Recent Purchases – Of Montreal, The Brand New Heavies, Apostle of Hustle, RJD2

In the last week, I bought these albums:

Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?

It’s a great album. I knew I loved the songs I had heard, but there are only a couple of weak songs out of the whole bunch.

Key track:
mp3: Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse .

Buy it: Amazon, iTunes, or eMusic.

The Brand New Heavies, Get Used To It.

We have all the Brand New Heavies albums. I don’t know why it took me so long to buy this one. It’s an excellent, funky album.

Key track:
mp3: I Don’t Know Why I Love You.

Buy it: Amazon, and iTunes.

It’s a great album.

Key track:
mp3: Apostle of Hustle, My Sword Hand’s Anger.

Buy it: Amazon, iTunes, and eMusic.

RJD2, The Third Hand.

Key track:
mp3: RJD2, Beyond the Beyond.

Buy it: Amazon, iTunes, and eMusic

 

The Week That Was – All Prep, All the Time

SXSW started today. It’s an extremely busy time in Austin, and the next 8 days can get a little crazy.

I try to avoid as much official stuff as I can. Because of my postition, I am not really going out looking for new people to represent. I check out bands people recommend to me and that personal recommendation is the deciding factor between someone whose work I will enjoy and someone for whom I will expend my time and energy.

This week has featured ots of work, lots of phone calls, a new project. We’re in the home stretch on two projects and I am trying to figure when I will travel to close them.

I am still holding out hope that I will meet my deadline of next week for the big project, but we might just miss it. The project will still happen, but I would love to make the announcement when everyone is together.

I am not listening to much new this week.

I bought RJD2’s The Third Hand. It’s okay, not great. Not as ghastly as that terrible Pitchfork review. I will allow it to grow on me. I like a couple of the songs a lot, and we’ll see what happens as I hear more.

I also bought Apostle of Hustle, The National Anthem of Nowhere. I have loved every track I had heard, so I had to get it.

 

New Releases to Buy – RJD2, Arcade Fire, Antibalas

Of all of the new releases this week, there are three in which I am particularly interested:

RJD2, The Third Hand.

I am definitely buying The Third Hand this week. The album is a bit of a departure. Two of my top 50 songs are RJD2, so I am willing to take the journey with him.

The Arcade Fire, Neon Bible.

I have heard much of this album bouncing around the web. It’s good, and it’s been getting mostly rave reviews. Still, the selling point for me is Montreal. Heck, I may wait to buy it until I am next there. (Hopefully in a couple of months, since it’s still freezing there.)

Antibalas, Security.

I saw them at ACL Fest a few years ago, and we have a couple of their albums. I will definitely be picking it up.

 

Random Music From a Cold, Rainy Stroll

I spent yesterday afternoon strolling around Town Lake with M. It was very cold, rainy, and gray.

The trail was often muddy and we also had to negotiate our way around a huge fallen
tree near Barton Springs Pool. I climbed through the mud around the roots while M jumped up onto the trunk and hit his head on low twigs.

We saw only a dozen people along the 4+ mile loop. Almost all of them runners. Some with dogs, who wanted to be anywhere but in the cold, wet mud.

For the most part, we chatted about his (former?) relationship and his (ex?) girlfriend, as I offered advice (and hectored, where appropriate).

Two songs were stuck in my head as we walked:

Ghostwriter, RJD2.

I tried to describe the mostly instrumental track Ghostwriter: “you know, the percussion is like ba bump bump bump bump bump, and then the horn comes in.” Just as annoying as you would imagine.

<a href=”
http://download.yousendit.com/B0FAEE2008AEEC3F”>Mp3.
You can buy the album on Amazon
or a remix of the track on iTunes.
Note: the album Deadringer on iTunes is a partial album, so buy it on Amazon.

Postcards from Italy, Beirut.

Mp3.
You can buy the album on iTunes.

 

Favorites

I have two preference lists in iTunes: favorites and all-time.

Favorites are songs I can hear over and over again and look forward to hearing. All-time are favorites to an nth degree.

Current favorites include:

Bounce That Girl Talk
Mad World (tears for fears cover) Gary Jules
Such Great Heights Iron & Wine
Love You Inside Out Feist
You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will. (Live) Snow Patrol
Let Me Love You (Mario cover) Charlotte Church
Wonderwall (Oasis cover live) Ryan Adams
Guns and Cigarettes Atmosphere
1976 RJD2
Acousticon Theme Youngblood Brass Band
Everyday Is A Holiday (With You) (Featuring Sean Lennon) Esthero
Kryptonite Big Boi Ft. Purple Ribbons Allstars
Morris Brown OutKast featuring Scar & Sleepy Brown
Is It Any Wonder Keane
Naive The Kooks