One of my all-time favorite bands, Ultravox, with a fine specimen of early-1980s New Wave:

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Reminds me of a hybrid between Kraftwerk and Cirque du Soleil. Very interesting. And check out the real Mellotron.

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All the cool kids are doing it again.

Here are the top-10 songs (by play count) in my folder in iTunes:

1. "Halo" by O'Donnell/Salvatori - (Yes, the original theme from the best video game I have ever played).
2. "Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd - this is a good song, but it ranks so highly because I bought it from iTunes and only play it on the computer or my iPod. (A lot of songs that I play over and over are still stranded on their original CDs and haven't been imported into the computer just yet).
3. "The Current" by Blue Man Group and Gavin Rossdale - I know many see them as a gimmick group, a bit too contrived and self-aware, but I don't care. I love the BMG.
4. "Don't Change" by INXS - one of the few songs in my library imported from a CD. It was all downhill from here for INXS (Shabooh Shoobah is one of my top-10 favorite albums).
5. "African Trilogy" by Neil Diamond - I dare you to diss Neil. Go ahead... do ya feel lucky, punk?
6. "Above" by Blue Man Group - BMG also ranks highly because theirs was one of the first "albums" I downloaded from iTunes.
7. "I Feel Love" by Blue Man Group, Tracy Bonham, and Rob Swift.
8. "Lazarus Raised" by Peter Gabriel - from Passion (the original soundtrack to The Last Temptation of Christ).
9. "I Ran" by A Flock of Seagulls - Love the 1980s.
10. "Imagine" by A Perfect Circle - (I don't know why this ranks higher than Judith, a far superior original A Perfect Circle song. Still, this cover tops the original flaccid Lennon crap).

And now, to revisit the classic meme (as Hucbald did), here are the first ten songs to pop up in iTunes in shuffle mode:

1. "Wake Up" by Doctors' Mob (My favorite live band in Austin during my college years).
2. "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones
3. "Where I Live" by Doctors' Mob
4. "Without You" by Asia
5. Prelude in G-Sharp Minor, Op. 16, No. 2 by Scriabin
6. "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen" (from Readers Digest's Joyous Music of Christmastime)
7. "I Stand Alone" by Wetton and Downes (Eww. This one reeks).
8. "Vertigo" by U2
9. "Hymn" by Ultravox (one of the most underrated and criminally forgotten bands of the 1980s)
10. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)" by The Tokens

Hey, this is fun! Ten more under the fold:

more...

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Check out this really cool Radiohead video.

(Hat tip: INDCent Bill).

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Hucbald the West-Texas musical monk with a thing for redheads posted a nice review of Willie Nelson's concert to benefit the public radio station in Alpine, Texas. Turns out that Dan Rather was there to introduce Willie. Bizarre.

Also, to Hucbald, you're not the first one to find it doubtful that J.S. Bach authored the T&F in d minor for organ.

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Check out this fun article about lawyers fact-checking the claims of a music critic.

In my job, a paralegal and I have to clear press releases (usually just for proper trademark usage, but also for factual claims that could count as representations). The lawyers in this article seem a bit cautious to me.

Here's a taste, but be sure to read the whole thing (the lawyers' critiques are in italics):

Really. What 1970s musical variety show wasn't badly mimed?

(Hat tip: Lynn S. at A Sweet, Familiar Dissonance)

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1 They've got nothing on the legal department I have to work with when it comes to cautious. I once submitted a trade ad that contained a ying-yang symbol. It came back with a comment on that graphic that asked "Did we design this here or buy the rights to use it?"

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at January 31, 2006 05:50 PM (DdRjH)

2 They were using British standards for libel, so it would be more strict than in the US. But still, it seemed a bit much.

Posted by: owlish at February 01, 2006 08:36 AM (UoYpV)

3 I just love our Learned Profession, don't you? (Go ahead, *ask* me how my week's been. > )

Posted by: Lysander at February 03, 2006 02:08 PM (ShW/G)

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Please go and congratulate John Salmon at Magritte's Apple for stepping up to host the Carnival of Music from now on.

