As I've said recently, I'm gradually coming to grips with my birth decade- the 80s. Today I was listening to some more music from the 80s- Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth and a bunch of songs by New Order.
I didn't listen to all of Daydream Nation yet, but I liked what I heard. An acclaimed Sonic Youth release from 1988, it is a great example of the tense balance that band achieves between noise and melody. The first track, Teen Age Riot, begins with a lengthy and noisy atmospheric intro (a feature not too uncommon for Sonic Youth), but then moves into a relatively tightly written, hook-filled rock song, which seemed to me to be a precursor to the kind of sound portrayed nearly 20 years later on their recent album Rather Ripped, with its fabulous song Incinerate.
As for New Order, I enjoyed what I heard, especially some of their more guitar-driven work and particularly their second album "Power, Corruption, & Lies." A lot of their music is almost quintessential 80s synth-pop, which I'm still coming to grips with but am beginning to appreciate. I guess New Order is a good place to start since they apparently really helped shape the synth-pop sound of the 80s, yet they supposedly kept their post-punk and underground roots (they formed out of the post-punk band Joy Division) throughout their career (they became quite popular and mainstream in a way).
So yeah, that's what I was listening to today...
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
The Postal Service
When I first heard the Postal Service, I thought it was Death Cab for Cutie. And for good reason- the Postal Service is a collaboration between Jimmy Tambarello of a band called Dntel, and Ben Gibbard, lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie. And the real point is, it's good stuff! The music is generally in the camp of electronica/synth pop/etc. So catchy electronic music plus a great singer=good music. "Such Great Heights" is a pretty popular song, but the rest of the tracks are good as well.
An interesting thing I read is that they had a bit of an issue with their name due to the US Postal Service, but they resolved it by agreeing to help promote the USPS. So I thought that was funny, and it proves that trademark conflicts can be resolved without a lawsuit... Also on their name, it apparently comes from the fact that Gibbard and Tambarello collaborated largely by sending cdr's through the mail... So I thought that was cool.
Check out this music video:
An interesting thing I read is that they had a bit of an issue with their name due to the US Postal Service, but they resolved it by agreeing to help promote the USPS. So I thought that was funny, and it proves that trademark conflicts can be resolved without a lawsuit... Also on their name, it apparently comes from the fact that Gibbard and Tambarello collaborated largely by sending cdr's through the mail... So I thought that was cool.
Check out this music video:
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Tortoise' "A Lazarus Taxon"
"Lazarus Taxon is the paleontological term for a species that disappears, then reappears in the fossil record."
That is an applicable term for this collection of rare, out-of-print, b-side, foreign, and unreleased tracks from the band that I consider the apotheosis of post-rock.
It's the ultimate rarity collection for the ultimate Tortoise fan, but it's also just a good selection of songs, though mostly from the earlier era of Tortoise recording history (thus the title of the album).
And the great thing is that like all Thrill Jockey (that is the record label) albums, you can listen to the whole thing on their website.
Check out tracks like the legendary Gamera (1st one; this was a bonus track on some releases of their excellent "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" from 1996; I had a recording of this from some random Tortoise B-sides from Kenny Jensen), and Didjeridoo (which happens to be an Australian aboriginal instrument used on the track), which is just a cool track.
Things to keep in mind if you listen to Gamera (and really, you should- this whole blog wouldn't exist without music like this): this is a quintessential Tortoise track- long, sprawling, and evolving. The tempo changes radically midway through, so if you happen to get bored with the beautifully intertwining guitar section that forms the beginning, keep listening... you can hear it growing as it builds layer upon layer... and that at the end it begins to tear apart the layers, and finally diminish, like the white dwarf star that lingers on after a supernova (in some situations... I'm sure my many stellar astronomer friends will be quick to correct me...) .
This the kind of song for which a line from Garden State is applicable: "You have to listen to this song. It will change your life." (Sam says that, or something like it when she first meets the intriguing protagonist in the neurologist's office. In that context it is in reference to a superb Shins song; by the way, the Shins are good- quality baroque-pop; check them out!)
Fear not- more mini-reviews are on the way!
Now that I'm going back and adding videos to give you a taste of some of the music, here's a fairly abstract video to a fabulous track from "Standards"- Seneca. Be patient with the raucous intro- it really develops quite well ;)
That is an applicable term for this collection of rare, out-of-print, b-side, foreign, and unreleased tracks from the band that I consider the apotheosis of post-rock.
It's the ultimate rarity collection for the ultimate Tortoise fan, but it's also just a good selection of songs, though mostly from the earlier era of Tortoise recording history (thus the title of the album).
And the great thing is that like all Thrill Jockey (that is the record label) albums, you can listen to the whole thing on their website.
Check out tracks like the legendary Gamera (1st one; this was a bonus track on some releases of their excellent "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" from 1996; I had a recording of this from some random Tortoise B-sides from Kenny Jensen), and Didjeridoo (which happens to be an Australian aboriginal instrument used on the track), which is just a cool track.
Things to keep in mind if you listen to Gamera (and really, you should- this whole blog wouldn't exist without music like this): this is a quintessential Tortoise track- long, sprawling, and evolving. The tempo changes radically midway through, so if you happen to get bored with the beautifully intertwining guitar section that forms the beginning, keep listening... you can hear it growing as it builds layer upon layer... and that at the end it begins to tear apart the layers, and finally diminish, like the white dwarf star that lingers on after a supernova (in some situations... I'm sure my many stellar astronomer friends will be quick to correct me...) .
This the kind of song for which a line from Garden State is applicable: "You have to listen to this song. It will change your life." (Sam says that, or something like it when she first meets the intriguing protagonist in the neurologist's office. In that context it is in reference to a superb Shins song; by the way, the Shins are good- quality baroque-pop; check them out!)
Fear not- more mini-reviews are on the way!
Now that I'm going back and adding videos to give you a taste of some of the music, here's a fairly abstract video to a fabulous track from "Standards"- Seneca. Be patient with the raucous intro- it really develops quite well ;)
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
A Myriad of Mini-Reviews
So, it's time to catch up on music reviews. And I have a lot to review. So digging back into library receipts from last year, I'm going to dish out a feast of reviews, tapas style.
I'll begin by looking down from my chair the small pile of cd's (in cases of course) that have accumulated around my desk (my room is pretty messy right now...).
Album/Artist (year): Comments
Reconstruction of the Fables/R.E.M (1985): This is a solid early REM album. It doesn't have any of the super familiar radio tracks, but it's an enjoyable listen. I've really come to appreciate REM as one of the really important bands of the 80s that influenced the music I like today. Of course they lasted beyond the 80s too, but it is during that era that there music stands out as something especially unique and creative.
Pressure Chief/Cake (2004): Another catchy release from Cake. This one doesn't have the odd menagerie feel of Fashion Nugget (with its bizarre covers and subjects), nor does it quite reach the geek-rock heights of that album, but many of the songs here are right on par. I really liked track 3.
Lost in Space/Aimee Mann (2002): Not just an album with great cover art (the booklet is setup like a cartoon), this was a good album of solid (rather than pretty) female vocal driven well-crafted rock/pop. Aimee Mann writes perfect songs for movies and tv as well- songs from this album, and others show up all over the place. I heard about her first from her cover of the Beatles' "Two of Us" on the excellent I Am Sam soundtrack.
The Best of 1980-1980/U2: U2 is another reason that I've changed my mind about the 80s. I really enjoyed this album because while it contained some of U2s 80s standards (like In the Name of Love, Sunday Bloody Sunday, etc), it also had some songs I hadn't heard before (I haven't listened through the U2 catalog yet). Without U2 from this era, there would never, ever be X&Y. Of course who can blame Coldplay for building on its Brit-rock foundation (they seem to have gone from emulating Radiohead on their early stuff to more recently going through a U2 phase... plus Chris Martin's social activism really reminds one quite a lot of Bono). And speaking of UK bands that have influenced Coldplay...
