Thursday, May 21, 2009

Today's Five (+1)

Okay, I can do this thing. Just five CDs each day until such time as I catch up with all the stuff that's coming in the door and over the network.

Today's a "My Own Cash Money" edition:
BOB DYLAN - Together Through Life (Columbia)
Grad girl was spending an amazon gift certificate and needed a few more dollars in goods to get free shipping. At a killer price of $16 for the deluxe 2-CD and 1-DVD set, the new Dylan was a no-brainer. The one negative review I read said the album is a downer, but I disagree. As usual, Dylan has surrounded himself with brilliant but never flashy players and this time he’s doing straight-ahead southern blues with a touch of N’awlins swamp. Simply produced and simply gripping.
The second CD is a sample of his Radio Hour with the theme of Friends & Family. I haven’t played it yet, but am looking forward to it. Satellite radio is one of those ideas that sounds great in theory, but I have no time left, after my Internet streams, download offers and puffy envelopes to even consider paying for more musical options.
LANDON PIGG - Coffee Shop EP (RCA)
A former Apple associate gave me a $15 iTunes gift card back on my birthday and I finally got around to redeeming it. Inspired by the commercial for a product which I now can't remember, the one that starts with the gentle male voice, “I think that possibly, maybe I’m falling for you...,” I googled to find the title and then zapped to iTunes and bought this guy’s 5-track EP. Good stuff. The full song from the ad (turns out it's for Zales diamonds) is as good as I hoped it would be, there’s a cover of the old Sinatra standard, “Young at Heart,” and he even sings in what I think is Italian, or perhaps Portuguese: “Magnetismo (Magnetism)."

And I had a visit to the Thrift Store today. Three bags of donations in, four CDs brought home. Not much time to sort through the offerings - and there appeared to be some new stuff in fine condition - but I’m content with these:
BEN LEE - Breathing Tornados (Grand Royal)
Actually, I only realized after popping this in the car player that I mixed up my Bens - I was thinking of Ben Kweller when I grabbed this one. Not that I don’t like Ben Lee. Saw him open for...hmmmm - was it the other Ben (Folds)? - at Wolf Trap a few years ago and thought he was cute, if somewhat inconsequential. But even on the first listen, I found something I like here - “Nothing Much Happens.” And there’s a song called “Cigarettes Will Kill You” that my kids will no doubt haunt me with. Wow. I just checked the cover and this has a 1999 copyright. He was just a kid then!
BARENAKED LADIES - Rock Spectacle (Reprise)
I feel like I come home with a new, used BNL CD every time I visit the thrift store. Is someone slowly depleting a collection? But it's always good to catch up with what I’ve missed of the Canadian smartypantses' early work. This one has stuff I know - “Brian Wilson,” “The Old Apartment,” and a favorite, “If I Had $1000000” - along with stuff I can discover for the first time.
BLUES TRAVELER - Four (A&M)
I am not a Blues Traveler fan. Too much jamband noodling, and John Popper has the exact opposite of sex appeal (sex repeal?) for me (it’s his attitude as much as his weight). But this album has the one song of theirs I can hum (“Runaround”) and they’re headlining the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival in a few weeks. I may be writing about it so, at a mere $1.50, this saves me research time and I can trade it off down the road.
YO-YO MA - J.S. BACH: 6 Suites for Unaccompanied Cello (CBS Masterworks)
Just reading the title gives me goosebumps. Ma! Playing Bach! All solo cello! A 2-CD set in excellent condition! Only $3!
Life is good. I think I’m taking this one up to bed to listen to as I fall asleep.
And that will be soon...

Oh, and I even got more than five in!

YTD O/CD Tally: 159

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