If you know me, you know I have... well... eclectic music tastes. If you're seeking some good music, here are some of my top recent choices:
- House of Cards and All I Need, Radiohead - Believe, The Bravery - Starlight, Muse - The Stone, Ashes Divide - Hello and Little Sparrow, David Cook - Psycho, Puddle of Mudd - Here's My Hello, Blake Lewis - Rose Red, Emilie Autumn - This Is the Night, The Weird Sisters (from a Harry Potter soundtrack, featuring two Radiohead members) - You Know My Name, Chris Cornell - The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Solas - The Carlow Set, Culann's Hounds - Tables and Chairs, Andrew Bird - Release, The Tea Party
I really like the fact that this season's American Idol songs are on iTunes. It's not necessarily fair that they're raking in all that money... but it is good to get a preview of what the contestants' recordings will sound like. Even better that they're now doing full studio versions of the songs. I've realized that yes, I still do like David Cook (lots), and David Archuleta is cute but his music sounds very Broadway tune.
I hope they start early on recording original songs. That will really help us see whether we want to make a longer term commitment to their albums.
It kinda makes you wonder... What happens if one of these contestants' songs go gold or platinum. Would we (or they) even know?
Let's say, hypothetically, that you could run a general search in itunes for "american idol," or some other text that shows up in every American Idol song title. Hypothetically, then, you might see not only songs from the current American Idol contestants, but also songs from previous winners and runners up. Let's say, again hypothetically, that you right clicked on the column headings and turned on the Popularity column... which you clicked on to sort in descending order of popularity. What if (and this is a big if) you found that David Cook's version of "Billie Jean" was more popular on itunes than Jordin Sparks' songs "No Air" and "Tattoo," as well as Daughtry's "Home." Would you be impressed?
So, American Idol fans. Have you downloaded any of the competitors' live recordings from iTunes yet? I've only downloaded one -- "Hello," performed by David Cook. Wow, that was an amazing version of that song.
There's another reason to check out the American Idol songs on iTunes: to get a feel for how well your favorite contestants are doing. It's not possible to see in (more or less) real time how people are voting on the phone, but you CAN see how people are voting with their money. It's that nice little "popularity" rating that iTunes shows.
So here's what you do... run an iTunes search for "American Idol Performance." When you get the results, sort them by popularity. If you take a leap and assume that people are also voting for the contestants whose songs they're buying, David Archuleta, David Cook, and Jason Castro are at the top of the pack. Brooke White and Carly Smithson appear to be the only girls with songs currently in the top 15 most downloaded.
It will be interesting to see whether the download trends match the voting trends for future episodes... or if iTunes will decide to hide the popularity stats at some point.
Ah, music. That little light in our lives. Did you know that American Idol runner up Blake Lewis' CD came out today? After work I stopped and bought it. Yeah, I know, buying a physical CD... that's so 90s of me. But not many "buy music" apps or sites are supported under Linux. My sad life.
Anyway, a few thoughts re: this new masterpiece. Hmm... maybe "masterpiece" is the wrong word. On the plus side, when I listened to it I definitely didn't think, "oh, those mean producers; I can't believe they made him sing those songs." There are even a couple of songs that I could see myself listening to more than once.
BUT... there are quite a few songs that sound a bit too "boy band" for my taste. And there are a couple that I can only describe as a beat boxing Savage Garden. Listen to the CD. You'll know right away which ones I'm talking about.
Ah, well, my Radiohead CD is on the way now, too. In Rainbows is splendid! I'm always amazed by how every Radiohead album is new, innovative, and distinct from the other albums... but at the same time, they're distinctively Radiohead. Ahh, Radiohead. And OK Computer. My favorite CD of all time.
I don't really have anything to say at this immediate moment, but I noticed that my November blog posting count was fairly low. So I'm going to flashback, and talk about my first ever blog -- on Look Around You. OK, no I'm not. I'm just going to link to that article, and display the video for Little Mouse.
Ah, yes. That's why I love it. You rock, Peter Serafinowicz and Robert Popper. You rock. I'm still depressed that the screening of the Peter Serafinowicz Show (that is, the one I had tickets to see while I was in London) was canceled... Alas. Maybe someday it'll show up on BBC America...?
