The Nü Trübadours

Every generation sees the emergence of new voices that challenge the stifling conformity of the pop kingdom and provide us with songs both beautiful and thought-provoking. In the 60s it was the likes of Donovan and Simon & Garfunkel; the 70s saw Joni Mitchell and Peter Gabriel; the 80s had Crowded House and Thomas Dolby; the 90s delivered Toad the Wet Sprocket and Sarah McLachlan—to mention just a few. This week’s wog features some of the most intriguing artists of the decade to date, with unique songs that capture the spirit of poetic freedom. It’s an ÜberWog, too—53 minutes of great music to walk and jog by. Check out Keane, Snow Patrol, The Shins, Fields, and others at Podwogging.com.

The Envelope, Please

No, I’m not talking about the Oscars (go, Milk!). I’m talking about the shape of your wog. In general, I like my workouts to be like a camel’s back: a brisk walk to start, followed by some jogging, a slower section to recover, and then another jogging section before a slowish walk at the end to cool down. But every playlist I have is different. Some may have a long, extended jog at the beginning and only a moderate jog near the end; others may be a one-hump camel instead of a two-humper. Wog-a-Thons are shaped like a sine wave, and some of my ÜberWogs may have three jogging sections instead of two. The most radically different are my Flatliners, which may have no jogging at all, or be nearly all jogging. As a result, the envelopes I push come in all shapes, in addition to all paces. Just more to choose from when I hit the trail. Or sidewalk. Or whatever. And the winner is...

Prime the Pump

Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, why don't I give you all an early Valentine in the form of a wog? Hearts, this week's wog, is part of an ongoing series of playlists based on different parts of the body. It’s a major organ involved in ambulatory exercise in addition to being a symbol for human emotion. So plug in your pod, prime the pump, and wog to Hearts. Only on Podwogging.com.

Global Colding

Snowpatrol. Arctic Monkeys. Coldplay. Brrr.

Okay, I like Coldplay. I really do. But I still think Chris Martin is a little disconcerting. I mean, he’s got Gwyneth Paltrow, and his band is acclaimed as the greatest thing that’s not U2. But have you seen this dude perform? He’s weird. Not brilliant weird, like Tom Waits, or cool weird, like Jim Morrison. And frankly, Bono has it all over him for voice and attitude.

Nevertheless, Coldplay has built up a solid portfolio of melodic rock-like music that sometimes really hits home. Clocks, A Whisper, Talk, and Viva la Vida from their new album are all vibrant, shimmering, contemporary pop. This week’s wog, God Put a Jog Upon Your Feet, is a fast walk/slow jog; it never really rocks, but it’s great to listen to. Just so long as you don’t have the image of Chris Martin’s contorted body stuck in your head.

Podwogging.com. Try it.

Touching a Nirvana: Jog As You Are

Rock was all but declared dead (yet again!) in the early 90s, this time vanquished by Rap and Hip-Hop, and then these tattered Seattle souls arrived on the scene and took the country by storm. Combining the intensity of punk with the sensibilities of Alt Rock and the doom-laden hooks of metal, Nirvana made Rock relevant again and founded an entire new sub-genre, Grunge. Too bad Kurt Cobain died while midwifing the movement; while fellow grunge bands Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots went on to relative success, none could match the impact of Nirvana or the devotion of its followers. Though this week’s wog, Jog As You Are, is not my fastest exercise list, Cobain-in-your-face makes it feel that way. You’ll find the list on Podwogging.com.

Indie or Alternative: What’s in a Genre?

An astute reader of my playlists might notice the absence of the word “Indie” in any of the genre descriptions of the songs. According to Allmusic.com, Alt Rock became more “serious” and “testosterone-driven” right around the time Nirvana made it big, and its niche in the pop ecosystem was taken by Indie. I don’t get—U2 is more testosterone-driven than Nirvana? How does that work? As far as I can see, there is no substantive difference between the two genres, other than it’s a label used by a new generation of rock fans to brand their own—the young, after all, forever need to forge new identities. Now that those Indie fans are growing older, now doubt the Millenials coming up will need a new brand to describe their rock sound of choice. Me, I’m sticking to my guns. Indie is Alt. And I’m out.

70s Sensations

Rather than having giants like the Beatles, Stones, and Dylan dominate, the 70s saw a number of groups from different genres successfully carve niches in the music scene. Pink Floyd, the Who, and the Eagles were just some of the rock groups that gained wild popularity, and that doesn’t even include David Bowie (Glam), Bob Marley (Reggae), the Police (British Reggae), Steely Dan (Jazz Rock), Elton John (English Pop), Fleetwood Mac (Soft Rock), Genesis (Album Rock), Electric Light Orchestra (Prog Rock), the Isley Brothers (Funk), Michael Jackson (Funk Pop), Van Halen (Arena Rock)...and I haven’t even gotten to the most commercially successful genre of all, Disco! It’s thus impossible to cover all the bases in a single playlist, so I don’t even try. 70s Sensations, this week’s wog, is more of a random sample of what was out there. Even if you were around then, you may not recognize the likes of J. Geils, Greg Kihn, or Robin Trower. So give it a try, at Pogwogging.com.

Turn to the Byrds: Jog! Jog! Jog!

It’s easy to forget today how controversial folk-rock was in its time—they nearly booed Dylan off the stage at the Newport Folk Festival when he showed up with a plugged-in backup band. A prime factor in folk-rock’s acceptance was the emergence of the Byrds. This LA group achieved fame on the basis of its cover of Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man, but truthfully they were leaders, not followers. Roger McGuinn’s dense, multilayered, slightly dissonant guitar riffs helped set the stage for the psychedelic music revolution, and their harmonious arrangements were later echoed in the 70s by groups like Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Eagles. Even the Beatles acknowledged their influence. So what are you waiting for? Surf over to Podwogging.com and Jog! Jog! Jog!

Happy Nü Year

Seems only fitting to ring in 2009 with U2, whose angst-drenched anthem from their 1983 album War is, fittingly, New Year’s Day. This is an ÜberWog, meaning it’s longer than usual, and it’s Very Vigorous, at that. Early U2 could rock hard—listen to Rejoice and I Will Follow. Nü Year’s Wog also features gorgeous songs from their post-War era (Desire, Three Sunrises, Red Hill Mining Town, Bad), the 90s (Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car, Mofo) and the new millennium (Miracle Drug, Beautiful Day). All in all, eleven songs from eleven different albums for a sublime Weekly Wog indeed. Check it out on Podwogging.com!

Dizzy Balloon: Pretty Cool

This Saturday my 14-year-old son took me to see Dizzy Balloon, a local pop group barely out of high school, along with a couple of other East Bay bands. No doubt about it, the Inflatable Ones stole the show. In addition to playing vivacious, danceable, and catchy numbers, they featured a bagpipe player and a wildly entertaining yo-yo demonstration, plus the usual cool lights, lasers, fog machines, etc. I have their CD, so I smell a Single Album Wog coming up. They’re leaving on a California tour—check their web site http://www.dizzyballoon.com/.