Musical Stylings

I write about the books I read each month and you seem to like it so why not tell you about the music I listen to? OK. Maybe you're not interested. But really--what could be MORE interesting than a seven minute slideshow mixing blurry, unphotoshopped images of my children in their Harry Potter costumes with pictures of the Harry Potter cast over the last ten years? What I'm saying is, maybe it's not always about being interesting.

A very nice person gave me an $15 iTunes gift card for my birthday. I would thank them, but they don't read my blog. (Which leads me to ask a philosophical question, If a tree falls in the forest but doesn't read my blog--why would I care?) I've been thinking about what to buy with it since my b-day on 6/18. (See that clock up there on my header? It's a subtle trick I learned from Chris Carter of the X-Files.) I finally spent it yesterday. I didn't want to blow it on any whole albums so I bought individual songs for a treat. I made a playlist of the songs I bought so you can enjoy them for free. I guess I could too. What a waste of money!

I've been into a certain specific aesthetic this year because of The Black Keys. I think The Black Keys sound like a band from the 70s. They are so cool. I love them. Also, I watched the British series "Life on Mars" which is set in the 70s and got me in the mood for 70s-type stuff. [It's a great show, but I can't recommend it even though I love it. Because once you start you won't be able to stop and you'll end up watching the series finale about a porn ring with your eyes closed.] So I'm into that 70s Starsky-and-Hutch-brown-corduroy-pants vibe. That's why I bought "Bell Bottom Blues" by Derek and the Dominoes. You know Derek as Eric Clapton. He is so soulful. That soulfulness has come at a price, of course. It always does. Side note: If someone held a gun to my head and told me I had to choose jazz or blues it would be so easy.  I'd take blues any day. What I'm saying is, Jazz sucks.

Someone Tweeted about how good the Paul Simon Pandora radio station is. I always forget about Paul Simon, you know? It's a great station. I bought "Loves Me Like a Rock." I need more Paul Simon. And if I may say it, so do you.

So then I had to freshen up some of my Fleetwood Mac songs that somehow became corrupted. I agree with Adam Levine that "Landslide" is one of the most beautiful songs ever. Sing it and you'll win The Voice.  Bev had NO CHANCE going up against Stevie Nicks with One Republic--she was robbed! Then again, are there really enough fancy canes (not a euphemism) in this world for Bev AND Adam Lambert? Probably not. I bought "Bleed to Love Her," which is also beautiful. It's just that Lindsay Buckingham is such a d-bag.

I got "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri (What? I'm not a robot) and "Under Cover of Darkness" by The Strokes. Nothing makes me want to go back to high school, join the drill team, and choreograph a dance for halftime more than "Under Cover of Darkness." I think it would bring a lot of joy to a lot of people. Well, I do.

"Percussion Gun" is the coolest song title ever and the beginning sounds like an Adam Ant song. I would have paid $100 for it. Period. Have you ever heard "Teacher Teacher" by Rockpile? I hadn't either. I guess its' from the 80s. It's pretty great. I also got Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah." With "Landslide" it's two of the ten most beautiful songs ever. I like Leonard Cohen's version best, but Buckley's no slouch.

I bought "Here Comes Your Man" by The Pixies for no reason other than I like it. At the end of my playlist I included "Sail" by Awolnation. I bought the whole album a while ago and it is good. But "Sail" is such an arresting song. I wanted you to hear it.

Anything else you think I'd like? I know someone will feel obligated to say Radiohead but here's the thing: I don't like Radiohead. I keep trying to listen to it but the sounds I hear when I do are ugly to me. I am, however, open to other suggestions.

My other favorite band: The Civil Wars
Whole albums I plan to buy with future gift cards: Allison Krauss and Union Station, Adele, Amos Lee, possibly Cults and possibly The Decemberists.

I might think this post was boring if I weren't me, so thank you for tuning in.