Blogging, Books, Cats, Music, Mayhem
The annals of music history are full of artists cut down in their prime. John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Andrew Wood, the list is entirely too long, and the world is poorer for the music they never got to make. One can only imagine what Jim Croce might have written if he hadn’t died at 30 in a plane crash, heading from one university gig to another. Continue reading ““Photographs and Memories: His Greatest Hits” – Jim Croce”
In 2016 I wanted to take on a 100-day blogging project and decided I’d do a top 100 list of my favorite albums, at the time. Looking over the list, it’s a good point-in-time snapshot, but a lot has changed in seven years or so. Continue reading “Revisiting my top 100 albums: The 24 that didn’t make the cut”
A discussion on Metafilter today about interviews with J.J. Jeczalik from Art of Noise tickled my brain and put this song back in heavy rotation. Continue reading ““Close (To The Edit)” – Art of Noise”
Fresh new music for the first week of the new year, Steve Lawson’s Episode 50: A New Hope is two epic-length tracks of introspective goodness.
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I’ll turn the floor over to Steve to describe the release:
Turning 50 after 5 months of chemo to try and get rid of Lymphoma was a milestone rich with symbolism and all the feels. Especially having just had such good news about the success of the chemo. So here we have the soundtrack to that milestone.
I’ve been following along with Lawson’s updates on his journey to treat Lymphoma and I’m glad to learn he’s reached the finish line with his chemo regimen. Here’s hoping that he’s got a long stretch of good health ahead.
You can feel the optimism and relief in the music. It’s definitely worth a listen the next time you have a bit of quality listening time. Sounds great in headphones. Happy birthday, Steve, and many more!
Today was my last work day of 2022. While I was doing some writing I put Into The Trees on for a little focus music. Once again, I was struck by just how beautiful this album is, especially track #2 “Escape Artist.” Continue reading “Perfect year-end music: Zoë Keating’s Into The Trees”
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a holiday staple around these parts. It has been for me since I first saw the movie in 1993. It’s a classic that stands up to A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas but with the added fun of being a little twisted.
How much do we love this movie? Meg and I had Jack & Sally cake toppers at our Halloween-themed wedding last year. (Technically, they didn’t sit on top of the cake because we had a cake buffet, but I digress.) Continue reading “Christmas playlist part six: The Nightmare Before Christmas”
For an atheist, Andy Partridge has an impressive output of Christmas songs, though several were intended to be recorded by other artists.
XTC released two Christmas songs written by Partridge, “Thanks for Christmas” and “Countdown To Christmas Party Time.” Technically they were released as “The Three Wise Men.” Continue reading “Christmas playlist part five: XTC and Andy Partridge”
Strange Communion (2009) may not be an according-to-Hoyle Christmas album, but it’s a great album for the season.
The album has a few songs specifically about Christmas, but the whole album is definitely winter-themed and the kind of thing you can really dig into when the weather cools off and it’s dark before six p.m.
I think it was Simon Phipps that recommended Thea Gilmore to me a number of years ago over Twitter. Great recommendation, I must say.
“That’ll Be Christmas” should be a standard. It’s a perfect little pop tune that’ll stick with you for days after just one listen.
“Listen the Snow is Falling” is a cover of the B-side to John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over).” This cover is much more intimate, and you can practically feel the crisp air and snowflakes landing on your face.
I nearly get sensory overload listening to “December in New York.” When the song swells with Gilmore’s voice and strings at the same time, I leave the world behind for a bit.
“Book of Christmas” is probably the only song on the album that I’d skip on heavy rotation. The spoken word delivery and instrumentals don’t seem to fit with the rest of the album. It’s not terrible, but in the light of the other tracks it’s a weak entry.
Happily, “Old December” puts us back on track, and there’s a cheerier and poppier mix of “That’ll be Christmas” bonus track to wrap up the disc.
Strange Communion is another annual tradition for me. Give it a listen or three, you might want to add it to your Christmas rotation too.
A Charlie Brown Christmas, the animated TV special, has always existed. At least, that’s how it seemed to me as a kid. It’s how it seems now, really. I don’t remember watching it the first time, it just was a tradition that we observed as a family.
It was one of those “kids shows” that (not so) strangely, I never had to persuade my parents to watch. I can’t swear to this, but I don’t think we ever missed an annual airing of the special on CBS. Continue reading “Christmas playlist part three: A Charlie Brown Christmas”
Apparently 2006 was a banner year for Christmas albums. Well, two, anyway. Aimee Mann’s One More Drifter in the Snow, which I covered yesterday, and Sarah McLachlan’s Wintersong were both released in October 2006. Both albums are well worth the money, though McLachlan’s Wintersong strikes me as the more traditional of the two.
Like Mann’s Drifter, Wintersong is largely composed of covers, with only the title track being an original by McLachlan.
The album starts with McLachlan’s take on the John Lennon / Yoko Ono single, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” I might even prefer it to the original, depending on the day and my mood.
While Mann’s take on Christmas is a little melancholy and anti-commercial, McLachlan’s album embraces the holiday spirit full force. It’s interesting to compare the songs they both chose to cover, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to juxtapose the arrangements and moods. In McLachlan’s hands, “Have Yourself” is fully traditional. Mann’s is celebratory but also a little world-weary and wise.
“Wintersong” is my favorite track on the album. It’s sultry and lovely, very much in the vein of some of my favorite McLachlan songs from earlier albums like Surfacing.
Really, there’s not a bad track on the album. It’ll fade into the background while you’re trimming the tree or otherwise celebrating, but it also rewards close listening. Nice gift if you have friends or family who enjoy Christmas music, too.
