Generally, when I'm at my computer, I just stick iTunes on random play. That way I get to hear a variety of music and if something pricks my attention it is easy enough to switch to their album. Usually this means a disperate play list for example Beck has just been followed by Stereolab and then the Buzzcocks with Quicksand, Wings and Michell Shocked waiting in the er ... wings. But sometimes a set of tunes will be thrown up that sit perfectly together. An example happened earlier today, that I thought I'd share with you...The Dickies - Nights In White Satin The Dickies are/were the lovable "Mad magazine-flavored punk self-parody" best known in Britain for their high-octane breeze though The Banna Splits theme - one of the greatest 7" ever. They specialised in speed up punky cover versions of famous tunes, somewhere between the Toy Dolls and their natural successors Me First & the Gimme Gimmes . Black Sabbath, Simon & Garfunkel, and Zager & Evans came in for the Dickie treatment as well as on this one where the Moody Blues' daft lyrics begin to make sense. Naked Raygun - The Home of the BraveFor some reason Chicago's Naked Raygun had escaped my attention until the always nteresting Something I Learned Today mp3 blog brought them to my attention. I have no excuse for this oversight since their melodic hardcore-punk. The obvious parallel is the mighty Husker Du. Supergrass - Caught By The Fuzz (Lamacq Session Version) Can you believe it is 10 years since this song first emerged? It must be because their best of was released this year celebrating the bands 10th Anniversary. I saw Supergrass at Reading this year as part of their greatest hits tour, a great show, and they still retain the youthful exuberance of "Caught By The Fuzz" and "Alright". I've always enjoyed the wide-eyed innocence of the band exemplified here with a song about a drug bust where the pressing concern is "what will my Mum say". I'm glad they've not become morose like most of their BritPop contempories. LinksBuy The Dickies, Naked Raygun, and Supergrass Is 10Visit The Dickies' Official Website, Unsung Heroes' Naked Raygun Page, and SupergrassDownload More Dickies and Naked Raygun (epitonic I'm afraid). Read Trouser Press' Dickies, Naked Raygun, and Supergrass biogs.