IPOD SAY: Still iPod crazy, so here's another "next ten songs on random" mix, followed by a fun narrative:

"Smack My Bitch Up," The Prodigy

"Hear Me Lord," George Harrison

"I Wish My Baby Was Born," Uncle Tupelo

"The Murder Mystery," The Velvet Underground

"DJed," Tortoise

"Here," Pet Shop Boys

"Django," Rancid

"Janet Jangle," High Llamas

"Johnny Appleseed," NoFX

"Suffocation," The Pulsars

We open on a man on the edge of disaster. (Hmmm, not unlike my last story. Am I projecting something onto these songs? Rorschachian, perhaps?) He lives in squalor, he's in a broken relationship. Still, after a horrible incident, possibly related to domestic violence, we see him seeking forgiveness, a path to repentance, forgiveness...a future. We learn that his partner -- wife, girlfriend, whatever -- is not blameless, that he actually has a good heart, has seen a future with this person. He's considering all options. He's desperate. He's nearly insane. He goes to a club. He takes drugs, maybe some acid, has some drinks. Hallucinates, passes out against a wall. He starts to come out of it, wakes up as the cleaning crew is poking around him. As the sun is offering its first promise of morning, our man in trouble finds some hope, realizes where he has to go, how he needs to live. By draining himself completely, wrecking himself, he's emptied himself of his pain. He picks up a head of steam, decides to bury his past and start anew. All of a sudden he feels lighter, almost airy. He hatches a plan to build something, to renew his commitment to a project that has long lain dormant. "Suffocation" comes up under the credits, a sort of light look at how tough life and love are. We feel a sense of relief and empathy with our main character as he faces his new life...

I'm tellin' ya, these songs tell that story all on their own.