Exactly 3 weeks ago I wrote that only 553 Danes were registered as users at Audioscrobbler. Since then the number has grown to 673 (+120 users), which is a nice growth of nearly 6 users a day. Denmark has recently "cruised" by Portugal and now "we" will try to catch Austria (735 users) ;-)
My current total of tracks played is 5509, so 491 songs to go before I'll post my next Audioscrobbler update!
Another pretty cool thing about Audioscrobbler is their recommendation feature. My music profile is compared to other users with a similar music taste (my so-called neighbours) and then suggest bands/artists I haven't listened to!
Among the recommended artists are:
Velvet Underground (An album has been ordered)
The Libertines (Don't like these guys at all, so they won't appear on my tracks played list)
Pulp (I own an album by them, but they've never really been my "cup of tea")
Broken Social Scene (I have downloaded some songs, but haven't listened to them yet!)
Björk (Not a chance - see my comment on The Libertines)
The Who (I have found Who's Next at the library. I'm looking forward to hearing that one!)
plus another 94 artists, because a top 100 is generated!
April 28, 2005
I think it will be appropriate to modify my comments posted yesterday on the new Carpark North album. Despite knowing that it's always a gamble trying to comment on an album after listening to it just once, I still (wrongly) decided to do that.
The new album seems to be a slow grower, which gets a little bit better every time you listen to it. And since my first comment I have listened to it 5 times and right now I think it has the potential to be rated as a much better album than their debut.
So stay tuned for the ongoing soap-opera of indecision!
The new album seems to be a slow grower, which gets a little bit better every time you listen to it. And since my first comment I have listened to it 5 times and right now I think it has the potential to be rated as a much better album than their debut.
So stay tuned for the ongoing soap-opera of indecision!
April 27, 2005
New albums added to my CD-Collection:
The Raveonettes: Pretty In Black
Carpark North: All Things To All People
I haven't listened to Carpark North yet, but it will be interesting to hear if they have matured since their debut. Reviews are mixed, so my expectations are not all that high! First listen: In my opinion the band sounds very much the same as they did on the first one album, but sadly I don't think that new songs are as catchy as the old ones. However these are my thoughts after one listen, so this could (hopefully) change!
Instead I listened to The Raveonettes in the car this morning and it sounded very promising. Maybe (I have stopped promising anything) I will post a few comments on the album when I've listened to it a few more times. I have listen to the album 4 times this morning (having my own office is a great thing) and so far I'm very thrilled with what I've heard! I recommend that you listen to Love in a Trashcan, My Boyfriend's Back and Ode to L.A.!
Overall there is lots of new music in my life right now, so I really have no time for anything else but listening (not even for working)! Luckily several of the CD's I've ordered have been delayed, so there should (hopefully) be a little time left to do some catching up and checking out the resent purchases. As always - so much music, so little time!
The Raveonettes: Pretty In Black
Carpark North: All Things To All People
I haven't listened to Carpark North yet, but it will be interesting to hear if they have matured since their debut. Reviews are mixed, so my expectations are not all that high! First listen: In my opinion the band sounds very much the same as they did on the first one album, but sadly I don't think that new songs are as catchy as the old ones. However these are my thoughts after one listen, so this could (hopefully) change!
Instead I listened to The Raveonettes in the car this morning and it sounded very promising. Maybe (I have stopped promising anything) I will post a few comments on the album when I've listened to it a few more times. I have listen to the album 4 times this morning (having my own office is a great thing) and so far I'm very thrilled with what I've heard! I recommend that you listen to Love in a Trashcan, My Boyfriend's Back and Ode to L.A.!
Overall there is lots of new music in my life right now, so I really have no time for anything else but listening (not even for working)! Luckily several of the CD's I've ordered have been delayed, so there should (hopefully) be a little time left to do some catching up and checking out the resent purchases. As always - so much music, so little time!
April 26, 2005
Songs on heavy rotation:
Asobi Seksu: Walk on the Moon
This song was included on one of the CD's received in the CD swap. I have often been thinking of checking out the band and this song sure hasn't changed my intentions. Nice one!
The Lucksmiths: Point Being
I've mentioned the band and song before, but it won't hurt doing it again. Another great song that I've learned about because of the CD swap.
