In Rotation

A lazy sunday morning of laundry and cd sorting after a lazy Saturday evening of falling asleep on the couch watching the "lympix." Can't complain bout the weekend really. Lot's of music listening through the week as well, so what do I have in rotation?

- Depeche Mode - In the past 5 or 6 months I think i have listened to more Depeche Mode than I have at any other point in my life. Of course it probably helps that their last album, Playing the angel is absolutely brilliant. The strange thing is, nearly everything I have listened to is their post-Violator stuff. I can't get into the earlier stuff. To me it almost seems like at some point round the Ultra album they decided to start making music for "adults" I don't really even know what I mean by that, but I do know that it makes me feel old to say. But, I guess gone are the dancy singles that are just clamoring for radio and club airplay and now you just have good solid songs lyrically and sonically all the way through. Anyway check out the video for Precious the first single from their last album.

- Every four years or so it seems Fiona Apple puts out an album and I buy it and I sell it a year later. I just got the new album Extrodinary Machines last week and have listened to it at least once a day. There was a big controversy/hullabaloo about whether or not the album would ever be released a while back. Apparently Epic didn't think it was commercial enough. Eventually Fiona switched producers, apparrently by her own choice, and redid the album. Now, I never heard the unreleased version, but I don't see anything un-commercial about this album. I can picture hearing just about any of these songs on the radio on some top 40 station, or even adult contemporary. Now, Ms. Apple, she has this tendancy to take any little thing about relationships and turn it into major catastrophe in her lyrics. Being a fan of the Smiths, I have no problem with that. But it might wear on some people. Anyway, at her website you can listen to most the album by clicking the links. I don't see myself selling this one down the line.

- Last year on my birthday (March 11, you have many shopping days left. I randomly went down to Radio Radio just to catch some live music. I saw this band Canasta play. I wound up buying there 5 song ep that night and wound up purchasing their full album which they put out towards the end of last year. I don't know how to describe these guys. Orchestral pop. I think someone said chamber pop once. I guess they can be described as intelligent, lyrically. I am not so good at those descriptions. Anyway, their live show is incredible and tight, so if they come around your way check that out for sure. And their cd "We were Set Up" is equally phenomenal. That's been in heavy rotation since I got it. Their website is great and has tons of audio for you to sample as well, here. Definately check out the demo of Shadowcat, which sounds even better on the album. And the audio for their entire first ep Find the Time is there as well. I believe almost all those songs made it to the album as well. So that will give you a good taste of what to expect.