potentialities

It occurred to me that this is the most appropriate day of the year to recommend this album, so I will.

I needed some heavy-duty relaxing this weekend, so I took a bath with my third-best copy of Trojan Gold. (What, you don't hoard multiple copies of your favorite books? I mean, you can't take your only copy of your favorite book into the bath!)

This, naturally enough, prompted me to look for more recordings of BWV 140, which led to the happy discovery of John Eliot Gardiner's Bach Cantata Pilgrimage. Their version of Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme is so lovely that I just had to share.

Also, because I share Vicky's taste in theologically-deficient misprisions of the text and because I am secretly still twelve, I really love the other aria in the cantata, where the soprano (the soul) sings "Wenn kömmst du?" and the bass (Jesus) sings "Ich komme!" ;)

Forget Christmas; Easter has the best music.

As is traditional (shut up, once you do something twice it is so a tradition), I've uploaded some transcendently lovely music that I've recently acquired to share with you all.

This time, it's Carlo Gesualdo's setting of the Tenebrae service.

Discs 1 & 2 (192 kbps MP3s, 176 MB zipped)

The two newly-released singles I've been playing on endless repeat dovetail surprisingly well. After all, they're both songs about change and ambivalence and dealing with the perceptions of others. Still, something of an odd couple.

(Warning: music will stream at you from these links.)

'It's Alright' by Dar Williams

'I Don't Care' by Fall Out Boy

ETA: Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar, all those concert dates and you are not coming within a zillion miles of meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Dar Williams is releasing a new album in September!

You know what's fun? Wandering around your house, dripping wet and half-blind, trying to find something to wash your hair with. (I ran out of shampoo. My mother recently switched to this shampoo that makes my hair fall out, so I'm certainly not using that. My brother is at camp with his shampoo.) I eventually turned up something in the far recesses of the cupboards in our bathroom.

Apparently, the people at our hotel "found" my laptop case. I'm not entirely certain precisely how or where they "found" it, but they are mailing it back to me, so I suppose that it doesn't matter. I couldn't find a new laptop case that I wanted to buy, anyway. In the interim I have burned a complete new set of Prince of Tennis DVDs, so I suppose I will pass my duplicates on to some poor unsuspecting soul other person.

I uploaded this for belmanoir and might as well share with the class: Louise Attaque's 1997 self-titled album [38 MB]. Louise Attaque are sort of French folk rock with a killer violinist (I suck at describing music, so sue me).

I lust after one of these. The only problem would be that I don't have a sewing machine (at least, as far as I know) and haven't actually sewn anything since I was 9 or so. (Ask me about the time I put a needle all the way through the palm of my hand, eye first!)

handynavi keeps making Sims who have zero niceness points and then he wonders why they are so mean. It's really quite amusing. Except when they make Tezuka!Sim cry.

For those of you who haven't sampled Jonathan Coulton's charming brand of geek folk pop, allow me to make a few recommendations, because lately I keep listening to his stuff on repeat and I thought I'd share the love:

Skullcrusher Mountain (mp3) (lyrics)

A tender ballad of an evil genius struggling to gain the affection of the fair maiden he has had brought to his titular lair.

You know it isn’t easy living here on Skullcrusher Mountain
Maybe you could cut me just a little slack
Would it kill you to be civil?
I’ve been patient, I’ve been gracious
And this mountain is covered with wolves
Hear them howling, my hungry children
Maybe you should stay and have another drink and think about me and you

Someone is Crazy (lyrics) (mp3)

A catchy little tune about those incurable drama whores. Unofficial theme song of one of my NaNo characters.

The world’s against you, so you think or maybe wish it was
At least that way someone would care but baby no one does, not even you
Baby someone is crazy and it’s you

I Feel Fantastic (lyrics) (mp3)

From the soundtrack to the September 2005 issue of Popular Science, this song examines the increasing dependence on prescription drugs in our culture.

Work is over but I can’t stay to work late
Got to leave and get ready for my second date
With a pretty girl that I met at the pharmacy
Right in the prescription line
I take a pill for my social anxiety
I get a table and a nice bottle of chablis
Now it’s getting late and there’s still no sign of her
I have another glass of wine


All I know is the wine lasts longer when you don’t gotta share it with someone
All I know is my steak tastes better when I take my steak tastes better pill

Baby Got Back (lyrics) (mp3)

The (in)famous folk cover of the (in)famous) rap song.

More of Jonathan's stuff can be found here.

Also, courtesy of a bout of insomnia last night, a spot of NaNoNonsense:

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