To cheer me up!

I told my facebook friends to help me with music that would cheer me up/keep me awake while I write. I got a lot of good recommendations but this video is the best thing that's ever happened to me:


Tilly & the Wall on SESAME STREET from Team Love on Vimeo.

I love it with my whole heart. It turns out that this band (Tilly and the Wall) actually always does music that has, as the only percussion, the tapdancing.



So, I love that. Also, I want to wear big poofy skirts with crazy-colored tights and tap shoes. If I could do that, I can't imagine ever having any unhappiness in my life.

Nick Drake, Liz Phair and the Sugarplastic

So, these are the bands that Dean liked in season 1 of the Gilmore Girls. I downloaded a Sugarplastic album from itunes because I like Liz Phair and Nick Drake and I was thinking that Dean and I have a lot in common (season 1 Dean, of course, not the later stupider Dean). It turns out that it's true, I like the Sugarplastic. So, now, I'm scouring Gilmore Girls episodes for the music that they discuss, particularly in the first season. I am using this website to help me. One exciting thing that I discovered is that I have a lot of this music on my iPod already so I made a Gilmore Girls playlist and bought another three albums, which I had intended to buy already (the White Stripes-White Blood Cells [I only had Elephant], Pavement-Westing [My Slanted and Enchanted tape won't go onto my iPod], and Tom Waits-Real Gone). I'm enjoying myself but am sensing a feeling of impending doom as my husband realizes that, not only am I spending money on music, but that I'm doing it because of the Gilmore Girls. So far, he has not put these things together, talkative as I am. I need more Bjork now, as well as the Breeders, these bands that I enjoyed while I was constantly able to hear them via the radio and other people's parties but now miss because of the passage of time. Also, I need to reinstate music in my life. I listened to my iPod a lot when I was visiting Boston and riding the train but I find that between audiobooks in the car and a ban on iPods in my lab, I'm missing some serious music appreciation in my life. I blasted my iPod from the little portable speakers at my house last night. I think Kevin liked it :) What he liked was that the music was in the kitchen so I cooked.

Jay-Z, Nas, Notorious BIG, and 2Pac

It all started because, apparently Obama likes Jay-Z. And, by the way, I like Obama more and more every day and this aide person appeals to me. Lots of people have brought up various speech bumbles and burbles and missteps but, at this point, it's all emotional and I don't care very much about campaign slip-ups. They happen and, at least he didn't imply that he hoped his opponent would be shot. Anyway, back to the topic: Obama's aide, Reggie Love, has exposed the candidate to Jay-Z and now Obama has "gotten pretty fond" of him. So, I explored my Jay-Z options. Turns out the album, "Reasonable doubt" has been dubbed, by some, to be in the top four hip-hop albums of all time, along with "Illmatic" by Nas, "Life After Death" by Notorious BIG, and "All eyez on me" by 2Pac. I'm going to purchase and listen to these albums and broaden my horizons. If there's anybody out there, and you have some hip-hop recommendations, let me know. I have a smattering of hip-hop on my iPod but nothing by any of these three artists, which upsets me. I guess that I would like it if I had heard the top four albums from whatever genre. I like music. I like broad horizons. I want to know what I'm missing...actually, if you would like to just recommend your top four albums or the four albums that you think are the top four of some other genre, that would also be terrific...now I'm paranoid because I don't have any idea what I would say in response to this question or even what genre I would pick...Um, in the sort of rocky sub-clade of Indie rock I like" You in Reverse" by Built to Spill, "Good News..." by Modest Mouse, "Diary" by Sunny Day Real Estate, and "Show Your Bones" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs...not in that order. But this list is based exculsively on music that I've actually heard. Yikes.