Today's entry comes from another notable Chapel Hill musician. I was extremely pysched to have the singer/songwriting frontman of TwiLighter wrap his particular noggin around Hornby's 31 song concept. He is Brandon Herndon :

Here is my list of 31. Today's flavors are old stand-by with some new toppings. I don't know how happy I am with it, meaning that I can already hear a little voice saying, ' you forgot this song or that song, and there's the one you used to listen to all the time when you were broken hearted in Charleston'. This list would change everyday for me. I started out with the concept of a driving tape, but then I started thinking about headphone songs because I think that is a unique kind of listening experience, very intense and intro-spective, but also strangely communal. Then I dropped that and was gonna go sort of an all time favorites route, even if they're not favs now. I thought that if I remembered loving them to death at one point in my life then those songs should be on, right? But I didn't do quite that, nor did I go all headphone music or all scream in the car road trip drive tape, either.for that matter I didn't do many songs that were connected to special moments and people and memories much, or nostalgia in other words. I do believe, however, that they all have some powerful emotional importance to me this week, and some connection to Me when I consider the whole of myself and who I am-this week.

[ Questionaire/litmus test: Do all these songs give me inspiration in some way? Should I try to get a little bit of everything on here? Is this the end-all, mother of all mix tapes? Should I try to put on songs that would always be challenging to me? Should I list songs I'd never grow tired off? How could anyone do that? Are these the best written songs by the band, or can I even judge that? Does this list shed some light on who Brandon Herndon is, or is it just simply 'Brandon's Favorite Tunes of All Time'---no, can't deal with the 'all time'. And I love a lot more bands who are not represented on this list; does leaving Prince off mean that I negate how strongly I felt about his music in 8th-12th grades? Surely he has influenced me. Or does the choosing of this group of songs have all to do with where my mind is now, what is happening in my world now and my own current fears, joys and passions? So if "When Doves Cry" doesn't feel right on this list (even though the song itself is fairly 'heavy' like these days), maybe it is because when I loved it I was different. Or maybe I just simply listened to it too damn much when I was a kid. ] Finally-- and maybe most importantly-- there is the 'goosebump' factor, it is more solid than anything else. If there was any song that made me get tingly and feel overwhelmed then it should be here. I just hope I got most of them on here. The songs I chose must of had some emotional connection because the ones I did choose weren't necessarily the best ones by the artist/band. I know I have a problem with committing, and I must of known deep down that if I approached the list like it was my most favorite 31 songs I'd never complete it. That would be impossible for me. I better write this up quick before I come up with another 31.

(Compiled not in order of importance, but in the order they'd be on my tape/cd. Some have comments, some don't, no real reason for that)


1. "My Favorite Things" - John Coltrane. I've always loved this rendition. It's made me cry, but feel good all at once. it seems like it can go anywhere, the saxophone.passionate.

2. "This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)"- Talking Heads. This is one of their sweetest tunes, and I tend to listen to it when I'm thinking about a lover in some way.wary, but wanting.

3. "Ego Tripping At the Gates of Hell" - The Flaming Lips. Not always my favorite tune on this cd, though always one of them, but today it is.

4. "Sweet Jane" - The Cowboy Junkies but Lou Reed wrote it. I love the Velvet Underground version, but the sound, the ambiance of this recording is beautiful. How can you beat a Velvet Underground song being performed in a abandoned church?

5. "Venus In Furs" - The Velvet Underground. Now we start getting a bit more nasty and dark outright. It is still sexy.

6. "Hey" - The Pixies. When you're feeling desperate and lost. A friend of mine going through a divorce mentioned this song more than once when he was in the thick of it.I can feel it in this song. Past done-wrongs.

7. "Just Like Tom Thumb Blues", Bob Dylan.got to have a touch of humor, though, even when the shit seems to be coming down, or even if it is just a shoulder shrugging, cynical, 'we're all going to hell humor'. Is that any better? Dylan at this time is inspiring to me whenever I listen, makes me want to write.

8. "Tongue Long" - Metal Flake Mother. This one I'd rewind all the time, it cuts through.

9. "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" - Pavement

10. "Transmission" - Joy Division

11. "Chicago Now" - The Fall

12. "Newtown" - The Slits

13. "Zombie" - Fela Kuti. This one would go on no matter the times, but I do wish it wasn't to pertinent now.

14. "White Man In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash putting heart and guts into political/social commentary. My head is filled up with political notions these days, a lot of anger and frustration. Looking at this list I realize that most of these songs are pretty heavy.

15. "Hip-Hop" , Dead Prez

16. "Rudie Can't Fail" , The Clash

17. "Gloria" - Patti Smith Band. Would have to get something in from this album, especially since I don't have it around
anymore. and there is a song off of "Wave" that I'd put in right now, but can't remember the title.

18. "Utterance" - Black Uhuru

19. "If I Should Fall From the Grace of God" - The Pogues

20. "A Pair of Brown Eyes" - The Pogues

21. "Baba O'Reilly" - The Who

22. "In A Big Country" - Big Country. I never, ever hear this song any more, and I used to love it and so it is still cool to hear.

23. "Shanty Town" - Desmond Dekker. From the "Harder They Come" soundtrack.

24. "You Ain't Going Nowhere" - Bob Dylan and The Band, off the Basement Tapes. A little sweet, drunken, playful song to break up the heaviness a bit.

25. "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying" - Belle & Sebastian

26. "They Ran" - My Morning Jacket. A friend made me a mix tape when I drove across country a while back, and this song was the first song on the second side. I was haunted by it and loved it almost immediately. I've since lost the tape, but I can still remember the melody of this tune. I don't feel like I listened to it enough and maybe that is why it is here.

27. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys

28. "Isn't She Lovely" - Stevie Wonder from "Songs in the Key of Life" It is hard to choose a Stevie song, and this spot could be held by any number of songs from this particular album alone.

29. "Remember The Mountain Bed" - Wilco plays writes the music to Woody Guthrie lyrics. One of those 'Big' songs that tie in bittersweet memories, love, passion and sad acceptance. I think it has courage and strength, too. Heart, heart, heart.

30. "I'll Be Around" - The Spinners

31. "Let's Get It On" - Marvin Gaye. Seems like a weird ending to a list like this, but there is always time for what Marvin is talking about. Why not put everything else aside for a little while, baby, and let's just enjoy one another and the moment.