Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Three Albums/Three Bloggers

I wasn't actually tagged by Steve McCoy with this meme... I just jumped in because:
  1. I haven't posted in the last couple of days.
  2. I haven't written about music in a LONG time.
  3. It was actually kind of interesting.
So, here's the questions:
  • three albums that I recommend you buy if you don’t already have them and
  • three bloggers I’m tagging so that they’ll blog what three albums they recommend and the three bloggers they’ll tag and so forth...

First, the three albums:

  • Soweto Gospel Choir: Voices From Heaven... yes, they have two other albums, but the first album is an absolute burst of rhythmic joy. I discovered this one in the same way I discovered David Wilcox so many years ago - thanks to my daily dose of "left wing radio" (hee!), NPR's All Things Considered.
  • Iona: Open Sky... there is no such thing as a bad Iona album, but this has become my favorite. The sweeping Celtic harmonies & imagery combine with amazing musicianship & classic rock sensibilities to take you to another place & time. (If you really like the "orchestra meets Celtic rock band" vibe, you can check out their album Woven Cord.)
  • Derek Webb: I See Things Upside Down... I've touted D. Webb a good bit on the blog, which is as it should be. His searing lyrics are married with his folk & rock roots and make for amazing listening. This is his 2nd album - and his best. The later albums have become more political - nothing wrong with that, except they aren't as likely to draw me in.

And three bloggers:

  • Zion Red's Head (I'd be stunned if Paul doesn't hold you at gunpoint until you buy a King's X album.)
  • The Game Ranch (Susan & Ed don't write about their musical tastes - so I'll take a wild guess & say Eagles.)
  • Nashbabe's World (Will the owner of the green Honda please move it out of the white zone? The white zone is for loading & unloading only. Oh, yeah - and Lorell will be pushing some Dave Crowder on you.)

Those of you without blogs can participate right here in the comments section.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fun post, Mark. O.K., I'll bite.

--Keith

____________

Here are three of the more obscure CDs I've been lucky enough to stumble upon or hear about from friends. In no particular order:

Trashcan Sinatras - Weightlifting iTunes Amazon
From Amazon : "...the Trashcans tackle love, loss, and personal triumph with beauty and maturity... catchy grooves and searing guitars." That about sums it up. I was lucky enough to see them live twice on this tour. Beautiful, subtle stuff. Try "Got Carried Away", "All the Dark Horses" or "Weightlifting".

I Am Kloot - I Am Kloot iTunes Amazon
Twisted torch songs with gorgeous melodies. This is dark, Raymond Chandler-esque stuff, but ultimately affirming and uplifting. Try "From Your Favorite Sky", "Proof" or "The Same Deep Water As Me".

Christmas Remixed - Holiday Classsics Re-Grooved Amazon

A timely selection of holiday classics remixed by modern DJs. Lots of fun in a retro, cheesy, loungy sort of way--and that's mostly a good thing in this case. Try "Happy Holidays (Beef Wellington Remix", "Jingle Bells (Dan The Automater Remix" or "It's The Most WOnderful TIme Of The Year (a shrift remix).

Scott Rushing said...

Thanks for the Iona recommendations. I have several of their cd's, but have procrastinated on getting those 2 for some reason.

nashbabe said...

iona!!! as they say down here, yeah buddy!!!!

Zion Red said...

ok, mine are up.