The Man Who/Travis (1997 I think): When I heard this album, I suddenly understood the Coldplay-Radiohead connection even more. I would suggest that Coldplay was influenced indirectly by Radiohead through Travis. For it was Travis, from my listening and reading, that took that certain "Brit Rock" sound common to all these bands, including Radiohead and mellowed it down and built up that melodic quality that is really strong in Coldplay (and all of its followers) nowadays (and which was only ever slight in Radiohead, even in the early days). For current fans of Coldplay, you'll probably like this album quite a lot. But be sure to give it the respect it deserves, since it really predates Coldplay by a few years, and if Coldplay "Coldplayed" anyone (as Kenny would say), I think it was actually Travis. A brit-rock gem.
Happy Together: The Very Best Of/The Turtles (60s and 70s original releases): This is a collection of songs from the band most known (and only known to most people) for the song "Happy Together." I really enjoyed this though. Rather than being just another 60s pop band writing Beatlesesque songs, the Turtles have a distinct sound of their own. I really like the lead singers voice. Of course some songs are somewhat average 60s fare, but they have a particular polished and mellow sound. And of course Happy Together is just a classic. I recently heard an album with a song that echoed this classic track....
Rockin' the Suburbs/Ben Folds (2001): Ironic, witty piano-rock at its best. One song in particular has melody which echoes that of Happy Together by the Turtles. This is just fun to listen to.
Ok, more to come...
I'll begin by looking down from my chair the small pile of cd's (in cases of course) that have accumulated around my desk (my room is pretty messy right now...).
Album/Artist (year): Comments
Reconstruction of the Fables/R.E.M (1985): This is a solid early REM album. It doesn't have any of the super familiar radio tracks, but it's an enjoyable listen. I've really come to appreciate REM as one of the really important bands of the 80s that influenced the music I like today. Of course they lasted beyond the 80s too, but it is during that era that there music stands out as something especially unique and creative.
Pressure Chief/Cake (2004): Another catchy release from Cake. This one doesn't have the odd menagerie feel of Fashion Nugget (with its bizarre covers and subjects), nor does it quite reach the geek-rock heights of that album, but many of the songs here are right on par. I really liked track 3.
Lost in Space/Aimee Mann (2002): Not just an album with great cover art (the booklet is setup like a cartoon), this was a good album of solid (rather than pretty) female vocal driven well-crafted rock/pop. Aimee Mann writes perfect songs for movies and tv as well- songs from this album, and others show up all over the place. I heard about her first from her cover of the Beatles' "Two of Us" on the excellent I Am Sam soundtrack.
The Best of 1980-1980/U2: U2 is another reason that I've changed my mind about the 80s. I really enjoyed this album because while it contained some of U2s 80s standards (like In the Name of Love, Sunday Bloody Sunday, etc), it also had some songs I hadn't heard before (I haven't listened through the U2 catalog yet). Without U2 from this era, there would never, ever be X&Y. Of course who can blame Coldplay for building on its Brit-rock foundation (they seem to have gone from emulating Radiohead on their early stuff to more recently going through a U2 phase... plus Chris Martin's social activism really reminds one quite a lot of Bono). And speaking of UK bands that have influenced Coldplay...
The Man Who/Travis (1997 I think): When I heard this album, I suddenly understood the Coldplay-Radiohead connection even more. I would suggest that Coldplay was influenced indirectly by Radiohead through Travis. For it was Travis, from my listening and reading, that took that certain "Brit Rock" sound common to all these bands, including Radiohead and mellowed it down and built up that melodic quality that is really strong in Coldplay (and all of its followers) nowadays (and which was only ever slight in Radiohead, even in the early days). For current fans of Coldplay, you'll probably like this album quite a lot. But be sure to give it the respect it deserves, since it really predates Coldplay by a few years, and if Coldplay "Coldplayed" anyone (as Kenny would say), I think it was actually Travis. A brit-rock gem.
Happy Together: The Very Best Of/The Turtles (60s and 70s original releases): This is a collection of songs from the band most known (and only known to most people) for the song "Happy Together." I really enjoyed this though. Rather than being just another 60s pop band writing Beatlesesque songs, the Turtles have a distinct sound of their own. I really like the lead singers voice. Of course some songs are somewhat average 60s fare, but they have a particular polished and mellow sound. And of course Happy Together is just a classic. I recently heard an album with a song that echoed this classic track....
Rockin' the Suburbs/Ben Folds (2001): Ironic, witty piano-rock at its best. One song in particular has melody which echoes that of Happy Together by the Turtles. This is just fun to listen to.
Ok, more to come...
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Now Chris Jones Will Be Happy
That is, Chris Jones will be happy that I'm posting on my blog, since he has a link to mine on his and it bothers him that he is linking to an inactive blog. So there. Of course the real significance here is the new look to my blog- I decided to get with the program and "upgrade." I do like the changes so far, especially how your blog is connected to the rest of your google services- that makes login simpler (which was always annoying in blogger).
And of course there is the new layout (which Chris Jones should like as well, I think, at least somewhat, especially the brown tiled background).
So I'm going to try and start posting more frequently again.
Right now I'm listening to an album I just acquired on eMusic- "If You're Feeling Sinister" by Belle & Sebastian. It is good of course. This is one of their more legendary (in a very limited sense ;) early albums, and I figured it was essential for my collection. I've heard it before. What can I say? I love indie pop. This was the album that brought them recognition in the US (they are a Scottish band), after which point their very limited release album (Tigermilk) became quite popular and very rare. I think I've said it before, but one reason I like Belle & Sebastian is the 60s pop influences. Though even then, the cause and effect is difficult to discern- which did I like first? The 60's or B&S? I remember the first time I heard "She's Not There," by the Zombies (from the mid-60's), I thought it was Belle & Sebastian. And the real point was that I liked it.
Here's what else I downloaded today at eMusic:
Doolittle, by the Pixies (1989). This is one of the essentials of an era/genre of music I've only just been getting into in the past several months- the early "indie" of the late 80s and early 90s. Naturally, it is pretty raucous and noisy (though the tempos are actually quite "poppy"), and like everything the Pixies did, just rather strange! The singer, Black Francis, has this really interesting Spanish accent. But all of those random facts aside, I like the music. This album, like many others of its time just has this infectious energy and raw creativity.
A Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out, by Yo La Tengo (2000). I love Yo La Tengo and this is supposed to be one of their best albums- I still haven't even had a chance to fully listen to it yet (these downloads are FRESH, people!). Generally speaking, it is low-fi indie rock/pop. (as I continue to listen to this, I definitely like it- it's pretty mellow and atmospheric actually. A lot of great hushed songs.)
And finally, I also downloaded a rather interesting rendition of a Steve Reich composition ("Pendulum Music") done by Sonic Youth. You have to be in an "avante-garde" mood to listen to it though- I haven't heard the original to be able to compare. As you would expect, it's minimalistc music that gradually changes over time. In theory I like it, though I wasn't a big fan of this track- it was a bit too noisy and high pitched. But I give plenty of "cachet" (I'm going to start using that word extensively in this blog, just because I like it so much) to Sonic Youth just for trying something like this. This track comes from their album "Goodbye 20th Century", which is an album of covers of various post-modern and avant-garde compositions (just as "Six" by John Cage).
Well there you have it, I've finally updated...
And of course there is the new layout (which Chris Jones should like as well, I think, at least somewhat, especially the brown tiled background).
So I'm going to try and start posting more frequently again.
