New Music

(this post was written by Kyle on June 7, 2006, and it concerns & & & & & & & )

So, for my birthday, my brother, sister-in-law, and adorable little niece gave me a gift certificate to iTunes. Since I’m waiting for my computer to chunk through an unnecessary repagination of a 129 MB Word document…

(Dear Microsoft: when I change the tabs on one paragraph, it does not mean that I automatically want the tabs on every paragraph to change too, especially when the document is 129MB and it takes Word twelve minutes to make the change and then another twelve minutes for me to undo the change, you fucking fucks!)

…I thought I might tell y’all what songs I bought today.

Without further adieu:

  • , by King Sunny Ade. I’d never heard of King Sunny Ade, but Trey Anastasio has covered a bunch of his songs, so I wanted to check him out. I’m listening to it as I type this, and it’s really good. It’s kind of a mellow African funk. It makes me imagine a rain-forest sunset, which is always good.
  • , by David Gilmour. I bought this album for two reasons. The first is that my pseudo-brother-in-law, Jeff, who is a huge Floyd fan, recommended it. The second is because of this line from the review on iTunes:
    Musically, On An Island is mostly a laid-back, utterly English record. It has the feel of taking place between the twilight and the dawn. There are a number of rumblers here to upset the balance of tranquility and stillness, like flashes of heat lightning across the dark skies, but they only add dimension to these proceedings.

    I really like the sound of that.

  • “” and , by Sufjan Stevens. I can’t say enough about this guy. I’ve got two of his albums, and they blow me away every time I listen to them. He’s the epitome of what folk music can do when it embraces the possibilities of the modern recording studio. The first purchase is a single song off the album, I Am The Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey. I have no idea who that is, but the song is awesome. It’s Christian-themed, as the album title should tell you, but I’ve never considered that to be a flaw. The second purchase is Stevens’ first album (I think). I haven’t heard it yet, but I can’t imagine ever being disappointed with what this guy puts together.
  • “,” by Michael Franti and Spearhead. I caught Franti and Spearhead up in Alaska last year and it was just an awesome show. If I remember correctly (which I probably don’t), they encored with this song. Plus, it’s true. The song title, I mean. Everyone does deserve music. Sweet music.
  • “,” by Railroad Earth. I have no idea who these guys are, but this nine-minute tune made it onto a bunch of different jamband iMixes, so I figured I’d check ‘em out. After all, my brother, sister-in-law, and adorable niece are buying, right, so why not try something new? It’s a bluegrass jamband thing, but a person can never have enough bluegrass.
  • “,” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. With all the talk of the Chili’s new album, I’ve been craving Blood Sugar Sex Magick, but by the time I got down to this purchase, the gift certificate was running out, so I could only afford one song. I already have the classic on the album (”Suck My Kiss”), and I didn’t want to be a pussy and get “Under the Bridge,” so I opted for “The Righteous and the Wicked.” I always loved the long pause after the introduction, which breaks with a crazy lightning shot of guitar. Nice stuff. “Kiss me, we self destruct. Can you hear me lord? Yes, I think we’re fucked, but I can’t rest in war!…I am playing for a better day.” Seemed apropos.

Thanks to Shawn, Grace, and Shannon for the new music. Now back to Microsoft hell.