Kaiser Chiefs: You Can Have It All
Drove home from Copenhagen last night (takes 40 minutes) and the only song I listende to was this one. Not your typical rock song, but rather a nice, simple pop song!
Fans of Kate: A Brief Guide To Coward Rock (Demo)
B-side on the "I Don't Know What To Do With My Hands" single, but could easily have been choosen as the A-side. Great song, which adds further proof to the huge talent of this band.
Asobi Seksu: Walk on the Moon
This song was included on one of the CD's received in the CD swap. I have often been thinking of checking out the band and this song sure hasn't changed my intentions. Nice one!
The Lucksmiths: Point Being
I've mentioned the band and song before, but it won't hurt doing it again. Another great song that I've learned about because of the CD swap.
Kaiser Chiefs: You Can Have It All
Drove home from Copenhagen last night (takes 40 minutes) and the only song I listende to was this one. Not your typical rock song, but rather a nice, simple pop song!
Fans of Kate: A Brief Guide To Coward Rock (Demo)
B-side on the "I Don't Know What To Do With My Hands" single, but could easily have been choosen as the A-side. Great song, which adds further proof to the huge talent of this band.
April 25, 2005
Thoughts on the Kent concert Friday evening in Vega:
The concert was supposed (at least this is what we were told) to be some kind of "test", with only new material being played. Despite this the band managed to sell out the concert in almost no time leading/forcing them to play an extra concert Saturday evening.
In my opinion this meant that (nearly) everyone at the concert were huge fans of the band (who else than hardcore fans would paid that amount of money to act as a guinea pig?) which created a really great and intense atmosphere!
As I expected they played 400 slag as the opening song. The bass/drum intro makes it perfect as a "starter"!
Since no one in the audience thought they would be hearing any of the old songs (we probably all crossed our fingers, but hardly expected this) the opening whistle of Dom Andra didn't exactly ruin the atmosphere and made more or less everyone look as if they had won the lottery!
The band played with a lot of energy and Joakim Berg looked as if he had a great time on the stage. Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but he sure looked like he enjoyed performing the new songs as well as playing some great versions of the older songs! Especially the version of En Timme En Minut was memorable.
Summed up the set list contained a nice mix of old (7) and new (8) songs, though several other "oldies" like Utan Dina Andetag, Saker Man Ser etc. would have looked great on the set list as well.
But I've decided that when writing this I won't criticize (it always seems so easy to do that) anything, because in spite of any complaint I might have it was still f*cking brilliant.
The set list:
400 Slag
Dom andra
10 minuter (för mig själv)
Palace & Main
Max 500
Du är aanga
En timme en minut
Romeo aatervänder ensam
Musik non stop
Klaaparen
Döda vinkeln
747
Ingenting naagonsin
Socker
Mannen i den vita hatten (16 aar senare)
The concert was supposed (at least this is what we were told) to be some kind of "test", with only new material being played. Despite this the band managed to sell out the concert in almost no time leading/forcing them to play an extra concert Saturday evening.
In my opinion this meant that (nearly) everyone at the concert were huge fans of the band (who else than hardcore fans would paid that amount of money to act as a guinea pig?) which created a really great and intense atmosphere!
As I expected they played 400 slag as the opening song. The bass/drum intro makes it perfect as a "starter"!
Since no one in the audience thought they would be hearing any of the old songs (we probably all crossed our fingers, but hardly expected this) the opening whistle of Dom Andra didn't exactly ruin the atmosphere and made more or less everyone look as if they had won the lottery!
The band played with a lot of energy and Joakim Berg looked as if he had a great time on the stage. Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but he sure looked like he enjoyed performing the new songs as well as playing some great versions of the older songs! Especially the version of En Timme En Minut was memorable.
Summed up the set list contained a nice mix of old (7) and new (8) songs, though several other "oldies" like Utan Dina Andetag, Saker Man Ser etc. would have looked great on the set list as well.
But I've decided that when writing this I won't criticize (it always seems so easy to do that) anything, because in spite of any complaint I might have it was still f*cking brilliant.
The set list:
400 Slag
Dom andra
10 minuter (för mig själv)
Palace & Main
Max 500
Du är aanga
En timme en minut
Romeo aatervänder ensam
Musik non stop
Klaaparen
Döda vinkeln
747
Ingenting naagonsin
Socker
Mannen i den vita hatten (16 aar senare)
April 23, 2005
April 21, 2005
New album added to my CD-collection (19 to go before reaching 1000):
Iron & Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days
Still waiting for 5 more CDs to arrive from www.cdon.com. Apparently they have disappeared in the mail, so they will ship them one more time!
