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Hiya

Here's some of the artists, albums and songs I've been enjoying in the last few months. Some new - some not quite so new! Pickings have been a bit better since I renewed my eMusic.com subscription which has loads of obscure stuff on it.

Starting with albums first:

Passion Pit are an electronica band who released a successful EP late last year - Chunk of Change. They've now produced a full album and it's awesome - full of different sounds and every song is unique - but in a good way! My favorites are Little Secrets and Sleepyhead.

The famous Dave Matthews Band have also released their latest effort - Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King. I have no idea who thought up the album title but it's great! I haven't had time yet to enjoy the entire album but what I've listened to so far is fantastic - the title track is my favourite - the fabulously named Shake Me Like a Monkey. If you like what you hear, there's a considerable back catalogue…

You all know the rules....

1. There are things that drift away,
like our endless, numbered days.
Iron & Wine - Passing Afternoon

2. Without giving anything away,
you'll find ships inside of bottles
and the garden's overgrown,
the house is white but the paint is coming off.
Kings of Convenience - Gold in the Air of Summer

3. I know, I know my time has passed
I'm not so young, I'm not so fast
I tremble with the nervous thought
Of having been, at last, forgot .
Sufjan Stevens - They Are Night Zombies!! They etc.

4. Far in the morning light,
We let the movies play,
A weekend from the holiday.
Sufjan Stevens - The Henney Buggy Band

5. Don't drag my love around,
Volcanoes melt me down.
Damien Rice - Volcano

6. So I'm trying to put it right
Cause I want to love you with my heart
All this trying has made me tight
And I don't know even where to start.
Alexi Murdoch - Song For You

7. If only they could see, if only they had been here
…

Song For You
Alexi's baritone voice is perfect for a mellow evening. His guitar work, excellent lyrics, and soothing sound unwind even the worst days. A most excellent artist and excellent music.

So if you haven’t heard, Dustin is moving to San Diego. For those who haven’t (or don’t know), we were practically married for two years from Spring of 2002 to Summer of 2004, broke up, but then became friends again (and roommates) when I bought the house in Fall 2005 to the end of 2006. He has since moved in with his boyfriend and they are moving to California together.

It’s hard for me to comprehend the seriousness of this situation (let alone describe it) because we’ve both moved on years ago. Still, when I got the phone call, I immediately thought about making him a cd.

To me, the process (and product) of creating a mix cd is perhaps the single most romantic gesture I can think of—often it’s the best I can do to communicate a myriad of complex feelings to almost anyone.

While the above summary doesn’t exactly do the relationship justice, not at all, really, I think the following playlist sums up where we were and then progresses into current feelings, reminisces, and offers good will for the future.
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i haven't made a journal entry yet, and i have decided it's time to write about my favorite artists.


i can't start without saying Nick Drake is my favorite. aside from being the perfect music for insomnia, rain, sleepiness, feeling sad, feeling content, and feeling thousands of other things, his lore and legend is what keeps him alive to all of his fans. his life is fascinating when paired with his music. he is an artist that i wouldn't mind being stuck in his head for awhile. Far Leys is my number one on itunes, and although it is an instrumental track, it says so many things.

another interesting head is Regina Spektor. her lyrics are brilliant, in my opinion. Aquarius is one of my current favorites, and i couldn't stop playing Buildings for awhile.


Jesse Harris is my underrated artist of the journal entry. i like this guy a lot, and i'm surprised he doesn't have that many listeners. Norah Jones worked with him, and, if i'm not mistaken, covered a fair amount of his stuff. …

I've decided to start doing "I recommend this song/artist" entries on here. I might as well use my journal, right?

So, this past week I've been having these songs on repeat:
- Ophelia
- Your Hand in Mine (Goodbye)
- Prelude For Time Feelers
- Death Is The Road To Awe
- Bedtime Now
- You're The Storm
- Doomsday
- Song For You
- Hurt

Have you ever had the feeling that something was just larger than you could imagine? Larger than life? These tracks make me remember how much else there is beyond my world.

I think that there is no greater gesture of affection than making a mix CD for someone. It quickly tells that person what you're about and, when made with great care, can intrigue them to listen for more.

Not that I make CDs for lots of people (that would make me a slut, now wouldn't it?), but I do dabble in playlisting. I've been experimenting with using various tonal methods for creating playlists. In my music library I try to notate the key of each song; I then take into account the relationship between the keys when a put list together.

Here's a sample list that I'm working on. A special thanks to my friends and music neighbors (Restringing, Hartford Munroe, and Prestolock to name a few) for a few of these new-to-me tracks:

Annie (A major)
Hovering (A major)
I Want You To Be My Love (G major)
A-Hunting We Will Go (D major)
So Here We Are (A major)
Hide And Seek (A major)
Sail To The Moon (A major ish)
Brothers on a Hotel Bed (E-flat major)
…