Gunner tagged me with a music meme last week. Things have been a bit crazy here, so I'm just now getting around to answering it.

Here's the game: What are your top three songs to listen to whilst running? And if you have the server space, will you post one or all of them for the rest of us to download? (If running is not your preferred method of exercise – which more or less guarantees your intelligence – well, songs that you would listen to are just fine.)

I usually don't listen to music while doing my nightly walk/run with the dog. I like to talk to him, and my suburban neighborhood straddles a creek and is covered with trees, so the nighttime chorus of toads and crickets makes a great soundtrack.

I do frequently listen to music while (whilst?) mowing the lawn, and my current favorites are:

• "Tarkus" - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (esp. the live version of the movement "Aquatarkus" on Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends, Ladies and Gentlemen...)


• "Astradyne" - Ultravox (from Vienna)


• "La Villa Strangiato" - Rush (again, the live version, from Exit Stage Left)

I have to say, though, that I have several mix CDs I listen to during yardwork, so this list would definitely change from week to week.

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Owlish has posted the fourth installment of the Carnival of Music.

A nice eclectic mix of stuff there, so go check it out.

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Administrative stuff first: I have put together an archive page for the carnival with FAQs, a schedule of future carnival hosts, and a list of previous carnivals. We need hosts! It's fun and easy and a great way to learn from a large selection of bloggers about a subject you love. Owlish has volunteered to host, and I have penciled him in for next week's carnival.

Please email me to submit a post for inclusion in a future carnival or to let me know that you would like to host one.

Without further ado, we start this week's program with an assortment of favorite springtime CDs, offered up by the HeadGirl at the Common Room.

Bart at the Well-Tempered Blog recommends a CD of Iren Marik playing Bartok as his tip of the week. Bart also provides a free link to an mp3 of Marik performing a piece by Debussy.

Michele at A Small Victory started another one of her trademark music lists today, after seeking input on the 20 best songs from the past 20 years. She was of course responding to the silly list put out by Spin magazine, reported here.

Every musician has a store of "war stories" -- things gone wrong in a performance. Harpist Helen Radice shares a funny one regarding a bird, a turd, and a word. (Rhyme inspired by the third and very funny comment to her post).

Brian Sacawa of Sounds Like Now has posted an mp3 sample of a live performance of pastlife laptops and attic instruments for alto saxophone, turntables, and electronics. If you like experimental saxophone electronica or abstract impressionist jazz, you will like this number.

For the past year, my Munuvian sponsor, Ted "RocketJones" has been receiving comments on this classic 2004 post on Stripper Music. Earlier this year, he put together a master list here.

Speaking of moving to music, Talvi of Of Music and Men doesn't like it. And, curmudgeonly as it sounds, I don't either. My organ teacher discouraged all extraneous movement, not only because it distracted from the music, but also because it hampered proper technique. Flailing around may look dramatic, and large arm movements may appear artistic, but they are really excess motions that can throw off your balance and timing while performing.

Fred is a vocalist who has discovered the humbling experience of learning from a recording of himself. I agree that a microphone can be a great teacher. Remember, however, that the musician is rarely an objective critic (either too harsh or too lenient) and a teacher can help recommend techniques to fix the perceived problems.

Finally, Music Thing posts about Paia, a do-it-yourself synth kit maker since 1967. The post features a very nifty photo of a synthesizer and effects installed in a drill case. (I once owned a broken-but-reapairable Paia modular synth but had to abandon it shortly after marriage during one of our moves. Lack of storage space has been the continual bane of my music hobby).

I hope you've enjoyed this week's carnival. For earlier carnivals, please remember to check the archive page. Thanks!

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Nobody stepped forward volunteering to host this week, but that's understandable since this is a new feature. Please let me know of any blog entries you would like to see included next week. From highbrow to lowbrow, we've got you covered this week.

James Lileks deconstructs Bobby ("Mack the Knife") Darin, including as portrayed in a movie by Kevin Spacey. Who knew that the swingin' singer of Mack was a hippie sympathizer?

Speaking of hippie sympathizers, one of Devo's founding members, Jerry Casale, was a hippie at Kent State. His experience at the riot/shooting so disillusioned him on the whole hippie-positive-vibe naivete that he became a radicalized devolutionist (DEVOlution, get it?) I'm sure hardcore fans of Devo already knew that, but it was an eye-opener for this casual fan. (And did you know that Head Like A Hole, popularized by Nine Inch Nails was originally donecovered by Devo? I only recently heard the originalDevo's remake, which kicks the remake'soriginal's rear end). (Hat tip - BoingBoing). (Thanks go to commenter Peter S. for setting me straight on Head Like A Hole).

And while we're at BoingBoing, check out Party Ben's "Drop It Like It's a Whole Lotta Love"
-- a mashup of Snoop Dogg and Led Zeppelin. Surprisingly effective, as I love Zep and loathe rap.

Neues von Bach! Big news for the music snobs this week. Something new from Poppa Bach. (I am a music snob, btw). Naturally Lynn and Rob Llama were all over this. I look forward to hearing this work once it's recorded (especially if they can get a good Baroque-style soprano who can throttle back her vibrato as appropriate for that era).

The next big thing? Ukulele. Well, maybe not, but Jake Shimabukuro, the "Jimi Hendrix of Hawaii," made the front page of Yahoo News, and will be touring with Jimmy Buffet this summer. Check out some of the samples from Jake's CDs here. "Sunday Morning" brings a smile to my face, as does his own rhapsody on a theme by Paganini ("Selections from Caprice No. 24").

And, to cleanse the palate, enjoy Bach's BWV 594 (Concerto in C Major after Vivaldi) and ask yourself whether overly aggressive copyright laws really are good for the creative arts.

Check for the carnival again next week. If you want to contribute or host, please send me an email.

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Variations on a theme. I don't know if this will take off as a real "Carnival," but I have run across several interesting musical posts in the last few days.

aTypical Joe notes a recent New Yorker article on the effect of listening primarily to recorded music. Interesting, though I'm not sure it's all as bleak as the critic in the New Yorker makes it seem. I do know that listening to a symphony or an organist on CD is nothing compared to the immediate, physical experience of the music first-hand.

Chan the Bookish Gardener points us to the BBC's Beethoven Experience, taking place this week.

Caltechgirl similarly notes the BBC Beethoven Experience, and sends us to the page where free and legal copies of each of Beethoven's symphonies are available for download.

Music Thing (one of my new favorite reads) introduces us to Peter Pringle, King of the Theremin. (Article includes an mp3 of Peter playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow").

Finally, Robert and Lynn discuss the hazards of introducing classical music as primarily a representational art form, when in fact much great music is not strictly programmatic.

I hope you enjoyed this little carnival. If you would like some more, send me links to notable musical posts. If you would like to host a carnival or two yourself, perhaps we can launch yet another Internet carnival.

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