We on da grind, in Flo'ida slangin' signs...

October 9, 2009 11:24 PM

Music recommendation request: My son got a job waving a sign at passing cars for six hours a day, six days a week. Help his life suck less.

My 17-year-old son needs more music. Can you suggest:

• Waving-a-sign-at-passing-cars theme songs
• Florida theme songs, or
• Other?

Theme music would be great, but anything you love (or hate) and think he might love would be much appreciated, too.

He basically likes music he can dance to or play on the guitar that isn't lame -- unless it is transcendentally lame, then he likes it. He seems to like music he can physically engage with... and that isn't what the kids he knows are listening to, because it's obscure or because it's utter pop schlock -- same to him. Based on the music below, can you suggest more?

Thanks for your help!

Artists he has loved:

Matt Costa
Leftover Crack/Choking Victim
Amy Winehouse
Tokyo Police Club
Sukhshinder Shinda
Operation Ivy
Santogold
The Clash
Streetlight Manifesto
Hard Kaur
Nas
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
The Supremes
The Distillers

Songs he has loved:

Can't Speak French by Girls Aloud
Fascination by Alphabeat
Pretty OK by The Wrens
Emerge Adult Remix by Adult/Fisherspooner
I'm Yours by Jason Mraz?
Your Mangled Heart by the Gossip
RDB Theme by RDB
Fuck You by Lily Allen
Game of Pricks by Guided by Voices
Destroy Everything You Touch by Ladytron
Standing on the Verge of Getting it On by Funkadelic
Slow Motion by Juvenile Soulja Slim
On Da Grind by Ghetto Mafia
Bad Babysitter by Princess Superstar
Build God, Then We'll Talk by Panic at the Disco
The Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel

posted by Methylviolet to media & arts (32 comments total)

God, is the job market that bad? Regarding the problem: I'd suggest a new job, iTunes Genius and/or Pandora, and Sleater-Kinney.
posted by Weebot at 11:27 PM on October 9 [1 favorite]

Man, if this were my job, I'd probably just fuck the music thing entirely and hook myself up with some great podcasts (radiolab, this american life, a zillion others), or some great audiobooks. 6 hours 6 days a week?? In just a couple months he can make it through a good chunk of the Western cannon.
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:39 PM on October 9 [5 favorites]

Lola vs Powerman and the Money-go-round by The Kinks could certainly fit the description 'transcendentally lame'. Catchy tunes, probably not what the other kids are listening to, and several of the album's songs come with inbuilt teenage-boy humour. (See: Lola).
posted by embrangled at 11:52 PM on October 9

For my job at 16 all I had was Led Zeppelin IV, all summer long.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 11:53 PM on October 9

God, is the job market that bad? Regarding the problem: I'd suggest a new job...

Why the snark? Yes, the job market is bad. If you're 17 and don't have much work experience, the job market is worse than bad. Waving signs at cars is a perfectly respectable way for a kid to earn a living, and I think it's safe to assume he has long-term aspirations that suck somewhat less. Plus, it's a great opportunity to absorb plenty of canonical music and/or literature!
posted by embrangled at 12:06 AM on October 10 [14 favorites]

For some reason based on the music taste you've listed here, I am convinced he will really, really love The Living End. They have some great "my job sucks" songs, too. Songs like Monday, Prisoner of Society and Long Live The Weekend.
posted by pazazygeek at 12:14 AM on October 10

The Clash and Operation Ivy leads me to think of Rancid, Green Day, maybe Bad Religion. Stiff Little Fingers or the Buzzcocks, too, for some oldschool Irish/British sounds that the other kids won't know.

He likes some Motown, so why not go with the obvious: Marvin, Al Green, Four Tops?
posted by Infinite Jest at 3:48 AM on October 10

Completely ignoring his taste a moment because thematically it's appropriate, there's a song by Australian hip-hop band Butterfingers called I Love Work that might give him a laugh. (The title's sarcastic, don't worry.)
posted by springbound at 4:02 AM on October 10

I'm confident he will love the latest release from Secret Chiefs 3. Perfect for the job.
posted by mannequito at 4:09 AM on October 10

He might like Grace Kelly by Mika. The chorus makes me shimmy a little whenever I hear it. And I'm not the type to shimmy to anything, let alone use the word shimmy.
posted by Syllables at 4:32 AM on October 10

Oh my, that does suck. Is he sure that he will be able to listen to music all day? Will he need to hear instructions on a radio at any point? Because without some kind of auditory distraction, it would be 100x worse.
posted by amicamentis at 5:25 AM on October 10

I had a job kind of like this for a short time when I was in college. I had to wear a costume, though.

Recommendation: wear sunscreen. Or else.

