Blatantly ripping off the other threads like this, I now bring you the “Whatcha…” music edition.
I have just bought a lot of music off of iTunes, taking advantage of the “Complete my album” feature that lets you buy the rest of the album from which you bought one or more singles at the normal price minus the price of those songs. I’ve also been, uh, “downloading” various other music.
So I got Der Singlekollektion by Blümchen, which has 19 songs for the price of 10. Now I get to listen to “Walk like an Egyptian” in German! Although I think the best song on it, that I don’t already have some remix of, is Nur Geträumt.
Slightly more seriously, I also got Truly Madly Deeply by Cascada, Me Plus One by Annie, Waiting for Magic by Ace of Base (although I’ve always thought that Ace of Bass would have been a much better name—that’s actually what I thought it was when I first heard it), and Look on the Floor by Bananarama. Actually, although it’s the same Bananarama from the 80s (minus one member), that song was released in 2005. I’ve also been listening to t.A.T.u., which, although it is the most gimmicky, exploitative band ever (focusing on the idea that the two Russian girls are lesbians, which they actually weren’t), has a few good songs, mainly All the Things She Said and the version of it in Russian.
I’ve been listening to Noah And The Whale’s album Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down when I want something happy, and Bon Iver’s For Emma, Long Ago when I’m after something more pensive. Also loving The Bird & The Bee’s new album.
I’ve become a it obsessed with the new single “Brother” from Australian band Little Birdy, who I’ve never really liked in the past. But this is fantastic! A killer chorus, hand claps, harmonica and backing vocals from the legendary Paul Kelly, what’s not to love? (Hmmm, looks like they had a budget of about $5 for the video.)
This song, Caught in The Crowd, by Kate Miller-Heidke, is making me cry. Kate is amazing, she sings very poppy stuff but she started out as an opera singer and has a beautiful voice. This is a song about schoolyard bullying which really gets to me, and the video is just lovely too.
I am desperately, desperately waiting for Neko Case’s new album to come out.
I’ve been downloading a bunch of stuff from Numero Records, which specializes in obscure 60s/70s soul origianlly put out on regional labels. Excellent stuff.
Been listening to the new Morrissey, which sounds like the new Morrissey, as well as the new Vetiver, M. Ward, PPP, Dalek, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and a bunch of stuff I got with my monthly EMusic subscription, most of which I’m unfamiliar with.
I’ve been listening to lots of new artists over the past week. I’ve listened to albums by Figurines, The Detroit Cobras, Flobots, The Clientele, Sister Machine Gun, The Dears, Fiction Family, PlayRadioPlay!, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Neutral Milk Hotel, Punch Brothers, and various covers by In Current Standing, but the only ones I actually cared for were **Flobots ** (Anne Braden was especially good) and In Current Standing, whose cover of *Sex on Fire *is wonderful.
I was particularly disappointed by Punch Brothers and **Fiction Family **because I like Nickel Creek quite a bit and they’re projects by **Chris Thile **and Sean Watkins respectively, but they just didn’t do it for me at all.
More generally, I’m listening to lots of favorites. So far as musicians go, Sarah Fimm has dominated my interest for years, though both PJ Harvey and Tegan and Saraget almost as many plays due to having much larger libraries and having lots of catchy rock songs. I’ve also been digging on Venus Hum and Kings of Leon, two new-ish favorites, and can’t get enough of Grand Ole Party.
Right now, I’m listening to Wavves’ new self-titled album, and loving it. It came out a day early on iTunes, for a nice little mid February surprise. I’m also listening to Harlem’s album **Free Drugs **, anything I can track down by Passion Pit, Ancient Crux, and Fight Bite. And the new album by Sunset is making me very happy.
I am eagerly waiting for Grizzly Bear’s new album to drop, too. The song off of it entitled “While You Wait For The Others” has been getting multiple plays on teh pod. If you liked Department of Eagles, find that song…
I also just listened to the new **Black Lips **album, and was completely underwhelmed. And I actually LIKE the Black Lips. I thought the new albm was completely boring.
I am having flashbacks to growing up with folkie parents. I just bought 5, Joan Baez’s 1964 album. Mostly for Bachianas Brasileiras, but I also have a massive weakness for It Ain’t Me Babe.
