Dancin’ Fool Flatliner is the Perfect Power Walk

April fool is right around the corner, and what better fool than a dancing one? This week’s wog is a power-walking flatliner, all songs between 121 and 128 BPM. From Right Said Fred’s absurdly cheeky opener, to Kylie Minogue’s slithery come-on, to Prince’s Apocalyptic ode to the new millennium, you’ll have a hard time keeping from throwing in a few dance steps as you stride. And why not? It’s Spring! Check it out at Podwogging.com.

R.E.M.: Übermatic for the People

They both hail from Georgia, but on the surface the B-52’s and R.E.M. sound like they’re from different planets. While the B-52’s are bouncy, wild, and fun, Michael Stipe’s grave, puzzling lyrics and the crashing doom of R.E.M.’s alt-wave guitars are just the opposite. Certainly songs like Welcome to the Occupation and Drive, which kick off this week’s wog, envelope the listener with an almost dirge-like plunge into Southern Angst. They’re also gorgeous, irresistible, and yes, woggable. And the rest of the songs in this 57-minute Vigorous wog, like Bittersweet Me and the classically introspective Losing My Religion, wrap themselves with the same iconic cloth. Yet the two groups share a similar off-center worldview, fueled by Athen’s alternative social scene; they delight in presenting the listener with quirky takes on a culture they both reject and embrace. It's all part of this week's wog.

Whatever, dude. Get your Pod, rev up your dream cycles, and wog. Oh, and BTW—Happy Spring! And Happy Birthday to Me!

Try It...Podwogging.com

New Millenium Flatliner

The aughts have truly delivered some of the most exciting music since...well, since the 90s. This week I slap together a bunch of songs that cruise delightfully around 140 BPM—in my book, a perfect jogging rhythm. Like the Kings of Leon? The Posies? The Strokes? Wait ‘til you jog to them. Also the Dead 60s, Snow Patrol, Rob Thomas, and even U2 will make your heart go pitter while your feet go patter. Audioslave, Arcade Fire, and Lilys provide opening, mid-wog, and closing walks, respectively.

Podwogging.com

Eye in the Stride

The Alan Parsons Project is deceptively smooth. Occupying musical territory somewhere between Progressive Rock and Adult Contemporary, their songs are refined, easy to digest, and go down like smooth claret. What keeps them from the Muzak dustbin is an edginess that creeps into their expertly-crafted melodies, usually in the lyrics that hint at darker mind states than the music itself supplies. It’s this interplay between accessible melody and interesting words that makes them fun, for there’s not much funk in their rhythms, which are all straight forward but easy to wog to. So head over to Podwogging.com, and Project yourself into this week’s wog.

Get Into the House

The weather I’ve been taking with me lately is full of rain, rain we desperately need, and when rain falls I find myself pining for music that’s slightly melancholy, but with enough beat to keep me going. Crowded House fits the bill perfectly. This week’s wog features the 80s rockers with a short, but melody-filled set. Only one jogging song in this one; it’s mostly at walking pace. But the song’s are great, so even if you’re looking for something more challenging, you should check out Crowded House on Podwogging.com.

Who the Heck were the Strawbs?

Among the many brilliant musical artists to hail from England in the 60s and 70s, the Strawbs weren’t as well known as British Invasion rockers like the Who, nor as much as space rockers Pink Floyd, nor even as much as folk-rockers Pentangle or Fairport Convention. Perhaps it was because they defied description, not fitting easily into a convenient marketable category. But make no mistake: they turned out some of most interesting music of their time, making masterful melodies with idiosyncratic instrumentals and lovely lyrics. They went beyond typical folk songs with spice, humor, and true inspiration. This week’s wog comes from a compilation of their best songs, Halcyon Days. This double-CD will give you an excellent moderate wog, and many other enjoyable listening hours as well. Do give it a try! At Podwogging.com, of course.

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...