Potluck

Driving home tonight I did something I rarely do: I put the iPod on shuffle. I grew up listening to albums, or at least sides, so shuffle generally makes me feel scattered and disjointed. But I think I was feeling a bit scattered already, so I gave it a go, and here's what The Gods of Music served up: Self (from Breakfast With Girls), Oingo Boingo (from Only A Lad), Poe (from Hello), John Legend (from Get Lifted), Presets (from Beams), Wilco (from A Ghost is Born), Rufus Wainwright (from Want One), and Fiona Apple (from Tidal). All in all, a pretty delightful collection of tunes.

One of those "Taha" moments

I love walking into a place and hearing music that I love. So hurray for the falafel restaurant my sweetie and I dined at for lunch! We spent the meal outside, with nothing but the street for music. But we popped inside before leaving and instantly my brain was smiling at the happy recognition of my favorite Rachid Taha album. It's such a great collection of songs - and when I saw him live, wow. It was a Total Rock and Roll Experience. (I've seen a few pathetic YouTube videos of Taha, drunk and embarrassing himself on stage, but I hope that was a passing phase.)

I'm working on adding a music player to the blog, so when I do, please check this guy out if you don't know him already. Fun stuff!

Um, ... are you singing a love song to pink wine?

Yes, yes you are. But that's just fine, because this album is a pop gem. And sometimes, that's exactly what you want. I took The Feeling out for a spin today whilst driving through the increasing Fall color and it was a *very* pleasant experience, indeed.

These guys get a lot of grief because they're so influenced by the '80s pop that they used to cover. But being a child of the '80s means I love hearing those influences in shiny new songs. Also, I interviewed these chaps back when I worked for the World's Largest Music Store and they were not only very sweet, they turned out to be Metallica fans.

What's not to love?

Does emotional music have quite an effect on you?

I'm baking to Faith No More. And that strikes me as a little odd. But perhaps not. Perhaps there are Betty CRockers all over the place and I just haven't met them.

I wasn't planning to whip up zucchini bread to the lilting tones of Mr. Patton and friends. Earlier in the day I had been quite enjoying Fairground Attraction (the live in Japan import, for you fans playing at home). But an unfortunate series of events, mostly involving bad customer service, put me in a darker mood. And when I clicked into the Artist list on my Pod, Faith No More was right there. And boy did Angel Dust fit the bill. I thought the album was a bit too commercial when it came out. I can see now that I was high. It's plenty angry, plenty heavy, and loaded with lyrics that would startle the neighbors if they could hear me wailing along. It's the kind of stuff that focuses my frustration with the world and then transforms it into happiness.

I find that the geeks are often right

Oh how I love The Faint. I'm pretty sure I squealed with delight when a friend put their new CD into my hands. And I'm no less delighted now, after having it around for a few weeks. (I'm sad there's no good dance clubs in my new hometown, but I can't blame the band for that.)

Nerdtastic beats synthesized to pieces. Weirdness abounds. Funky as all get out. Fun and random and, while I hate to wait, worth the wait.

I love her when she does everything

Sam Phillips has been stripping her sound down for years now, but this is the first time I've really dug it. She's got these beautiful songs that are simultaneously polished and raw, with delicate delivery and awesome fuzz guitar. This one makes me think I should go back and listen to the last two. Fans of Aimee Mann who don't know Sam Phillips ought to rectify that situation post haste. And vice versa.

Tidbit: If you like that Sister Rosetta song from the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss album, check it out as performed by the composer.

She's Not The Bird

The Bird and The Bee make me happy. I've been digging Greg Kurstin's music in many varieties for years now, and Inara George is about as charming as you can get. (I'm also digging her new album with Van Dyke Parks. And I always dig Geggy Tah's album Into the Oh. Also enjoyable - Action Figure Party.)

Oh What a World

Woke up with Rufus Wainwright in my head this morning. Want One is such a fun and lovely album, and those two don't usually coincide.

