Part 2: Taylor-made playlist

My CD collection was rifled through pretty effectively by my niece Taylor, as I mentioned in an earlier post, and I’m now putting it away. Y’know – sticking the discs back in their cases, then filing the discs back in alphabetical order. It’s an immense pain in the rear, but I’m discovering more stuff she discovered while she was here. For instance:

Baby, It’s You – Or Me – Or Somebody…

Semagic 1.7.3.1U – sirpaulsbuddy @ livejournal.comYou probably don’t remember Smith. They were a “one hit wonder,” with only the above mentioned song, a hit during the summer of 1969. That was the summer before my senior year in high school.  I had just joined my first serious band – and I went through my first case of being “serious” about a girl.

Project Phoenix launches

The anticipation is finally over: Project Phoenix, the new CD from Fiction 8, is now out. And was it ever worth the wait.

The new disc represents a significant step forward for the band. Most notably, bassist Mardi Salazar has assumed a much greater role in the creative process, writing and singing about half the tracks on the album. Her contributions afford Project Phoenix a rich balance, both tonally and lyrically. Mike’s angst and cynicism are still evident, but are tempered by Mardi’s softer, more haunting approach.

5 Reviews a Week – Back on track, track-by-track

Well, I’m back on schedule this week. Finally stole some time to get these finished up. When I started these reviews, I had a nice back log of write-ups to post. But now I am caught up with this years releases. Perhaps I will post some of my old reviews from my old Myspace blog. Well anyway, here are the latest. I might come up with something a bit different next week. Stay tuned!

Paul Westerberg – 49:00 – *** – Paul Westerberg has lately been happy to release disheveled collections of

A Taylor-made playlist

My wife hates my musical tastes. She refers to it as “angry white boy music,” which is really beneath retort – I have eclectic tastes and I could dish it out the same way she does, but that would simply be mean and non-productive. So instead I just blog about it and hope she never reads it. (Honey – if you’re reading this, it’s all for comic effect. Really. Now put down the rolling pin.)

Anyway, my niece Taylor is my biggest ally in the constant music debate here at our house. She was raised in Egypt, where her dad was a diplomat with USAID. She’s been here at our house for the last month American-izing before heading off to college, and she’s the first to reply when my wife decides to deride my music.

5 Reviews a Week – The Travails of Mr. Lackidaisical

Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I promised this would be weekly! What am I doing!! Listen, folks, I’ve been awfully busy, and I apologize for not giving you your music tidbit fix. I will explain that last Tuesday I was busy, because I was at a She & Him concert! Which was awesome. They showed so much energy and love to the crowd that I might even consider that concert to be one of the best! If you haven’t heard the band yet, do it…it’s a collaboration between Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, and brings all sorts of influences into a great album. But here you go with this weeks picks!

WWJ(ohnny)D? Not This.

UPDATE: Apparently Johnny’s daughter Rosanne doesn’t think much of John Rich either…

John Rich, the “Rich” half of mindless country duo Big and Rich (and if you dislike the mindless qualifier, check out their song “Coming to Your City“) has hit the trail for John McCain. Friday night in Florida, Rich took the stage to campaign for the Arizona Senator, and even unveiled a new song, “Raising McCain,” he had written especially for the occasion. In my mind, politics and music go hand in hand, so while I might not agree with the political ideas Rich was spreading from the stage that night, it’s not very different from the Decemberists playing at an Obama rally earlier this summer, or the Vote for Change concert series in 2004.

But Rich wasn’t content to just share his views. Instead, he decided to try and legitimize his ideas by tying them to the Man in Black:

Faith in music restored

For the most part, I have found 2008 to be a very disappointing year for music. Most artists I’ve favored the last couple of years failed to impress with their latest efforts such as The Fratellis, The Kooks, Dirty Pretty Things, and Mystery Jets, just to name a few. Not to say it’s all been bad, I really loved the new releases from The Charlatans and Primal Scream, but these are groups who have been doing this for well over a decade. There seems to be very little new talent arising.

Artist You Should Know: I’m From Barcelona

They are one of my favorite discoveries of the last year, and I got to see them live at Coachella, but before we go any further, there are a few things you should know about I’m From Barcelona:

- Fronted by lead singer/songwriter Emanuel Lundgren, the band officially consists of 29 band members (although due to scheduling conflicts, all 29 can’t always make it to every show).

- They’re rebels, because they love balloons and confetti, and they’ll bring them to their concerts whether the organizers like it or not.