Right now I'm listening to an album I just acquired on eMusic- "If You're Feeling Sinister" by Belle & Sebastian. It is good of course. This is one of their more legendary (in a very limited sense ;) early albums, and I figured it was essential for my collection. I've heard it before. What can I say? I love indie pop. This was the album that brought them recognition in the US (they are a Scottish band), after which point their very limited release album (Tigermilk) became quite popular and very rare. I think I've said it before, but one reason I like Belle & Sebastian is the 60s pop influences. Though even then, the cause and effect is difficult to discern- which did I like first? The 60's or B&S? I remember the first time I heard "She's Not There," by the Zombies (from the mid-60's), I thought it was Belle & Sebastian. And the real point was that I liked it.
Here's what else I downloaded today at eMusic:
Doolittle, by the Pixies (1989). This is one of the essentials of an era/genre of music I've only just been getting into in the past several months- the early "indie" of the late 80s and early 90s. Naturally, it is pretty raucous and noisy (though the tempos are actually quite "poppy"), and like everything the Pixies did, just rather strange! The singer, Black Francis, has this really interesting Spanish accent. But all of those random facts aside, I like the music. This album, like many others of its time just has this infectious energy and raw creativity.
A Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out, by Yo La Tengo (2000). I love Yo La Tengo and this is supposed to be one of their best albums- I still haven't even had a chance to fully listen to it yet (these downloads are FRESH, people!). Generally speaking, it is low-fi indie rock/pop. (as I continue to listen to this, I definitely like it- it's pretty mellow and atmospheric actually. A lot of great hushed songs.)
And finally, I also downloaded a rather interesting rendition of a Steve Reich composition ("Pendulum Music") done by Sonic Youth. You have to be in an "avante-garde" mood to listen to it though- I haven't heard the original to be able to compare. As you would expect, it's minimalistc music that gradually changes over time. In theory I like it, though I wasn't a big fan of this track- it was a bit too noisy and high pitched. But I give plenty of "cachet" (I'm going to start using that word extensively in this blog, just because I like it so much) to Sonic Youth just for trying something like this. This track comes from their album "Goodbye 20th Century", which is an album of covers of various post-modern and avant-garde compositions (just as "Six" by John Cage).
Well there you have it, I've finally updated...
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Latest from the Library
Well see, there's lots of recent library stuff that I haven't yet mentioned. So here are some mini-reviews of a bunch of stuff.
Fiona Apple-The Extraordinary Machine. This is a good album, Apple's most recent. It has an interesting back story considering it almost didn't get released after a bunch of unreleased material was leaked to the web. But it did come out, and it's good. It has a more polished and orchestrated sound than her previous album, "When the Pawn..." (the really long titled one), and doesn't quite feel as edgy.
The Clash-London Calling. This is a classic British punk album, often considered one of the best punk rock albums of all time. It's just a great rock album in general. Listen and enjoy.
The Band-Greatest Hits (or something like that). This is a great folk-rock band that doens't have much recognition nowadays. But they were really influential in their day and actually pretty popular. In their early days they were the backing band for Bob Dylan. Then they started recording on their own. If you heard one of their songs, "The Weight", I bet you'd recognize it. Yeah, that's the band. Great American music right here.
Duran Duran- Pop Trash. I really wasn't into this one. I guess I've just been curious about Duran Duran from my reading, but I haven't yet been able to find any of their early work from the days when they became known in the 80's. This is a really recent album, and it's nothing special. I won't say with a wry grin on my face that it is "just so much pop trash" because I've been finding that excessively punny reviews irk me (half of the stuff on Rotten Tomatoes is like that- ie if you're reviewing a pirate movie, you have to make some snarky or ironic comment using pirate language/imagery- it gets overdone really quickly!). I also recently got "Thank You" by them which was kind of an odd compilation of covers of songs they like- also a recent album. Yes, there actually is music that I don't like!
www.indiefeed.com (redirects somewhere). This is a great site that has amazing indie music podcasts. They have several channels which you subscribe to (using iTunes or some other podcast player), and you basically get a new song each day or so. Completely free and legal independent music. Joel, if you read this, I'm going to send you a disc loaded with some of this stuff.
And if you're new to "Podcasts" (also sometimes called Netcasts), they're basically normal audio or video files that are set up to be downloaded to your computer (using a program like iTunes) on a recurring basis. It's kind of like radio, except you have complete control over what you get. The popular thing to do is download podcasts and then put them on your portable mp3 player (like an iPod, thus the name "podcast"), but you can listen to them on any computer or any device that can play mp3 files (for audio podcasts).
Okay, well that's all for now- time to head out to OIT...
Fiona Apple-The Extraordinary Machine. This is a good album, Apple's most recent. It has an interesting back story considering it almost didn't get released after a bunch of unreleased material was leaked to the web. But it did come out, and it's good. It has a more polished and orchestrated sound than her previous album, "When the Pawn..." (the really long titled one), and doesn't quite feel as edgy.
The Clash-London Calling. This is a classic British punk album, often considered one of the best punk rock albums of all time. It's just a great rock album in general. Listen and enjoy.
The Band-Greatest Hits (or something like that). This is a great folk-rock band that doens't have much recognition nowadays. But they were really influential in their day and actually pretty popular. In their early days they were the backing band for Bob Dylan. Then they started recording on their own. If you heard one of their songs, "The Weight", I bet you'd recognize it. Yeah, that's the band. Great American music right here.
Duran Duran- Pop Trash. I really wasn't into this one. I guess I've just been curious about Duran Duran from my reading, but I haven't yet been able to find any of their early work from the days when they became known in the 80's. This is a really recent album, and it's nothing special. I won't say with a wry grin on my face that it is "just so much pop trash" because I've been finding that excessively punny reviews irk me (half of the stuff on Rotten Tomatoes is like that- ie if you're reviewing a pirate movie, you have to make some snarky or ironic comment using pirate language/imagery- it gets overdone really quickly!). I also recently got "Thank You" by them which was kind of an odd compilation of covers of songs they like- also a recent album. Yes, there actually is music that I don't like!
www.indiefeed.com (redirects somewhere). This is a great site that has amazing indie music podcasts. They have several channels which you subscribe to (using iTunes or some other podcast player), and you basically get a new song each day or so. Completely free and legal independent music. Joel, if you read this, I'm going to send you a disc loaded with some of this stuff.
And if you're new to "Podcasts" (also sometimes called Netcasts), they're basically normal audio or video files that are set up to be downloaded to your computer (using a program like iTunes) on a recurring basis. It's kind of like radio, except you have complete control over what you get. The popular thing to do is download podcasts and then put them on your portable mp3 player (like an iPod, thus the name "podcast"), but you can listen to them on any computer or any device that can play mp3 files (for audio podcasts).
Okay, well that's all for now- time to head out to OIT...
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
New Pandora Stations
Well this post is going to be short, since I'm about to leave the library. But I wanted to give an update on some new Pandora stations. If you listen to these, keep this in mind: I steer these stations by starting them based on a particular band or song, and then Pandora plays songs that it thinks are similar. I then rate whether I like the songs or not, and it continues to refine the station based on those ratings. Thus you never really know what its going to play, and most of what you hear I've probably not heard before.
Proto-Indie delves into early indie rock and its roots and influences. As I got into music in the mid-90's and into the new millenium, I never really heard much about all of the bands that had directly preceded the indie and alternative rock I was hooked on (ie Pedro the Lion and eventually Pavement/Stephen Malkmus, Seam, etc etc). All I knew was that a few bands I liked, eg Yo La Tengo, had been around since the late 80's, but I thought of them as an anomaly. In general, I thought of 80's music as all of the cheesy metal and pop (think "Whip It") I heard as a kid when Joel would sneak on MTV. And then of course about 2 years ago or so, I started going back to the 60's to see what I could find there, starting with Simon & Garfunkel I guess. And the 60's and early 70's definitely had their influence on the turn of the millenium. But over the past few months, I've been discovering all of the great music from mainly the 80's and very early 90's that constitutes the immediate parents of Indie Rock and Alternative Rock. This station is built from the starting point of bands like My Bloody Valentine, the Pixies, REM, the Smiths, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, and a bunch of other stuff. Every once in a while I'll add something older that seems to have a direct influence, like the Velvet Undergound or some new-wave/post-punk from the late 70's. But of course who knows what Pandora will decide to play.
