I don’t really know the Black Keys, other than what I heard a couple of months back in a piece on NPR (for the record, they didn’t sound bad), so I’m not entirely sure of the authority from which BK drummer Patrick Carney speaks in this interview as presented. But damn, if I don’t pretty […]

Last year I did one hundred mini-record reviews from my collection, and I had quite bit of fun doing it. I’m going to continue poking through this year as I get the time (when I’m not listening to NPR or audiobooks in the car, mostly), as long as it stays fun. I like talking about […]

My favorite Christmas song, for what I hope will be a quiet Christmas eve. Joni Mitchell wrote it, I discovered it via the Indigo Girls, though I think I’m currently in love with this version from Tori Amos: Hope you enjoy your Merry Christmas with a little bit of melancholy; I know I do.

Let’s hope so, anyway. In any case, a whole lot of people who could really use them are getting some happy holidays, as last US troops prepare to leave Iraq. Welcome home, folks.

The year is coming to an end. I know this because all the fun “Year End” lists are starting to pop up all over the place, including the list I look forward to the most every year, the AV Club’s “Year In Band Names”! The AV Club is The Onion‘s pop culture section, both in […]

I’ve written a lot over the last year or two about coming to terms with getting older. It’s one of those things we all have to come to terms with. Of course, the world is remarkably good at coming up with all kinds of reminders of one’s (relatively) advanced age: little aches and pains, graying […]

With this entry, I’ll have reviewed one hundred records since starting this little project back in May. Whether anyone else is enjoying the project or not, I’ve been having a good time revisiting old music and fond memories through the exercise. If nothing else, it gives me something original to write about beyond commentary on […]

If there’s a theme this time around, it’s the idea that you can draw lines between all kinds of things, and despite the existence categories like “rock”, “country”, “r&b” or whatever, a lot of interesting stuff happening in the brackish areas where the borders bump up against each other. Each of these records, quite accidentally […]

It’s been a little while since I did one of these. Of course, it’s november, so there’s very little blogging going on at all, thanks to the whole novel-writing experiments and general life stuff. Of course, I’m still doing the up and back to DC thing for work, and last week, coming home took me […]

Some music: “Since I Don’t Have You” – Brian Setzer Orchestra “Low” – REM “Building a Mystery” – Sarah McLachlan “Ben Lee” (not “Ken Lee“)- The Ataris “Compromise” – The Indigo Girls “Little Song” – Sarah Jarosz “Buddy Holly” – Barenaked Ladies (yes, Barenaked Ladies covering Weezer) “Leave It All To Me” – Miranda Cosgrove […]