What's on the iPod

I am currently absolutely obsessed and in love with Janelle Monae's Metropolis - The Chase Suite.  It's freaking amazing, I'm just blown away by it every time I listen.  I heard her somewhere on NPR during the South by Southwest music festival, and was really intrigued by the concept album - a kind of Bladerunner-esque dystopic vision starring an android named Cindi Mayweather who is going to be deactivated because she's fallen in love with a human.  "Many Moons" came on during the half on Sunday and it was a wonderful blast during the beginning of the course.  I can't wait to hear more from Janelle Monae, and am looking for videos to see the dystopic vision in action, not that you really need a video.  The instrumentation and all leads to a very cinematic feel to the music, so it's easy to picture what I think she wants you to.  Everyone should go out and get themselves a copy (you can get it on iTunes).

I put the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack on my iPod, too, and "Jai Ho" came on at some point during the half and also helped me pick up the pace.  Pretty much every song on the soundtrack is great to have on my running mix.  And Ben Folds' "Hiroshima" is thrilling me lately, too.  I love the part when he says "There was blood on the key" "Oh my god."  It just gets me every time.  I don't think I heard "Hey Ya" during the race, but that's another favorite that always gets me going a little bit faster.  But my all time favorite pick up the pace song is Sinead O'Connor's "No Man's Woman".  No idea why, but that song just gets me totally pumped.  It's like my go-to song when I need to make a push up a hill or just power through something.