Connie Phillips (Music Editor): "Too Much Information" from The Rhythm Syndicate by The Rhythm Syndicate
I might have never heard "Too Much Information from the self-titled The Rhythm Syndicate had I not been asked to review the CD, but I'm glad I did.
This is a blues band local to Northeast Ohio who give a fresh and contemporary edge to a classic sound, and "Too Much Information" is quintessentially a great little song. Catchy lyrics, strong beat, classic horns, and lead singer Pat Sandy's vocals are layered here to make a song that is just impossible to feel bad while listening to.
A. Hathaway (TheWifeToWhomI'mMarried) “What Child is This?” from Majesty and Wonder: An Instrumental Christmas by Phil Keaggy
This week, Phil Keaggy and the London Session Orchestra have been keeping my ears company. I know that Christmas is 47 days past, but I like the distraction that Majesty and Wonder gives my mind. I favor instrumental versions of most classical Christmas songs as I find the words either distracting or annoying. There are a few exceptions of course: Josh Groban's "O Holy Night" and "Jesus, Joy of Man's Desiring" and Sarah McLachlan's version of "Silent Night" send shivers coursing through me. My favorite tracks on Majesty and Wonder are "What Child is This?," " Good Christian Men Rejoice," and "Silent Night."
Lisa McKay: "The Angel" from Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. by Bruce Springsteen
I'm in the midst of the February doldrums, the annual psychological/spiritual low point of my calendar year. My music-loving self responds to this by either cranking up the stuff that will help chase it away or giving in to it and listening to something that more closely matches my mood. This CD made it into my car player last week and hasn't come out yet. I listen to it every single morning on the way to work. This song, which I admit is something of a mystery to me in terms of meaning, just matches my wintry mood some mornings and often causes me to hit the "repeat" button. It doesn't depress me, but rather makes me feel more reflective — the cadence, the mournful vocals, the piano — it all just works.
Article comments
1 - DJRadiohead
Great work, everybody. Mr. Ken, I appreciate the dig and the contribution. Highway Companion is one of the truly fine albums of recent memory; one of the best of last year.
Tom, I might have to check out the GBV song on iTunes. I've never listened to any GBV. I have certainly heard of them, but never investigated them at all.
2 - Tom Johnson
Be careful, DJR - Guided By Voices and Robert Pollard is a deep well to dive into, and once you get past his weird, lo-fi recording techniques and enjoy the songs, there is no turning back. You too will soon own a full shelf of his music like I do and will be forced to dedicate 5gb of your Ipod to the 50 some-odd albums/EPs/singles that I have by the guy (not to mention all the great bootlegs that are floating around out there!) Crazy, I know, but the guy churns out so much great stuff, especially in the mid- to late-90s. But a good place to start is Under the Bushes - just like I did. I actually had about four different GBV songs in mind for this piece this week, and all of them came from this album!
(And don't forget to grab the live version of this song off my site - it'll convert you right away!)
3 - DJRadiohead
The prolific nature of the band is one of the things I actually knew about them despite not having listened to them previously.
I will tread carefully. Just know TWTWIM will be after you if you have sent me off on another billion-dollar quest.
4 - Tom Johnson
I'm hoping it's worth the risk to help turn someone on to great music. My wife's still coming to terms with why I had to buy vinyl copies of a couple of their release when I don't have a turntable. I just had to have them because they were that cool. And, as I tell her repeatedly, they're investments for our daughter's college tuition in 17 years. Don't ever forget that angle.
5 - Mark Saleski
(**** mark whispers into the internet ether: "someday, you will both own turntables...." ****)
6 - DJRadiohead
She is actually a very good sport about it all. She knew about my CD addiction soon after we started dating.
7 - Tom Johnson
DJR: My wife's incredibly understanding, she's known about this habit of mine since we met. It is, however, my only big expense, so it's not like I'm into other expensive hobbies on top of it. Still, she's a trooper for simply smiling when she sees yet another puffy package in the mail . . .
Mark: That's silliness - they don't make turntables for cars!
8 - Mat Brewster
I tried to start a GBV period in my life, but very shortly after I bought a couple of disks, some bastard stole most of my music collection. I never did have the chance to give them much of a listen. No time like the present, I guess.
I also used to own a good turntable, but after a lot of abuse and a few too many cross country moves it died a horrible death. Now my mom holds all my vinyl, cursing my name and threatening to throw them all in the bin every time she moves.
I never dug "The Wheel" until I saw Phil play a very hot (literally it was like a hundred degrees) show in Oklahoma City a few summers back. Covered in sweat and dirt I finally saw the light and now it's one of my favorite Dead tunes.