Early Monday Spin

It has been precisely one month since my last post, and what a month it has been! Like an eager little beaver I have been bustling to and fro all over my little corner of Texas trying to get my schooling/tuition together. If all goes well I should be taking classes in a month. Yay! Today's 'Early Monday Spin', however, has nothing to do with education and everything to do with music. For the past month I have obsessively listened to these singles falling ever deeper in love (for a time). In no particular order:

Holly Figueroa (O'Reilly) -- 'Everybody Knows' off the album, Gifts and Burdens
A folk/alt-country cover of a Leonard Cohen classic.
Holly's sparse arrangement and folkish twang allow
Cohen's lyrics to gleam against a dark backwoods
background.



REM -- 'Drive' off the album, Automatic for the People
Adele -- 'Hometown Glory' off the album, 19
Susie Suh -- 'Why' off the EP, The Bakman Tapes
I love this chick! She's Korean-American with a sultry
voice deep, smoky and blue. She has two other songs
I really like 'All I Want' and 'Seasons Change' but I've
had those for years. 'Why' is one of her newest songs.



Eddie Vedder -- 'Hard Sun' off the soundtrack, Into the Wild
Radiohead -- 'Reckoner' off the album, In Rainbows
Band of Skulls -- 'Light of the Morning' off the EP, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
Irene Cara -- 'Fame' off the soundtrack, Fame
It may be a bit of cheese but that doesn't dilute it's
overall awesomeness. Will only eighties babies like me
recall how wonderful was that movie? The iconic scene
of students pouring onto the NYC streets to dance and
strut their asses off, feeling for all the world like kings?

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Here's a nugget of potential interest: EMusic (of emusic.com) is running several promotional offers -- variations on a large number of free audio downloads plus an audiobook. The deal I got came with a download of Winamp (a media player in the vein of Windows Media or Real Player) and included 50 free songs plus one audiobook for a span of two weeks. Offers on EMusic's site range from 35 to 45 free songs with or without a free audiobook. At the end of two weeks, or once all the free downloads are gone (whichever comes first), EMusic will activate the free account turning it into a paid one. If you have no interest in becoming a paying member be very mindful of the date and/or the number of downloads left in the purse.

What do I think of EMusic's site? Well, it gets high marks for a clean, uncluttered site that is very easy to use. The search function breaks down by general, artist, track, album, even label; however, funnily enough, it does not break down searches by genre which would have been more helpful than a label search, in my opinion. Under each artist is a gallery of comments either from established critics or current users of the site as well as relatively in-depth musical biographies. Although I managed to find 45 of 50 songs to download I did so with the help of my family. There were a number of songs which weren't available -- either because they could only be downloaded if paid for; or EMusic didn't have enough of an artist's discography; or didn't have the artist at all.

While EMusic has the bones of something good, currently it cannot compare to paying/streaming sites like Rhapsody, Pandora (internet radio), or iTunes for sheer access across a large cross-section of music and artists. In particular Rhapsody, which, for a reasonable monthly stipend, allows its users to stream all the music they like, even upload it to their mp3 players, on top of downloading. Pandora offers another unfair comparison since it, too, streams full songs (to EMusic's 30 second blurbs) and provides access to buying a liked song. The only system I know of which compares to EMusic's current setup is iTunes and that behemoth clearly mops the floor with EMusic. But if you are looking for an alternative to iTunes and its rabid protections, then certainly try EMusic -- you'll find just enough music to keep you relatively satisfied if not wholly so, just know you'll need to supplement with another music provider.

a long silence precedes the explosion, part one

An (ag'smg) post.

Well, that didn't last long. "Bored, bored, bored," is what I wrote in my last post. So apathetic I could not find a song to post or sing. That's weird for me, a girl who loves my sansa so much I biked to Wal-Mart to buy a new player when my old one broke. As frustrating as the situation had been, it actually provided an opportunity to clean up my song list, to separate the wheat from the chaff so to speak. It's sort of disconcerting playing my randomized playlist and not run into a skippable song; even when I'm not in the mood for a song, I still heart hearing it.

The apathy has lifted -- it couldn't last forever (thank god)! So, with which song should I begin? Note: some, if not all, of the songs listed here should be opened in a new tab or window so as not to lose my awesome, wonderful blogger page, lol.