I've been meaning to check out the rest of the family. If you have recommendations, please pass them along.

Hold Your Head Up

Honestly, anyone who thinks that Salt 'n' Pepa belong in the same track with Nirvana ought to have his head examined. Also, he should be crowned. Man, that new Girl Talk album makes me smile every time I hear it. It's a spectacularly fun game of Name That Tune. If you're a fan of 80s, 90s, hip hop, and/or mash ups, Do Not Pass Go. Just go out and git it!

Wheeeeeee!

Dave Mason played my jam last night. Aw yeah. Photo to come. And now I'm off to Six Flags for a day riding El Toro. I'm sure I'll have something to say about theme park music upon my return.

there ain't no good guy/there ain't no bad guy

Dave Mason is playing Hardscrabble Day 2008 in Red Hook, NY tomorrow and I am psyched. As far as I can tell, there is a grand total of 1 Dave Mason song that owns real estate in my brain. But it's been homesteading for decades now, and you kids better get off the lawn.

See, when I was a kid I got completely sucked into the whole K-Tel Records thing. I didn't have unlimited fiscal resources, though, so I only have a few gems from the collection. And one of those gems has Dave Mason's song "We Just Disagree". I love that song. Without reservation. That song is such a part of my DNA that I can summon no critical judgement whatsoever. I just love it. (Ditto "Thank You For Being a Friend" by Andrew Gold, which discovered fame and fortune as the Golden Girls theme song and precedes Dave Mason on The Hot Ones 1978.)

So cheers, to you, Mr. Mason. Thanks for writing and recording a song that has remain lodged in my brainpan lo these many (geez, 30? Can that be right?) years. I'll be there, singing along, waving my iPhone loaded with the Freebird app. Wooo-ooo-ooo-ooh. Whoaa-oh-o-o-o.

Off the beaten path

Working in music shops, in nightclubs, and as a DJ has provided me with a pretty massive music collection. But it's a collection I've taken some grief over, mostly because I have a lot of music that isn't very well known. Over the years, I've fallen deeply in love with bands that never went anywhere. Actually, that's not true: They got far enough to have an album that was sent out by their label. After that, they went nowhere. (I'm sure I'll rant about payola another day, but that's not this post.) On the one hand, it makes me happy to have this music in my life. On the other hand, it makes me deeply sad that it wasn't heard by more people. Recent shifts in the music industry make me hopeful, though. I feel like we all have more access to more music than we have for decades. The problems becomes finding music you're gonna like.

How do you find new music? Are there websites, blogs, friends, podcasts or other sources that reliably turn you on to good sounds? Tell me about them! 

Perhaps I should buy a cape. (Edna Mode would differ.)

I think I find groove in places that other people don't. Maybe it's my superpower. I know it makes me a bit of a freak. When I used to DJ at the World's Largest Music Store, I would play things that sounded super-groovy to me, and I would dance around the booth, and lots of the staff would look at me like I had grown a spare arm. While that could easily have been because of my dancing, I'm pretty sure it was also because I was finding funk where they didn't.

I had this realization today listening to two different things that struck me as chock fulla groove: a choral work by Haydn called "Te Deum" and Alphabetical by Phoenix. Both feature loads of head-nodding off-beats. But I suspect that the average bear finds both of those musical experiences a bit ... well, square. I'm fine with my superpower, but I wish I could share it with the world. Can't we all just groove along?

Tell me what you think: Phoenix - funky or L7? Is there a group or an album that you think brings the funk but leaves your friends cold?

Ascending Band

I love familiar sounds put together in surprising new ways. Or familiar sounds put together with unfamiliar sounds. So I have to recommend that you check out Silent City by Kayhan Kalhor and Brooklyn Rider. Brooklyn Rider are four string players so talented that Yo Yo Ma proudly calls them colleagues, and they bring an undeniable groove to everything they play. Kayhan Kalhor is one of the most noted kamancheh players on the planet. The whole album is killin', but Ascending Bird has been known to make me dance in inappropriate places and Beloved... just flat out rocks. (Yes, I'm still talking about a string quartet).

