Relax. Sit back with a book and a cup of coffee and put on these tunes. Contemplate your life, contemplate your loves, contemplate nothing at all. Just listen, and maybe read, and maybe have a swig of that warm brew. The fifth knee-jerk playlist that comprises this edition of Selections was, in fact, brought to you by the shuffle feature of iTunes.
- Romulus - Sufjan Stevens
- Neverending - Damien Jurado
- Digging Deep - Poor Old Lu
- Which Will - Nick Drake
- Snow Don’t Fall - Townes Van Zandt
- Strangers In The Night - Cake
- The Everthere - Elbow
- Off the Rail - The Notwist
- Silent Sea - KT Tunstall
- About Today - The National
- Du E for Fin For Mig - Dungen
- Månadens Erbjudande - Kent
- Wrapped Up In Books - Belle & Sebastian
- Temporary - Rogue Wave
- Happy - Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins
Speaking of a book that would be nice to curl up with, try this one out:
His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik
Published in the U.S. last Tuesday (March 28th), Novik’s novel is actually a work of science fiction/fantasy, set in an alternate history during the Napoleonic Wars. Sound exciting yet? That’s not the half of it. The ‘alternative’ portion of the novel is contained in the simple fact that dragons are added as military air support. Each side breeds its own special kinds of dragons, with the most secretive and powerful ones being held by China. This novel (first in a trilogy) begins with the fortuitous and unlikely capture of a Chinese Dragon egg from a French ship by the English. The dragon hatches and is named Temeraire, the title of the book in the UK. Boasting an impressive list of famous plugs already (this book sports one from Stephen King on its cover), the novel has already been optioned for a film adaptation. The next two books in the series, Throne of Jade, and Black Powder War are due to arrive in the next 2 months; Jade on April 25th, and Powder on May 30th, respectively.
Leaders of the Free World by Elbow
Often referred to as “The album Coldplay ought to have made,” Leaders of the Free World is consistently rewarding and affecting. The CD comes packaged with an accompanying DVD, with music videos and concert/studio footage to go with each and every tune. No single song is really better than any other. But if you’re looking for one to start with… just get the 1st track: Station Approach, a sonic tapestry that crescendos in the best way imaginable with lines like, “the streets are full of goths and freaks… I haven’t seen my mom for weeks”
Eye to the Telescope by KT Tunstall
KT Tunstall played at SXSW last year. And she played there this year, too. The difference a year makes might surprise some people, though. Rising from relative obscurity, Tunstall’s album Eye to the Telescope went Platinum in the UK alone before it was released here in the U.S. Good golly. She beat out U2 and Coldplay both with her song Black Horse and the Cherry Tree (freely downloadable by clicking the album image above). I forsee radio domination in the coming months. Her album is very, very good. The aforementioned track is great, but check out romping stomping tunes like Suddenly I See and Other Side of the World, or just go buy the whole thing.
