Tab sweep: eFanzines, data privacy, playlists between two artists
Been a lazy Sunday of doing some light pre-Spring cleaning/organizing and quality time with the cats. Here’s a few interesting sites, articles, and such that have been idling in tabs for a little while. Two on data privacy The Markup has an article about how grocers, specifically Kroger, are...
Macroblank: plundered vaporwave instrumentals to work or relax to
Music tip for your Saturday, if you’re looking for something that will slide into the background and give you a bit of a groove, check out Macroblank on Bandcamp....
Revisiting my top 100 albums: The 24 that didn’t make the cut
In 2016 I wanted to take on a 100-day blogging project and decided I’d do a top 100 list of my favorite albums, at the time. Looking over the list, it’s a good point-in-time snapshot, but a lot has changed in seven years or so....
Christmas playlist part six: The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a holiday staple around these parts. It has been for me since I first saw the movie in 1993. It’s a classic that stands up to A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas but with the added fun of being a...
Christmas playlist part five: XTC and Andy Partridge
For an atheist, Andy Partridge has an impressive output of Christmas songs, though several were intended to be recorded by other artists. XTC released two Christmas songs written by Partridge, “Thanks for Christmas” and “Countdown To Christmas Party Time.” Technically they were released as “The Three Wise Men.”...
Christmas playlist part four: Strange Communion by Thea Gilmore
Strange Communion (2009) may not be an according-to-Hoyle Christmas album, but it’s a great album for the season. The album has a few songs specifically about Christmas, but the whole album is definitely winter-themed and the kind of thing you can really dig into when the weather cools off...
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...