It all makes sense, sort of. It’s my latest new song, “Waltz for Reese (Elbow Chin),” and an incomplete, rough mix of it is now available on the Highway 34 Revisited album page.
Category Archives: Music
Wow, I’m a reference in an O’Reilly code sample!
That’s not Bill O’Reilly, thank you very much, but O’Reilly, the much-lauded publisher of technology reference books.
Doing a bit of narcissistic “googling,” I discovered that my site appears in the sample code in an article O’Reilly published on their xml.com website on the topic of hacking iTunes. Cool!
On a less random (and ultimately more satisfying note), I also discovered that my Coltrane thesis was cited in an academic book called Cognitive Science, Literature, and the Arts: A Guide for Humanists. Wow!
Top 5 Albums of 2006
At least it didn’t take me until July this time, but the only reason I’ve gotten around to this year’s list so soon is because I just happened to be looking at last year’s list and I realized, “Hey, I haven’t made a new list yet!” So, here you go.
- 5. Field Music: Field Music
- This is what Gentle Giant might sound like if they appeared on the scene today. What’s amazing is how much nerdy intricacy these guys can cram into each song without coming across as pretentious, something first-wave prog rockers constantly struggled with (or, occasionally, as with Gentle Giant, embraced with tongue in cheek).
- 4. Beck: The Information
- As I said with 2005’s Guero, any Beck is good. When I first heard this I thought it was too reminiscent of things he’s done before, but now I’ve come to see it as a further refinement of his style. I don’t get the last track though… and I pride myself on getting weird-for-the-sake-of-weird stuff.
- 3. Keane: Under the Iron Sea
- I’m not sure the world really needs the next Coldplay yet, but here’s the next Coldplay. Great atmospheric yet melodic piano-driven pop-rock.
- 2. Donald Fagen: Morph the Cat
- Half a Dan is better than no Dan at all. The Fagen/Becker duo has given us a lot to relish in the new century, and that continues with this fantastic album, easily the best of Fagen’s outstanding (if very slowly emerging) solo trilogy.
- 1. The Decemberists: The Crane Wife
- I consider this to be the best album in nearly a decade, certainly on par with the likes of OK Computer. I was immediately blown away by this band upon hearing this album and within a couple of weeks, had bought everything they’ve released. Why are you still reading this? Buy the album! Now!
Honorable Mention
Here are some other great albums released in 2006 that didn’t make the cut:
Umphrey’s McGee: Safety in Numbers
Wolfmother: Wolfmother
Dave Douglas: Keystone
Tool: 10,000 Days
The Mars Volta: Amputechture
The Flaming Lips: At War with the Mystics
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium
A new song (and a new title)
I’ve just posted an early, as-yet-incomplete version of my latest track, “Every Stroke of the Oar Seemed to Enrage the Missouri.” The title is a line from an old educational film from the ’50s that surfaced as part of a video project at my job.
I’ve also given the album its proper title now. Hors d’Oeuvreture is out, Highway 34 Revisited is in (with all due respect to Bob Dylan). The cover is not finalized, but as with the music, I have posted an in-progress version of it.
To read more and listen to full-length MP3s of the tracks, visit the album’s page.
Love Spatula (I don’t know what it means either)
The first release candidate for the track formerly known as “Bluesy Groovesy” is ready.
As for the title… I have a list I’ve been compiling over the past couple of years (ever since I finished my last solo CD, which was in June 2005) of potential song titles. That’s been the source of most of the titles I’ve used so far in this project. (I’m saving the best few for last… but it’s mostly just about finding a title that seems like a good match for the music.)
Well… I had this one title in the list. “Love Spatula.” I have no idea what it’s supposed to mean, and I can’t remember why or how I came up with it. It seems like it’s probably one of those situations where I misheard someone speaking to me, thought they said “love spatula,” and found the phrase so strangely intriguing that I had to write it down.
At any rate, it seemed fitting for this song, for whatever reason. Enjoy.
Note: To conserve server space, I’m clearing out older versions of the Hors d’Oeuvreture songs. Visit the album page to hear the latest available version of each track!