| Music |
| I love music. I come from Regina Saskatchewan, and in Regina Saskatchewan, you are exposed to two types of music, country (i.e. crap) and hip-hop (i.e. mostly crap). Exposure to other types of music here on the west coast has broadened my musical tastes. I will list for you some of my favourite albums and reasons why I have chosen them. I would do a top ten or top twenty listing, but that would be nearly impossible right now since there is a five or six way tie for first place. A great album is one that you can listen all the way through, sing along to if you want to but leave in the background if you need to, has no fluff or filler, and is entertaining. That's what I have chosen these albums for, anyway. Here they are: |
| 1965 - Afghan Whigs: For those of you who like good solid rock music, this is a quintessential album. Greg Dully has put together a masterpiece of story-telling and musical genius. Of all the albums this band has put out, this is often hailed as being the best. The single for the song '66' comes with the B-side 'The Singer,' which is an amazingly fun tune. Unfortunately, the Whigs have broken up, largely due to the fact that the band members are greatly separated by distance. Find and get this album. It's a keeper. Play - Moby: This is a shining example of musical genius. There IS such a thing as good electronica, as it turns out, and this is it. Nothing quite compares to the ambient, seductive feel of this album; from beginning to end you'll be humming along and you won't even realize it. The B-sides album with a dozen or so extra tracks is also incredible and yet is quite different than Play itself. This is definitely an EXPERIENCE you don't want to miss. Hour of the Bewilderbeast - Badly Drawn Boy: BDB decided he wouldn't tour this album but instead stayed at home to be with his family. The beauty is that he doesn't have to tour to promote this alubm... it's so damn good that its pretty much does well on its own. BDB has experimented with every style of music known to man (perhaps a slight exaggeration), from the sullen and soothing french horn solo in the opening track 'The Shining,' to the upbeat and jazzy 'Once Around the Block,' to the disco feel of 'Disillusion.' There is something on this album for everyone, but I'll be surprised if the whole thing doesn't move you. Twilight (as played by) - The Twilight Singers: The Twilight Singers is a realtively new band put together by Greg Dully of the Afghan Whigs. It has a softer, more melodic sound to it, and yet, the Twilight Singers explore a wide array of human emotion in their music. It opens with the forlorn and weepy song 'The Twilite Kid,' crecendoes to the powerfully angry 'Annie Mae,' and the vengeful 'Verte-Marte,' and closes with 'Twlight,' a good relaxing ending to a wonderful album. It might take some time to get used to Dully's voice, but this is another album that deserves to be on ever avid music fan's shelf. Fragments of Freedom - Morcheeba: Of the many people who I know who listen to Morcheeba, almost all say they like The Big Calm the best. I don't like that album at all, but I love this one. Fragments explores various styles of music, fusing rock with hip-hop, rhythm and blues, and funk. There is even one track done on steel drums that is a perfect interlude for the middle of the disc. This album is perfect driving music, guaranteed to keep you tapping on short drives and awake on long ones. If you don't end up liking this one, try The Big Calm. There seems to be a pattern here. Eighteenth Street Lounge Soundtrack - Jet Society: WOW. I could leave it at that, but I won't. It was compiled by the Thievery Corporation and contains twelve tracks performed by various bands who have made appearances at the Eighteenth Street Lounge in Washington. They were dubbed the Jet Society because of many of the performers are from outside the U.S.; much of the album is in Portuguese. This album fuses jazz with electronica and various Latin styles such as bossa nova. The totality is an album with the perfect lounge feel. This album is amazing, but unfortunately very hard to find. You might still be able to get it at Amazon.com or ESLmusic.com, but those might be the only places. Get it while you can. The Mirror Conspiracy - Thievery Corporation: whitechocolatespaceegg - Liz Phair Version 2.0 - Garbage Boheme - Deep Forest The Man Who - Travis The Invisible Band - Travis White Ladder - David Gray Achtung Baby - U2 Ten - Pearl Jam Automatic For the People - R.E.M. Throwing Copper - Live Just Like a Vaccation - Blue Rodeo Blind - The Sundays |