What Are You Listening to Wednesday - Week 10

Debi at still with nothing of importance is doing this project where she had some of her favourite people send her lists of books she should read, movies she should watch, songs she should listen to, etc. Ana, from things mean a lot, sent her a list of songs that I will be working my way through over the coming Wednesdays. The meme itself is hosted at Dolce Bellezza.

Finally, I am back to the list...

The Songs for This Week Are:
The Butcher by Owen Pallet
Rambling Man by Laura Marling
Behold! The Nightmare by The Smashing Pumpkins
Friends as Lovers by Zwan
Waltz #2 by Elliott Smith

'The Butcher' by Owen Pallet
Do you want to know what is really cool about Owen Pallet? He is Canadian and he recorded a CD with the Nova Symphony Orchestra. For those thinking 'um, okay'; I live in Nova Scotia. I had never heard of him or the concert before, but I was intrigued and had to listen to it. As a result the song itself got a bit pushed aside.... This is not my favourite song necessarily, but it is the only video I could find where the music at least is Pallett and the Symphony.




Then, we move on to 'Rambling Man' by Laura Marling. I actually really enjoyed this song and consider it my favourite off the list itself. I am going to explore Laura Marling more.




I had heard The Smashing Pumpkins song before. The only album I ever owned was Adore and this song was on it. I used to like Bill Corgan's voice, but I think I have moved away from it over the years. That is not to say I don't still enjoy his music to a point and I enjoyed 'Behold! The Nightmare' back when I heard it for the first time. Unfortunately I couldn't find a video to share that wasn't terrible, but it was a good song!

Then, there is Zwan. I know a few people that went to see them back when they toured back in the early 2000's. I had forgotten all about them until I got to their song on the list. I did listen to them a bit back when they came out, but they were not a 'go to' band. Still, this is a decent song by them that I hadn't heard in ages and probably never would have thought about without this project. Billy Corgan is a WAY better writer than a musician...




Lastly, we have 'Waltz #2' by Elliott Smith. I did like this song, but between discovering Owen Pallett's Nova Scotia connection, rediscovering The Smashing Pumpkins and Zwan, and really enjoying 'Rambling Man' it sort of fell to the wayside this week. You should still listen to it!

What Are You Listening to Wednesday - Week 5

Debi at still with nothing of importance is doing this project where she had some of her favourite people send her lists of books she should read, movies she should watch, songs she should listen to, etc. Ana, from things mean a lot, sent her a list of songs that I will be working my way through over the coming Wednesdays.

I am a bit late in the day getting this post up because the guy is working back shifts and was asleep for most of the day. I figured I would wait until he was awake and I could properly listen to the songs for this week.

The Songs for This Week Are:

O.K. With My Decay by Grandaddy
Go Long by Joanna Newsom
Tear in Your Hand by Tori Amos
Virus by Bjork
Thickets by Patrick Wolf

I was a bit 'meh' with last week and I felt bad. I think if this week was the same I probably would have thrown in the towel because Ana is a friend and I don't want to write posts about how I don't like her music. This week started off much better than last week, though. I really enjoyed the first song. I was intrigued by it when I glanced at my song choices for this week because that is an interesting name for a song. The song itself turned out to be really good. The video is terrible... I am thinking I will be exploring Grandaddy a bit more.

Moving on... The next artist is Joanna Newsom. The music is beautiful and I really enjoy the lyrics, but I don't like her voice... That disappoints me because she seems rather intriguing judging by this one song. Maybe I would like her voice better on a different song? I see she has lots to choose from. (I got a bit distracted and explored this idea a bit. Frankly, I don't like her voice, but the music is wonderful. I think I will have to see if her voice grows on me.)

And then there is Tori Amos. She is a singer I have heard lots about between bloggers and Neil Gaiman. Her songs even play a part in the short story collection Fragile Things. I explored the CD that was mentioned at the time and I didn't really get the big appeal. I have since explored her a bit more, like with this song, and she is way better than I thought. I can see why Chris, Ana, Carl, etc all really seem to enjoy her music. And, the best thing is that I like her voice, she has written wonderful lyrics, and the music is beautiful. It is the full package.

