Category Archives: Friday Music Day

FMD: Jan 6, 2012

I had two unfinished points on my best-of-2011 list that I was hoping to get to today. Guess not.
I'm eagerly awaiting DK's best-of-2011 list.

Also to random lists from the rest of you.
I'll assign points to anything released in 2012 (or 1912!).
I've only got one such release: I'll see if it makes it. If not, I'll grab it as my bonus track.

Points to be redeemable for more points at the end of the day.
Any unused points will expire at midnight (CST) on Jan 7, 2011.

FMD: End of 2011

2011 has, what, 40-odd hours left before its spent corpse is a dried husk caught by the winds of time and blown to the far corners of the earth. So, on its deathbed, let us throw the year a final party by praising and dissecting the musics released during its now-ending life. I suggest (though I never demand) commenting with your 2011 Top-X list[s] in lieu of randomness.

[Next week, in respect for the year passed and those preceding it, we will all only have 2012 releases in our random tens. Hopefully a dozen or so good albums come out next Tuesday....
Amazon.com says Elvis, the Monkees, the Who, and Noel Gallagher are among the top titles. That just raises the challenge level!]

Before I get into what I thought was great about the year that's not quite dead yet, I want to say that my lists are a reflection of my tastes, and that I believe taste to be particular. Furthermore, my tastes may be more particular than most as I'll often find an artist that sounds very similar to one I'm fond of, and be left cold by the second act, without being able to put my finger on what the difference is. This is why there's no Radiohead or TV on the Radio or Arcade Fire or (various other clearly talented acts) in my list: I'm just not that into them, and I've fruitless time spent listening to music I'm just not that into while attempting to pin down why I'm not that into it, or to try to get what others obviously get out of it. The prior left me nitpicking music so that I could claim that the artists were inferior to what I listened to (which wasn't true, overlooked similar faults in the stuff I did like, and lead me to believe myself to have superior taste). The latter left me numb to what I actually like in music and why I even listen to music.

So screw that, here are my lists! Maybe you'll find something interesting. Maybe not.

Artist of the year
Continue reading FMD: End of 2011

FMD: Dec 16, 2011

I mentioned a dissection of the Grammy nominations would go here this week. I guess I was being overly optimistic. I did read through a lot and I'm really surprised to find out that Grammys voters like Bruno Mars and Skrillex.

Also, Pitchfork and many other publications have released their top songs/albums lists. Feel free to discuss their lists, but again refrain from sharing your best-of until 2011 is at least 99% over.

Now share your randomness.

FMD: Dec 9, 2011

I went over to Google+ (which for me is basically like CarterHayes' blog). CH and some of his friends were discussing not what Christmas on other Holiday music one likes, but what one is looking for in popular Christmas music. I'd like to ask that around here. I'm thinking primarily about contemporary music (in the sense of: since the last Twins' pennant, but feel free to expand that a bit to fit your needs). Also, I'm not trying to restrict it to non-religious songs, just songs for radio play, or regular iPod or streaming service play, rather than stuff for Christmas Choral Concerts or church organs.

In other words, if you're going to go looking for some new Christmas songs, or new performances of traditional Christmas songs, what are you looking for?

[I was gonna put more of my thoughts here, but other obligations sapped my time.]

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While I'm on the topic, there's a certain surviving Beatle who wrote a song a few decades ago that I hate with a white-hot passion. Give me six hours of James Taylor as opposed to one listen through of that recording. If someone puts that on the video of the day, I will break into the HTML code or whatever and find a way to give it a -10 stars. Without listening.

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Next week, I think I'll look at that list of Grammy nominations and make some hypercritical remarks.

FMD: Dec 2, 2011

1. End-of-the-year is coming. Start planning your best-of lists. Let's try to discuss on the first Friday of the new year (rather than earlier). That will be January 6, 2012.

2. Now that I've got some of my actuarial-education blinders off for a bit, I notice that a new artist I'm listening to has a show in Minneapolis tonight. Her name is Lydia Loveless, and she plays vulgarly fun country-punk about drinking and cheaters and depression. For fans of the Waco Brothers and Miranda Lambert. Here's a live clip of what's probably my favorite song (Lyrics NSFW). She's playing at Lee's Liquor Lounge, doors at 9pm, $8 cover. If I hadn't been blindered and completely ignoring my wife and kids, I would definitely go, but my EAR seems to have been missing me, so I may favor staying home. But if you're looking for something to do tonight, consider this my recommendation.

3. I would have preferred to link first to her Daytrotter Session, which was uploaded on my birthday this year. Unfortunately, those files are no longer free as Daytrotter has had to implement a $2/month subscription fee to keep their lights on. It's definitely worth it for me, so they'll have my credit card number soon. I will miss having that site's performances as a quick way for me to link to artists I like. You can have a free seven-day trial.

4. Lydia's session is particularly good, which does have me excited about her as a live artist. Mostly songs from her first album, but recorded with more life. The session may end up on my best-of list.

5. Finally, a new track from Lana Del Ray (visuals borderline NSFW: sideboob). Just saw this, haven't listened closely. Yet.

6. Time for you to share your randomness.

FMD: Deer Opener (11-4-11)

I've been pretty absent here the past few weeks, I've been very busy at work. My absence will continue over the weekend: I'm driving up to Swanville, MN to hunt deer. At my great-uncle-in-law's. Both my father and father-in-law are in the hunting party. Which I quite enjoy.
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As I mentioned earlier, my week's soundtrack has been pretty much 70% Beyoncé (with 20% Merle, and 10% Random). When I put together my end-of-the-year lists, her new album 4 is going to be hard to file: an 8-song album might challenge* Colin Stetson, but those other five or so songs are still there on the album, and she might not get listed at all. At the same time, there's too many good songs for me to pick just one for my singles list (which is where I put songs not on listed albums: otherwise both lists would pretty much be copies of each other.

*Or maybe it's just a brief infatuation with the record and I'll be sick of it by December 1.

I like Kanye West's work, but I hope he never again shows up on a Beyoncé album. Three seconds into "Party", and three seconds of his voice, and I'm hitting the "next track" button.

So anyways, share your list.

FMD: 10-28-11

I think that if the rift between Kim and Thurston is irreconcilable and that their musical partnership must be dissolved along with their marital bonds, the best way forward is for Kim to put her efforts into Free Kitten full time and for Sonic Youth to hire EMA to replace Kim. Check out her Daytrotter Session and her Nirvana cover (of "Endless, Nameless", the hidden noise track from Nevermind). She can play third guitar, and if she can't play bass, SY should just keep that guy from Pavement around, or some other bass player.

Then, as Thurston, Lee, and Steve each decide that as they age, they're ready to take some time off, find other similar talents to replace them in the band. Over time, we may have completely replaced the members of Sonic Youth while still keeping the band together. The band will actually have a chance at outliving its founders!

Do you think this will work? Will EMA fit into the band? Will SY drop Thurston instead, when there's no clear replacement for him? Can the guy from Pavement sing in place of Thurston? Will you give us your random ten?