I remember a conversation I had with a guy I went to uni with in my first year – it was the only proper conversation we had together, really – and it eventually got to music and what we were into. His repose was along the lines of ‘I hate that question, because it’s always changing, so I usually just say what I’m listening to at the moment’. I thought that was an awesome answer, but since the conversation went that way, I then had to admit that I was currently listening to the soundtrack from Glee (Don’t judge me, it was decent then! Well… you know).
I’ve tried to put together a list of my favourite albums, and while I’m almost there, I think that the ‘Currently Listening To’ answer is more telling of a person at that time… Maybe.
So, for those of you playing at home, here is what I’m currently listening to.
Hail to the Thief – Radiohead
This was what I was listening to today in the car – Radiohead are an incredible band, but I must admit that I can only listen to them when I’m in the right mood. However, when I’m in the mood, I’m definitely in the mood. Hail to the Thief is an interesting album, but there are some songs that just grip me – ‘A Wolf at the Door’ for one is chilling, while I absolutely loved the hand-claps in ‘We Suck Young Blood’; the entire song giving off the feeling of forced unity and defeat that only comes with Orwell novels.
Rain Dogs – Tom Waits
Waits has a really, ridiculously interesting voice with a series of ‘voices’ that he can use to incredible results. Again, I found this album interesting, and I’m really tempted to sit for an hour or two and ponder over the lyrics – one in particular from ‘Singapore’, which was “the captain is a one-armed dwarf/He’s throwing dice along the wharf”, has been stuck in my head since I heard it – it’s just such a cool line, especially when accompanied by Waits’ voice and music. I adored ‘Time’ – Waits’ ballads always get me.
Rhythm and Repose – Glen Hansard
I haven’t listened to this one in a couple of weeks, but it’s become tradition to listen to this album in the car on the way to one of my band’s gigs. It’s such a soothing album, intimate and cosy, yet it can take you to soaring places (a speciality of Hansard’s). The songs use relatively simple chords, but the emotion in the music itself, the way it’s all put together and the incredible, unyielding raw power behind Hansard’s voice makes every song interesting. I really cannot wait to see him live, especially powerful, sweeping songs like ‘Bird of Sorrow’, or anything from Once.
Sunday In the Park with George – Stephen Sondheim
I credit Sondheim, for he wrote the music and lyrics, but almost equal credit must go towards Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters for their outstanding performances (as well as the rest of the cast of the production). I’ve become near-obsessed with George in the past couple of months and I honestly don’t know what I did before being exposed to it. The lyrics are sensational, the music is intricate, different and artistic – suiting the production’s subject matter perfectly. ‘Finishing the Hat’ is one of the most gorgeous pieces of music ever written, and the opening and titular tune, ‘Sunday in the Park with George’, allows Peters to take us through a myriad of emotions, most of which hilarious.
I’ve just burned a whole bunch of new CDs to take into the car (which is where I listen to most music now) and I can’t wait to hear new songs and experience new feelings as I listen to the wonder that is something new.
Crazy is Perfect 