During a long jog, a good sneaker can soothe your sole; a good music player can sooth your soul.

Heheheh. Pretty good, eh? Not really.

I count my iPod shuffle among my necessary exercise gear. Just as I couldn’t leave my running sneaks at home, my ‘Pod is with me always.

In the beginning, I was loading it up with new stuff every night, but I quickly found a few magical albums that will remain locked in its measly 512Mb of flash memory until it melts. Even then, they’re backed up on my hard drive so they’re fair game for the next player.

The first album I’m profiling is “Since I Left You” by The Avalanches.

It was released back in 2001, but the vast creativity and ultimate grooviness encoded on this disc has yet to be touched. It has no peers. I love it. I love it.

It’s got everything you could ever want in a workout album. Thumping dance beats, insanely creative sampling, catchy hooks, and a tempo that’s just right.

Once the pace is set, it never deviates. It’s joggable throughout.

I could give you a breakdown of what to expect, but I think this video (via YouTube) says it more eloquently than I am capable of doing.

It’s available on all major music sites as well as download services like iTunes and Napster.

Rock on!