Somusing: Category Music

Sky Blue Sky by Wilco

Erin — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:45:37 +0000

It took me a while to like this, but now I love it. The last song is beautiful and moving, and I have been known to play it over and over again while driving.

Different Places by Plastic Operator

Erin — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:17:25 +0000

The kids and I are listening to this right now. I haven't listened to a new album this much since Kate Bush's Aerial, and before that, it was years.

I'm calling it Fake 80s music. There are robot voices and other synthesizer sounds and a truly cheesy electric guitar solo. And I love it. It's fun to clean to.

<cite>Brazilian Lounge</cite>

Erin — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 22:20:00 +0000

Putumayo is a recording label that specializes in world music. All of their CDs guarantee "to make you feel good." So far I have found this to be true.

A couple of weeks ago, while I was showing my mom and two of my sisters some of the cool shops in our area, I bought Putumayo's Brazilian Lounge. We like various kinds of electronic music (or techno or whatever; I am easily confused by labels), especially lounge stuff by groups like Thievery Corporation),and I admit that I thought if I bought something Jon would like, he might not notice the money I was spending. (I also bought a floral mat made from recycled plastic, which I love very much and used as a sort of porch to our tent when we went camping recently.) Anyway, it was another successful music acquisition: groovy and mellow with cool Brazilian melodies and words. Shortly after I bought it, Jon said we needed to get more because he was in danger of making himself sick of it by listening to it too much. Now that's a good sign.

<cite>No!</cite> by They Might Be Giants

Erin — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 06:54:00 +0000

On Christmas Eve, we went to our little CD and other music stuff store to buy a CD for Uncle Chayee (that's Charlie to you). It turned out to be one of those shopping trips where we buy stuff we weren't planning to buy. This often happens to us with books and CDs. The CD I chose on a whim No! by They Might Be Giants, a CD for kids that is really great! I am not a big fan of most kids' music that I hear other people playing for their kids. Even though we have six kids, we don't actually own any of that music, so I could be wrong. No Disney soundtracks or Barney crap or whatever it is most parents buy for their kids. We are selfish parents when it comes to music. (This should be no surprise, since Jon is also known as The Musical Tyrant.)

This CD is the best gathering of kids' songs I have yet encountered. The kids love it and have been playing it constantly since they discovered it, and I'm not sick of it yet! It's funny and nonsensical and has lots of different styles of music. And it's intelligent and musically interesting. And there's a song about being a grocery bag. And about the Thomas Edison Museum ("the largest independently owned and operated mausoleum"--actual lyrics in the song). And about robots! And I still love it!

It's true that there is no song about dinosaurs, which would test me. But if there were, I think I'd probably love it anyway.

<cite>Aerial</cite> by Kate Bush

Erin — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 21:58:00 +0000

I'm so out of it these days that I didn't know Kate Bush had a new album (her first in something like 13 years) until a few weeks after it was out. And when I did find out (thanks to a friend and my brother, who figured I already knew), I knew immediately what my husband had ordered for me for Christmas.

Anyway, it's so great. I love it. It's like all my favorite songs by Kate Bush, only they're new and I've never heard them before, and I can spend hours listening to them in all possible forums: in the living room with all the kids' noise; in the car; on headphones late at night. Yes, I love it.