Ten songs to keep me company if I ever become stranded on a desert island

[psyllogism]

Edited 2011 Jan 17 1130 EST - See below

A local radio station, WTMD, is holding a "Top 500 Desert Island Songs countdown". Listeners submit their top ten songs they would like to have with them if they were ever stranded on desert island.

Here's what I submitted:



I have the uncommon ability of synesthesia. Mostly what that means is that numbers, letters, and words all inherently have a color to me: "1" is white while "7" is yellow; "A" is red while "M" is black.

Very rarely, certain songs and melodies will also trigger my synesthesia. When I hear them, I simultaneously see splashes of light and color in my mind. Most of these songs on this list, like "Map of the Problematique", "Just Like You Imagined", and "Saviour", are such songs. So if I was trapped on a desert island with them, I would get a light show to go along with my music.

Rounding out this list are songs ranging from the entertaining "Rag and Bone" and "Little Sister" that remind me of the simple things in life, to the harsh-but-exciting industrial mixes "Hellraiser" and "Disgrace" that remind me of the science fiction action games, movies, and books that I'll be missing.

1. The White Stripes - Rag and Bone Almost any Jack White and/or White Stripes song could go here. I bopped between "Blue Orchid", "Jolene", and "Icky Thump" before finally settling on this one. I love how Jack White can do anything from pop (via his work with the Raconteurs) to alternative (via Dead Weather) to old timey music (on the "Cold Mountain" soundtrack) to... basically anything he sets his mind to. "Rag and Bone" is stripped down, simple, and no-nonsense like so much of Jack White's music, plus being funny and entertaining to boot. A good start to the list.
2. Queens of the Stone Age - Little Sister QotSA is about as unimposing as they come, but like a burr their music sticks with you. It's easy listening pure rock music. I picked this song as representative of most of what I like about QotSA.
3. Muse - Map of the Problematique Though Jack White may be one of the greatest musicians around these days, Muse is one of the most awesome bands around. Their music is just EPIC. anailia and I saw them in concert last year and absolutely loved them. "Map of the Problematique" is probably my favorite song by them, and, as noted in the blurb above, is one of the few songs to trigger my synesthesia. Pure goodness :-)
4. Tool - Lateralus I got into Tool at the end of high school, and have stuck with them ever since. As spiritual successors to the classic progressive rock of King Crimson and Pink Floyd, their music is deep and heavy. If I had to pick only one album to have with me on a desert island, it would probably be "Lateralus", and so its title track shows up here on my top ten desert island list. I mean, c'mon, its rhythm follows the Fibonacci numbers, what's not to like about that?
5. Linkin Park - The Catalyst I got into Linkin Park about the same time as Tool, and although I've outgrown them slightly, they're still somewhat with me. I've long called them the "boy band" of modern rock, as they seem to place a higher value on appearance than music and just churn out pop-infused song after song. But sometimes they release little gems. "Bleed it Out" is a surprising example of tight lyric writing, and "The Catalyst", here on my list, evokes a really interesting soundscape that I can really dig.
6. Nine Inch Nails - Just Like You Imagined A pretty far cry from the NIN you may be familiar with from such songs as "Closer" (of "I want to **** you like an animal" fame) and "Head Like a Hole", "Just Like You Imagined" is a nearly completely instrumental piece that is relatively short for a "desert island song" but really can take me to another place when I'm in the right mental mood. This song is very, very orange to me and my synesthesia.
7. Front Line Assembly - Maniacal Probably the weakest song on this list, but I wanted something representative of FLA and was in a bit of a hurry to go through their extensive music catalog, which is all very solid, so I quickly settled on this one. It's very atmospheric, as is that whole album, "Civilization". I could see a sci-fi/horror game using it as a soundtrack. Edit: I indeed decided to replace this song with something else - See below
8. VNV Nation - Saviour Another one that heavily triggers my synesthesia (this one being very green). VNV Nation is a difficult band to really like -- the singer sounds like a bad David Bowie -- but their futuristic-sounding synth-pop is very energetic and catchy. "Joy" and "Honour" are two other good ones that could have gone here if not for the synesthesia effect of "Saviour". Plus, there's no singing in it :-)
9. Suicide Commando - Hellraiser [VNV Nation remix] This song is actually where I first heard of VNV Nation. When I first heard it, I downloaded other songs by Suicide Commando looking for the same sound as this one but couldn't find it. So instead I downloaded some VNV Nation songs and got hooked. As for this particular song, I really like how the extremely harsh vocals of Suicide Commando are contrasted with the smooth future-pop sounds of VNV Nation. The end result favorably reminds me of such gritty sci-fi settings as StarCraft, Aliens, and Warhammer 40,000. Very fun.
10. Unter Null - Disgrace [Unholy remix by Adam] Unter Null is a very new addition to my musical landscape. Another one with very, very harsh vocals like Suicide Commando which is probably a turn off to most other people, it strangely works for me. Especially with the very sexy Erica Dunham behind the vocals. She hits the same spot in pop culture as other bad girls as The Queen of the Damned, Sarah Kerrigan, and Witchblade, providing some... interest... while stranded on a desert island. For those not into the twisted, distorted, aggrotech-style vocals, she has one for you: Obligatory Club Hit to Appease the Masses. Actually, not that bad!

Edit 2011 January 17 1130 EST

Upon reflection, I realized that I had forgotten a genre very important to me: Movie trailer music! So, instead of an over-saturation of techno-industrial songs, I removed Front Line Assembly - Maniacal from my list and added "Requiem for a Tower" from the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers trailer. It's epic, from one of the best movie series of our time, based on one of the best pieces of fiction ever. Unfortunately, I don't think I can re-submit my list to the radio station, but if I did, it would look like this:



So there we go: Ten songs to keep me company if I ever become stranded on a desert island. What songs would be yours?