Today's playlist (12/22/2007)

Radiohead- Pablo Honey
Radiohead- My Iron Lung ep

With all of the current buzz surrounding In Rainbows I thought that I'd revisit the early Radiohead. I'm glad that I did, especially the Iron Lung ep. 'The Trickster' and 'Lewis (Mistreated)' are two of my favorite Radiohead tunes.

Today's playlist (12/17/2007)

Tosca- Different Tastes of Honey

Today's playlist (12/14/2007)

Webb Wilder- About Time

Today's playlist (12/13/2007)

Tosca- Opera

The Gourds- Heavy Ornamentals
Another case of really trying to like this disc. Same as with The Raveonettes. It's not that either are bad- and they're both pretty good- it's just that neither really moves me. And as far as the Raveonettes go, if I want to listen something new that's descended from the Velvet Underground and Jesus and Mary Chain then I've always got A Place to Bury Strangers.

Wynton Marsalis- From the Plantation to the Penitentiary

Drive

Subconsciously I didn't give my hometown 'alternative' newsweekly enough credit. I had grown tired of their myopic topics; it seemed like a majority of their subject matter was the prevention of corporate America from permeating Knoxville. Almost everything else was about the lack of mass transit. Sure, it would be fantastic if Knoxville cared about its past, and every square foot exuded history like New Orleans. But if most people want their shopping choices narrowed only to Old Navy, Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Chili's, Walgreen's, and Olive Garden, well, this is a democracy and the majority rules. But I digress. I was just picking up Metro Pulse out of habit when I would pass the newspaper rack at the grocery store.

Jack Neely's thought-provoking cover story 'The Quiet Disaster' proved to me that I needed to rethink my previous position.

I don't really contemplate driving anymore. I can remember when I was 14 or 15 and how much I craved a driver's license. Now it's a chore more than anything else. 'The Quiet Disaster' caused me to reflect on the mundane everyday act of operating an automobile. And not just my driving habits, but, as the story inspired me to do, America's violent automotive nonchalance.

Today's playlist (12/7/2007)

The Smiths- Same Day Again

Today's playlist (12/4/2007)

Gram Parsons with the Flying Burrito Brothers- Gram Parsons Archive, Vol. 1

Today's playlist (11/30/2007)

The Hackensaw Boys- Look Out

Today's playlist (11/26/2007)

Cheap Trick- All Shook Up
The first two songs suggest that great things are in store for the listener, though I don't know why Robin Zander wants to stop the music. Maybe it's because he could stop it before and he's upset that he no longer can. Well, it doesn't matter, because this album sucks other than the first two tracks.
Grant Lee Buffalo- Copperopolis

Today's playlist (11/21/2007)

Drive-By Truckers- Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA (27 September 2006)

Today's playlist (11/19/2007)

Mark Langegan- I'll Take Care of You

Today's playlist (11/17/2007)

Dwight Yoakam- Gone

Today's playlist (11/15/2007)

Dwight Yoakam- Dwight Live

most obscure trivia ever

I like to watch TV while I use a treadmill in the morning. I've been watching NBC's Journeyman this season. (Not because it's a wonderful show but mainly because of how much I enjoyed HBO's Rome and both shows have an actor in common.) Sometimes I turn on the closed captioning if the sound is muffled so I can hear over the noise of the treadmill. The conclusion to the 11/12/2007 episode used Blind Faith's song "Can't Find My Way Home" for dramatic effect. Well, at least that's what I read on closed caption. What I heard was "Miracles" by Jefferson Airplane.

I hope that this trivia serves someone well someday.

Today's playlist

The Smiths- Strangeways, Here We Come
This is my least favorite Smiths cd by far, but it still beats the hell out of the best cd by anyone who has ever won or will win American Idol.

Today's playlist (11/10/2007)

Mark Knopfler- Kill To Get Crimson
Mark never lets me down. I'm always prepared for the worst when he releases a new album because how long can he continue to create music uninterrupted? Who else has this kind of track record? Jimmy Page, like Mark Knopfler, is one of the greatest living guitar players, and he has certainly released some stinkers.

Today's Playlist (11/8/2007)

Drive-By Truckers- Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA 12/31/2006
The Drive-By Truckers are one of the greatest living bands. I'm biased since many of their songs' backgrounds are inspired by growing up and living in the South. For better or for worse I've lived in Tennessee almost my whole life.
Example: Lookout Mountain is in Chattanooga which is just an hour away from here. It's also one of my favorite songs by DBT.

Today's playlist (11/7/2007)

Mogwai- Ten Rapid
Teenage Fanclub- Dumb Dumb Dumb
Jimmy Page- Outrider
Holy crap, what is this garbage?!?! This cd came out in the 1980's but people still rocked in the 80's. (Think Metallica, Teenage Fanclub, Guns'n'Roses, Hoodoo Gurus, Replacements, etc.)

Today's playlist (11/5/2007)

Robert Plant / Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
Surprisingly underwhelming. Almost bland. I expected dark Appalachian death ballads and I got Norah Jones.

Today's playlist (11/2/2007)

The Smiths- The Queen is Dead
This disc reminds me of high school. I gave Byron M. a ride to school every morning and we listened to this on cassette.
Mogwai- Young Team
What a phenomenal record. Who needs vocals when you can write songs this strong?