Distant Sky, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

There's much written about grief, and, boy, is there a lot of music written trying to capture what grief feels like.  It might be reasonable to suggest that in centuries past perhaps a quarter of music was about grief - every major composer had his Requiem.  But this track does in just over five minutes what very few others can. 

Getting It All Wrong, Dan Michaelson and The Coastguards

If you're obsessed with music, especially the more popular end of music, it would be easy to assume that you'd prefer the more perfect voices.  Dan Michaelson does not have a perfect voice.  Actually, that's wrong - his voice is perfect for what he is singing about.

Meteorites, Yann Tiersen

Sometimes I find myself really drawn to a piece that's actually a poem, or prose, or a prose poem set to music.  That's certainly true for the Falling Light piece.  Like that, there is little chance that this strange, haunting number will find its way into any popular chart.  

Falling light ft. Leonard Nimoy, Zarelli

Sometimes I hear a piece of music and it grabs me so hard that I'm distracted.  In this instance, there's a near perfect conjunction of three things that I love.  It's not even in my collection yet, but I feel compelled to write about it.

Hawai'i '78 Introduction, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

What does this track make me want to write about?  Shall I write about my attempt - not yet formally abandoned - to learn to play the Ukulele?  Shall I write about our trip through the Pacific?  Or shall I write about inheritance - cultural and genetic?  

Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits

One of the reasons I've set myself the challenge of writing this blog is to try to learn how to avoid cliché.  However, then I come up against this track, and it's hard to know how to write anything other than some sort of stream of cliché consciousness.  

Cheek to Cheek, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

It's possible that you've heard this.  If you haven't, you probably think you have - you probably think you know exactly how this sounds.  And you'd be about half right.