I present to you . . .

. . . The Weird Sisters.

I got my filthy little fanboy hands on the soundtrack yesterday at work. I'm a fanboy for the Harry Potter book series, and I do enjoy the last movie, but normally, I don't waste my time with John Williams scores (unless it's Star Wars). For the most part, I find that he doesn't really do anything original in terms of his LARGE body of work. But this is a gripe and a post for another point in time (usually where I sing the praises of Danny Elfman).

It turns out that score was done by someone different. some bloke named Patrick Doyle, which I've still got to listen to the score part. (And I will, I promise.) They also included three tracks from the Weird Sisters (namely Jarvis Cocker, Johnny Greenwood and a few others). These three tracks make me want to beg for a whole album from these blokes, and since we probably won't see that, I tossed them up here so we can get the bandwagon movie to GET THIS ALBUM MADE!

Maybe with fan demand we can get Jarvis to write a few more songs and they can have something together for the DVD release or the movie, and then, hopefully, they'll turn into a full fledged side project with the occasional tour and everything. Because let's face it, are Pulp and Radiohead still at it, really?

Some new downloads for you to while away a Sunday

Raiding the 20th Century This is an hour long albums of mashups. It's bloody bizarre, but so cool. It's a strange sonic masterpeice of this and that from re3cordings from the entire century.

And the next one comes from the Pink Floyd world and is a pair of RoIo from the early seventies from the John Peel show. I'vew downloaded them, but I've still got to listen to them.

Walk the Line

NorahJones.com

Yep, she's going to be on the Johnny Cash tribute on Wednesday the 16th.

Songs About Love

I know, a post with substance! It's beginning to seem novel around here as I've been getting sorted out from my trip and our period after the hurricane. I can firmly tell you that I do more than live, I actually get things accomplished too. It looks like I'll be helming the ship while Meera gets her groove on in Washington DC soon at some kind of scientific conference where they dicuss things scientific.

In the meantime, I offer a pair of short mixes that revolve around the theme of love. I've been caught up in it's rapture as well as dealing with power outages and vaguely proficient members of the TSA, so I've decided to share a bit of that with our listener/readers out there and make a couple of mixes where the main topic is the same as most of the pop music out there: Love. For cleverness' sake, I decided to split it up like a two record set, so there's definite beginning and endings to each peice of the mix, as well as styles and continuity. The first two sides comprise one album and is faster, odder stuff. The second set comprised our second mix and is the mix I find to be bit more serious. Because let's face it, Love is a serious matter than can also leave us quite deliriously happy (and deliriously a few other things too).

It's really a funny thing how this mix came about. It started out with what became our last song, "When A Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge. I've come to find this song, in all it's simplicity in the backing to be the most accurate description of what happens to a man in love. The things he'll do just to hold onto it is astounding, and given my current condition, growing more and more apt. Secondly, the passion with which Sledge sings brings it all front and centerm, causing anyone in the area to stop, listen, and mostly likely agree. It's little wonder that it was once one of the great high school dance songs of the sixties and used in more than a few Soundtracks.

I think the first time I heard it would have been watching the "Big Chill" with my parents when I was young. But the first time I stopped and really listened to this song was riding in the back of a car a year or so ago, thinking about my latest lost love and I found myself simply absorbing it all. It was like a light had gone off in my head and it all came together. I had a second epiphany like this a few months ago when I found the 45 in a grab bag of 45's at a thrift store. I saw the Atlantic label and nearly screamed. Then I got it on the player, plugged in my headphones to listened for imperfections (since it was a well loved 45) and fell in love wiht the song for a second time. It also happened to be around the time I really found myself in love, and quite possibly for real.

So in a lot of ways, this mixes are for my girlfriend, whom I know wouldn't like most of the songs on these mixes, therefore, I'm sharing them with all of you too, since we could all use a little more in our lives. (Besides, I get the drift there's a lot of it springing up around our readership). The funny thing is, I almost didn't go with the inspiring track: hence, two mixes. I seem to be the only one in the relationship who likes the song, since she really hates Soul music, and I mostly grew up on it. What's worse is, she gets violently angry about Funk. But I think I'll keep her anyway, and play the Parliament/Funkadelic albumss over headphones (when she's not home).

Songs About Love

Side 1
1. Deep Blue Something - Songs To Make Love To
2. Badly drawn boy - Above You, Below Me
3. James Blunt - You're Beautiful
4. The Zutons - Moons and Horror Shows
5. Fiona Apple - Not About Love

Side 2
6. The Sun - Must Be You
7. Ben Lee - Catch My Disease
8. The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl
9. Imogen Heap - I Am In Love With You 1
0. Placebo - I Do
11. Spacehog - Beautiful Girl

Side 3
12. The Verve - Lucky Man
13. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - May This Be Love
14. Billy Joel - She's Always A Woman
15. Astrud Gilberto - My Foolish Heart
16. The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
17. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Is This Love

Side 4
18. Boston - More Than a Feeling
19. The Eagles - Peaceful Easy Feeling
20. Elton John - Rocket Man
21. Live - I Alone
22. Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman

The Dark Side Of The Moon A Cappella

The Dark Side Of The Moon A Cappella

I know at least one of our readers is into a cappella music. Personally, I'm not, though I am intrigued how this tribute album will sound. I did, however, enjoy Bjork's last album with beatboxes instead of electonic beats, so who knows. There are some samples up to be listened to and I plan to give them a listen myself once I'm finished listening to the latest podcast from Brain Damaged. (I also should be working on regular posts of my own, but this thing caught my eye.)

POWER!

Power has just been returned to my house here in North Miami. I've been back in Miami from my trip to Indiana visiting my girlfriend for about a week. I've got a ton of things in mind and a couple shows bouncing around the back of my head, but for right now, I'm just pleased to be back up and running. I'll also be shoutcasting in a bit to celebrate the return to cyberspace. So whoever is interested, you know how to reach.