Driving tunes: A post for the blog's sake

Since posting has more or less stopped I figured I'd post a something on the lighter side. I just drove back to school in Savannah, GA, and the 11+ hours spent in the car prompted me to write this post. What is the best music to drive to? I tend to listen to albums in their entirety, although I think this puts me in the minority. I know that crafting a good mixtape is an skill unto itself, however I have never really been able to sink my teeth into the process, and have left it in the hands of the artists. But I want to hear what people have to say on the subject. You can recommend single songs, albums, mixs, as well as what type of drive they would be suitable for. Be as specific (song, album, traffic conditions, length of drive, destination) or as broad (artist/genre) as you want. Here are some of my picks, in no particular order:

• Steve Reich - Music for Eighteen Musicians
Steve Reich was one of the leading minimalist composers of the 1970's, and honestly this is the only work of his I have in my music library, or have really been exposed to, but I've wanted to get my hands on some of his other work for a while now and just never got around to I. I like driving to this album (the whole album is a single hour long track) when driving long distances. I tend to listen to Music… 5 or 6 hours into a day of driving. At this point in the drive I want music that is not going to demand my attention to be enjoyed and not put me to sleep. Reich's construction (and deconstruction) of a repeated theme, and all it's permutations, is certainly worthy of a focused headphone listen, but it can also serve as a beautiful backdrop while speeding down I-95.


• Kraftwerk - Electric Café & Daft Punk - Homework
Two of my favorite electronic albums. The Kraftwerk album really gets me into the mind set of being a robot, which helps when driving for a while. The first three songs are very strong, you really feel their presence, but the final three tend to receeded in the spectrum of my wondering, long-drive mind, however they never fall off into background music. Homework is similar in this sense, it starts of bumping and then slows down, then it picks back up, however it never regains the enthusiasm it started with. In addition to being longer then Electric Café, most of its energy comes from fast tempo, pulsing rhythm, and flashy sample modulation, instead of a simpler more open, non-techno soundscape. Moderism vs Post-modernism, in my opinion.


• Tool - Lateralus
This album is fucking amazing. I don't know how I discovered it, probably because of "Schism" but thank God, no thank Satan I did. Imagine King Crimson, taking black acid and listening to Sabbath, a beatutiful mix of heavey metal drums, Velvet feedback drones, and psychadelic conceptualism. The drums alone will keep you awake and driving. I highly recomend buying the physical CD, the album/booklet art makes for a great package.


• The Grateful Dead - American Beauty
You know when people say, "Think of a happy place." For me, this album is that place. Accordingly, American Beauty, and most Dead is better during the day, its a nice complement to the sun. Personally, I enjoy the Dead's studio recordings to the numerous live sets available. It showcases their composition and musical talent, without slipping into self-indulgence or familiarity. "Ripple" to "Brokedown Palace" is phenomenal.

Will there you have it, a taste of my drives to school and back. Like I said these drives are done by myself, so I enjoy being able to select an album and listen to it from front back. I'd love to hear what other people listen to when in similar situations, or any other driving situation.