Music I Like

I've currently got about 3,000 songs on my ipod. I think I probably listen to about 200 of them. There are a few though that I listen to almost every day though, here are some of my current favourites.

Ryan Adams - Sweet Illusions

If Ryan Adams were an actor he'd be Samuel L Jackson. Some of the stuff he does is absolutely brilliant, and then he'll go on a run of releasing absolute crap. Cold Roses is my favourite of his CDs - it's got three songs that are practically genius - Sweet Illusions, Magnolia Mountain and How Do You Keep Love Alive - another that's quite strong - Meadowlake Street - and then some above average filler. I guess the album is what you'd describe as alt-country - he seems to vary between that and alternative rock from album to album. Although lately on his website he's branched off into Beck-style hip hop, which I'm not really a fan of.

The last few weeks Sweet Illusions has been my favourite of his songs - I love the melody, and the way his voice breaks at just the right moment(s), reminiscent of early Chris Isaak. It's also got my favourite lyric on the album - "You never knew me but I did my best, I'm just lonely inside I guess."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL6PzYjJBHQ

Tool - Vicarious

I've been on a major Tool binge since the Big Day Out. This is the song that seems to come up the most often on my ipod- the first minute is fantastic. It starts out with a slowly building intro before breaking into a great riff, which the band plays a few times, before bringing out an even better riff. This to me is just another example of how great these guys are - they've got more interesting musical ideas in the first song on their album than some bands do over an entire cd. In typical Tool fashion, this one runs to about 7 minutes in length too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2lWoFS5bZc

Damien Rice - I Remember


The last six months I think I've listened to Damien Rice almost every day. This is just a brilliant song - well it's really two songs, the first part sung by his back up singer Lisa Hannigan has almost nothing to do with the second half which he sings himself. I've included a link here to a live version which is just amazing. If I had to describe it I'd say that the first half is like a quiet sunset over the water on a peaceful night, while the second is more like a vicious storm with thunder, pouring rain, lightning, the whole package. They're both beautiful but for totally different reasons. OK, maybe that's a bit corny but you get what I'm saying right? Seriously, if you haven't heard this guy, check him out. He gets two thumbs up from me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEV5WSBmhIA