Ah, It has been awhile my music friends. please expect my apologies for not posting more, I have been focused on larger projects of change.

I though wanted to pass on the summer mix (a little late) that was given to the Magnificent 7 this year. I hope you enjoy, best listened in this order.

What Now, What Next (anything is possible)

1. Chest Of Drawers / Daniel Lanois 0:24

2. Transit Lounge / Crowded House 4:26

3. Good Morning Good Morning / Steel Pulse 2:50

4. Advent In Ives Garden / Sin Fang Bous 3:07

5. Daylight / Matt and Kim 2:51

6. Reckoner / Radiohead 4:50

7. St. Peter’s Day Festival / Ra Ra Riot 3:36

8. Cello Song / The Books 3:54

9. Dirt On Your New Shoes / Bishop Allen 2:45

10. Talk About the Passion / R.E.M. 3:24

11. Art / Tanya Davis 2:52

12. The Concubine / Beirut 3:30

13. All the First Pages / Anathallo 5:18

14. Supermellofied / Peter And The Wolf 3:06

15. Drowning Man / U2 4:15

16. Tunnelvision / Here We Go Magic 4:24

17. Ah…, I See / The Books 0:21

18. God Only Knows / Cornelius 4:57

Two weeks ago a gave a talk about my trip and book about Tanzania. One of the subject that hit the cutting room floor for this talk was music or more importantly what was going through my head sonically.

There were many times that I heard a song from “Moonlight In Glory” from the the CD Life in a Bush of Ghosts. There is a speaking part toward the end of the song that I was reminded of almost daily. “Please Mama, Can we stay the night here, we are far from home…”

Another song was Bethe Bethe Kese Kese from the CD Dub Qawwali, which is just that, remixed Qawwali lyrics by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with a Jamaican dub sound. Yes, it sounds strange, but I have really enjoyed this track.

Then I am left with The Marsh from the CD Whitewater, it is an amazing track acoustic guitar work, with the many highs and lows that take me on a ride of joy, happiness and reflection.

It must be that time of year. Everything is colder and the New England weather chases me to emotional epic music. The work has pilled up and the need to think and work, during these times I often find the dramatic based music, works the best. In 2009 or should I say this end of 2008 has left us with some great emotionally centering music.

To start your winter of 09 collection of emotional classics, we should start with Johann Johannsson “Fordlandia”. This is a large work that at times reminds me of the music of Arvo Part, ebbs and flows of strings and emotions. Very moving music, is based on string arrangements that can take you to dark places, giving us places to reflect and pushes us forward.

If strings are not for you and you prefer the beeps and cracks of the modern electric sound. Fennesz “Black Sea” takes you for a ride if amazingly full textures of sound, what weave melodic states and emotional friction of sound. This is probably Fennesz most excess-able CD since Venice.

I can not forget looking a Sigur Ros for some emotional solstice. Their CD “Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust” that came out this year hits every energy source know to our being. Laughter and forgetting, reflection and pain can all be found in these tracks that I can not understand vocally, but I don’t need to. I have been hovering around the song Festival and the title track a lot lately.

Happy New Year! and hear is to the hope of more great music in 2009.

Peace.

The Ra Ra Riot cover of Kate Bush’s “Suspended In Gaffa” has really got me thinking about what makes a good cover song. Is it the interruption of the track? is it adding something that was missing?

The one thing I do know is what makes a bad cover song, and that is a song that sound just like the original.

So, what’s your favorite cover song?

Mine right now are:

Ra Ra Riot “Suspended In Gaffa”

Broken Social Scene “Horses”

Sun Kil Moon “Exit Does Not Exist”

Carlos Careqa “Psycho maloca”