A Sonic Wash

There’s water showers, and there’s music showers. Don’t believe me, listen to the songs in this week’s wog, A Sonic Wash. Whether it’s Ronan Hardiman’s lush choral instrumental plunging you into a relaxed mood, Brian Eno’s dripping piano notes wrapped in mind-refreshing lyrics, or Cocteau Twins’ swooping waves of vocal strangeness cleaning out your skull, you’ll emerge from this moderate wog mentally clean, even if you’re sweaty and your clothes are dirty. And at 34 minutes, you can linger in this wash without worrying about wasting water! Get the list and more at Podwogging.com.

Jog, Where is Thy Sting?

Before he went on to a solo career, British singer Sting fronted the Police, a New Wave band that blended catchy reggae rhythms with a little progressive rock, interesting lyrics, and an edgy delivery that always kept its balance. This week’s wog features 8 songs from them, including the pop-reggae standard Don’t Stand So Close to Me and the irresistible, progressive Synchronicity II. It’s 34-minute, Very Vigorous set, the details of which can be found at Podwogging.com.

The Decade Dance

Here it is, my serious collection of wogging tunes from the 00s. Since some of my favorites are on other playlists, with certain artists I’ve included another song by them: The Lovemakers, The New Pornographers, The Shins, The Arcade Fire, Engineers, Dark Captain Light Captain, John Fogerty, Cake, Dead 60s, Belle & Sebastian, Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz, Engineers, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Fields all have songs on at least one other wogging list on my computer. Making their debuts for Podwogging are Beyoncé, Finn Brothers, Sufjan Stevens, Outkast, and Duffy. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the 00s saw an explosion of creative music that stretched the boundaries of world, folk, hip-hop, and in Steven’s case, ambient minimalism (!). Coming up this decade: more “freaky folk,” Animal Collective, the Decembrists, Dead Can Dance, and scads of off-center concertinas and flutes! Until then, check out this week’s ode to the Double Aughts at Podwogging.com.

Fresh Woggage

Long before the word “indie” appeared on the scene, back in the groovy sixties there were certain groups who refused to compromise themselves, who played what they liked and to hell with the record companies. Such a group was the legendary Love, and right with them was Spirit, another LA group who blended jazz, pop, rock, and quirky lyrics for a distinctive sound and attitude that still resonates today. How could one not love a fuzz-guitarist named Randy California, or a drummer who was completely bald? Like Love they didn’t last long, only putting out a few albums before their disdain for the gods of commerce ended their careers as rock gods. This week’s wog is a brisk 39 minutes full of Spirit, featuring hits (I Got a Line on You, Nature’s Way) and non-hits (Mr. Skin, Uncle Jack) alike. Seriously, if rock that’s fun without being nauseating, check out Spirit, at Podwogging.com.

59 Minutes of Tribal Jogging

I first heard of Afro Celt Sound System from the single they did with Peter Gariel, When You’re Falling. Intrigued by the possibilities inherent in combining African rhythms with Celtic melodies and instruments, I decided to check them out further—and I discovered that, and more. The whole thing has a party/rave atmosphere, and many of the songs have African lyrics as well. This makes for great dancing as well as jogging—though of course I’ve found more moderately-paced songs to let you catch your breath. This Pulse-Pounder ÜberWog is guaranteed to take you to another head and body space. At Podwogging.com.

Brit Folk Magic

The British Isles have a rich tradition of folk music that has profoundly influenced popular music in America as well. Starting with a rousing war song from Ireland’s Planxty (Follow Me Up To Carlow), this week’s wog is a whopping 85 minutes of some of my favorite songs performed by contemporary British artists. These include Fairport Convention, Pentangle, and Strawbs from England; Planxty, Enya, Karan Casey, and Clannad from Ireland; Steeleye Span from Scotland; Loreena McKennit, Canadian though she sounds English; and finally, Donovan, who hails from either a British fairy castle or Trans-Love Airlines. All told, a fabulous of collection of magical tunes just waiting to transport you on a long walk through tors, fens, the heath, or London’s Underground. Find out about it at Podwogging.com.

Stairmaster to Heaven

Just kidding, folks: Stairway to Heaven, despite its iconic status in the annals of arena rock, is a song only good for swooning at Robert Plant, not engaging in healthy exercise. That’s not to say that this seminal rock band, for whom many Bics were flicked back in the day, hasn’t put together enough material for a great wog.

I must admit, though, that early Zep was a tough listen for me: for every cool Tolkien-inspired number like Ramble On, there was a Whole Lotta Love that made me squirm. As the band matured, though, their musical chops expanded, leading to such mystical rockers as Kashmir and Immigrant Song, both of which make their way onto this week’s wog—37 minutes of Very Vigorous Wogging. So pick up your pod and start wogging before the levee breaks! The playlist, with pace numbers and other info can be found, of course, at Podwogging.com.