the insanely beautiful

Jun 28

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Lindsey Buckingham, of Fleetwood Mac fame, released a solo album in 2006 called Under the Skin. His first release in 14 years surprised critics, who either berated or praised the effort; It seemed there was no middle ground. Today’s track is Someone’s Gotta Change Your Mind, which is easily the best song on the album.

Jun 2

Bo Diddley, Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneer, Dies at 79

I featured a Bo Diddley song on May 7. Today’s probably a good day to listen again.

May 29

gobbeldigook video

Sigur Rós has released a new video for their upcoming album með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. They are my favorite band; I’m ecstatic!

May 21

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Mogwai has a talent for the ethereal, shown Hunted by a Freak from their album, Happy Songs for Happy People.

May 13

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Portishead’s Silence from their 2008 album Third. Without a (real) release since 1997, Portishead was expected to be gone forever. But this year they put out a new record which has shaped up nicely, having grown in maturity and depth. This is as dark as Portishead gets, in a wonderful way.

May 12

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] The sad story of Nick Drake is untold by his music, which, while generally described as melancholic, is rather sanguine and quaint. Melodies communicating simultaneously love and pain, lyrics responding to faint hope; Nick Drake’s short life and shorter career was ultimately summed up by the work he left behind.

May 7

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Mississippi-born Bo Diddley, born in 1928, was one of the originators of the rock and roll sound. That is to say, before rock and roll was a household term–while it still referred to “rocking” and “rolling” in dancing. As “The Originator”, he invented the “Bo Diddley Beat”, similar to hambone, also described as rumba-like. However you describe it, the effect is immediate in the eponymously titled “Bo Diddley”. Fun, flirtatious, catchy. This sort of music simply doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Enjoy.

May 5

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Virtually unknown on radio, Beirut rock it non-traditionally, using instruments such as an accordion, trumpet, and ukulele. Cliquot shows the different elements of folk and Eastern European influence.

May 2

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Mista Mista by the Fugees… really speaks for itself.

May 1

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] Love Your Abuser by Lymbyc System has a chill quality to it, while still evoking bittersweet nostalgia. Best with coffee and cigarettes. If you don’t smoke, you’ll want to.