I kind of let this anniversary slip by, didn't I? I should have planned ahead , I guess, but we all know how bad I am at that! Anyway, I suppose I'd regret it if I didn't mark my five-year milestone in some fashion, so here you go. Looking back, I'm still amazed at how having this blog has broadened my world. I've met so many new people, found so much new music, and in general been exposed to things that I never would have found on [...]
This is going to be quick and dirty, folks. I'm taking a break from "watching" the Super Bowl (let's face it, I really don't care that much about it) to put together this short post. I do apologize for my lack of writing. I realize I've been downright derelict in my duties here at the blog, but the backstory on why is just way too long and sad to tell. Suffice it to say that work is consuming me these days, so much so that by the time I get home, my brain [...]
Better late than never, right? 2010 was a good yet weird year for music. I loved a lot of stuff but there wasn't any one album that stood head and shoulders above the rest. There are a number that vie for most-listened-to-in-their-enti rety, however, and those are the ones that made this list. One thing they all have in common is that there aren't any (well, not many) over-the-top woe-is-me type songs. There are sad ones, of course, a certain amount of melancholy is practically a requirement [...]
I need to say good-bye to someone. I need to acknowledge that she's going to get sicker and she won't be with us much longer, only I have no idea what to say to her. Not only can I not find the right words, I'm having troubling finding the courage, too. First, the words. I keep thinking that whatever I say, it'll sound hollow, but I really want to say something that will bring her comfort, something meaningful. I've been trying to think of what would be of comfort to me, what would [...]
The strangest thing happened, a confluence of memories and events that doesn't happen very often. It's kind of hard to explain, but I'm going to try. I recently re-read Watership Down , which if you haven't read, you ought to. It's the fantasy/adventure tale of a bunch of rabbits and, yes, I know it sounds pretty weird, but it's a wonderfully rich, beautifully realized story with characters that I really got attached to, even though they were rabbits. Just now, I [...]
Every year just after Christmas I go out raiding other people's blogs for Christmas songs. I firmly believe you can never have enough. The other day I plugged "christmas" into the search box in my music library and 18.9 hours' worth of tunes popped up. I should figure out how to add in what would show up with "holiday," too (minus the duplicates, of course) and then see what all I've got. It's a pointless exercise, of course, because as I say, you can never have enough! Here are a few new [...]
I am so sorry. I have been seriously delinquent in posting here at the blog. I wouldn't blame you if you thought I'd packed it in. I suppose I should put up some Christmas music to make up for it, shouldn't I? 'Tis the season and all that. I've actually had this non-traditional chrimbo mix made up for nearly two months. I made it for a friend who lost her sister last year right before the holiday. She told me she couldn't bear to listen to any traditional Christmas music this [...]
Thanksgiving has come and gone and although it's not necessarily a "fun" holiday like Christmas, with all the build-up and presents and everything else that goes along with it, I'm feeling a little bit of let-down now that it's over. And I'm craving chocolate! I believe I'm a little pumpkined-out. To remedy my blahs, I thought I'd share a bit of Swedish indie pop with you. Kate and After are a five-piece from Göteborg, Sweden, and in addition to the usual complement of drums, bass and [...]
I'm not much good at planning ahead, at least when it comes to the holidays and everything that needs to be done to get ready for them. I usually find myself waiting until the last possible minute to cook and shop and wrap and whatever else you can think of. For instance, my brother lives in another state, so every year I have to send him and his wife a package. Do I ever send it with a couple of days to spare? Never! That would be too smart. Well, this [...]
November, as a rule, ain't my time of year. It depresses me. It's gray and coldish and usually rainy. It's the limbo time between the energy surge of September and the holidays in December and I find it difficult to get through. And let's not even mention the time change. Consequently, my dark thoughts and sad memories tend to surface and I find myself looking back and remembering losses and missed opportunities. What I really need is to find something new and possibly uplifting to associate with this time of year. Of [...]
I've been in a mellow mood lately, posting all sorts of quiet, contemplative, acoustic-guitar type music. Let's break that trend, shall we? Here are two bands, one from California and the other from Mississippi, that dropped into my inbox last week. They're fun and loud without being bombastic or shrill--two things I strive for on a personal level whenever I go out drinking and which I rarely achieve! Funeral Party -- "Giant Song" mp3 off The Golden Age of Knowhere [...]
I hereby declare 2010 to be the year of the male singer-songwriter. Do I have the authority to do that? Who cares, I'm doing it anyway! No joke, I believe I have found more solo male performers worth listening to this year than in the past three years put together. Illinois-based Carl Hauck is the latest among a crop of outstanding musicians I've come across. He writes melodic, intimate music that has wound itself into my heart. A sure sign that I really like a record [...]
I love to fall in love with an album, don't you? That feeling of excitement and anticipation you get as each song unfolds and you think, Oh yeah, this is good! My latest affair is with Israel Cannan's Walk , a set of warm and darkly beautiful songs from a young Australian musician. He wrote, engineered and played everything on the record. How is it that someone so young can have so much talent? It almost doesn't seem possible. In the months just after [...]
I'm From Barcelona is a 27-piece band from Sweden (that's a lot of players!) and they've done a special 27-song album that features each individual member doing his or her own thing. They say that the idea was originally inspired by the band Kiss who, in 1978, released a solo album by each member of the band at the same time. The first song I heard from it was the one by de facto band leader Emanuel Lundgren and it's absolutely beautiful. I'm in the process of listening [...]
I bet there's a great story behind the name of U.K. band Yuck , but I don't know what it is. All I know is their music is anything but yucky. Pure fuzz at times, slightly melancholic chords even when they're upbeat, and his and her vocals that float above it all make for some yummy tunes. They don't have a full-length out in the States yet but we should expect one early next year. Until then, eat them up and lose yourself in their warm, freaky fuzz. Yuck [...]
This is my new favorite saying: 'Tis better to be right half the time than half right all the time. All told, I'd say I hit it about 50% of the time, meaning half the time I'm spot on and clicking on all cylinders and the other half, well, not so much! Heatmiser -- "Half Right" mp3 off Mic City Sons ( buy ) Amy Annelle [...]
I have a rule that if I post about music I get directly from a blog pal, I like to either wait about a month or so before I write about it or play a different song. And so ever since I heard this over at It All Started With Carbon Monoxide , I've been dying to share it. Cloud Control is from Australia (as is Agnes, she of It All Started . . . ) and they've got a loose, [...]
It's not really Sept. 25th already, is it? I know it's a really tired cliché but time passes so quickly these days. There are only 90 shopping days until Christmas, for crap's sake! Every year I swear I'll start shopping earlier but I never do. Maybe this year will be different? But I digress. The point of this post is that I've had some of these songs hanging around for quite some time and I'm only now getting around to posting about them. So with very little further ado, here are a few [...]
In a recent post , I wrote about the importance of being kind to yourself and this album was part of the inspiration for that recommendation. There's a kindness to this record, a sense of comfort and self-forgiveness even as he admits all his mistakes, recounts his losses and remembers painful times. I can't stop listening to it, from start to finish. Dead Heart Bloom is a foursome from New York City, led by Boris Skalsky. Strange Waves , which [...]
Oh man, this post has been a long time coming. I'm finally getting up the nerve to write about the semi-recent Broken Social Scene album, Forgiveness Rock Record . And although it feels like sacrilege to say it, alas, I do not love this record. I like it--I like a few songs quite a bit--but I can't say as I love it. It's hard to put a finger on why. It strikes me as a bit formulaic, for lack of a better word. All the [...]
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Miike Snow – Paddling Out (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)
