Becomes Eclectic

I've written about my love of KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic before - and today you can buy the latest Nic Harcourt-selected compilation CD of live performances from KCRW's studios. A screening copy of Sounds Eclectic: The Next One reveals Harcourt's impeccable taste in cutting-edge music and features performances by the Swell Season, Spoon, the Shins and the Ting Tings as well as lesser known greats such as Architecture in Helsinki, Seawolf and the Orange Lights. Get it while it's hot.


On a similar note, I recently picked up a copy of Music Lust, written by Harcourt. Much like the Book Lust series, this is a book of lists - this time of music for certain themes, artists or eras. Sample "chapters" include TV Actors Who've Taken the Plunge, Livin' Large: The Big Band Booom!, and Polyester Suits and Wraparound Dresses. The book reveals some of Harcourt's early influences (punk and Australian pop among them) and tells the story of how he came to be the country's foremost expert on eclecticism in music. Definitely worth checking out, if only to see if you agree with his choices.

Finally, inspired by some of my favorite songs from Morning Becomes Eclectic, I have created a new LTF playlist, entitled Soundtrack Becomes Eclectic. The sound is heavy on the retro soul - artists include Al Green, David Ford (who I saw open for Aimee Mann recently - he puts on a VERY impressive live show,) Katie Herzig, the Magic Numbers and the Slip. Cue up the player at right and enjoy!

LTF playlist: Mid-winter melancholy

Reason number 4 billion and 20 why I love the internet: when you're suffering from mid-winter ennui so severe you can barely blog, the internet will give you just the kick in the pants you need to get inspired about something again.

Case in point: a few months ago, I started a FineTune playlist of songs I had heard on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic," but I only got about five songs into it before I got distracted by something else and moved on. The playlist sat there untouched. Well, this morning, FineTune finally got fed up with that state of affairs and decided to finish the playlist on its own (using its "I'm Lazy" autofill technology.) The result is the perfect soundtrack to the mid-winter blahs.

You'll hear A Fine Frenzy, Death Cab for Cutie, Snow Patrol, Earlimart, Iron and Wine and plenty more - emphasis on melodic and melancholy.

I've added it at right - click the player to listen.

Live and Feist-y

I've been hearing nothing but good things about the new Feist album. Haven't had a chance to check out the whole thing yet, but I am currently LOVING the song "1 2 3 4" on a mix, so I searched out a live set she did for KCRW.

This set is a little sleepier than the rest of the songs I've heard, but it should give you a good idea of her sound, which combines the best of female singer-songwriters and indie sonic textures.

Visit Feist's MySpace page to listen to "1 2 3 4" and three others.

And while I'm on the subject of Feist, check out this feature from Paste Magazine.

Morning (or early afternoon) becomes eclectic

I was having trouble deciding what to listen to this morning, so I cued up AOL Radio on and browsed through their copious selection of stations (over 200!), everything from indie music to classic soul and funk, from movie scores to regional ethnic music. And still I couldn't seem to choose.

Finally, the answer presented itself in the form of Los Angeles radio station's KCRW and their excellent "Morning Becomes Eclectic." Eclectic is the watchword here, mostly featuring new and/or independent artists, though the occasional classic will pop up too. Right now I'm listening to a beautiful live version of Jeff Buckley covering Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." The best part is that the show runs for three hours (9a to noon Pacific) every morning.

Perfect for those days when you just can't seem to choose.

Oh, and: Due to a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board, the future of online radio streams is in serious jeopardy. For more information or to sign a petition to save the streams, visit this Web site.