Wednesday, June 24, 2009

New Music Day!

Once every four weeks, I work a shift on a Tuesday that finishes at seven in the evening. It's become something of a ritual that I leave work and head up to Little Italy to visit Soundscapes Records. As I've mentioned before, Soundscapes is one of the best shops in the city. It's just a small store but it has pretty much everything you could want, from the newest indie stuff to jazz to classical and all the stops in between.

Today, I picked up three brand new discs:

Regina Spektor's far - back in university, I listened to way too much Tori Amos. Regina Spektor is kind of like Tori Amos with a sense of humour. She writes weird and funny songs from strange perspectives that kill me. I have pretty high hopes for this disc.

God Help The Girl - Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch as pop svengali - writing and producing a story set to music. Murdoch is one of those musicians that can seemingly do no wrong so I had to pick this one up.

Larry Jon Wilson - this is the disc I've been listening to since I got home last night. A fairly obscure singer songwriter who rose and faded back in the 70s, Wilson has put together a disc of stripped down voice and guitar songs that echo the greats - Kristofferson, Van Zandt, Cash's American recordings - but doesn't feel out of place on Drag City, the label that is home to Bill Callahan and Will Oldham. I love it.

In other news, I went fishing last weekend for the first time in years. My father and I went out for a bit, just rowing down the lake a ways. I really need to get out more often (fishing, that is). Is there anything more relaxing than a well placed cast on a sunny day? Next time, though, I will remember to put suntan lotion on my legs. I knew there was a reason I always wear pants.



There's fish in there somewhere. . . Even if we didn't find any on Sunday.

4 comments:

Barbara Bruederlin said...

I have never even heard of Larry Jon Wilson! I will certainly add his name to my ever increasing list of music to check into.

God Help the Girl is quite lovely, isn't it. You are so right about Stuart Murdoch's golden touch. Man can do little wrong.

Remi said...

I hadn't heard of him either until I read a review recently. I'm glad I did.

Allison said...

"Regina Spektor is kind of like Tori Amos with a sense of humour.

So true! I am really enjoying this album, some nice standouts.

John Mutford said...

I too am intrigued by Larry Jon Wilson. To the book depository! By which, I mean iTunes!