My wife is going to London this weekend and I will ask her to pick up the albums by The Bravery and Kaiser Chiefs for me. I can't say that I'm not a bit jealous. She is going to London and I'm staying at home looking after the kid! But to be honest (and one really must be) I shouldn't fell that sorry for myself, because I'm going to see Kent tomorrow night, which I wouldn't switch for a trip to London or anywhere else (well almost).
So far I've received 3 out of 6 CDs in the CD swap organized through RYM (see one of my previous posts). No doubt that the swap is serving its purpose, because I have already been introduced to lots of new music though I haven't had enough time yet to give the CDs proper listens!
I will probably only grow into liking a very small fraction of the stuff, but no matter what, it is always nice to learn about unfamiliar artists.
Best song so far is clearly Point Being by The Lucksmiths. An Australian band that I've never heard of before, but sure sound like they are worth checking out!
One of the CDs contains lots of prog-rock music (bands like Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Anathema, Godspeed You Black Emperor etc.), which probably will be a difficult one to "swallow" when listening to all of the songs in a row. But I will do my very best to approach it with an open mind!
I'm actually listening to the prog-rock CD right now (might as well get it over with) and finding it a bit difficult not to skip some of the tracks. Though I must admit that I do like some of the stuff as well!
Iron & Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days
Still waiting for 5 more CDs to arrive from www.cdon.com. Apparently they have disappeared in the mail, so they will ship them one more time!
My wife is going to London this weekend and I will ask her to pick up the albums by The Bravery and Kaiser Chiefs for me. I can't say that I'm not a bit jealous. She is going to London and I'm staying at home looking after the kid! But to be honest (and one really must be) I shouldn't fell that sorry for myself, because I'm going to see Kent tomorrow night, which I wouldn't switch for a trip to London or anywhere else (well almost).
So far I've received 3 out of 6 CDs in the CD swap organized through RYM (see one of my previous posts). No doubt that the swap is serving its purpose, because I have already been introduced to lots of new music though I haven't had enough time yet to give the CDs proper listens!
I will probably only grow into liking a very small fraction of the stuff, but no matter what, it is always nice to learn about unfamiliar artists.
Best song so far is clearly Point Being by The Lucksmiths. An Australian band that I've never heard of before, but sure sound like they are worth checking out!
One of the CDs contains lots of prog-rock music (bands like Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Anathema, Godspeed You Black Emperor etc.), which probably will be a difficult one to "swallow" when listening to all of the songs in a row. But I will do my very best to approach it with an open mind!
I'm actually listening to the prog-rock CD right now (might as well get it over with) and finding it a bit difficult not to skip some of the tracks. Though I must admit that I do like some of the stuff as well!
April 19, 2005
At RateYourMusic I have given the following 6 albums the highest possible rating - 5 stars:
Angie Aparo: The American
Counting Crows: August and Everything After
Kent: Verkligen
Manic Street Preachers: Everything Must Go
Tears For Fears: The Hurting
U2: Achtung Baby
My CD-collection contains 980 albums. A quick calculation therefore reveals that I (apparently) believe that only 0,61% of the albums I own are 5 star ones! Does this mean that I have bought a lot of very bad albums through the years or am I simply to "harsh" when rating them, because I have unrealistic expectations?
Of course I think that the answer to those questions is "no". I actually own several albums which I think of as very, very good, but to earn a 5 star rating an album must be "great" not just "good".
To be rated as "great" in my little domestic world of music an album must (at least) meet the following criteria:
- it must be working as a whole (you want to listen to it from A to Z)
- it must prove that it can stand the test of time (no albums released in 2004 or 2005, or older albums bought during the same period can be rated higher than 4 and a half star)
- absolutely no "filler" tracks can be allowed (e.g. some pointless instrumental/noise track going on for ages)
- finally (the real stupid criteria) it must have that little "something" which is impossible to define (just like when you fall in love), but is what continuously make you return to the album
Unfortunately several "good" albums contain one or two tracks I can't resist skipping or I simply forgot all about their existence for a longer period of time, thus leaving me with no other option than rating them less than 5 stars.
