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It’s my blog and I’ll post what I want to…

Now playing… 31 July 2009

Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

Ok – this time I’m not even making any pretense at reviewing the album.  Just go listen to Sound Opinions^* or watch the video below.  And if you’d like, here are the wikipedia articles for Neko Case and Middle Cyclone.

* As a bonus, if you listen to Sound Opinions show, you can hear Greg and Jim review U2’s latest album, No Line on the Horizon.  And if you support NPR, you can get warm and fuzzy feelings inside.

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Now playing… 23 July 2009

Van Morrison – Astral Weeks

Every once in a while, I like to expand my horizons by listening to what the critics decide qualifies as “good”.  Usually, it needs to be at least a few years old – don’t distract me with what was good last year.  I want to know if it’s still good ten years down the road.

So, back in June, I decided to find something new to take along on our vacation, and settled on “Astral Weeks” by Van Morrison.  (“Good choice,” said the college-aged music dude at Barnes & Noble.)  Various publications have put this album high on their “greatest of all time” lists.  (Rolling Stone puts it at #19, for example.)

I won’t try to review it.  I’ll just give links to wikipedia and Amazon, and let you read more there.  (It was also featured on Sound Opinions one week.  That’s probably where I first heard about it.)  I will say, however, that there seems to be some sense that it’s one of those albums that you either “get” or you don’t.  I like it – it gets me in a nice, comfy mood (which worked well for vacation for me).  Ordinary Spouse doesn’t care for it, and so it has made it’s way into my car stereo and now onto my blog.

Fire one! Fire two! Fire three!

Ordinary Spouse has some confusion about songs containing the word “Fire”.  So here is a brief guide.

(My apologies for the part of the second video where Vangelis appears to have his mouth on fire.)

John Parr – St. Elmo’s Fire

 

Vangelis – Chariots of Fire

 

Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire

Now playing… Todd Agnew

I wish I could say that I enjoy contemporary Christian music.  I mean – being a Christian and all, that just seems like the kind of music I should appreciate.  But to be honest, most of the stuff I hear on CCM radio stations these days is just somewhere between bland and bad.  The lyrics don’t challenge; the melodies aren’t inspired; and the arrangements are shallow.  And so I listen to U2 instead, and wish that Bono and The Edge would teach these folks how to write thoughtful songs.

Which is why I’m pleased to say that I really like this album.

 Todd Agnew – Reflections of Something

Now playing… 11 May 2009

I’ve still got U2 and the Indigo Girls in my car, but here’s what’s on elsewhere…

Now playing… 28 Apr 2009

Ok…  Since I’m new at this, I get to lob myself an easy one to hit.  So here’s what’s been playing recently during my commute…