Random 10 for Jan. 2, 2008

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1. The Flaming Lips, “Free Radicals.” Believe it or not, I’m not screwing with the randomness of the list today — this is what came up when I powered up Podsie this morning. The New Years Eve concert at Cox Center was pretty extraordinary, even for those of us who were at the Zoo in 2006. It might suffer from comparison, but only because I don’t think there was the uniformity of adoration in the audience — a lot of people were there because it was the biggest thing going around Opening Night. Also, the arena was a sweatbox — the heat must have been turned up around 85 in there — which might have been causing people to fall asleep or pass out. But Wayne (shown that night in the above photo by The Oklahoman’s Matt Strasen) was in top form, and when he played ”Taps” using a Ceremonial Bugle — an electronic bugle used at military funerals when musicians are unavailable — to lead into “Waiting For a Superman,” the Flaming Lips achieved a certain magic that no amount of lasers and balloons could match.

2. Led Zeppelin, “All My Love.”

3. Hot Chip, “Down With Prince.”

4. Blonde Redhead, “Misery is a Butterfly.”

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5. Liquid Liquid, “Cavern.” This song by an early ’80s New York art-funk band led by vocalist-percussionist Salvatore Principato provided the musical template for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “White Lines.” Fun, baby.