I got off work early tonight from job 2 (though I pretty much had to beg for it) and stopped by Bogbean, a local used music/movies/gaming/book store. A few days ago, a friend had coined the term, “Music Feast,” talking about going home to download a bunch of new music to feast on. I felt like being a little gluttonous myself and I ended up finding 6 cds to expand my collection. They’re a bit myriad in genre, but I’m excited to see what melodic treasures they may hold.
Here’s my list:
1. Morcheeba- Big Calm
2. Morcheeba- Who Can You Trust?
3. Sigur Ros- Takk…
4. Miles Davis- Kind of Blue
5. Sting- Ten Summoner’s Tales
6. Sting- Sacred Love
Here’s a little background on my choices. A friend introduced me to Morcheeba and got me hooked on their electrica vibe, which is similar to Hooverphonic or Portishead, but more, I don’t know… Blues-y? I don’t know for sure, but they’re mellow and lush and I’ve come to really like them.
Another friend told me about Sigur Ros and showed me this cute music video of old people in winter clothes and galoshes and scarves running around like children through a neighborhood and pretending to fight and frolic in puddles, splashing and banding together. The music is lovely and the group uses nonsense words to flow with the melody. Something I need to investigate more. This is the album my friend has.
Miles Davis- I’ve been in a blues mood today. I listened to some early blues and chicago blues on the genre channels on Pandora this morning at job 1, and I’ve been thinking about educating myself, musically, more in that direction. I wasn’t sure where to start, but I remembered years ago, becoming intrigued with Miles after hearing him on the Runaway Bride soundtrack. A little lame, I know, but I used to love movie soundtracks. They were a great way to get a diverse selection of music from various artists. I still have a soft spot for soundtracks, in fact.
As for Sting, I was in a college class, “The Protestant Reformation and English Renaissance Literature” to be precise, when we were studying John Dowland an the professor mentioned Sting’s album “Songs from the Labyrinth,” which was newly out at the time. He played a little of it and mentioned how Sting’s vocal style was very much like that prized in John Dowland’s time. I ended up buying that cd and I LOVE it. As a result, I also bought his Winter cd last year, and now I’m just generally intrigued. I’m a bit behind the times. There’s a lot of music I am just now discovering and immersing myself in.
It’s interesting actually. I grew up with a very different musical background from that of most people my age. My mother loved the 50s and 60s music and I would listed to Oldies with her on the way to school in the mornings.
I became very familiar with The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Mamas and the Papas, The Righteous Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, etc. So, even now, I know a lot of that music, even if I don’t necessarily remember the song titles or artists.
My father, on the flip side, loves Big Band music. Through him I became familiar with Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, John Philip Sousa, etc. But he also likes Mozart and Beethoven, Edvard Grieg and others. I could tell Mozart just from hearing a few notes over the radio.
As I grew up, I had my own brief experience with “Popular Christian Music.” I was pretty cloistered as a kid and I’ve had to discover a lot for myself since then. It’s been pretty liberating and exciting, actually.
So, I’ve had to catch up on the 70s and the 90s, classic rock and alternative, pop music, industrial, goth, and I still have a lot to explore.
I love the standards and I love Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Count Basie, and all that good stuff.
So, to end this particular post, I’ll leave you with the promise to report back on how I find my newest selections. I love used music and I love finding unexpected favorites.
As Shakespeare said in Twelfth Night: “If music be the food of love, play on. Give me excess of it.”
~B