Gazing at your shoes is sort of a showcase of Pandora's weakness. I meant this to be a station of "shoegazer" rock, which I really can't even describe for those of you unfamiliar with that term (basically, everyone besides Joel). You'd have to just hear. Thus what I hoped this station would do. However as hard as I try to stear it in the right direction with songs by Starflyer 59, My Bloody Valentine, and Lush, it continually delivers all sorts of rock that have nothing to do with shoegazer. So really, I wouldn't recommend this one until I can improve it some more.
Epic Space Melodramatica stays true to its verbose title. Starting with Muse and it's recent grandiloquent space opera of an album, "Black Holes and Revelations," this station generally plays music with delusions of grandeur and a 2001: A Space Odyssey twist. This is the very station Luke Skywalker was listening to when he launched those two fateful proton-torpedos that destroyed the first Death Star.
Instumental Indie serves up continual enjoyment in the form of lush indie rock that verges on orchestral. This is one long soundtrack for the independent film that could be your life (how is that for lame advertising?). The heavy-hitters here are Godspeed You Black Emporer! (yes, that's actually the title of a band, a Canadian band no less), Explosions in the Sky (that harkens back to the days of "Top Secret Tomorrow" and other fun band names; this band actually did the soundtrack for a very unlikely film: Friday Night Lights), and some Tortoise. I can't remember what else I based this one on.
Well I think that's all for now. Enjoy! Jon
p.s. I think one of my next stations will be a folk-rock one. I already have my broad "All Folk" station, but I want something more focused on the Byrds, CSNY, and some Damien Jurado on the modern end.
p.p.s. Today is library day.
Proto-Indie delves into early indie rock and its roots and influences. As I got into music in the mid-90's and into the new millenium, I never really heard much about all of the bands that had directly preceded the indie and alternative rock I was hooked on (ie Pedro the Lion and eventually Pavement/Stephen Malkmus, Seam, etc etc). All I knew was that a few bands I liked, eg Yo La Tengo, had been around since the late 80's, but I thought of them as an anomaly. In general, I thought of 80's music as all of the cheesy metal and pop (think "Whip It") I heard as a kid when Joel would sneak on MTV. And then of course about 2 years ago or so, I started going back to the 60's to see what I could find there, starting with Simon & Garfunkel I guess. And the 60's and early 70's definitely had their influence on the turn of the millenium. But over the past few months, I've been discovering all of the great music from mainly the 80's and very early 90's that constitutes the immediate parents of Indie Rock and Alternative Rock. This station is built from the starting point of bands like My Bloody Valentine, the Pixies, REM, the Smiths, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, and a bunch of other stuff. Every once in a while I'll add something older that seems to have a direct influence, like the Velvet Undergound or some new-wave/post-punk from the late 70's. But of course who knows what Pandora will decide to play.
Gazing at your shoes is sort of a showcase of Pandora's weakness. I meant this to be a station of "shoegazer" rock, which I really can't even describe for those of you unfamiliar with that term (basically, everyone besides Joel). You'd have to just hear. Thus what I hoped this station would do. However as hard as I try to stear it in the right direction with songs by Starflyer 59, My Bloody Valentine, and Lush, it continually delivers all sorts of rock that have nothing to do with shoegazer. So really, I wouldn't recommend this one until I can improve it some more.
Epic Space Melodramatica stays true to its verbose title. Starting with Muse and it's recent grandiloquent space opera of an album, "Black Holes and Revelations," this station generally plays music with delusions of grandeur and a 2001: A Space Odyssey twist. This is the very station Luke Skywalker was listening to when he launched those two fateful proton-torpedos that destroyed the first Death Star.
Instumental Indie serves up continual enjoyment in the form of lush indie rock that verges on orchestral. This is one long soundtrack for the independent film that could be your life (how is that for lame advertising?). The heavy-hitters here are Godspeed You Black Emporer! (yes, that's actually the title of a band, a Canadian band no less), Explosions in the Sky (that harkens back to the days of "Top Secret Tomorrow" and other fun band names; this band actually did the soundtrack for a very unlikely film: Friday Night Lights), and some Tortoise. I can't remember what else I based this one on.
Well I think that's all for now. Enjoy! Jon
p.s. I think one of my next stations will be a folk-rock one. I already have my broad "All Folk" station, but I want something more focused on the Byrds, CSNY, and some Damien Jurado on the modern end.
p.p.s. Today is library day.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Back to Simpler Days
Well today I'm returning back to the sixties from my recent journeys into the 70's, 80's etc. The two bands I'm listening to today follow the early rock n' roll naming tradition of "the somethings." So at this moment I'm listening to the Hollies (another greatest hits sort of thing), and in a bit, I'll pop in the Monkees. So today it's all about fun harmonic pop-rock.
So far I like the Hollies. Having listened so much to the Beatles, it's hard not to compare them. Yet I think they should really be viewed simply as contemporaries rather than imitators of the Beatles. Also, they mostly stuck with their polished mid-sixties sound when the Beatles and everyone else started getting more experimental and into the psychedelic sound. So they are lots of fun. One interesting tid-bit is that one of their main members and songwriters, Graham Nash, went on to join David Crosby, of the Byrds, and Stephen Stills, of Buffalo Springfield to form the very uninspiringly named and great sounding group "CSN", which became CSNY when Neil Young (also formerly of Buffalo Springfield) joined for a few albums. Mom, do you remember CSN?
Well anyway, I like the Hollies so far. Oh, another interesting thing. The reason I checked out the Hollies was partly because of the CSNY connection, but mostly because of Scott Barger, the pastor of the church I've been going to. In one of his sermons, he mentioned a bunch of different classic groups from the old days (the sermon was about our unhealthy tendency to obligate ourselves to religious rules, and the example was that when he was a kid, he went to a strict Christian school which told him all of the music his parents liked was evil), so I chatted with him a little about it afterwards. I told him how much I liked the Beatles, while he said he was always more of a Hollies fan. So I thought I should check them out.
Well I just listened to the Monkees, and they are a lot of fun as well. After some reading, I really want to watch the show- it sounds like a lot of fun.
Well that's all for now...
So far I like the Hollies. Having listened so much to the Beatles, it's hard not to compare them. Yet I think they should really be viewed simply as contemporaries rather than imitators of the Beatles. Also, they mostly stuck with their polished mid-sixties sound when the Beatles and everyone else started getting more experimental and into the psychedelic sound. So they are lots of fun. One interesting tid-bit is that one of their main members and songwriters, Graham Nash, went on to join David Crosby, of the Byrds, and Stephen Stills, of Buffalo Springfield to form the very uninspiringly named and great sounding group "CSN", which became CSNY when Neil Young (also formerly of Buffalo Springfield) joined for a few albums. Mom, do you remember CSN?
Well anyway, I like the Hollies so far. Oh, another interesting thing. The reason I checked out the Hollies was partly because of the CSNY connection, but mostly because of Scott Barger, the pastor of the church I've been going to. In one of his sermons, he mentioned a bunch of different classic groups from the old days (the sermon was about our unhealthy tendency to obligate ourselves to religious rules, and the example was that when he was a kid, he went to a strict Christian school which told him all of the music his parents liked was evil), so I chatted with him a little about it afterwards. I told him how much I liked the Beatles, while he said he was always more of a Hollies fan. So I thought I should check them out.
