Singular Obsession

Lately, I seem to get an earworm for a new single about once a month. (Last month, it was Belle and Sebastian's "Blues are Still Blue," before that it was Bettye Swann's 1967 gem "Make Me Yours.") So I've decided to implement a new feature called "Singular Obsession," to highlight the earworm of the moment.

April's Singular Obsession: "Annie, Let's Not Wait" by the Guillemots.

I don't know what it is - maybe the incongruity of the peppiness of the song and the general sadness of the lyrics, but it hooks me in and does not let go. By the time they get to the brilliantly understated line, "I love you and that's all you need to know," my heart is a little broken every time and yet, I always want more. The sound is full and lush - in my opinion, it trumps anything the Arcade Fire is doing right now.

Their EP "From the Cliffs" is available here, but their full-length album "Through the Windowpane" is only available as an import, and as such, is rather pricey. Thank goodness I'm going to London next month - I'll have to pick it up there.

In the meantime, enjoy the singular obsession. I can't get it out of my head.

Still be wonderful

"No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious and charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful. If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

The only proof he needed for the existence of God was music."

-Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007)

(Via Wilcoworld.net)

Something new at LTF

Exciting news here at Lost Things Found - I finally figured out how to post my FineTune player to the blog, so now you can listen to the official LTF playlist. (It's to the right of this post; just click "Play.") Granted, the current playlist is called "The Ides of Indie Soul," because I made it in mid-March. But I still think you'll find it enjoyable.

As the title implies, it's got a soul theme running throughout, but I mixed in a handful of unexpected indie and new-soul as well. Everything on here is 100 percent LTF-approved, so enjoy and let me know what you think!

Cat Power live

Hipster darling Cat Power has received a lot of ink in the past year or so, as much for her history of onstage meltdowns as for her unique brand of white-girl Delta Blues-meets-indie rock.

But when I watch these live acoustic performances on RollingStone.com, I have to say, I think she deserves the hype. I love the soul in her voice, accentuated here by the spare accompaniment. On "Crying, Waiting, Hoping", I can almost see the specter of Robert Johnson hovering above her somewhere.

(Drawback: In true RollingStone.com fashion, you have to watch a lot of ads before you can see the performances. But I think it's worth it.)

Somebody to love

I have news for British pop sensation Mika: if you don't want to be compared to Freddie Mercury, well... don't compare yourself to Freddie Mercury. On his MySpace page, he says of his music, "Think Beck via Queen..." and on the first track on his new CD, he sings, "I tried to be Grace Kelly/ but her looks were too sad/ So I tried a little Freddie..."

That said, he does sound like Freddie Mercury - and in my book, that's awesome. In fact, the best parts of the album are the parts where he unabashedly borrows Queen's theatricality, tracks like "Grace Kelly," "Love Today," "Big Girl (You are Beautiful)", and "Happy Ending."

The album is a bit inconsistent, swinging from clever pop-tronica (all of the above-mentioned) to generic New Wave rehash ("Relax") to sappy political ballads replete with strings and a children's chorale("Any Other World").

But when Mika channels Freddie Mercury, the results are irresistible - and it makes you realize the true greatness of Queen.

(By the way: I consider Mika to be a member of the new school of what I have named "happy-pop" - after years of maudlin, whiny, emo-tinged radio pop, I think we are finally seeing the natural reaction against that. Think OKGO, Scissor Sisters, Fountains of Wayne, Apples in Stereo... It's all peppy, major-chord music. Happy-pop. And I am a big fan.)

London Calling

I'm having sort of an uninspiring week musically, between trying to figure out my new Creative Zen V Plus - (which is very sleek and cool but a little confusing so far - why can't I import my playlists whole from Windows Media? Why?) - and watching the hilarious but musically dry Borat.

There's also been sort of an unofficial reggae theme running through my week - not my choice, I assure you. But I figured it's better not to fight it, so, anticipating my upcoming trip to London in a month, I dug out the Clash's London Calling. It's the perfect mix of British anarchy-pop and reggae. It's hard to believe it came out the year I was born - it still sounds remarkably edgy and and fresh, in a retro new-wave way (if that makes any sense at all.)

The AllMusic Guide says: "There's punk and reggae, but there's also rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock; and while the record isn't tied together by a specific theme, its eclecticism and anthemic punk function as a rallying call... The result is a stunning statement of purpose and one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded."

It's also one of the 1,001 albums to hear before you die, so... get on it! (Bonus: It's currently $7.97 at Amazon - an excellent deal for 19 tracks on one of the greatest rocks albums of all time.)

Sky Blue Sky

Remember a few weeks ago when I was digging on Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? Well, my timing couldn't have been better. They have a new album coming out May 15 called Sky Blue Sky, but thanks to the miracle technology of Apple Quicktime, you can now stream the entire album on Wilco's Web site. I've heard a few of the songs live already and so far, I'm loving what I'm hearing. But check it out for yourself.