Check out John Schaefer's review at www.brooklynrider.com (click on the Press link). He makes a Led Zeppelin comparison that is right on the money. And then go get the album. And if you have a chance, do go see the tour. And don't be afraid to dance.

The British Invasion Continues

I'm digging the Adele album. What's not to love? She's a fearless chick singer with some blues groove bass lines, a little soul, a little slink, and a lot of heart. A friend sent it to me before I'd heard anything about it and, for me, that's the most exciting way to find new music. I had no preconceptions (there wasn't even album art at the time), just the good word of a friend. Thanks, friend!

Equal to the love you make

I love that video of Chris Bliss juggling to The Beatles. It gives me goosebumps every time I see it, and sometimes it even brings tears to my eyes. But it took me a while to figure out why: It's really about realizing how much love he shows for The Beatles and their music. I have a similar reaction when I listen to The Grey Album by Danger Mouse. His overwhelming love of the music gets me every time.

You can't deconstruct music like that without loving it. And to make an album the central focus of a major work is a serious commitment. Watching Chris juggle and listening to Danger Mouse mix shows me how other people hear music that I love. And it makes me love it that much more. So thanks, guys, for sharing your work with us. (And Stephen Colbert - if you haven't heard them yet, check out the Fab Four's Christmas Albums. They're guaranteed to please.)

Makin' Friends

So I live in a small town now, and it's pretty different from Manhattan. One lovely way it's different is that everyone's fairly comfortable striking up conversations with strangers. I've noticed this before, but the other day was more fun. Why? Because I was wearing my Master of Puppets t-shirt. (It's the best album Metallica has ever made. Feel free to argue in the comments. But I'm unlikely to change my mind.) Anyway, I'm out and about, wearing my Metallica shirt, and it sparked a lovely conversation with a bookstore employee (he: "Are you excited about the new album?" me: "Are you kidding?? Did you see the Times article? They say it's a return to 'Master'! I can't wait!!") and a hardware store cashier (she: " I love that album, but they got lame. 'Load' and 'Reload' were ...[makes icky face]" me: "I know. You can really stop listening to anything after 'Justice'. But did you hear that the new album is supposed to be a return to form? You should check it out!)

Good metal makes me smile. And do surprising and fun conversations with strangers/neighbors. What's your best story about making a friend over shared love of music? (Some day I'll tell you about my wonderful friend G. We bonded in 1984 while waiting for the gates to open at the Squeeze reunion show. Ahh, the good old days.)

Tango on The Stoop!

One of the things I love about iTunes is that, when you're not paying attention, it can surprise you. So there I was, happily working out to Little Jackie - a bouncy, summery, hip-pop album. It was just what I wanted it to be: It kept me moving with the kind of grooves that make me smile. And then, in an instant, I'm in a whole 'nother world, in a truly delightful way. See, Little Jackie's album is "The Stoop" and the next album in my New Music playlist is cellist Jan Vogler's just-released "Tango!"

If you like the cello, or the tango, or if you just like beautiful, moving, passionate music, do yourself a favor and buy a copy. I can't find any sites that have samples (yet) and I'm not geared up to post things like that myself (yet). But believe me - the players on this album are changing the way people listen to "classical" music. You'll hear more about all of them in posts to come.

Para ser o no ser

Listening to Julieta Venegas today, mostly because I'm taking a Spanish class. But it could just as easily be said that I'm taking a Spanish class because I love Julieta Venegas (and Jorge Drexler, and Liquits, and Juanes, and Juana Molina, and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and Zurdok, and just about any band that plays salsa). I think a lot of people resist listening to music in languages they don't know because it makes them uncomfortable to not know what the singer is saying. But I don't put much weight in lyrics - I never have. So it never occurred to me that listening to music in Spanish was much different than listening to anything else.

Do you listen to music in languages you don't know? Why or why not?