This self-indulgent moment in musical excess brought to you by...

...iTunes and the music I've added to that nifty music-delivering device over the past six months.

Yes, that's right, this is another award-winning (well...), nationally-recognized (not really...), incredibly entertaining (absolutely!) edition of the "Random iPod/iTunes Playlist" game, which I haven't indulged in since November 2007. (I did give my picks for the best music of 2007, but that was not a game—no, that was super serious stuff.) I've decided to focus on the past six months since it will provide an illuminating glimpse into the music that forms the soundtrack of my life, lights up my life, pumps me up, chills me out, blah, blah, and clichés galore. If, however, lists of music aren't your thing, here is a more religiously oriented "top twenty" list to check out.

Here goes: I have selected shuffle, am pushing the play button and, with sparkling commentary, present you with the twenty tunes (out of 1300 possible) that appear:

1. "27 Ghosts III", by Nine Inch Nails, from Ghosts I-IV. First time I've ever heard it. Really. No joke. Rather industrial. Thankfully there isn't any "singing."
2. "Rusty Cage", by Soundgarden, from A-Sides. Now that is some singing! And some fine driving music.
3. "Dark Tabla", by Kaya Project, from Elixir. Some Indian-flavored electronica. Perfect for those moments when guests start to complain about hearing nothing but NIN and Soundgarden...
4. "Obelix," by Hanne Hukkelberg, from Rykestrasse 68. Quirky Scandinavian alt-pop. Or is it neo-electonica-soul? Or just plain old post-modern urban folk? I'm not sure.
5. "Agitation" (Stadhalle, Karlsruhe, Germany), by Miles Davis Quintet, from Winter In Europe 1967. One of the greatest jazz line-ups of all time at the peak of their powers. Superb.
6. "Beautiful Calm Driving", by Sia, from Some People Have Real Problems. An uncanny channeling of early Tori Amos. Overall, a really good album.
7. "As If Love Was A Sword", by Steven Delopoulos, from Straightjacket. My favorite Greek Orthodox folk rocker, once the lead singer for the now defunct Burlap to Cashmere.
8. "Little Cream Soda", The White Stripes, from Icky Thump. Goodness, how does this stuff wind up on my computer?! Not my favorite White Stripes tune.
9. "Cardinal Rule", by Michael Brecker, from Pilgrimage. One of last year's best jazz albums, from the late, great saxophonist. Featuring Brad Mehldau on piano.
10. "Left Behind" (feat. Jose Gonzales), by Zero 7, from The Garden. This song has nothing to do with the Left Behind novels, as is evident from the high quality of the music.

[Intermission....]

11. "Hey Mr. DJ", by Van Morrison, from The Best Of Van Morrison, Volume 3. A pleasant, mellow tune by one of my five favorite pop/rock artists. The standout song on this collection is "Shenandoah."
12. "Tutu," by Enrico Rava, from The Words And The Days. Beautiful playing from the Italian trumpeter on yet another perfectly produced ECM release.
13. "The Suffocating Silence," by Redemption, from The Origins Of Ruin. I think Deacon Harold is going to like this one. For fans of Dream Theater.
14. "Table for One," by Tal Wilkenfeld, from Transformation. The twenty-something Australian is a phenomenal bass player, but her set of fusion jazz is a bit sterile and bland for my taste.
15. "Confianzas", by Gotan Project, from Inspiracion-Espiracion Remix. This ain't your parent's tango. Hit and miss for me.
16. "Standing On The Corner", by Dean Martin, from The Greatest Hits Of Dean Martin. My first listen. Fun.
17. "There Goes I," by Martin Sexton, from Live at the WOW Hall, 2007. Twas nice of someone to post this concert, which I attended in October 2007. A great show. I don't think Sexton can put on a poor or even mediocre show.
18. "Your Tender Loving Care", by Dwight Yoakam, from Dwight Sings Buck. What? You don't own this CD? How can you live with yourself? Pure twangified bliss.
19. "Airborne," by Jaga Jazzist, from A Living Room Hush. Some very inventive, mesmerizing electronica-jazz from Norway.
20. "Then I Defy You, Stars," by The Receiving End Of Sirens, from Between The Heart And The Synapse. Ultra-earnest emo. Not bad, but I prefer the wider-ranging music of The Dear Hunter, formed by RDOS's singer/keyboardist Casey Crescenzo.

Comments

[rd]

hey carl, remember to back up your music!

[Laura Peratt]

Hey Carl, how about a top-twenty of religious music?

[Carl Olson]

Laura: By "religious music" do you mean contemporary Christian, or sacred/choral music? Or Catholic rap? ;-)

[Nick Milne]

Why, it's that time of the year again. Let's roll the dice...

1. Tenacious D - "You're The One That I Want": A vulgar cover of the classic song from Grease, featuring (for some no-doubt astonishing reason) Andy Serkis as Gollum in duet with Jack Black.

2. Rasputina - "Saline, The Salt-Lake Queen": Rasputina is, in general terms, a trio of goth girls playing electric cellos. Sometimes there's also drumming. I'd imagine their politics and personal philosophies are simply terrible, but their covers of certain songs (particularly Led Zeppelin's "Rock 'n' Roll" and CCR's "Bad Moon Rising") are simply marvelous. The song here in question is a sort of baffling fairy tale. From their live album, A Radical Recital.

