Category: Music

Christmas playlist part three: A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas, the animated TV special, has always existed. At least, that’s how it seemed to me as a kid. It’s how it seems now, really. I don’t remember watching it the first time, it just was a tradition that we observed as a family. It was...

Christmas playlist part two: Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan

Apparently 2006 was a banner year for Christmas albums. Well, two, anyway. Aimee Mann’s One More Drifter in the Snow, which I covered yesterday, and Sarah McLachlan’s Wintersong were both released in October 2006. Both albums are well worth the money, though McLachlan’s Wintersong strikes me as the more...

Christmas playlist part one: Aimee Mann

If the phrase “Aimee Mann Christmas album” seems weird at first, you’re not alone. Most Christmas albums seem like cash grabs, which would be weird for Indie-to-the-core Mann. Rest assured, this is not your standard Christmas fare. Mann’s not afraid to be downbeat and explore the somber side of...

In defense of “Wonderful Christmastime”

It’s that time of year. The Christmas tunes are out in full force. For the most part, I’m not a Christmas music stan. I don’t hate it, but a little goes a long way, you know? But I have a confession… I actually love Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.”...

20 and still Scrobblin’ – Last.fm at 20

The first song I ever “scrobbled” was, apparently, “Outdoor Miner” by Wire. That was 2006, several years after Last.fm made its debut. This year the service turns 20, having never quite lived up to its promise after being acquired by CBS. In its prime, Last.fm tried its hand at...

All the perfect drugs and superheroes…

Don’t let the title fool you, this is a rambly post about social media1. Specifically, about the plague that has visited the house of Twitter and the diaspora (but not Diaspora) to Mastodon or elsewhere. The title is from a song that’s been going through my head for the...

Spotify isn’t the (only) bad guy here…

I’ve got a few bones to pick with Spotify, but “fake artists” isn’t one of them. Since I’ve been critical of Spotify’s business model of late, I figured I should be fair and give a counter-point to the “Fake Artists Problem Is Much Worse Than You Realize” post making...