Angie Aparo: The American
Counting Crows: August and Everything After
Kent: Verkligen
Manic Street Preachers: Everything Must Go
Tears For Fears: The Hurting
U2: Achtung Baby
My CD-collection contains 980 albums. A quick calculation therefore reveals that I (apparently) believe that only 0,61% of the albums I own are 5 star ones! Does this mean that I have bought a lot of very bad albums through the years or am I simply to "harsh" when rating them, because I have unrealistic expectations?
Of course I think that the answer to those questions is "no". I actually own several albums which I think of as very, very good, but to earn a 5 star rating an album must be "great" not just "good".
To be rated as "great" in my little domestic world of music an album must (at least) meet the following criteria:
- it must be working as a whole (you want to listen to it from A to Z)
- it must prove that it can stand the test of time (no albums released in 2004 or 2005, or older albums bought during the same period can be rated higher than 4 and a half star)
- absolutely no "filler" tracks can be allowed (e.g. some pointless instrumental/noise track going on for ages)
- finally (the real stupid criteria) it must have that little "something" which is impossible to define (just like when you fall in love), but is what continuously make you return to the album
Unfortunately several "good" albums contain one or two tracks I can't resist skipping or I simply forgot all about their existence for a longer period of time, thus leaving me with no other option than rating them less than 5 stars.
April 16, 2005
Saturday evening ramblings (amazingly no beers are involved!):
A new door opened yesterday! I downloaded Kashmir by Led Zeppelin and oh my god - what a brilliant song that was! I'm definitely going to check out more Led stuff!
I bought Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth earlier this year, but have struggled getting into it. However the breakthrough could be just around the corner, because I've been listening to Teenage Riot quite a lot the past few days.
Two CD-singles (EPs) arrived in the mail yesterday. They won't be added to my CD-collection (Albums only), but I thought I'd mention them nonetheless. The singles are called Tape 23 and I don't know what to with my hands and both are releases by the very talented British band Fans of Kate. I ordered them through HMV and apparently I was among the first who bought the new single, because I received a limited copy, signed by the band! Very nice! Here's to hoping that this band will be BIG.
Actually one more CD arrived yesterday, but that wasn't exactly an officially released album/single. I'm currently participating in a "CD swap" organized through RateYourMusic and today I mailed a CD (contents mixed by me) to the 6 other members of my group. The idea is that within the next few weeks I should receive 6 other CDs (one from each of the other ones), which hopefully will introduce me to a lot of new music.
So far I've received just this one CD, which I haven't listened to yet. But the selection of songs and artists looks very interesting.
A new door opened yesterday! I downloaded Kashmir by Led Zeppelin and oh my god - what a brilliant song that was! I'm definitely going to check out more Led stuff!
I bought Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth earlier this year, but have struggled getting into it. However the breakthrough could be just around the corner, because I've been listening to Teenage Riot quite a lot the past few days.
Two CD-singles (EPs) arrived in the mail yesterday. They won't be added to my CD-collection (Albums only), but I thought I'd mention them nonetheless. The singles are called Tape 23 and I don't know what to with my hands and both are releases by the very talented British band Fans of Kate. I ordered them through HMV and apparently I was among the first who bought the new single, because I received a limited copy, signed by the band! Very nice! Here's to hoping that this band will be BIG.
Actually one more CD arrived yesterday, but that wasn't exactly an officially released album/single. I'm currently participating in a "CD swap" organized through RateYourMusic and today I mailed a CD (contents mixed by me) to the 6 other members of my group. The idea is that within the next few weeks I should receive 6 other CDs (one from each of the other ones), which hopefully will introduce me to a lot of new music.
So far I've received just this one CD, which I haven't listened to yet. But the selection of songs and artists looks very interesting.
April 15, 2005
Finally my blogger seems to be working. And Audiscrobbler and Last.fm seem to be working just fine too, so I guess it's about time to take a look at the songs I've played on the computers at home and at work.
So far I've played a total of 4474 songs by 349 artists/bands, which is an average pretty close to 13 songs per artist. Since my last statistical update which took place on 29 March I've played a total of 1413 songs by 183 different artists.
