Thanks to Conversant Studios for passing the musical baton to me.
Total volume of music files on my computer
324mb because I recently bought a new computer and got broadband and have only just started storing music on my computer - the old thingo only had 1 gig of memory.
The last cd I bought
Neko Case & Her Boyfriends - The Virginian (alt.country goodness!)
Song playing right now
Rachel’s: Systems/Layers (the whole album is a song - techno violin with ethereal vocals - and a fugal structure to the music)
Five songs that I listen to a lot…
Rather than pen yet another paean of praise to the Goddess Beth O, I’ll list the songs (all relatively new to me) that I’m making into a cd today for my friend E - who has great music taste, and with whom I often swap new music - hope she likes them!:
Ani Di Franco: Used Cars (an interesting and characteristic interpretation of the Springsteen song from Badlands - a Nebraska tribute album)
Aimee Mann: Put Me On Top (from “Whatever” - Aimee Mann, from 80s band Til Tuesday, distributes her pop rock independently and has an increasing political edge to her lyrics)
Claudine Longet: Let’s Spend the Night Together (Jagger/Richards Longet style from the 70-74 Barnaby Records sessions)
The Peachfish: Drinkin’ (from Roses for June - Peachfish are one half and the core of Brisbane rockers Brindle - Ani di Franco for a new world order)
Tom Waits: Trampled Rose (Tom Waits needs no introduction and Real Gone proves this master still innovates)
Antony and the Johnsons: You Are My Sister (Lou Reed has an equal)
Everything But the Girl: Wrong (It’s so right)
Kathryn Williams: Hallelujah (From Relations, by far the best cover of this Cohen tune)
The Organ: No One Has Ever Looked So Dead (These Canadian women, who toured Australia recently, rock. Literally.)
Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier: Accidents Happen in the Home (I love Deborah. Her 2004 album, Summertown, has an alt.country feel and the lyrics speak of experience tempered by humour)
Neko Case: Ghost Wiring (alt. country goodness from the Black Listed album)
Les Heulements D’Leo: La Piave (Insane French boys who do gypsy thrash - brilliant - toured Oz last year)
Malou: So Breathe (”Funky Scandinavian Lounge + Jazz + Chillout + House + Bossa and Breaks”)
I’m passing the baton to: Zoe, Rob, Liam, Tim Dunlop and of course, my favourite musical blogger Amanda.
So you’ve got the alt.country thing down, now we just need to get you on to the real stuff.
I have a big chunk of Hank Williams, it’s the only hillbilly music I can really stand.
You and Margaret Pomeranz. Just because something’s in French, you go all weak at the knees. Remember, France brought forward that horror of pop which was T-Rex.
If you like Hank Williams there is plenty of hillbilly music you could stand. It like saying the only rock music you like is the stones.
Fabulous, I now have heapsa new names to check out! Keep em coming people!
As requested…
And whether you like Hank Williams or not, check out The Residents’ reintepretation of him on “Stars and Hank Forever”. Their versions of “Six More Miles (to the Graveyard)” and” Jambalaya” are some of spookiest songs I’ve ever heard.
aah Nabs outed! The Residents. [peers at Nabs over top of glasses with knowing ambiguous expression]
Jambalaya? *Spooky?* That I gotta hear.
Here you go.
Cheers, Zoe. Btw do you agree with Mikey that Bree Amer has been surgically enhanced? I think he’s right.
On another note, is the lack of comment on my latest BB thread a sign that BB has well and truly entered the third week blues? My friend E came over last night and as well as getting her cd (in return for a cd for me of Mazzy Star), we had an excellent time bitching about Gretel’s outfit, and speculating about GG’s personality disorders and Gretel’s relationship with Angela (”shut it, Ange”).
Btw - Mazzy Star are apparently described as “psychedelic folk”. I’m listening to Among My Swan at the moment, and it’s the best thing I’ve heard for quite some time.
Well, she did deny it when Frysie put it to her.
Must say we are enjoying this series more than for ages and ages. O puts it down to the appeal of a house full of sluts. And Angela is the new Saxon.
There’s definitely something going on between Grets and Ange. As always, Ausculture Jess is on the case:
Nabakov: The Residents’ “Commercial Album” is among my favorite albums of all time.
Amanda: Not really, I like a lot of 30,40,50s blues and rhythm&blues, Hank Williams is I guess, fairly kinfolk of that style, which is why I don’t send his saddle home.
I have done mine
The scorpion song, cs. The scorpion song!
Hi Amanda, the scorpion (I wish) song is among the hottest songs I’ve ever heard, but “World Without Tears” is Lu’s most un-utterly sublime number, imho. It’s one of those songs that I find so good in every conceivable possible way, I hear it freshly, fully, every single time, and I just shake my head at the wonder and beauty and brilliance and glorious glide of the thing. By Christ, I would have loved to have written it.
Tell me, are The Notorious Cherry Bombs those dudes who do that song about “how can I kiss the lips at night that have been chewing my arse all day”? Breaks me up. If so, what’s the whole album like?
quite acceptable as youd expect from the talent involved. its very smooth, not as raw as rodney crowell’s solo stuff which i adore maybe a bit too smooth for me, but some very catchy tunes. one song i really love right now, if i ever break your heart.
are you going to the hillsong fabian stoush? i can bring along a copy …
to actually answer your question, yes it is they. rodney crowell, vince gill, hank devito, richard bennett
tks amanda - and, err, i meant, of course “un-utterably”