Cool album title of the day

Modest Mouse has a new release today:

We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank 

Buck Owens

Buck Owens died today. I expect my boss will not be in the office next week as I’m sure he’ll be taking time off to mourn his favorite country music singer.

Buck Owens was country music back in the 60′s and 70′s. I remember watching the TV show Hee Haw with my grandparents back in the day. Who could forget that red, white, and blue guitar?

Buck Owens even crossed political boundaries. When an avowed liberal like my boss and proud conservatives like the Powerline guys both love Buck Owens, what could be more American than that?

God bless Buck Owens.

 

Leigh Nash is funny

I mentioned not long ago that Leigh Nash has a spot over at MySpace. She is one of the few artists who seems to contribute regularly to their web site.

When she decides to retire from the music business, she should be able to find a job in comedy writing. At least her blog post about how to beat up an ostrich is funny.

No more Sixpence

I found out tonight that Sixpence None the Richer is apparently sixpence not together anymore. The good news is that lead singer Leigh Nash is going solo and will have an album out this year. Woohoo!

She even has a blog where you can hear a demo of a song that will be on the album.

iPod additions

Just updated the iPod with Death Cab for Cutie, Mazzy Star, and Steve Taylor.

Death Cab for Cutie is one of those 10-year overnight sensations. That is, they’ve been putting out indie releases for years and have just had their first release on a major label.

The Mazzy Star album is “So Tonight That I Might See” released in 1993 – easily their best. If you like a psychadelic style, you need to check them out. I had the cassette tape when it first came out but never got around to buying the CD. Well, thanks to an iTunes gift card for Christmas, it was time.

The gift card also got me the Steve Taylor “Meltdown” album from 1983. Steve Taylor was a “Christian” act. He had a long solo career spanning into the late 90′s. He is certainly a Christian but he never was an evangelizer. His music was generally social commentary from a Christian perspective with a lot of humor thrown in. His biting wit frequently targeted so-called Christian beliefs he disagreed with. For instance his “I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good” from the album I Predict 1990 mocked abortion clinic bombers. (If you know where I can get a copy of that one on CD, let me know.)

Meltdown was his first full length album. Taylor was “alternative” before alternative was cool. Probably why I’m such a fan of the genre.

Hootie lives!

OK, there is no “Hootie” in the group, but Hootie & the Blowfish have a new album out. I got it last week. As always Darius’ voice is great, I think re-emphasized on this album. The harmonies are quintessential Hootie.

Now for those of you who are skeptical, go see them live. They are a band that made it big by touring endlessly before they got signed to a major label. While good on CD, they are a completely different experience in person. You won’t find any recorded help at the concert. These guys are real.