What are the rules on "cover" songs? 'Cuz I was watching America's Next Top Model last week (not that I watch that show) and was surprised to see that the models were part of the music video for "Enrique Iglesias' new song, 'Tired of Being Sorry.'" Whaaa...? That's not an Enrique song, that's a Ringside song!! They didn't give any credit to Ringside - no indication that it is actually a cover. And the original is so much better than that cheap, crappy imitation! Grr. I'll let you be the judge (but if you don't say Ringside, you're crazy). Here are the options:
Apparently the Kennedy Center is attempting to attract a different sort of subscriber: Young nerds. Fascinating. Even more fascinating that I really want to attend both of these events. See here:
- Event #1: The Tiny Ninja Theater performs Shakespeare, on the Millenium Stage. Today and tomorrow it's Macbeth, and Wednesday and Thursday it's Romeo and Juliet. Looks like I'm going tomorrow. What is Tiny Ninja Theater? Oh, just check the hyperlink. You can't expect me to waste my time retyping it all!
- Event #2: National Symphony Orchestra: Video Games Live. That's right -- they're performing theme songs from famous video games!! I really have to go to this. Why is it so hard to find someone who wants to go with me?? Oh, yeah... high nerd factor.
BTW, a note to those people who call themselves my friends and family. Why didn't anyone tell me there was a pirate reality tv show?? SOMEONE must have come across it. Thanks a lot. Good thing my DVR and I happened upon it. Imagine the sorrow if I had missed the entire season. That reminds me... I still haven't seen Pirates of the Caribbean III. My sad life...
Here I am, back from another trip. I returned this afternoon from Denmark (plus a side trip to Sweden this time -- where, sadly, no one sounded like this). More on that trip later.
Not long before this trip I brought a new toy -- my Microsoft-produced Zune (competition to the ipod). What, you might ask, possessed me to purchase such a device? Well, I wanted a music player, but my new car apparently is not compatible with the ipod. Plus, just about everyone I know curses their ipod regularly. The device came in handy... I ended up watching all of Season 1 of The IT Crowd while I was stuck for six hours in Frankfurt, Germany. I've vented enough about that unexpected layover, and will refrain from boring you with that story...
In preparation for my trip I decided to get a few new songs. I found out about an eMusic "download 35 songs free" offer and decided to test it out. Unfortunately, they didn't have many of the songs I was seeking. I ended up rather arbitrarily picking out songs in the alternative, math rock, and goth genres.
Anyway, here are the songs I listened to most during the trip--some of which were new eMusic acquisitions, and others were not:
- Juliet, by Emilie Autumn. Goth/industrial/electronica. I like. I like much.
- Imitosis, by Andrew Bird. Alternative/Rock/Indie. I picked his album for the cover, of course. My goodness, I'm predictable. Anyway, I like this song despite its use of the word "machinations," which is one of my least favorite words ever. Whenever I read a paper containing that word, it undercuts the author's credibility by approximately 64.3%. And that's on a good day. Despite that, the song is excellent. You can listen to the song on his myspace page. Grr, I apparently just missed his 9:30 Club concert! Oh, also, the singer appears to be a thinner version of Dr. Who.
- Hey There Delilah, by the Plain White T's. Alternative/Rock/Indie. I actually heard this song on on the radio (it seems to get some late night "new music" play, at least), and decided to follow up. This song, as well as Hate (which I think is an amazingly entertaining song!!), is on their myspace page.
- Tired of Being Sorry, by Ringside. I wish they'd play more concerts. This is such a great song. And it doesn't hurt that the singer is HOT. Though I still don't understand why the video is about him getting beat up by a girl.
- Caramel, by Suzanne Vega - Good song. I can't find it now, but I swear I first heard this song in a trailer for the movie Closer. Not that I ever saw the movie... but I always have that association.
- The Mating Game, by Bitter:Sweet - Interestingly, this is one of the default songs on the factory-fresh Zune device. But if you like it, you have to download it later, 'cuz MS deletes it when they upgrade your firmware. This one is also available on the group's myspace page.
- The Last Remaining Light, by Audioslave. I've had this song (and album) forever, but for whatever reason, it regained my attention during my trip.
Last, but not least:
- The System is Down, by Homestarrunner. I have no idea why I have this, nor why it kept coming up. But it's kind of amusing...