3. Karl Jenkins - "Confutatis": From his Requiem, which, for all of its curious features, is probably my favourite piece of modern orchestral music. There is much in it that will be familiar and welcome to those who enjoy Requiems, but he also integrates things from other musical traditions, ranging from Welsh (I think?) to Japanese. The "Confutatis" is in the standard European mode. Notable selections from the Requiem include the "Dies Irae" (not for those who like such things slow), "Agorawd pts. 1 and 2" and "In These Stones, Horizons." The last of these is likely my favourite.

4. Johnny Cash - "Daddy Sang Bass": with Carl Perkins, from the San Quentin album. Very nice. A note: if you listen to the closing medley from that same performance, when the Tennessee 3 get a chance to go wild for a moment or two, you will discover that their drummer was evidently a madman on par with John Henry Bonham or Buddy Rich. And yet one never hears of him now...?

5. The Kills - "Wait": Don't know where this came from; never heard anything else by the band, to my knowledge. A slow, earnest sort of song with a nice hard rhythm, though a bit mopey.

6. The Red Army Choir - "Echelon Song": Gets faster and faster and more and more awesome. No idea what they're saying.

7. Simon & Garfunkel - "Bridge Over Troubled Water": Live version from somewhere. Very nice. One of the first songs I can remember moving me, as a child, at least to the extent that I was conscious that my being moved was what was happening.

8. Alfred Newman - "Who Am I / The Troika": From the soundtrack to Anastasia (that is, the 1956 version; the 1997 animated version is also a fine film, in its own way, and was fittingly scored by Newman's son).

9. Brian Setzer - "Malaguena": A roaring rock adaptation of the traditional Spanish folk music.

10. Bach - "Francouzska Suita 5 in G": I think, anyway; the title shows up in German, and is incomplete. Still, very nice harpsichord music.

And once more, because the precedent was set:

1. Brian Stokes Mitchell - "Through Heaven's Eyes": From the Prince of Egypt soundtrack. A good film, though only a few of the songs are really memorable.

2. Nelly Furtado - "Forca": A beautiful song, and not pandering nightclub crap like she seems to be into nowadays.

3. Loreena McKennitt - "The Lady of Shalott": Musical setting of the poem. Very nice, but settle in for a long ride.

4. Dropkick Murphys - "Time To Go": Apparently about hockey. Still good fun.

5. Sufjan Stevens - "No Man's Land": Kind of a boring song, but pleasant enough. From the Little Miss Sunshine" soundtrack, though the same band's "Chicago," also used in that film, is much, much better.

6. Ennio Morricone - "A Silhouette of Doom": Likely got it from one of the Kill Bill soundtracks, but it hasn't been labelled as such. And yes, there's a strange trend of soundtrack music going on, here, considering I don't have all that much of it, and am "choosing" from even more possible files than Carl is.

7. Cream - "Crossroads": No explanation necessary, hopefully.

8. Arcade Fire - "Rebellion (Lies)": A fun song from an intriguing group. I'm not really sure how to describe their sound, honestly. Too upbeat for emo, too orchestral for basic rock. One of those bands that I like a great deal without really being able to articulate why.

9. Cat Power - "Stuck Inside of Mobile": A perky cover of the Bob Dylan classic. Atypical, in that Ms. Power's covers are usually so melancholy as to inspire tears, even when the song itself was originally nothing of the kind.

10. Ofra Haza - "Kashmir": Another cover, this time by the legendary Israeli singer of the equally legendary Zeppelin song. Acappella. Very, very good.

[Nick Milne]

And italics off.

Smooth work.

[Carl Olson]

Nick: Great list. Notes have been taken.

[Nick Milne]

And from yours as well, I assure you. Hanne Hukkelberg, for example, sounds very promising, as I've been listening to some stuff lately that is, while not really being folk, is at least somewhat in the key of folk. A friend of mine described it as being "counter-folk," if that's even possible. What would one call Belle and Sebastian, for example?

Also, on a deadly serious note:

You need to find some Stan Rogers music and listen to it right away. The album Live! Between the Breaks is the best, though it unfortunately manages to include all of his best work except for his very best song, "Northwest Passage." Still, as an introduction it can't be beat. Of course, it could turn out to be not your cup of tea at all, but I suspect it will be fine. I don't know if it's on iTunes or not (I don't use it), but if it is...

Seriously: at once.

[Audrey]

Mmm--Martin Sexton--I love him! Have you ever listened to Rilo Kiley? I recommend their latest, 'Under the Blacklight,' with ten thousand exclamation points behind it...particularly 'close call' and 'silver lining.'

[Paul H]

A bit late, but here is my random list:

1. "Pieces of Me" by Fates Warning, from Disconnected
2. "Berlin" by Marillion, from Seasons End
3. "Keep Your Big Mouth Shut" by Little Charlie & the Nightcats, from Nine Lives
4. "Angel (Come Walk with Me)" by Conception, from Flow
5. "Can't Keep it Up" by Little Charlie & the Nightcats, from Night Vision
6. "Odyssey" by the Dixie Dregs, from What If
7. "Last" by Nine Inch Nails, from Broken
8. "Mojo Boogie" by Johnny Winter, from Genuine Houserockin' Music II
9. "Rush in Rio", Disc 2, by Rush
10. "Questions of my Childhood" by Kansas, from Leftoverture

[Carl Olson]

6. "Odyssey" by the Dixie Dregs, from What If

Great stuff. In my early 20s I tracked down nearly everything by Steve Morse and the Dregs.

10. "Questions of my Childhood" by Kansas, from Leftoverture

Lots of good memories from that song and album. Kansas at its very best, with Steve Walsh in his prime.

And, lo and behold, Steve Morse would go on to play on two Kansas albums, "Power" and "In the Spirit of Things," the latter being the last really good album produced by Kansas, IMHO.