Well I just listened to the Monkees, and they are a lot of fun as well. After some reading, I really want to watch the show- it sounds like a lot of fun.
Well that's all for now...
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Two days in a row.... what?
So this is the first time ever that I have posted on two consecutive days. This probably won't be a very long one since I'm also writing an email to Dad right now....
At the moment, I'm listening to the new Yo La Tengo album, which is quite good. I first read about it in Paste at B&N a few weeks back, and they gave it a good review. It's another amazingly eclectic and creative album by my favorite group of New Jersey musicians. This time they delve a lot into a lot of different styles of songs, reaching especially back into some of their roots and influences. I once read a description of Yo La Tengo which said they were the critic's ideal band- they are both historically conscious and enjoy exploring the past, yet they are not derivative or "retro-kitsch" as a former co-worker of mine would say, and they always present their own ideas and expression. I'm still on the first song, but I know the album will be good (I'm listening to it on Real Rhapsody, which is an online service using a proprietary media player that gives you complete access to millions of songs with unlimited access, for about $12 a month. I'm just using their free trial version which lets you listen to 25 songs every month... it's pretty cool, and it's FREE! Oh, but then here's a secret- they also have a web based version which has a slightly more limited selection of songs, but you can get 25 more free song plays there!). Joel, if you read this, you must listen to this album eventually.
I also finished listening to the Stevie Wonder album, and it just keeps growing on me. Next I need to find Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. Those two won the Grammy for album of the year, which brings up a bit of Grammy trivia. Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, and Frank Sinatra are tied for the most succesful Grammy winners in terms of album of the year- they each won that award three times. Interestingly enough, the Beatles only took that honor once, for Sgt Peppers, but it should also be said that with Sgt Pepper's win, that was the first time a rock album had ever won the award. The two preceding years it was Frank Sinatra. So I thought that was interesting. I think Joel would be pleased to know that in 1965, Stan Getz and João Gilberto won the award. Anyways, Stevie Wonder is more great Motown/soul/r&b and you should listen to him.
Well I think I'm going to cut this off now so I can finish my letter to Dad. I am going to the library later on, so that should be fun. I should have gone yesterday because I had movies due, so that means $2 into the copious coffers of Warsaw Community Public Library. Everything else is due today....
Oh, I did want to mention for Mom's sake that I think the best of the Grateful Dead probably came after her time, in the late 70's and 80's, so I'm not sure how familiar she is with that period of work. And don't worry everyone, I'm not about to become a retro-hippie pot-smoker... I don't think I would look good in tie-dye so that whole thing is sort of out for me. :)
At the moment, I'm listening to the new Yo La Tengo album, which is quite good. I first read about it in Paste at B&N a few weeks back, and they gave it a good review. It's another amazingly eclectic and creative album by my favorite group of New Jersey musicians. This time they delve a lot into a lot of different styles of songs, reaching especially back into some of their roots and influences. I once read a description of Yo La Tengo which said they were the critic's ideal band- they are both historically conscious and enjoy exploring the past, yet they are not derivative or "retro-kitsch" as a former co-worker of mine would say, and they always present their own ideas and expression. I'm still on the first song, but I know the album will be good (I'm listening to it on Real Rhapsody, which is an online service using a proprietary media player that gives you complete access to millions of songs with unlimited access, for about $12 a month. I'm just using their free trial version which lets you listen to 25 songs every month... it's pretty cool, and it's FREE! Oh, but then here's a secret- they also have a web based version which has a slightly more limited selection of songs, but you can get 25 more free song plays there!). Joel, if you read this, you must listen to this album eventually.
I also finished listening to the Stevie Wonder album, and it just keeps growing on me. Next I need to find Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. Those two won the Grammy for album of the year, which brings up a bit of Grammy trivia. Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, and Frank Sinatra are tied for the most succesful Grammy winners in terms of album of the year- they each won that award three times. Interestingly enough, the Beatles only took that honor once, for Sgt Peppers, but it should also be said that with Sgt Pepper's win, that was the first time a rock album had ever won the award. The two preceding years it was Frank Sinatra. So I thought that was interesting. I think Joel would be pleased to know that in 1965, Stan Getz and João Gilberto won the award. Anyways, Stevie Wonder is more great Motown/soul/r&b and you should listen to him.
Well I think I'm going to cut this off now so I can finish my letter to Dad. I am going to the library later on, so that should be fun. I should have gone yesterday because I had movies due, so that means $2 into the copious coffers of Warsaw Community Public Library. Everything else is due today....
Oh, I did want to mention for Mom's sake that I think the best of the Grateful Dead probably came after her time, in the late 70's and 80's, so I'm not sure how familiar she is with that period of work. And don't worry everyone, I'm not about to become a retro-hippie pot-smoker... I don't think I would look good in tie-dye so that whole thing is sort of out for me. :)
Monday, September 18, 2006
you are the sunshine of my life
That applies to two things: Christine Marie and the Stevie Wonder song I'm listening to right now :)
So yeah, it is Monday again, so that means I'm thinking about the library again and of course music.
Last week's trip was quite profitable. In addition to music, I got two movies which I actually watched (oftentimes I don't get to them): Braveheart, which was quite good and it added more material to my internal/intellectual tension on the whole issue of war/violence/peace/justice, etc... Oh, and I watched the Recruit, which was a pretty good CIA thriller, though it did have some plot holes. yesterday I watched the Constant Gardener, which I had from Netflix, and that was really good. It definitely made me think about how we're (the Western world) dealing with Africa, especially those of us in the Christian community who are supposed to be concerned with things like love, compassion, and justice. I really have no idea what do about it all though.
But ANYWAYS! This is neither a movie review blog nor a philosophical one ( yet :), so lets cut to the music. Here are some short comments on cd's I'm currently listening to:
Talking Book, by Stevie Wonder. This is what I'm listening to right now. It's quite interesting- I've never really listened to his stuff, but I've always heard how great he's supposed to be and all of the influence he's had on pop, r&b, and a lot of African-American music in particular. Kanye West has been quoted as saying that Stevie Wonder has set the standard to which he (Kanye) aspires. Not that I listen to Kanye or anything :) But anyway, I think it can probably say that pop music today would be quite different without Stevie. But besides all of the hype and outside opinions, I do actually like the music. Some are just simple love songs, which I enjoy, and others are a bit deeper. The music is consistently good.
Timepieces, Eric Clapton. THis is a standard greatest hits sort of disc. It's the first Clapton disc I've checked out, though I've heard some of his stuff on Pandora, the radio, and elsewhere. I like it. I enjoy the eclecticism of it, as it includes his performances of original compositions and those of other great writers like Bob Dylan and Bob Marley. It's just this intriguing blend rock, blues, and funk. I also enjoy his mellow vocals. For a long time I was really wary of musicians known for being great electric lead guitarists, fearing the heavy 80's and hair-rock vibes I associate with that stereotype. But there's none of that here and Clapton just makes great music. Plus my fear of the lead guitar is gradually dying, though don't expect me to become a Van Halen/Steve Vai fan any time soon (though of course I say that in almost total ignorance...). Joel would like Bob Marley song "I shot the sheriff".
The Very Best of the Doors. So you may wonder about the generally high amount of greatest hits albums I get. Well that is mostly because that is what my library has and it makes sense for a library, I suppose- get cd's that have a lot of the favorite songs, instead of trying to get all the albums (with the exception of the Beatles, of whom they have an almost complete collection). But regardless, this was my first check-out for the Doors. It was pretty good. Jim Morrison was quite an intriguing and controversial character. I appreciate the literate feel of some of the stuff and it is really quite artistic rock. Morrison's quality voice is especially interesting coupled with hard rock because you would expect a voice that liek to be singing Sinatra standards and the like, not late 60's drug influenced rock. So yeah, this was pretty interesting.