Emily insists that I have to relate the full tale of the blog title. It all started many days ago. No, wait, it was Thursday. Emily's birthday. We went to Carrabba's for dinner. We had the same waiter that we had last time we ate there. Note, of course, that last time he gave us free ice cream for no apparent reason. No such luck this time around... he rushed us through our meal, and took my dinner away to box it up when I was pretty much still eating. It was fun. I suggested that perhaps the rush and lack of free sugar was because Emily was less attractive this time than the last visit. For some reason, she didn't like that possibility. To console her, I said, "your looks rock!" And now it's the title.
Rejoice, and show mirth, for behold, ye are now in on the inside joke.
I tried to put this message up last night, but MySpace decided it didn't feel like posting it. Good thing today's a snow day (it doesn't look all that bad out but I'll take it anyway--I hate driving in snow, and anyway, it'll be easier to chisel my car out of the ice in the toasty warm afternoon sunlight), otherwise I don't know when I'd find time to try again! Note that this posting is cutting into valuable "catch up on TV missed while I was out of town" time.
Blog #26 Attempt #62:
I'm back in jetlag avoidal mode. Nothing soothes and calms quite like good, soft music. Here are some music recommendations--songs to serenade and relax you, with the end goal of deep and rejuvenating sleep:
- Classical music works well. This classic should bring back memories of your fun and fulfilling childhood. You know what I'm talking about--that childhood you wish you could return to now...
- Light foreign music might put you in a relaxed state. This video will also give you tips on hot new fashion and dance moves, among other things. I miss the 80s. Apparently they missed the end of the 80s. I wonder if the singer is available...?
- This music video will bring pleasant dreams of food. Ah, who am I trying to kid... this one is more than a little on the creepy side, but hey, it has that morbid fascination thing going for it.
- And, finally, this song will not only relax you, it will also reenergize you for this fresh new work week.
It's hard to believe that it has been ten years since I was in the Middle East (based primarily in Jerusalem) for an "Intensive Arabic" program. The main thing I learned was that it is much easier to forget Arabic than learn it. That was the time when my love affair with Hans Wehr began; he has been with me ever since.
I could tell many fascinating stories about my days in the Middle East--about the seediest hostel I've ever stayed in (it was even called "Hostel Lips"), or getting yelled at by a 90-year-old woman in Bethlehem for being left handed. But I'll save those for another day. Today is all about Arabic music. Haven't experienced Arabic music? Here are some good songs to test out first:
- Salma yaa Salaama, by Dalida: We had to memorize and sing this song in one of my early Egyptian Arabic classes, but I like it anyway. "The world is big, and its countries are many," but your love for your homeland never dies.
- Ismaouni, by Warda: Warda is a traditional Egyptian singer. Her music is more of an acquired taste, much like my acquired taste for a fairly bland Middle Eastern dish containing rice, lentils, and plain yogurt. This particular song features a woman pleading with her former lover, who pretends not to remember their past love. We had to memorize this one for an Arabic class as well. Why? That's a very good question.
- Nour al-Ayn, by Amr Diab: I love this Egyptian song, but I'll be honest... This is a super-cheesy video with an annoyingly long introduction. I recommend skipping ahead to 1:45, which is the real beginning of the song. This song is about his sweetheart (habibi)'s eyes, which are "the most beautiful eyes in existence."
- Leiley, by Dania: This song is a Lebanese export. What can I say; it has a great beat.
- Haoulou, by Cheb Mami: You probably don't realize this, but you've definitely heard this North African singer before. He provides the background vocals for Sting's song "Desert Rose." No, he is not a woman (so maybe he can sing in high vocal ranges). His music is worth checking out.
p.s. the subject line is a variant on a common Arabic farewell. "Allah yisallimak" means "God save you." This full goodbye translates to "God save you, and save me from you." :)
You may already have seen this video, lovingly dubbed "Worst Music Video Ever." It dates back to the days when MTV had something to do with music. Do you remember that time? I don't. I think it's a myth.
At any rate, my sister sent me a link to this video a few months ago. Now I'm doing my civic duty and spreading the joy. If you haven't already seen it, you're in for a pleasant surprise. This is why Finnish music is popular the world over.
- Amazing choreography. - Catchy tune. Seriously addictive. - Excellent English grammar. - Main character's blond Prince Valiant look. - Best line: "your lips are taste of wine."
Also, despite the popular belief that the guy offers to be the girl's "loving fender," I think it's really "lovin' vendor." Either way, yikes! :)
I love BBC America. It introduced me to one of my favorite TV shows: Look Around You. This show defies description... and it introduced me to one of my favorite songs: "Little Mouse."