The next musician is Bjork. I had actually heard of her before, but I don't know if I have ever heard anything by her. The funny thing is that I am playing the music through our surround sound system and the one where most of the talking (or singing in this case) would be focused was pointed at where Casey was sleeping. I think she was trying to figure out what the noise was. I am not sure if that makes her pro or against Bjork. I personally would have to listen to more of her songs to really say with any assurance. She's not terrible, but the weird noises in the background are a bit to get used to.
I couldn't find a decent video on YouTube for this song.
And lastly we have Patrick Wolf. He is very intriguing I must say. It is almost like the music is doing one thing and then he is singing something entirely different. I am not so sure how to explain. I am really curious about him now. I got a bit distracted listening to a couple of his other songs and I am not entirely sure what I think yet. I just like it because, for me at least, it has a very different sound from the 'norm'.

This music project is a lot of fun. I think if I went back and listened to last weeks music now I would have an entirely different thought about it. I seem to be in a different mood this evening. I look forward to the songs for next week!

So, has anyone else listened to any of the songs I have been talking about? Thoughts?

What Are You Listening to Wednesday - Week 4

Debi at still with nothing of importance is doing this project where she had some of her favourite people send her lists of books she should read, movies she should watch, songs she should listen to, etc. Ana, from things mean a lot, sent her a list of songs that I will be working my way through over the coming Wednesdays.

You can see week 1 of this project here.

The songs for this week are:

No Key, No Plan by Okkervil River

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Honey
Passing Afternoon by Iron and Wine
I Feel Like the Mother of the World by Smog
Where the Birds Always Sing by The Cure

Okay, I really liked the songs from last week to the point where I have explored them a bit more. This week... I didn't love the songs. I think it is partly my mood, though. If I listened to them a couple more times each they would probably grow on me. I am pretty sure 'Passing Afternoon' was on an episode of House, and I liked it when I heard it in that context. The thing with me and music is I could hear all five of this songs next week and think they are the greatest things ever. There are some bands I listen to now that I hated in the beginning. (Rush for example.)

Why do I know it is my mood more than anything? Because afterwards I put on music I know I enjoy and wasn't really interested in that either. Hopefully next week will go a bit better for me! You should still checkout the songs if you have never heard of them before.

What Are You Listening to Wednesday - Week 3

Debi at still with nothing of importance is doing this project where she had some of her favourite people send her lists of books she should read, movies she should watch, songs she should listen to, etc. I was sitting here drinking my coffee and I remembered that Ana had sent her a list of 50 songs and it was Wednesday. I live under a rock when it comes to music. I listen to music that has been out for 20 or 30 years most of the time, so stealing the list Ana sent to Debi seemed like a good idea. I figure I will try and listen to 5 songs off the list every week until I run out.

The songs for this week:

1. Vesuvius by Sufjan Stevens
2. Edward is Dedward by Emmy the Great
3. About Today by The National
4. Heads Roll Off by Frightened Rabbit
5. Ocean Breathes Salty by Modest Mouse

Of the five I had only really heard of Modest Mouse before, but I am pretty sure I have seen mention of a couple of the others. My first opinion of the songs is that I didn't really hate any of them. If they were on a CD I would listen to them with no problem. My favourite of the batch was 'Edward is Dedward', though. I am thinking I will have to explore Emmy the Great in more depth.

The song 'About Today' lead to me looking into a movie called The Warrior. There were comments on YouTube saying that the song and a scene in the movie were great. I am not sure when I will get around to said movie, but that's another thing I am usually behind with. The title makes me think the cc will like it, so we will go with that. The song has nice lyrics, but it didn't really excite me enough to explore the band more.

'Vesuvius' by Sufjan Stevens is catchy. I am thinking I will probably explore him a bit more, too. I really enjoy the covers to his CDs, their titles, and the names for his songs. He is creative in that sense at least. I am thinking it probably transports over to his music. I also see he has a Christmas CD.

Modest Mouse is the only one of the singers I can say with certainty I have actually heard of before. They are not a terrible band, but they have never really caused me to listen to them religiously either. 'Ocean Breathes Salty' was a good enough song, but not my favourite of the group.

Lastly, there was the song 'Heads Roll Off' by Frightened Rabbit. That is a very interesting name for a band, I have to say. I really liked the video I watched for this song. I liked the song, too, so it was an enjoyable experience. I am going to share video below, but I wanted to apologize because it has an advertisement before you can watch it. (I am actually listening to the song again while I write this and it is growing on me.)

I will probably listen to all 5 songs randomly during the next week and see what happens. I hope this post leads to some exploration of your own and I look forward to listening to the next 5 songs very soon!