Previously I've listed my top 10 artists overall, but since my top 50 list now (finally) updates frequently at Audioscrobbler, I thought it would be more interesting if I listed the top 10 artists since my last ranking.
Top 10 artists for the period 29 March - 15 April:
1. New Order (76 plays)
2. Kent (58)
3. The Jesus and Mary Chain (51)
4. The Raveonettes (45)
5. Moi Caprice (42)
6. The Cure (39)
7. The Stone Roses (38)
8. Bright Eyes (33)
9. Moby (32)
10. Neil Young/The Rolling Stones (31)
Summed up I've played these 11 artists 476 times (average 43) the past 2.5 week. More specifically this means that every third song played on my computer during this period has been by one of the above mentioned artists.
Next update will be posted (if blogger.com allows me to), when the number of tracks played reaches 6000.
So far I've played a total of 4474 songs by 349 artists/bands, which is an average pretty close to 13 songs per artist. Since my last statistical update which took place on 29 March I've played a total of 1413 songs by 183 different artists.
Previously I've listed my top 10 artists overall, but since my top 50 list now (finally) updates frequently at Audioscrobbler, I thought it would be more interesting if I listed the top 10 artists since my last ranking.
Top 10 artists for the period 29 March - 15 April:
1. New Order (76 plays)
2. Kent (58)
3. The Jesus and Mary Chain (51)
4. The Raveonettes (45)
5. Moi Caprice (42)
6. The Cure (39)
7. The Stone Roses (38)
8. Bright Eyes (33)
9. Moby (32)
10. Neil Young/The Rolling Stones (31)
Summed up I've played these 11 artists 476 times (average 43) the past 2.5 week. More specifically this means that every third song played on my computer during this period has been by one of the above mentioned artists.
Next update will be posted (if blogger.com allows me to), when the number of tracks played reaches 6000.
April 9, 2005
2 new albums added to my CD-Collection:
Moi Caprice: You Can't Say No Forever
Thirteen Senses: The Invitation
The definitive hit in the office Friday was To The Lighthouse by Moi Caprice. Need to listen to the album a bit more before judging it. On the first album they were exponents for happy pop music. The first single certainly indicates that this is still the case.
I now finally have my very own copy of the debut album by Thirteen Senses. Hopefully this means that I am excused for getting a (not so legal) mp3 copy last month?
Moi Caprice: You Can't Say No Forever
Thirteen Senses: The Invitation
The definitive hit in the office Friday was To The Lighthouse by Moi Caprice. Need to listen to the album a bit more before judging it. On the first album they were exponents for happy pop music. The first single certainly indicates that this is still the case.
I now finally have my very own copy of the debut album by Thirteen Senses. Hopefully this means that I am excused for getting a (not so legal) mp3 copy last month?
April 7, 2005
It's no big secret that I love all the information and data provided by Audioscrobbler. However I'm very surprised (or maybe even a little bit upset) that only 553 Danes (as per today) have signed up as users.
If you compare this figure to 4011 Swedes, 10753 Brits or 30553 Americans there is absolutely no reason to be impressed.
Check out the stats yourself or sign-up. It's free, kinda interesting and you don't have to be a nerd to enjoy it!
If you compare this figure to 4011 Swedes, 10753 Brits or 30553 Americans there is absolutely no reason to be impressed.
Check out the stats yourself or sign-up. It's free, kinda interesting and you don't have to be a nerd to enjoy it!
Thursday morning ramblings.......
I ordered 6 CD's this morning. The total is now 10 CD's, but I should be able to pick up Sensuous and Thirteen Senses today. Scroll down and see the complete list on the right.
On the right you will also find a list of the albums (those I know of) I will buy as soon as they are released.
On 11 March I wrote that I was looking forward to the new Idlewild album and that my expectations were high. Nearly one month later I haven't really listened to it at all. It's time to change this and so far I've played the album twice today! Still to early to tell if I will rate this higher than The Remote Part, but no matter what I do think that Roddy Woomble is a brilliant singer!
*Non-music-contents*
My wife is pregnant, so in October we're going to become parents for the second time! Do I wish for a boy or a girl? Honestly I don't care as long as the new one will be as crazy, energetic, witty and lovable as his or hers older sister.
