What I'm listening to.

I’ve been listening to a lot of new music lately. I don’t claim to be a reviewer, and I can’t talk to you about the production or the levels or the effect an album will have on the future of music, but I can tell you why I like it and THAT WILL HAVE TO DO. You Could Have It So Much Better – Franz Ferdinand I love this album because it makes me dance in my office. It starts with a toe-tap. Then I add a bit of a head-bob and before I know it I’m twisting around in my chair and drumming on the desk. It makes me want to be at their concert, or at a party, or in my living room by myself where I can fully dance the way this music makes me want to. I didn’t love the first Franz Ferdinand album. I dug the single, but that was it. And while the single (Do You Want To) is my favorite on this one, it’s a great start-to-finish listen. LOVE. Strange and Beautiful - Aqualung I’ve actually been listening to this one for a while, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here. I. Love. Aqualung. It’s melodic and soothing and fabulous. He’s coming to the Ryman in March with David Gray (we’ll be in line first thing in the morning for tickets) and I am beyond thrilled. That is, assuming the show actually happens. Indiana – David Mead I’d heard and loved the song “Nashville”, and picked this up in a used music store a few weeks ago. I really enjoy the whole album – it’s that mellow singer/songwriter thing that gets me every time. But “Nashville” is far and away my favorite track. I listened to it a lot on the drive back from Dallas, and I think it’s one of those songs for me. The kind that are always on your top-songs-of-all-time-ever list. The right song at the right time. The Very Best of Dwight Yoakam – Dwight Yoakam I spent the majority of my life convinced and loudly professing my disdain for Dwight Yoakam. I can’t remember the basis for said disdain (two words that only need four letters! Fun!), but I was very adamant about it. It couldn’t have been because my dad liked him… my love for CSNY and Pure Prairie League has never wavered. Regardless, my opinion of the man has done a complete 180. Maybe it’s because the songs remind me of childhood. Maybe it’s because I love singing “Little Sister”. Maybe it’s because my brain began functioning properly. Careless Love - Madeleine Peyroux

Lighting 100 plays “Don’t Wait Too Long”, and I always find myself trying to be sultry and sing along. This, as you can imagine, is a complete failure. Sultry is not my thing. But this music? Totally is. The whole album is jazzy and moody and sexy, and I love every second of it. Elevator – Hot Hot Heat See “You Could Have It So Much Better – Franz Ferdinand”