When the Pawn.... by Fiona Apple. This album's title is actually 90 words long, making it the longest album title ever, according to the Guinnness Book of Records. I can't resist putting the whole thing here:
When I was Cruel & some other album. Elvis Costello. Pretty good. I enjoy Elvis' humor and intellectual styling, about which you get the idea that he realizes it seems overblown at times, so that makes it ok- he doesn't entirely take himself seriously. it's unpretentious. This is a recent album for him and is supposedly more basic rock than a lot of his stuff (I haven't heard much). The other album is a collaboration with Burt Bacharach, so it features more standard songs, with some really lush orchestral arrangements, and it is quite intriguing as well. Bacharach is such a classic anyways. "Raindrops keep falling on my head..."
Well I really want to keep writing, but I've got to go each lunch and head off to my other job (I've been scanning this 42 page Winona Booklet today- it's a very helpful older local source for local history).
Until next time... (which I hope is soon, since there is so much to write about still! I haven't even mentioned Paul Simon and the Band yet!)
So yeah, it is Monday again, so that means I'm thinking about the library again and of course music.
Last week's trip was quite profitable. In addition to music, I got two movies which I actually watched (oftentimes I don't get to them): Braveheart, which was quite good and it added more material to my internal/intellectual tension on the whole issue of war/violence/peace/justice, etc... Oh, and I watched the Recruit, which was a pretty good CIA thriller, though it did have some plot holes. yesterday I watched the Constant Gardener, which I had from Netflix, and that was really good. It definitely made me think about how we're (the Western world) dealing with Africa, especially those of us in the Christian community who are supposed to be concerned with things like love, compassion, and justice. I really have no idea what do about it all though.
But ANYWAYS! This is neither a movie review blog nor a philosophical one ( yet :), so lets cut to the music. Here are some short comments on cd's I'm currently listening to:
Talking Book, by Stevie Wonder. This is what I'm listening to right now. It's quite interesting- I've never really listened to his stuff, but I've always heard how great he's supposed to be and all of the influence he's had on pop, r&b, and a lot of African-American music in particular. Kanye West has been quoted as saying that Stevie Wonder has set the standard to which he (Kanye) aspires. Not that I listen to Kanye or anything :) But anyway, I think it can probably say that pop music today would be quite different without Stevie. But besides all of the hype and outside opinions, I do actually like the music. Some are just simple love songs, which I enjoy, and others are a bit deeper. The music is consistently good.
Timepieces, Eric Clapton. THis is a standard greatest hits sort of disc. It's the first Clapton disc I've checked out, though I've heard some of his stuff on Pandora, the radio, and elsewhere. I like it. I enjoy the eclecticism of it, as it includes his performances of original compositions and those of other great writers like Bob Dylan and Bob Marley. It's just this intriguing blend rock, blues, and funk. I also enjoy his mellow vocals. For a long time I was really wary of musicians known for being great electric lead guitarists, fearing the heavy 80's and hair-rock vibes I associate with that stereotype. But there's none of that here and Clapton just makes great music. Plus my fear of the lead guitar is gradually dying, though don't expect me to become a Van Halen/Steve Vai fan any time soon (though of course I say that in almost total ignorance...). Joel would like Bob Marley song "I shot the sheriff".
The Very Best of the Doors. So you may wonder about the generally high amount of greatest hits albums I get. Well that is mostly because that is what my library has and it makes sense for a library, I suppose- get cd's that have a lot of the favorite songs, instead of trying to get all the albums (with the exception of the Beatles, of whom they have an almost complete collection). But regardless, this was my first check-out for the Doors. It was pretty good. Jim Morrison was quite an intriguing and controversial character. I appreciate the literate feel of some of the stuff and it is really quite artistic rock. Morrison's quality voice is especially interesting coupled with hard rock because you would expect a voice that liek to be singing Sinatra standards and the like, not late 60's drug influenced rock. So yeah, this was pretty interesting.
When the Pawn.... by Fiona Apple. This album's title is actually 90 words long, making it the longest album title ever, according to the Guinnness Book of Records. I can't resist putting the whole thing here:
- When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King
- What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight
- And He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring
- There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might
- So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand
- And Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights
- And If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land
- And If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right
When I was Cruel & some other album. Elvis Costello. Pretty good. I enjoy Elvis' humor and intellectual styling, about which you get the idea that he realizes it seems overblown at times, so that makes it ok- he doesn't entirely take himself seriously. it's unpretentious. This is a recent album for him and is supposedly more basic rock than a lot of his stuff (I haven't heard much). The other album is a collaboration with Burt Bacharach, so it features more standard songs, with some really lush orchestral arrangements, and it is quite intriguing as well. Bacharach is such a classic anyways. "Raindrops keep falling on my head..."
Well I really want to keep writing, but I've got to go each lunch and head off to my other job (I've been scanning this 42 page Winona Booklet today- it's a very helpful older local source for local history).
Until next time... (which I hope is soon, since there is so much to write about still! I haven't even mentioned Paul Simon and the Band yet!)
Monday, September 11, 2006
Another trip to the library
Well I'm about to head to the library again, that is, I should say, after a good warm shower since I just got back from a REALLY wet soccer game which we lost (but that's a different story for a different blog...). But yeah, who knows what I'll discover this time? I returned a bunch of stuff last week. The past few times I've been there I've sound some great box sets. Right now I have three- The Byrds (on cassette!), who were great and vastly underrated; The Velvet Underground, "Peel Slowly and See" which I'm curious to hear about from my parents as they were very much an "indie" band of the time and didn't sell many records, but are one of the foundational bands of what would eventually become punk rock, and then alternative and indie rock- so yeah, really interesting connections to today's music even though they were in the late 60's; and then I also have a box set from the Grateful Dead, who I have been surprised about. I never really knew much about them and figured from they're name that they'd be a lot mroe of a hard rock band like Led Zeppelin or something, only to find out that it's a totally different story. They still have a lot of the drug influences, but their music is really interesting- very improvisational and jazzy many times. I can almost detect some songs that have influenced the sound a great postrock Chicago band like the Sea and Cake. So anyways.... I've got a bunch of other stuff too and hopefully none of it is due today. WEll that's for now- I need to leave early enough to have time at the library...
Monday, August 14, 2006
Music Craziness
Hmmm, since I last wrote here I have experienced an incredible amount of music. Where to even begin?
I continue to use Pandora, though not as exclusively as when I first discovered it. One trend I've noticed is that you have to be careful what you "Thumbs Up." The reason is that the more things you approve that you may like, but are farther from the starting song, the more general and even bland the station gets. Thus a lot of my old station are far less distinct than I would like. For example, what started as a Beatles station became British Invasion. But then it has kept expanding and now it's become just a general 60's and 70's station. Thus I created "A Day in the Life" station, starting from a song I really like. And then I've only really been approving songs of a similar experimental vein. But it is so hard when a classic early Beatles song comes on to NOT give it a thumbs up. So I just leave a lot of songs unrated now.