Also: part of the depressingness (in my case) stemmed from the amount of litter underfoot. Ugh. Cleaning up the litter = instant life improvement.
posted by amtho at 5:51 AM on October 10 [1 favorite]

Punk bands that I think he will like:

Subhumans
Citizen Fish
No Cash
Defcon Zero
Sonic Boom Six
F-Minus
World Inferno Friendship Society
King Blues
Suicide Bid
The Filaments

If he needs more feel free to message me.
posted by errspy at 6:47 AM on October 10 [2 favorites]

Los Campesinos!
posted by dogwalker at 6:51 AM on October 10

Five Man Electrical Band - Signs
Ace of Base - The Sign
posted by hydrophonic at 6:57 AM on October 10 [1 favorite]

Not a song about signs exactly, but Flight of the Conchords had an episode or two where Brett had a sign-wearing job. The song Boom was about a girl he met while working. Their original songs were acoustic guitar stuff, although the album got more complex.
posted by harriet vane at 7:16 AM on October 10

What about podcasts? CBC Radio Three has a weekly countdown podcast that's all Canadian independent artists - lots of indie stuff, some weird folk pop, with odd punk sensibilities. It was actually how I discovered Tokyo Police Club myself, as well as Geoff Burner, The Pack AD, and K'naan (all of whom I recommend for your son as well). The hosts are great, non-obnoxious radio hosts, making the whole thing pretty engaging and fun.
posted by ellehumour at 7:55 AM on October 10 [1 favorite]

Maybe these albums:

"Hate Your Friends" by the Lemonheads
"The Sound of a New World Being Born" by Crimpshrine
"Unfun" by Jawbreaker
"Greatest Hits Vol 1" by Cringer
posted by 23skidoo at 8:26 AM on October 10

Under the heading: "girl groups make everything better" has he tried the Pipettes?

I think anyone who likes Amy Winehouse should give Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings a listen (members of the Dap Kings backed Amy Winehouse on Back to Black).

"This Boy is Exhausted" and "Indie 500" by the Wrens, at minimum. More Wrens!

Cueing off of Ladytron: Ellen Allien, Goldfrapp, Cut Copy, Hot Chip. (Sorry, I don't have my iPod, and I'm not good at remembering song titles.)
posted by EvaDestruction at 8:47 AM on October 10

My 17-year-old son needs more music.... He basically likes music he can dance to or play on the guitar that isn't lame -- unless it is transcendentally lame, then he likes it.... here are artists he has loved....

Can I break an AskMe rule by not answering and instead just point out that by knowing all this about your kid, you are the coolest fucking parent ever?

On topic, seconding Pandora for this. Even if you don't use it for music, it's great to just lean on for advice when you have a good list of "sounds like" to start with.
posted by rokusan at 9:00 AM on October 10

I can't believe I didn't say the Ramones. So now I have.
posted by Infinite Jest at 9:02 AM on October 10

I'd go for podcasts or audiobooks, myself. He could plow through the entire Ender/Bean series in a few weeks or learn basic conversational Spanish. Spanish would certainly make him more attractive for future employment.

Other than that, I'd delve further into 60's and 70's funk. Charles Wright is my personal mainstay, but Pandora could introduce him to lots of lesser known funk.
posted by 8dot3 at 9:18 AM on October 10

I've found that Hüsker Dü's Flip Your Wig (1985) is one of the best records ever to listen to while doing tedious tasks.
posted by porn in the woods at 9:38 AM on October 10

definitely podcasts.
posted by sully75 at 9:44 AM on October 10

Workin At The Car Wash Blues by Jim Croce

Not because it fits into the rest of the music your son likes, but the theme is about right.
posted by Loudmax at 10:36 AM on October 10

Talk radio shows, too. I listen to hours of Opie and Anthony or Ron and Fez from Sirius/XM satellite radio over the course of a week.
posted by shinynewnick at 3:02 PM on October 10

I'm marking best answers as I listen to the songs suggested -- you are coming up with some great stuff! Thanks! Keep them coming!

He does get to listen to an iPod shuffle all day long, which makes his churn rate very high -- or as he said, "Yeah, I'm actually over every single song I have now." He can't file-share at my dad's house, where he's living, so I am sending him CDs in the mail.

Hey! If there is a better way than sending CDs in the mail -- that doesn't compress the music into mud and would not offend my dad's no-file-sharing sensibilities -- you guys would know it. Is there?
posted by Methylviolet at 3:53 PM on October 10

Oh yeah, and best answer here only means that it's great for this purpose AND we didn't already have it. What kind of mother would I be if the boy hadn't known the Ramones from his cradle?
posted by Methylviolet at 3:58 PM on October 10 [3 favorites]

Minutemen Double Nickels on the Dime
posted by schyler523 at 6:53 PM on October 10

Some of the sign-holding teens in my area spend time interacting with the cars using their sign - playing it like an air guitar, pointing it at specific cars and making some sort of knowing look at the drivers, dancing with the sign, etc.

It's not music, but it helps pass the time and I think one kid was so entertaining that he made the local news.
posted by CathyG at 8:34 PM on October 10

Elbow - One Day Like This
posted by jacalata at 11:05 PM on October 11

Okay, now that I've finally got both iPod and Genius working, here's what it tells me in terms of individual songs that I agree with: Heartbeats, The Knife (yes, yes, yes); Frontier Psychiatrist, The Avalanches (though really, to do The Avalanches justice, you should consider giving him all of Since I Left You); Caravan Girl and Ooh La La, Goldfrapp; O Green World, Gorillaz (again, either or both of Gorillaz and Demon Days might well fit the bill); Mr. Hurricane, Beast; My Girls and Fireworks, Animal Collective; 16 Military Wives and July! July!, The Decemberists; Kissing the Lipless, The Shins; This Modern Love, Bloc Party; Lights & Music, Cut Copy; I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend to Dance with You, Black Kids; My Delirium, Ladyhawke; Cheap and Cheerful, The Kills; Over and Over, Hot Chip; Heart it Races, Architecture in Helsinki.
posted by EvaDestruction at 6:30 AM on October 13