I’d like to think that every day’s home-office soundtrack is the result of painstakenly created playlists and great game plans, but more often than not, it pretty much follows the path of dog sniffing things off the sidewalk in an early morning walk. Using a service like Rdio only makes the diversions and splintering more likely. Here’s a look into today’s selections…

• 1. Early Monday morning. Kids are off to daycare and it’s time to mosh into the work week with EARTH CRISIS’ Neutralize The Threat.
• 2. Environment saved. Hamstring suddenly a bit sore. Let’s try Rdio’s EARTH CRISIS radio station…
• 3. Not a bad start, the first three songs are from STRIFE, SNAPCASE, and 108.
• 4. And the next three songs are from STRIFE, SNAPCASE, and 108.
• 5. Ooooh, a FREYA track (said no one, ever). Bonus: a different FREYA – light fluffy female folk stuff. Next track please.
• 6. And we’re back to STRIFE. Rdio’s radio function could use some work. Time to bail.
• 7. TIGHT FIGHT – Floral Green. For the fourth straight listen, I don’t look at the track listing until it’s already song seven.
• 8. After the clicking the Side One Dummy catalog link on Rdio… searching, searching, searching…
• 9. Case docket looking ugly, need infusion of Swedish happiness – hello, THE SOUNDS!!! If I was 13 again and the bratty child of obscenely wealthy parents, I’d demand that my father pay bribe band into playing my Bar Mitzvah.
• 10. Case docket looking uglier, Swedish immersion continues with THE HAUNTED’s One Kill Wonder. Docket not amused.
• 11. Gotta bring things down to a calmer level before lunch with the lush, new-wavish rock of WILD NOTHING’s Nocturne.
• 12. Lunch consumed. Kicking things off with a bang again: mid 90s chugging hardcore – OVERCOME’s Blessed Are The Persecuted.
• 13. Spent the next 15 minutes sorting through various Tooth and Nail and Solid State titles, tripping over memories and a lot of loud, but crudely recorded hardcore titles.
• 14. Docket getting friendly… which naturally calls for soaring leg kicks and simple-as-a-rock youth crew drum beats, yes, we’re talking about the WIDE AWAKE 25 Song Discography on Smorgasbord Records.
• 15. Afternoon coffee brewed. Slogging through a digital wasteland. Applications crashing. Grumble, grumble. Uplift me Rdio, uplift me! MIXTAPES ‘ Companions. Ten minute reboot complete.