My physical has grown quite a bit. I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but I got the essential "1" album by the Beatles. I know I already mentioned The Fire Theft. I also got a couple of records at a yard sale- S&G's Greatest Hits album (it's a classic) and the Eagles Greatest Hits. I'm not a big Eagles fan (they're ok), but this is the best selling album in the US of all time (19 times platinum) so I figured it would fit well into my growing collection. My trip to NY to see Her was very fortuitous. She gave me Paul's excellent album Chaos and Creation for my birthday. Then Bekah gave me something great- the White Album. While their went to a great little used music shop in North Port Village- "Permanent Records". I had to leave a bunch of great bargains behind, but I walked out with Stereolab's newest, "Fab Four Suture", (quite good), a promo copy of Theivery Corp's newest original lp, Lovedrug's first full length (a rare find- and quite good!), and an America vinyl (I can't remember the title). All for about $20 :) The America album officially belongs to Christine and me since it was her idea. It has a lot of good songs though (eg Sister Golden Hair) and we got to listen to it together. In the time since then, I've gotten a few more items. I ordered another Beatles essential, Revolver, on Amazon marketplace. Next will be either Sgt Pepper's, or Magical Mystery Tour. Then maybe Rubber Soul and Abbey Road. Slowly but surely I'm building my collection. Oh, I also discovered that Harrison's first solo effort, the triple lp All Things Must Pass is a must have- I heard a bunch of songs on Pandora. He was just bursting with great stuff after all of the Lennon-McCartney suppression. Oh, I also need to get the classic Odessey and Oracle by the Zombies.
I also discovered a great new online service through Dave at work. It is a cd trading site called "lala". Check it out. Basically you list cd's you want to trade and if someone wants it, you send it to them with special mailers that lala send you- a lot like Netflix. For each cd you send, you get one off of you "want" list. You only pay $1.50 per cd. The more you send, the more you receive. My only problem right now is that I don't have many cd's I want to get rid of. I may try to pick up random used ones that I find specifically for trading. We'll see. I did get one cd completely for free just for signing up. And it's a great one I've wanted for a long time- "How It Feels to Be Something On" by Sunny Day Real Estate. It was there first album after rejoining. And to me, it is one of the best 90's emo albums.
And then there are all of the library cd's! there have been so many. At this very moment while I'm at work (scanning) I'm listening to "Bachelor No. 2" by Aimee Mann, which is surprisingly recent (90's). She sings my favorite song on the I Am Sam soundtrack (all Beatles covers), Two of Us. This is a pretty good album. I said surprisingly recent because most of what I've been getting is from earlier decades. I don't have time to go into it all now because I need to go to my other job, but lets just say its been a broad and vast musical experience the past couple of months. I've discovered things as diverse as Fleetwood Mac and the Clash, , Led Zeppelin and Marvin Gaye! So yeah. I have to go to the library today actually- who knows what else I will discover?
I continue to use Pandora, though not as exclusively as when I first discovered it. One trend I've noticed is that you have to be careful what you "Thumbs Up." The reason is that the more things you approve that you may like, but are farther from the starting song, the more general and even bland the station gets. Thus a lot of my old station are far less distinct than I would like. For example, what started as a Beatles station became British Invasion. But then it has kept expanding and now it's become just a general 60's and 70's station. Thus I created "A Day in the Life" station, starting from a song I really like. And then I've only really been approving songs of a similar experimental vein. But it is so hard when a classic early Beatles song comes on to NOT give it a thumbs up. So I just leave a lot of songs unrated now.
My physical has grown quite a bit. I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but I got the essential "1" album by the Beatles. I know I already mentioned The Fire Theft. I also got a couple of records at a yard sale- S&G's Greatest Hits album (it's a classic) and the Eagles Greatest Hits. I'm not a big Eagles fan (they're ok), but this is the best selling album in the US of all time (19 times platinum) so I figured it would fit well into my growing collection. My trip to NY to see Her was very fortuitous. She gave me Paul's excellent album Chaos and Creation for my birthday. Then Bekah gave me something great- the White Album. While their went to a great little used music shop in North Port Village- "Permanent Records". I had to leave a bunch of great bargains behind, but I walked out with Stereolab's newest, "Fab Four Suture", (quite good), a promo copy of Theivery Corp's newest original lp, Lovedrug's first full length (a rare find- and quite good!), and an America vinyl (I can't remember the title). All for about $20 :) The America album officially belongs to Christine and me since it was her idea. It has a lot of good songs though (eg Sister Golden Hair) and we got to listen to it together. In the time since then, I've gotten a few more items. I ordered another Beatles essential, Revolver, on Amazon marketplace. Next will be either Sgt Pepper's, or Magical Mystery Tour. Then maybe Rubber Soul and Abbey Road. Slowly but surely I'm building my collection. Oh, I also discovered that Harrison's first solo effort, the triple lp All Things Must Pass is a must have- I heard a bunch of songs on Pandora. He was just bursting with great stuff after all of the Lennon-McCartney suppression. Oh, I also need to get the classic Odessey and Oracle by the Zombies.
I also discovered a great new online service through Dave at work. It is a cd trading site called "lala". Check it out. Basically you list cd's you want to trade and if someone wants it, you send it to them with special mailers that lala send you- a lot like Netflix. For each cd you send, you get one off of you "want" list. You only pay $1.50 per cd. The more you send, the more you receive. My only problem right now is that I don't have many cd's I want to get rid of. I may try to pick up random used ones that I find specifically for trading. We'll see. I did get one cd completely for free just for signing up. And it's a great one I've wanted for a long time- "How It Feels to Be Something On" by Sunny Day Real Estate. It was there first album after rejoining. And to me, it is one of the best 90's emo albums.
And then there are all of the library cd's! there have been so many. At this very moment while I'm at work (scanning) I'm listening to "Bachelor No. 2" by Aimee Mann, which is surprisingly recent (90's). She sings my favorite song on the I Am Sam soundtrack (all Beatles covers), Two of Us. This is a pretty good album. I said surprisingly recent because most of what I've been getting is from earlier decades. I don't have time to go into it all now because I need to go to my other job, but lets just say its been a broad and vast musical experience the past couple of months. I've discovered things as diverse as Fleetwood Mac and the Clash, , Led Zeppelin and Marvin Gaye! So yeah. I have to go to the library today actually- who knows what else I will discover?
Friday, June 23, 2006
New Sidebar
So on the sidebar, you should see some Pandora stuff... kinda cool huh? It shows recent songs that I "bookmarked" while listening to Pandora. I bookmark songs that I just like or who artists I am curious about and don't want to forget.
So there :)
I may also add one with my current stations... we'll see.
Jon
So there :)
I may also add one with my current stations... we'll see.
Jon
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Open the Pandora's Box
Check out www.pandora.com . This is an amazingly cool internet radio site. It creates customized radio stations based upon the musical characteristics of songs themselves rather than simply upon the tastes of other people.... It's an interesting philosophy and theory of doing internet radio. Whatever the case, it's good and their catalog is extensive. Plus its a nice and polished site. www.pandora.com.
And just for the fun of it, you can check out my profile and see my stations. I've bookmarked lots of songs I either liked or want to look at more...
http://www.pandora.com/people/canjecricketer
And just for the fun of it, you can check out my profile and see my stations. I've bookmarked lots of songs I either liked or want to look at more...
http://www.pandora.com/people/canjecricketer
Beatlemania Continues + Folk
Pardon the formatting- Myspace is such a pain...
Time for the latest music updates. Beatles continue to have a high play-count, and I just purchased the high value "1" cd- 27 #1 singles! Good stuff. I also bought the debut album of The Fire Theft, which is the reorganized form of the pioneer emo band (and best emo band ever) Sunndy Day Real Estate. It's pretty good. Not quite as good as "How It Feels to Be Something On" (IMO the best "emo" album ever).
