Back to music (for your listening pleasure)

I love this picture.  It was created using a cool service called Wordle and it shows the most popular words from the aBlog RSS feed.  If you have a blog you should have a go with, not just because it produces lovely pictures, but it tells you a lot about what you blog.



And this Wordle picture showed me that a friend of mine was right recently when he said I'd let the balance get a bit too techy (or 'silver' as he puts it).



So to redress the balance I thought I'd get back to my roots and post a bit of music. You can play the MP3s right here using the little del.icio.us playtagger. My iPod's 'Recently Added' playlist is giving me a lot of joy right now so here are a few samplers:



The Rip - Portishead

Third is such an amazing album.  Ambitious, fragile, beautiful.  While we are at it, the Radiohead cover of this track is pretty amazing too.





Like a Lion - The Decemberists (boo, only have DRM AAC so go listen to it at last.fm)

Just discovered the Decemberists. Liking their album, The Crane Wife, but this track from the compilation Preserve, Volume One is a world apart. It's got this dissonant harmony running through it.



Extra - Ken Ishii

This is why I love emusic. When I was 17 I loved this album. Ken Iishi makes precise, angular, unmistakeably Japanese techno and, boy, has it stood the test of time. Jelly Tones is a glorious album. If your into electronic music (and even if you're not) listen to this album.





Chemtrails - Beck

Beck has flashes of genius on each of his albums and on Modern Guilt, this is it. It reminds me of Primal Scream at their drug-induced Screamadelica best. I love it.



AM 180 - Grandaddy

From the pong-on-acid intro to the thrashing guitars this is full of life.  Makes me want to jump around, quit my job, start a band and jump around a bit more...