So, what are y'all listenin' to right now?

[Mara]

The best new album I have heard in a while is Todd Snider's "East Nashville Skyline". It's gorgeous, groovy, folk-country Americana type-music with a definitely left-wing political bent, sometimes reminding me of Dylan.

I'm also listening to a lot of Sadé (fave is "Love Deluxe"), and Pete Seeger's "American Industrial Ballads" right now. The Seeger stuff is beautiful and haunting, a collection of old labor songs with great historical value.

[Nancy]

Bjork has a new album, done only with human voices (no instruments) out next week. It's called "Medulla" from the word for human marrow. Very organic and highly recommended.

http://www.bjork.com/grapewire/?id=481;year=2004#news

Nancy

[Mara]

Thanks, Nancy!

Haven't heard Bjork for a long time, though she was always a little too strange & electronic for my tastes!

But this new album sounds intriguing, and I will definitely give it a listen.

[garymill]

I just finished listening to a Cd that Andrew Vavrek sent me of his own music. Andrew is macrobiotic and is responsible for creating the web site for the Alaskan Macrobiotic community, http://www.ionia.org/


Andrew's own web site is at http://www.weblife.org and his music web site at www.vavrek.com I really enjoyed listening to his music, my favorite songs were the first one, sunlight, then peace on earth, and bed time was really fun to listen too.

Too tell you the truth, Andrew has a really incredible sounding voice, everything he sings sounds really good. These are not stripped down songs, they are exquisitely produced too with great instrument accompaniment.

[garymill]

Well,

Right now I am listening to Brian Wilson's new Smile Album. For those of you that do not know, this album was to have been released in 1967, only 37 years later has it been completed and just recently released. So much myth has sprung up around this over the years, often called the greatest album you never heard, it was thought that it would have rivaled Sgt. Pepper if it had been released at the same time, if Brian Wilson had not suffered a major breakdown back then, and scrapped the entire album. Various songs from the album have been released over the years on different Beach Boy's albums, but this year, Brian Wilson and his backing band totally re-recorded all the songs. It is interesting to hear the new version of Good Vibrations as there are new lyrics to a very familiar song, also Heroes and Villains sounds really great too.

If you are interested in knowing more about the long history of this album, click here

[Bruce Paine]

Gary,

Persons who wish to sample tunes from Smile can listen to 30 seconds of each track for free and buy each one for less than a buck at iTunes http://www.apple.com/itunes/ which is now available at no cost, cross platform (Windows or Macintosh).

My favorite place to read about musical artists and their works is at All Music http://www.allmusic.com/

I like to listen to smooth jazz while washing windows.

Do you have a particular genre that you like to tune into while working on the web?

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine

[garymill]

Hi Bruce,

I tend to listen to a lot of different Music, right now I am listening to Norah Jones's newer album Feels Like Home.

[Rafflesia]

I just heard Madeleine Peyroux for the first time last night, and purchased a cd by her. The music is so haunting. Remeniscent of Billy Holiday, but I think I like Peyroux even better. I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to jazzz. I don't care much for the abstract melodies or the acid stuff.

I feel like I'm kind of in the flip side of where Mara's at right now. She seems to be looking for people are are busy lovign right now and optimsitic, and I am looking for tunes that whine for a broken heart.

[Mara]

Hi Kristen,

You might really enjoy Jolie Holland's "Escondida". Very beautiful, haunting, and also reminiscent of Billie Holiday.

Mara

[Rafflesia]

Thanks for the recommendation Mara. I will definitely look into her work, or rather listen to it. I recently discovered Patty Grifin too, who I like a lot. She's not really jazz, but her music moves me too

[Rafflesia]

And April Barrows' cd "My Dream is You," is a pure delight. I have so much respect for people who can create music, well I guess create anything, but theses jazzy ditties are so uplifting and fun.

[marci]

rufus wainwright, soundtrack from de'lovely - cole porter

[DearTabatha]

Has anyone listened to the music of Secret Garden before? I would suggest their new CD "Earthsongs" to every new age or classical music fan. There are some wonderful tunes with the sound of lush string arrangements to accompany the skilled violin work of Fionnuala Sherry. The music is very organic, their ode to the natural beauty of the earth. I got this link from Universal if anyone wants to check them out:
Secret Garden - Earthsongs - Sometimes When It Rains

The CD is pretty mellow, but I have enough excitement during the work day already. Tell me what you think -- also check out Loreena McKennitt and David Arkenstone, my other favorite groups, if you like this one.

TJ

[evelyn]

Hey all,

Lately I've been listening to Sade...it actually the live concert DVD. Music is fun but soothing...Also-sometimes if I feel in the mood for him, I will listen to Andrea Bocelli--Toscana..His older cd romanza is also very lovely..thats it for now!! ciao.

[Derek]

Here's a short list:

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
(a work dedicated to the state of illinois...highly recommended)

Antony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
(in my opinion the most beautiful and majestic voice i've heard in years)

Sun Kil Moon - Tiny Cities
(a CD of Modest Mouse covers, done in acoustic form. brilliantly orchestrated.)

Voxtrot - Raised By Wolves
(Lo-Fi indie pop. Wonderful walking-to-work music.)

Sigur-Ros - Takk...
(if you don't know who they are, you're really missing out. The latest from an icelandic group. Their goal is to paint a portrait of Iceland through music. They sing in either Icelandic or the invented language of Hopelandic. A truly moving listen.)

Any questions? Feel free to ask. I'm a music junky.

Derek