Other things I'm listening to: -David Bowie- BBC sessions from the late 60's/early 70's. This is good rock music. -LOTS of REM. Such a classic band. Their msuic from the 80's is amazing. I knew there had to be good music from the 80's! (I've never been a fan of all the cheesy synth driven 80's rock/metal etc;) -The Who- Another good british invasion band. THat's kind of my focal point these days, though I'm listening to lots of other stuff too. -Innocence Mission- I had forgotten all about this group. I checked out there "Now the Day is Over" cd- quite a soothing and restful sort of cd to listen to before you go to bed. Plus they have lots of free mp3's on their website! Karen Peris has an amazing voice. -Folk in general- so lots of Dylan, and others. This is mostly on internet radio, especially WWW.PANDORA.COM . If you haven't been there, check it out! It's a great internet radio site. I've been especially working on my folk station. I've been discoverings lots of good folk/folksih stuff, including some of the great women artists. I really like Joni Mitchell's work so far. I've only heard one Joan Baez song, which I'm sure will incite Jessica if she reads this. -a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember right now-
Time for the latest music updates. Beatles continue to have a high play-count, and I just purchased the high value "1" cd- 27 #1 singles! Good stuff. I also bought the debut album of The Fire Theft, which is the reorganized form of the pioneer emo band (and best emo band ever) Sunndy Day Real Estate. It's pretty good. Not quite as good as "How It Feels to Be Something On" (IMO the best "emo" album ever).
Other things I'm listening to: -David Bowie- BBC sessions from the late 60's/early 70's. This is good rock music. -LOTS of REM. Such a classic band. Their msuic from the 80's is amazing. I knew there had to be good music from the 80's! (I've never been a fan of all the cheesy synth driven 80's rock/metal etc;) -The Who- Another good british invasion band. THat's kind of my focal point these days, though I'm listening to lots of other stuff too. -Innocence Mission- I had forgotten all about this group. I checked out there "Now the Day is Over" cd- quite a soothing and restful sort of cd to listen to before you go to bed. Plus they have lots of free mp3's on their website! Karen Peris has an amazing voice. -Folk in general- so lots of Dylan, and others. This is mostly on internet radio, especially WWW.PANDORA.COM . If you haven't been there, check it out! It's a great internet radio site. I've been especially working on my folk station. I've been discoverings lots of good folk/folksih stuff, including some of the great women artists. I really like Joni Mitchell's work so far. I've only heard one Joan Baez song, which I'm sure will incite Jessica if she reads this. -a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember right now-
The White Album, etc....
This was from April....
The White Album- need I say more? Ok, I will. Absolutely amazing. I hadn't heard of a lot of these songs, but this double-ep is stellar. I especially like the first disc, with Dear Prudence, ob la di ob la da, Glass Onion, Blackbird, and others, but disc two is great as well, with Mother Nature's Son and Revolution 1, and lots of other fun stuff. THe Goodnight song is a blast as well. HOw, I say, how did they do it? I don't think anything will ever compare to the Beatles.
"Matador at Fifteen"-a good compilation of music by the label that brought us Interpol, Yo La Tengo, and Steven Malkmus.
Starflyer 59- picked up their rerelease editions of their first two albums, which both include rare ep's. "Silver" and "Gold." This is classic mid-90's shoegazer alternative rock. Also picked up their second to most recent album, their worst yet- "I Am the Portuguese Blues," but it was a demo for a buck 25 so who can complain?
Stavesacre "Collective"- another cheap demo. Stavesacre was/is a good band when you're in the mood for something a bit heavier.
Paul Simon "On My Way, Don't Know Where I'm Going"- good stuff here- pretty much hits highlights through Paul's post-S&G days. Lots of good songs. "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is really funny. Also includes a disk of rare live recordings, including a very different Graceland-ish version of "Mrs Robinson."
James Taylor "October Road". Christine got me into James Taylor ;)
Smashing Pumpkins "thirty-three" ep- I'm really rediscovering this classic band of the 90's. Not quite as good as the "Tonight Tonight" ep, but another good bit of late pumpkins. I missed a lot of their stuff the first time around (ie back when they were still around)
The "Downtempo" station on Rhapsody radio- I can't get enough downtempo.
Viva Voce- So I bought a cd by this obscure Christian band back in the mid-late 90's and really liked it (album was Hooray for Now), but never heard anything about them again. Last week I was at the Barsuk site downloading some free Deathcab, when I noticed that Viva Voce not only still exists but is signed with Barsuk apparently. Since I last heard anything about them, they've released two LP's, one of which I listened to on Rhapsody. So that was cool. THeir sound has changed a bit from their edgier, more experimental earlier sound to a polished sort of Yo La Tengo/Ivy-esque sound. Good stuff!
The White Album- need I say more? Ok, I will. Absolutely amazing. I hadn't heard of a lot of these songs, but this double-ep is stellar. I especially like the first disc, with Dear Prudence, ob la di ob la da, Glass Onion, Blackbird, and others, but disc two is great as well, with Mother Nature's Son and Revolution 1, and lots of other fun stuff. THe Goodnight song is a blast as well. HOw, I say, how did they do it? I don't think anything will ever compare to the Beatles.
"Matador at Fifteen"-a good compilation of music by the label that brought us Interpol, Yo La Tengo, and Steven Malkmus.
Starflyer 59- picked up their rerelease editions of their first two albums, which both include rare ep's. "Silver" and "Gold." This is classic mid-90's shoegazer alternative rock. Also picked up their second to most recent album, their worst yet- "I Am the Portuguese Blues," but it was a demo for a buck 25 so who can complain?
Stavesacre "Collective"- another cheap demo. Stavesacre was/is a good band when you're in the mood for something a bit heavier.
Paul Simon "On My Way, Don't Know Where I'm Going"- good stuff here- pretty much hits highlights through Paul's post-S&G days. Lots of good songs. "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is really funny. Also includes a disk of rare live recordings, including a very different Graceland-ish version of "Mrs Robinson."
James Taylor "October Road". Christine got me into James Taylor ;)
Smashing Pumpkins "thirty-three" ep- I'm really rediscovering this classic band of the 90's. Not quite as good as the "Tonight Tonight" ep, but another good bit of late pumpkins. I missed a lot of their stuff the first time around (ie back when they were still around)
The "Downtempo" station on Rhapsody radio- I can't get enough downtempo.
Viva Voce- So I bought a cd by this obscure Christian band back in the mid-late 90's and really liked it (album was Hooray for Now), but never heard anything about them again. Last week I was at the Barsuk site downloading some free Deathcab, when I noticed that Viva Voce not only still exists but is signed with Barsuk apparently. Since I last heard anything about them, they've released two LP's, one of which I listened to on Rhapsody. So that was cool. THeir sound has changed a bit from their edgier, more experimental earlier sound to a polished sort of Yo La Tengo/Ivy-esque sound. Good stuff!
Music Fixation
So I've really been enjoying writing on myspace.com about what I'm currently listening to. But what I don't like is that it gets really long and then I have to delete old stuff. But I like keeping the old comments around, so I think I'm going to start posting music stuff on this blog. So I'm going to repost above my most recent myspace post and the content it replaced....
Saturday, April 08, 2006
So what's this do?
Now I'm trying to see what "BlogThis!" does. Blogspot seems to have a lot of different features, and I'm trying to figure out how they all work. So far, things seem a little clunky for logging into your own blog if you start out on someone else's blog. Of course that's probably just me being lazy and not paying attention. ~jmp
Testing Photos
Well my prolific parents want to post images now, so I'm trying to figure out how to do that. Let's see if this works.
I think it did!
Well, now back to prolific writing on the High Priesthood in Israel... ~jmp
Monday, January 30, 2006
another day at work
Today I'm at the library once again. This time I am scanning copies of some really old documents from the early days of Winona Lake. In fact, it was known as Eagle Lake back then, and there really wasn't much of a town here. The main thing that was here was the Spring Fountain Park. It's all very interesting.
I like this job because it generally involves a lot of variety. Plus when things are scanning, I can do email or browse the internet, so that is fun.
Speaking of work, I'm actually going to be fixing a computer for someone tomorrow and get paid for it! So that will be interesting...
I like this job because it generally involves a lot of variety. Plus when things are scanning, I can do email or browse the internet, so that is fun.
Speaking of work, I'm actually going to be fixing a computer for someone tomorrow and get paid for it! So that will be interesting...
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