I'm working very hard to make our daughter love music, but maybe I'm a little too ambitious (after all she's just 2 years, 8 months old). I have several times (unsuccessfully) tried to make her pronounce the words that would make me a very proud father: "Kent is the best band in the world". But she definitely recognizes the piano intro of Everybody's Changing by Keane and knows for sure that U2 is her mother's favorite band!
So despite our tireless efforts it seems impossible to remove Winnie the Pooh as the undisputed no. 1 on her personal idol chart!
I went to football/soccer practice last night. 20 players showed up and we were split into two teams. My team won the game 3-2, but the best part obviously was that I scored all three goals! I simply have to write about this, because I'm rather well-known for missing even the biggest of scoring chances instead of actually scoring. So yesterday certainly was a career highlight ;-)
I ordered 6 CD's this morning. The total is now 10 CD's, but I should be able to pick up Sensuous and Thirteen Senses today. Scroll down and see the complete list on the right.
On the right you will also find a list of the albums (those I know of) I will buy as soon as they are released.
On 11 March I wrote that I was looking forward to the new Idlewild album and that my expectations were high. Nearly one month later I haven't really listened to it at all. It's time to change this and so far I've played the album twice today! Still to early to tell if I will rate this higher than The Remote Part, but no matter what I do think that Roddy Woomble is a brilliant singer!
*Non-music-contents*
My wife is pregnant, so in October we're going to become parents for the second time! Do I wish for a boy or a girl? Honestly I don't care as long as the new one will be as crazy, energetic, witty and lovable as his or hers older sister.
I'm working very hard to make our daughter love music, but maybe I'm a little too ambitious (after all she's just 2 years, 8 months old). I have several times (unsuccessfully) tried to make her pronounce the words that would make me a very proud father: "Kent is the best band in the world". But she definitely recognizes the piano intro of Everybody's Changing by Keane and knows for sure that U2 is her mother's favorite band!
So despite our tireless efforts it seems impossible to remove Winnie the Pooh as the undisputed no. 1 on her personal idol chart!
I went to football/soccer practice last night. 20 players showed up and we were split into two teams. My team won the game 3-2, but the best part obviously was that I scored all three goals! I simply have to write about this, because I'm rather well-known for missing even the biggest of scoring chances instead of actually scoring. So yesterday certainly was a career highlight ;-)
April 6, 2005
Check out this very nice article (in Danish) about Psychocandy by The Jesus and Mary Chain. After reading the article I immediately got inspired and had to listen to the album myself. Luckily I ripped the album on to my computer at work when I bought it, so the listening pleasure was nothing but a simple double-click away!
Still prefer the less noisy follow-up Darklands, though Psychocandy unarguably contains some of the bands finest moments (e.g. Just Like Honey and Some Candy Talking).
Again this is an album I've just recently discovered (far, far too many of those albums), because at the time of it's release in 1985, I was busy listening to Howard Jones, Nik Kershaw, China Crisis etc.
I have previously written that my boss is trying to convince me that the only kind of useful music in the world is jazz. So (again) today I tried to listen to the two jazz masterpieces A Love Supreme by John Coltrane and A kind of Blue by Miles Davis. Today it actually felt like I someday will enjoy listening to this kind of music, but I better no let my boss know about it, because then he will start bombarding me with all kinds of Jazz CD's.
Inspired by the above stories I really ought to post something on the transformation process my music taste has gone through during the years. I've enjoyed listening to music all my life (my mother can confirm that), but the range continuously seems to be getting wider. My father once claimed that once I turned 25, I wouldn't be listening to anything but classical music. Unfortunately we didn't make a bet on this, since that would have been a sure winner. Back then (that's 11 years ago now) I wasn't really investigating the works of Mozart or Beethoven, but instead working very hard on getting into Nirvana, Metallica, Pearl Jam etc.
So what really strikes me when writing this (which I'm doing while listening to the - in my opinion - very overrated Kid A by Radiohead) is that instead of settling down (music wise) when growing older, I feel a stronger and stronger need to explore the world of music. I never thought I could be this "open-minded" as I am today, but since this attitude has given me many unexpected listening pleasures, I guess there is no reason for changing anything?
Still prefer the less noisy follow-up Darklands, though Psychocandy unarguably contains some of the bands finest moments (e.g. Just Like Honey and Some Candy Talking).