Recently I also bought a copy of Cruel Sister by Pentangle, because I can’t get enough of the title track, and of Lord Franklin (a.k.a Lady Franklin’s Lament, and I am also in pester mode for my husband to learn this on guitar, as he already has the sheet music.)
A couple of songs off St. Vincent’s Marry Me have been on heavy rotation in my playlist, including Paris is Burning, which has a neat bit of waltz tempo thrown in to shake things up. We saw St. Vincent live, opening for Death Cab for Cutie last year and the set was… not good… but the album is very enjoyable.
And on the purely pop front, I’m loving Diamond Dave and Rayguns off Rayguns are Not Just the Future, The Bird and The Bee’s latest release.
Sam Roberts - Love at the End of the World. Awesome album. I have no idea how much exposure these guys have in the US. Check out their video for Detroit '67here.
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
Jason Collett - Here’s to Being Here. Mellow alt-country type stuff from one of Broken Social Scene’s many, many members.
Fleet Foxes. I like Blue Ridge Mountains, but am generally not digging the rest of the album.
People in Planes - Beyond the Horizon. Last Man Standingis a good track but I’m having trouble getting into the rest of the album. It sounds like nondescript radio generica to me.
I have M. Ward’s new album but haven’t listened to it yet, and am eagerly waiting for the new ones from Metric and Neko Case.
Oh, this is hilarious! One of the songs on that Blümchen collection, Sesam Jam, is about German Sesame Street—so weird to think about (and not really reflective of her normal style).
Still in a Nick Cave mood, lately. LotsofNick Cave. Not to mention his loud Grinderman side project.
This radio-live collection ( which also has a Nick Cave tune, duplicated on the B-side and rarities set above ). This sea chantey et al collection ( featuring yet two more Nick Cave performances ), which is surprisingly decent for a Pirates of the Caribbean-inspired project.
Completely unrelated to the omnipresent Nick Cave, Taj Mahal’s two best albums IMHO, collected and reprinted as a single package. Aussie import I believe, only way to get them new nowadays.
That and some old Clash albums ( all of them, just about ).
At least that’s what’s cycling through the car these days.
I’m just got Heart of Glass by Blondie (and noticed that Debbie Harry’s teeth look really strange in that video). Also, here is another t.A.T.u. song that is pretty good, Cosmos (Outer Space). Dunno what’s with that hair and really bad tan, though.
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
ETA: I also finally bought the actual single of I Wanna Be Your Star by Melody & Mezzo, after just having that video on my iPhone for a long time.
Hijack question: does anyone know of a good, free program for measuring BPM (beats-per-minute)? I’m asking because the fastest Blümchen song, Verrückte Jungs, apparently measures 200 BPM (!), and I’m curious as to what the others are.
Blümchen also released all the songs on her first two albums in English under the name “Blossom”, which is pretty cool, but they’re just not as good as the original versions. For one thing, the lyrics make a whole lot less sense in an effort to have them fit into the original tune. But Just a Dream (Nur geträumt), Heart to Heart (Herz an Herz, which has an absolutely awful video), and Odysee in 3-D (Odysee in 3-D, which is not on YouTube) are alright, but You and Me (Du und ich, although, despite the funny video, I’m not sure what American football has to do with the lyrics to either version) and Bad Boys in Love (Verrückte Jungs), and a lot of others, not so much.
Also, those BPM detectors don’t work with AAC, and it’s not worth the hassle to convert them just to see what it is. Thanks, though.
ETA: Oh, and I also got the first Caramell album, Gott och Blandat, which is hilarious and awesome. You may be familiar with Caramelldansen (it’s an internet meme) from their other album, Supergott.
Just to bump this thread, I also used the excellent program Pandora’s Jar (I don’t want to link to it because it might possibly be considered a Terms of Use violation), which lets you save the songs that are downloaded by Pandora Radio to play on your computer, to download the song Domo Domo Domo by Smile.dk, since I had a hard time finding it anywhere else. Previously, I just had that video with its horrible YouTube sound quality.
Although I think the best song on it, that I don’t already have some remix of, is Nur Geträumt.
**, anything I can track down by Passion Pit, Ancient Crux, and Fight Bite. And the new album by Sunset is making me very happy.
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