I just noticed that my last entry was my 100th post. Sweet deal.

Here’s my playlist for February. Lots of familiar favorites because I wasn’t in so much of a discovery mood for a few weeks. Then there’s the obvious hey-I-finally-saw-Once inclusions from Glen Hansard. And the only really good song from Across the Universe that I recalled when I saw it for a second time (and then heard again when I tortured myself with an hour of the Grammys). Sublime showed up when it was raining, to remind me that the sun does actually exist. That spun me into a warm little pool of reggae and dub that will undoubtedly show up on the March playlist.

Also, no links. I’m lazy (sick again, actually) and there was no indication that anybody but me actually cared about them. I’m convinced these lists are mostly for me anyway.

1. Ryan Adams – “The Shadowlands” (Love Is Hell)
2. Radiohead – “How To Disappear Completely” (Kid A)
3. The Mars Volta – “Ilyena” (The Bedlam in Goliath)
4. Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova – “Falling Slowly” (Once Soundtrack)
5. Glen Hansard – “Say It To Me Now” (Once Soundtrack)
6. Carol Woods – “Let It Be” (Across The Universe Soundtrack)
7. Tom Waits – “Putnam County” (Nighthawks At the Diner)
8. Ryan Adams – “New York, New York” (Gold)
9. Bright Eyes – “Poison Oak” (I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning)
10. Bright Eyes – “Road To Joy” (I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning)
11. Ryan Adams – “La Cienega Just Smiled” (Gold)
12. Balmorhea – “Divisadero” (Rivers Arms)
13. Sublime – “Badfish” (40 Oz. To Freedom)
14. The Used – “Dark Days” (Shallow Believer)
15. Vampire Weekend – “The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance” (Vampire Weekend)
16. MF Doom – “Vomitspit” (Mm.. Food)
17. The Velvet Underground – “All Tomorrow’s Parties” (The Velvet Underground & Nico)
18. Radiohead – “Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors” (Amnesiac)

Due to the lateness of getting this done, I did the vocals quickly. And then I realized that I’m using a really cheap vocal microphone, so this isn’t going to get much better, other than me hitting the rhythm better and not missing as many notes, until I get a new mic. But still, it’s painful for me to listen to myself from the moment I open my mouth. But I’m practicing not being a perfectionist, so this is what you get.

I worked really hard on the melody and lyrics for this one, though. I’m actually pretty happy with those, save a line or two.

Josh Mock – Room For Joy

There was some major inspiration from Bright Eyes and Once/Glen Hansard/The Frames, in case that isn’t blatantly obvious. I’ve been listening to both a lot over the past few weeks.

Oh, and if you ever wonder why people drown stuff in reverb like I did there, it’s to cover up the mistakes. That’s the same reason why bad guitarists love distortion. Audio effects are lifesavers and yet far too often a crutch.

As always, the comments are there for you to criticize my work. That’s a big part of why I’m doing this. I can’t get better if I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.

I’m probably apologizing to myself more than anything, but I hate that it’s taking me so long to get my songs written. Too much going on, and now I’ve got this ear infection that I’ve been using to excuse myself from getting things done for almost a week now. It’s a valid excuse because I really am having a hard time focusing on things, especially in the musical realm.

I have nothing on my calendar for the evening, so I will try to hunker down and get something done. It probably won’t be anything like the last two singer/songwriter type things I’ve done since singing and playing guitar are questionable activities for me at the moment. (although watching Once twice this weekend was very inspiring in that regard). You may end up with some random electronic tweak-out that consists of me trying to figure out how to sound like Radiohead, Burial, Daft Punk or Massive Attack without any equipment other than my laptop.

In other news, with all the downtime I had last week, I was able to get back into Six Feet Under. Consequently, I started to wonder why it was I enjoy the show so much. The pilot was compelling enough to draw me in, but the show as a whole isn’t quite what that first episode made it out to be, and yet I still like it, albeit for different reasons than the pilot.

I realized that it was that the cast is made up of highly (sometimes excessively) rational people, much like myself, so I identify well with all of them. Then these well-developed characters are written into story arcs that have, not even two seasons in, addressed nearly every kind of life situation imaginable: death (obviously), sickness, failed relationships, successful relationships, affairs, parenting, drugs, homosexuality, sexuality in general, faith, money, broken family, business… the list goes on. I don’t know how they’ve managed to elegantly pack in so much in so few episodes, but they have.

So, apparently I am most satisfied with stories that take a cast of deep thinkers and throw everything possible at them, and they come out the other side stronger and wiser for the wear. It seems so simple a realization, but I’m finally starting to understand myself in that regard to the extent that I don’t just get it, but I feel it.