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The Stars of My Song List

[PLAY] '15 Steps' by Radiohead, album 'In Rainbows' (stream sourced to www.minneapolisfuckingrocks.com). I briefly ducked in and out of Radiohead's 'In Rainbows', and because I beat a hasty path through this audible treat I missed/dismissed a lot of good songs, '15 Steps' being one of them. I first took note of the song after watching 'Twilight'. As the credits rolled the song struck: the tin and the drum of the opening bars and the signature silk of Thom Yorke's voice riveted me. It was a poorly done film with an awesomely done-up credit roll containing all the froth and mystery, sensuality and danger the movie was too meek to deliver. I will say though, Robert Pattinson is deliciousness on legs. *ahem* Apart from the start of the song, my other fave portion is the child chorus crying "Yay!"; there is something so playful about it which I love.

[PLAY] 'Answer' by Sarah McLachlan, album 'Afterglow' (youtube). It took me a long minute to really feel this album and even longer to like this song, but the album's mellow flow at last worked its magic. Perhaps I needed a mellow moment of my own to appreciate what Sarah was offering? "Cast me gently into morning / For the night has been unkind / Take me to a place so holy / That I can wash this from my mind / The memory of choosing not to fight..." The lady can turn a lovely phrase and her voice, as always, is a dream!

[PLAY] 'God of Wine' by Third Eye Blind, album 'Third Eye Blind' (youtube). One of my first adolescent CD purchases, I highly recommend the entire album. This song in particular crept into the top spot after repeated album listens -- but really, the entire album is good.

[PLAY] 'I've Seen It All' by Bjork feat. Thom Yorke, soundtrack 'Selmasongs' (youtube). I love Bjork, and one of my favorite albums by her is the 'Selmasongs' soundtrack. Again, Thom Yorke makes a wonderful vocal appearance (I didn't know that until just now!) but Bjork is the power and the presence of the song. Her wail as the song rises to its conclusion gets me every time.

[PLAY] 'Kingdom of Rust' by Doves, album 'Kingdom of Rust' (youtube). No real story here -- was introduced to the single by Rhapsody (tm) and fell in love with its easy melodic drama.

[PLAY] 'List of Demands (Reparations)' by Saul Williams, album 'The Inevitable Rise of Niggy Tardust' (youtube). Again. Again, a song's opening draws me in and holds me fast. I never saw the infamous Nike (tm) commercial which used this song... not until after I had perused the music blog, The Stranger Dance, and had come across their music-in-commercials series. I can't even begin to describe that opening! A brutal assault full of pepper and strength; the rap which follows is just as ruthless and demanding -- it's great!!!

[PLAY] 'Live Your Life' by T.I. feat Rihanna, album 'Paper Trail' (youtube). Really I only like the hook and beat, the rap is kind of weak.

[PLAY] 'Lonely Ghosts' by O+S, album 'O+S' (jrk.posterous.com). I heard this song during the first brilliant episode of Whedon's television series, 'Dollhouse'. It framed the action so well, amplifying the scenes and bringing tears to my eyes. Love that deep bass voice laying ground beneath the ethereality.

[PLAY] 'Metal Heart' by Cat Power, album 'Jukebox' (youtube). Cat Power is fast becoming my darkhorse artist. This song breaks my heart! Heard it on the now cancelled (boo) television series, 'The Unusuals'. On the smoky strength of the lyric, "I once was lost but now I'm found / Was blind but now I see you..." I sought out the title and artist. The lyric contained therein which now cuts me to the quick? "Sew your fortunes on a string / Blue smoke will take / A very violent flight / And you will be changed..."

[PLAY] 'One Word' by Kelly Osbourne, album 'Sleeping in the Nothing' (youtube). 'One Word'. Kelly Osbourne. Oh god, don't ask me why I like this song so much. It's been forever since I last listened to it and suddenly a craving came upon me: Must. Listen. To. Kelly. Well, Kelly's single. I never ventured beyond this song since outside this instance, her voice doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. There's just something about the sexy, electronic, psuedo-French noir of this song! Don't you judge me!!!