Again this is an album I've just recently discovered (far, far too many of those albums), because at the time of it's release in 1985, I was busy listening to Howard Jones, Nik Kershaw, China Crisis etc.
I have previously written that my boss is trying to convince me that the only kind of useful music in the world is jazz. So (again) today I tried to listen to the two jazz masterpieces A Love Supreme by John Coltrane and A kind of Blue by Miles Davis. Today it actually felt like I someday will enjoy listening to this kind of music, but I better no let my boss know about it, because then he will start bombarding me with all kinds of Jazz CD's.
Inspired by the above stories I really ought to post something on the transformation process my music taste has gone through during the years. I've enjoyed listening to music all my life (my mother can confirm that), but the range continuously seems to be getting wider. My father once claimed that once I turned 25, I wouldn't be listening to anything but classical music. Unfortunately we didn't make a bet on this, since that would have been a sure winner. Back then (that's 11 years ago now) I wasn't really investigating the works of Mozart or Beethoven, but instead working very hard on getting into Nirvana, Metallica, Pearl Jam etc.
So what really strikes me when writing this (which I'm doing while listening to the - in my opinion - very overrated Kid A by Radiohead) is that instead of settling down (music wise) when growing older, I feel a stronger and stronger need to explore the world of music. I never thought I could be this "open-minded" as I am today, but since this attitude has given me many unexpected listening pleasures, I guess there is no reason for changing anything?
April 5, 2005
On 21 March I wrote that the "leaked" Coldplay track Talk wouldn't be included on the album X&Y. The tracklisting has been revealed (www.coldplay.com) and apparently the guys have changed their minds and the song will now be included anyway!
In my opinion this is pretty good news, because as I also wrote in my previous post on this topic I really wanted them to include this brilliant song.
However I can't help thinking that it's confusing with changing information like this, but who am I to complain?
Which is why I won't complain, but simply state that it would be very, very nice if they included Denmark in their concert tour this summer!
Still 2 months to go before the album is released!
In my opinion this is pretty good news, because as I also wrote in my previous post on this topic I really wanted them to include this brilliant song.
However I can't help thinking that it's confusing with changing information like this, but who am I to complain?
Which is why I won't complain, but simply state that it would be very, very nice if they included Denmark in their concert tour this summer!
Still 2 months to go before the album is released!
April 4, 2005
I'm still thinking of writing a little more about the new Kent album. A quick look shows that I've listened to the album 28 times at work! Adding to this the number of times at home and in the car I'm probably close to 40 listens. Needless to say I do like the album a lot.
I mean - If I didn't I guess 40 listens would be a sick kind of masochistic torture?
Hopefully soon I will stop thinking about it and start writing instead! Until I actually do that, I recommend that you listen to Du & Jag D�den yourself.
Krafty by New Order has so far been my office hit of the day. This song is not even close to being their most inventive one, and it does unmistakable sound a lot like, well, New Order. But I guess that's not all that bad, when you like that typical New Order sound?
Amazing - it feels like these guys have been around forever (at least in my musical life) and they are still going strong!
I mean - If I didn't I guess 40 listens would be a sick kind of masochistic torture?
Hopefully soon I will stop thinking about it and start writing instead! Until I actually do that, I recommend that you listen to Du & Jag D�den yourself.
Krafty by New Order has so far been my office hit of the day. This song is not even close to being their most inventive one, and it does unmistakable sound a lot like, well, New Order. But I guess that's not all that bad, when you like that typical New Order sound?
Amazing - it feels like these guys have been around forever (at least in my musical life) and they are still going strong!
It's probably about time to post a few comments on the Keane / Rufus Wainwright concert Friday night. As my post Friday clearly indicated I'm not all that familiar with Rufus Wainwright, but nevertheless I thought he delivered a really fine (though rather short) performance as warm-up.
If nothing else this concert sure revealed that he's a great songwriter and has the most fantastic voice.
In general he had a very positive attitude and was very good at communicating with the audience in between the songs. Vega is a fantastic place for concerts and it definitely looked as if he enjoyed playing there. Several times during the concert he said that he was looking forward to coming back to Vega (and he WILL be back on 8 May 2005).
