What I'm Listening to Today

Second in a series...
First off, I'm listening to www.pandora.com. If you've yet to be let in on the secret, this site/tool is one of the coolest things on the web (I love superlatives that end with '...on the web'. It sounds so cheezy, like I'm writing for Wired Magazine or something). A product of the very impressive sounding, Music Genome Project, Pandora allows users to build personal dynamic streaming radio stations based on selected artists, or songs. Now, this would be pretty cool if the result was a streaming radio station that just played your selected artists or songs. Then again, that would be too easy for people ambitious enough to apply the aforementioned moniker to the effort. Instead, the creators of Pandora build these dynamic stations based on an incredible categorization effort that is the Music Genome Project. The result is quite impressive. Unlike other tools that have attempted to implement similar technology, you shouldn't find yourself confounded like the author of the WSJ article titled, "My Tivo Thinks I'm Gay". In addition, Pandora allows users to provide additional guidance as you go on the station's content, and save up to 15 of these discreet stations, accessible from any computer connected to the internet.

Try Pandora out.

Mark Geary
For those of you who know me, you already know I'm a sucker for depressing acoustic tunes in the mold of the great Elliott Smith, Iron & Wine, and Beck on the entire Sea Change album. Mark Geary seems to fit this mold well, and his album Ghosts, while far from unique, can be relied upon when in such a mood. The song, Up & Up seems to me to be the highlight. Then again, maybe you should just stick with Elliott Smith.

Iggy Pop
I was recently given a large collection of music to add to what I already have. I've finally found the time to start going through it, and I've found some great stuff that I'd forgotten. To find Iggy Pop these days all you have to do is watch those commercials that ad execs call edgy. The incredibly catchy Search and Destroy seems to be a favorite. You could also just listen to every young punk rock band currently on the market. The track, The Passenger, must be an influence for the band Clinic, while the song Fall in Love With Me could be slid into the next Strokes album without a notice. To be fair, Iggy Pop has influenced just about every rock musician out there in one way or another, it just seems a bit more acute these days. Regardless, the point is, you might as well go to the source and check out Raw Power by Iggy and the Stooges, or Lust for Life by Iggy Pop.

The Kinks
Okay, so we all know the Kinks. For some of you it may be based on a longtime love of good rock. For others it might be from the early influence of a sibling (I remember listening to the track Destroyer over and again..."Paranoia, they'll destroy YA". Perhaps that's why I'm writing a blog named My Helter Skelter Head). For the rest of you, I can only assume you know of the Kinks through bad 80's films most likely starring Tony Danza.

No matter, the Kinks have some terrific music, especially that which was made in the late '60s. Arthur (Or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire is a great example. Think somewhere between the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, not as watered-down as the former, but not necessarily as edgy as the latter either. Of all the album, I think the track Victoria is the most memorable. If you're ever traveling to Australia, please be sure to start the track Australia 6:46 before landing for a cinematic moment. Mr. Churchill Says is definitely one of the highlights, with its up-tempo beat and catchy guitar riffs that accompany lyrics that are certainly relevant today.