Here’s some music that I love. Some old, some new, some popular, some weird. Just good stuff to fill out your playlists.
Bastille – All This Bad Blood. This was a suggestion made to me, and I was excited because it wasn’t the style of music I gravitated to naturally. It turned out to be incredibly powerful music. “Daniel in the Den” is probably my favorite song on the album, but the whole thing was very emotional and rewarding to listen to. Give this one a listen on a long drive or some other time when you can really absorb it.
The Mountain Goats – The Sunset Tree. I’ve been crazy into The Mountain Goats lately. Something that happens to a lot of people, I think, is that they naturally rate music from their own adolescence really highly; the power of nostalgia is really strong. Even though I only discovered these guys in the past year, their music is exactly the theme of my own adolescence and so they manage to evoke as much emotion from me as any of the fight songs of my youth. I’m not sure if that’s a good endorsement or not, but they’re incredible.
Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense. This. Holds. Up. Whether you’re an old fan of this absolutely brilliant band or you’ve barely heard of them, you should listen to this. This is the live album from what is quite possibly the greatest musical performance that ever happened.
Keb’ Mo’ – Oklahoma. Keb’ Mo’ has been around for a long time, though he hasn’t been on my personal radar for almost as long. I discovered this new album recently and was absolutely demolished by how good it is. I suggested it to my dad, and he told me that when I was a kid I apparently accompanied my dad to a local blues festival where Keb’ Mo’ was playing and was enraptured by him. So despite the gap, I guess you could say I’m a life-long fan! (It’s funny how that can happen; children don’t always have the same capacity to “save” things they like in the way adults do. Make a note, parents – if your kid likes something, save it for them!)
Live – Throwing Copper. This album is pretty dark and heavy – “brooding” is probably the term I would use, despite the fact that there’s also a lot of intensity in many of the tracks. While they were never one of the primary flag-bearers of the alternative rock scene of the 90’s, I think they had a really solid entry here and this album is still great 25 years later.
Enjoy, everyone. And as always – tell me what you’re listening to!
The Opportunity Machine 