I started listening to Keane at the end of 2003 before the debut album was released. I had downloaded several of their first minor releases giving me the opportunity to become familiar with them before they became "household" names. So when Keane played in Vega a little less than a year ago (13 April 2004) I was one of the few hundred people there, meaning that the concert Friday night was my second "round" with the band. The past year I must admit that I've been slowly growing tired of their music, which seems to have been everywhere (TV, radio, shopping malls - you name it). Still I thought that it would be cool to see them in concert again.
When watching them play live you feel that it wouldn't hurt if they added a guitarist, but the concert actually gave the impression of being a rock concert despite them being just 3 men on stage (singer, drummer and the dude making noises on the keyboard). The guys gave everything they had and didn't seem tempted to imitate the polished sound of the album, meaning that you never felt like you could have played that one instead.
Compared to last year the band seemed far more "open" and used to play in front of a larger audience, which left you with a feeling that they really had a great time performing.
The only complaint I'm able to make is that they didn't play any of the excellent b-sides like Snowed Under and To The End Of The Earth but instead opted to play a couple of new songs. But that is just a minor objection and it definitely didn't ruin a very good concert.
So overall I think my Friday night was very well spent!
Two new albums added to my CD-Collection:
Athlete: Tourist
New Order: Waiting For The Sirens' Call
If nothing else this concert sure revealed that he's a great songwriter and has the most fantastic voice.
In general he had a very positive attitude and was very good at communicating with the audience in between the songs. Vega is a fantastic place for concerts and it definitely looked as if he enjoyed playing there. Several times during the concert he said that he was looking forward to coming back to Vega (and he WILL be back on 8 May 2005).
I started listening to Keane at the end of 2003 before the debut album was released. I had downloaded several of their first minor releases giving me the opportunity to become familiar with them before they became "household" names. So when Keane played in Vega a little less than a year ago (13 April 2004) I was one of the few hundred people there, meaning that the concert Friday night was my second "round" with the band. The past year I must admit that I've been slowly growing tired of their music, which seems to have been everywhere (TV, radio, shopping malls - you name it). Still I thought that it would be cool to see them in concert again.
When watching them play live you feel that it wouldn't hurt if they added a guitarist, but the concert actually gave the impression of being a rock concert despite them being just 3 men on stage (singer, drummer and the dude making noises on the keyboard). The guys gave everything they had and didn't seem tempted to imitate the polished sound of the album, meaning that you never felt like you could have played that one instead.
Compared to last year the band seemed far more "open" and used to play in front of a larger audience, which left you with a feeling that they really had a great time performing.
The only complaint I'm able to make is that they didn't play any of the excellent b-sides like Snowed Under and To The End Of The Earth but instead opted to play a couple of new songs. But that is just a minor objection and it definitely didn't ruin a very good concert.
So overall I think my Friday night was very well spent!
Two new albums added to my CD-Collection:
Athlete: Tourist
New Order: Waiting For The Sirens' Call
April 1, 2005
Rufus Wainwright: Want One
Tonight Keane will play live in Copenhagen, but the Danish media seems to be far more interested in the warm-up artist - Rufus Wainwright. One newspaper actually wrote that they thought it was a very "brave" move by Keane, because they believe that there is a huge risk that the band will be overshadowed by Rufus. Well I originally bought my ticket because I wanted to see Keane, but all the hype surrounding Mr. Wainwright has indeed made me curious.
So to be well prepared and to get in the right mood for the concert I'm (again) listening to Want One. So far it's been a very slow mover and I must admit that I've had some problems getting into it. Not still totally convinced about his genius, but I'm planning to listen to it in the car (VERY LOUD) on my way to the concert. This will hopefully be the "break-through".
Will try to write a few comments about the concert on Monday.
Tonight Keane will play live in Copenhagen, but the Danish media seems to be far more interested in the warm-up artist - Rufus Wainwright. One newspaper actually wrote that they thought it was a very "brave" move by Keane, because they believe that there is a huge risk that the band will be overshadowed by Rufus. Well I originally bought my ticket because I wanted to see Keane, but all the hype surrounding Mr. Wainwright has indeed made me curious.
So to be well prepared and to get in the right mood for the concert I'm (again) listening to Want One. So far it's been a very slow mover and I must admit that I've had some problems getting into it. Not still totally convinced about his genius, but I'm planning to listen to it in the car (VERY LOUD) on my way to the concert. This will hopefully be the "break-through".
Will try to write a few comments about the concert on Monday.
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