful, trite, sappy tune. Well, no need to scan the FM dial this summer – this is that song.
• Shimokita Dream by The Emerald
  This song reminds me of the time David Carson typeset a interview in dingbats for Ray Gun magazine. It doesn’t matter what language (or typeface) the words are in, the song’s the same as a thousand others. It’s a catchy, driving, poppy punk tune.
• Poison Control by Old Haunts
  A quick dose of Olympia, WA – a little grungy, a little Ramones, and the voice – what a voice.
• She’s Gone by P W Long
  There’s very little better in this world than a man singing to his whiskey glass about a love lost. This tune wins best lyrics of this collection with, “She’s not going – she’s gone”. Honestly, I’m not sure if PW’s referring to his woman or ordering another shot. I envision PW being on one end of a bar in El Dorado and Robyn Ludwich on the other, after recently parted ways.
• Nice Day by Persephone’s Bees
  I’m a sucker for a seductive female singer telling me what a fabulous day it is. Especially on an overcast March day like today.

Since I won’t be making it to the SXSW, I’ve been waiting all year for this. Anxiously checking and re-checking the SXSW website like a kid at Christmas.

I even ‘bookmarked’ the page like it’s 1998.

Then, today, it arrived. This year’s 2.5GB BitTorrent of showcase musicians (and 667MB of film trailers if you prefer).

Now, where am I going to find 2.5GB?