Homer's Travels: The Music In My Head

Friday, December 28, 2007

The Music In My Head

The Godson has posted his top albums of 2007 post on ManyHighways. I happen to own only one of those albums - Rilo Kiley's "Under The Blacklight". As I get old it feels like it's getting harder to keep up with the new music. One source is the Wife - she teaches High School so she hears things from the kids - and the Godson has been another a good source (he's almost 20 years younger then me). I don't always agree with his taste in music but he still listens to some pretty good stuff.

He recommended the Decemberists awhile back. (Decemberist's "The Crane Wife" was his number one pick for 2006) I bought one of their albums ("Picaresque") and really didn't like it but I have discovered that it often takes me several listenings to really hear the music. Sure enough over the last year or so I have listened to it more and more and it has moved up near the top of my list of good music (I was listening to the Crane Wife while I was blogging my latest hiking entry).

I like to listen to music. It calms me. It helps me write. I've had an MP3 player for the last 5 years that I take to work with me everyday. I have over 2,500 tracks on it. I plug it into a set of speakers in my cube and I play music (very low so I don't bother the neighbors). It helps the time go by a little quicker. I figure I can go two weeks without hearing the same song twice.

I have an eclectic taste in music. Just look back at the last few albums that I've purchased: The Decemberists' "The Crane Wife", Joan Osborne's "Pretty Little Stranger", Dolores O'Riordan's "Are You Listening", Alison Krauss' "A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection", The Eagles' "Long Road Out Of Eden", and the already mentioned Rilo Kiley's "Under the Blacklight". Add onto that two singles: Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good" and Sparks' "Cool Places". I seem to prefer female lead singers. Evanescence, Liz Phair, Rilo Kiley, Cranberries, Joan Osborn, Alison Krause, Go Gos, Kelly Clarkson (Yep, I admit it, I like her), Annie Lennox, and the list goes on.

The only times I don't want to hear music is when I'm reading and when I'm hiking. That is when silence reigns for me. I love to hear the sounds of nature.

When I was single I always had the radio on in the apartment as background noise. The Wife also needs background noise but she prefers the television. I suppose I will fall back into the radio routine once I quit work. I'm on a big NPR kick right now so it will be Morning Becomes Eclectic for me. That will let me get into some new music.

I received an Amazon gift card for Christmas and I think I'll broaden my music experience and play around with some of the Godson's recommendations. If anyone reading Homer's Travels has any suggestions for music I should try, let me know in the comments.

4 comments:

  1. Awesome! I'm curious to hear about what you buy and what you think of my picks. There is one more album that I bought after I posted my Best Of '07 list that I guarantee you will like: Dan Wilson's "Free Life". He's the guy from the band Semisonic who also co-wrote the Dixie Chicks album that came out last year. "Free Life" is his solo album and it's very good.

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  2. Godson: Thanks! I will be sure to check him out.

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  3. Bat for Lashes.
    Camera Obscura.
    Belle and Sebastian.
    Let's Go Sailing.
    Club 8.
    Feist.
    Mum.
    The Be Good Tanyas.
    Sia.
    Stars.
    The Swell Season or Once Sdtk (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova).
    Trembling Blue Stars.
    The Weepies.
    Isobel Campbell.
    Missy Higgins.

    I think those mostly have female vocalists...

    (I often check out stuff on the Hype Machine)

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  4. JaG; Nice list - I actually recognize some of them! I will check them out. Thanks!

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