unsolicited opinions on random things
Ryan Adams is playing Massey Hall on November 12 and there’s a LiveNation presale tomorrow at 10am. We’ve seen him live a few times, and it’s always amazing. Watch him perform his latest song on Jimmy Fallon’s website here.
PS – Did you know that Ryan Adams is married to Mandy Moore? You know, from Tangled? That baffles me somehow.
It already made its round of the blog world last week, but I can’t help sharing this video for “We The Common” by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. Everyone loves the video because it features Ira Glass and John Hodgman, but I honestly really really love the song. That infectious “ooooh ah ooooh” chorus is perfect for a sunny spring day like today.
The Guardian UK’s Music department has a fun little website set up with the music service Spotify. It’s called “Six Songs of Me” and it encourages you to choose 6 tunes that define who you are (the first song you ever bought, the song that always gets you dancing, the song that takes you back to your childhood, your perfect love song, a song you’d like to have played at your funeral, and an “encore” song).
It stinks to use if you’re in Canada, since we don’t have Spotify here, so you can’t play your six songs after picking them. But it is kind of fun to think of which tunes you’d pick. Here are my six. What would yours be?
My big desktop computer’s hard drive failed. No big deal – I have my files backed up, and it’s still under warranty. I had the drive replaced yesterday, so this morning I’m updating apps, syncing data, etc. It’s more of an annoyance than anything else.
It’s not getting me down though, ’cause I’m listening to a killer playlist on Songza. Songza is a music streaming service that features a bunch of curated playlists (ad-free). Best of all, it’s totally free, and you can access it through the website or download an app for your iPhone or iPad.
Right now I’m listening to the “Blogged 50” playlist. It’s pretty great. Are you on Songza? Which playlists do you like?
Oh yes please. One of my favourite bands, Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit, did a concert tour of one of my favourite places, the Scottish Highlands. And they made a documentary about it. Might just be the second best thing to actually being there.
That’s the movie trailer above. They’re playing in Toronto on October 10.
Feist’s crazy-anticipated new album, Metals, doesn’t come out until next Tuesday. But you can hear it now if you give her your email address. I’ve had a listen – it’s fantastic. Enter your deets below, or if that doesn’t work for you, click here to go to the site.
Ryan Adams is one of my favourite singer/songwriters. I just can’t get enough of his rock-country style. I’m eagerly anticipating the release of his new album, Ashes and Fire, due out October 11. In the meantime, here’s a tune he just released.
Guy Garvey is the singer of one of Ian and I’s favourite bands – Manchester-based Elbow. Guy hosts a radio program on BBC Radio 6 every Sunday night (at 10pm in England, or 5pm here) called Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour. We like to listen in – he’s quite entertaining, and naturally, has a great voice for radio. The music he picks to play is great too.
You can listen online on your computer here, or download the TuneInRadio app for your iPhone, iPad, or Blackberry.
[photo of Guy Garvey by Gary Calton, from this Guardian UK article]
You know I love Belle and Sebastian, and their live show back in October was delightful. This afternoon you can watch the band’s “Holiday Spectacular” on NPR’s All Songs Considered website. Description: “frontman Stuart Murdoch and the rest of Belle and Sebastian will dig deep into their archives to share popular classics, fan favorites and a few festive surprises. Video of the performance, from the group’s hometown in Scotland, will be webcast live on NPR Music.”
Tune in here at 4pm (Eastern) today. Enjoy!
Last night Ian and I saw Belle & Sebastian at Massey Hall. What a great show – so full of energy. They invited audience members onto the stage to dance with them, including a 6 or 7-year old girl, who rocked out. Then they gave them prizes! And the band (all 13 of them) sounded so good.
If you haven’t already heard the new album, Write About Love, I recommend it. Watch the video above for a good taste of the album. And if you’re in the mood for a kickback, listen to Dear Catastrophe Waitress, or my favourite Belle & Sebastian album, their debut Tigermilk.