I will keep the old archive page up indefinitely, and for the near future, the online drop box will remain active.

Thanks for your previous support. Let's help John make this successful.

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I discovered a new and very fun-to-read music blog: Terminal Degree.

The author is a music teacher. I discovered her thanks to this fantastic comment she left at The Phantom Professor's recently:

I felt that was addressed directly to my overachieving Plano, Texas strive-more crowd. In fact, the last paragraph is something my family has already done: we have severely curtailed all three kids' activities this year. No more sports this school year, and nothing extra beyond Scouting and music lessons. I know it runs counter to the "enrichment" mentality so endemic around here, but our kids seem much happier having the freedom to just paint at the kitchen table, play in the driveway, ride bikes, or read. Heck, even to watch some TV or play some video games with me. Not everything needs to be regimented and supervised.

Anyway, what does any of this have to do with the title of this blog post? To find out, go read this entertaining story of a day in the life of a music teacher. I swear that could be my second son.

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Please check out the 25th installment of the Carnival of Music at Pilgrimage to Parnassus. It is a nicely classically-centered affair this week.

Despite the optimistic tone of this week's host, I have not received enough sustained interest to keep the Carnival going. Effective now, the Carnival is on an indefinite hiatus. I will keep the archive page up so that random surfers can find and enjoy the many worthy efforts of the fine hosts and contributors.

Maybe I will resurrect the idea in the future, maybe not.

In the meantime, if you are interested in assuming control of this carnival theme, please let me know. Thanks!

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The next Carnival of Music will take place next Monday (16 January 2006) at Pilgrimage to Parnassus.

If anyone is interested in assuming the Carnival of Music, I would be happy to turn it over to a new owner. Please leave a comment or send me an email.

I don't have time to implement the many wonderful ideas proposed previously to revive the concept, and it has been caught in the doldrums for a couple of months now. If no one steps forward, I will put it on indefinite hiatus.

In the meantime send your musical links to the online drop box, and I'll see that they get to Daniel at Pilgrimage to Parnassus for inclusion in the next Carnival. Thanks!

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This week's Carnival finds its emergency home this week here, where it all began on my blog. I hope this is not where it will end.

Structurally, I think I have done everything necessary to make the Carnival a success. We are listed on a couple of Blog Carnival referral pages, and for most of the carnivals I have notified the major bloggers.

I wonder what I am doing wrong. I certainly cannot blame the submitters and wonderful volunteer hosts, whose fine efforts have distinguished the Carnival of Music as one of the most interesting in the blogosphere.

Is the blogosphere just oversaturated with carnivals? Is the topic of "music" too broad? Does there need to be a Carnival of Jazz, or Composers, or Rock??

I have not been as engaged in the Carnival over the last few weeks as I should be, and I'm sure that hasn't helped much. Still, it seems like the Carnival hasn't ever reached that critical mass of readers to stimulate volunteers for hosting and posting.

I would be interested in any suggestions.

In the meantime, please spread the word and check out the many fine submissions we have received over the last 2 weeks in Carnival of Music #24.

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This week's carnival is a bit of a rushed affair, as I wasn't planning to host this week. Nevertheless, there were a good number of posts waiting in the drop box. Please check out these fine entries:

Elisa Camahort has been filling in the gaps in her music collection with iTunes. Elisa also has a post at The Browster Blog asking Who Will Deliver Me My Nirvana? As Google has introduced music search, Elisa explores what she wants from music search and compares Google, Yahoo, and the iTunes Music Store.

Andrew Ian Dodge at GoD: blog presents Now we have gone & done it. What is "it?" Go see.

Turns out that Coldplay is to Jon Pearce at Dodgeblogium like Kryptonite to Superman.

Doug Mataconis at Below The Beltway presents Happy Birthday Ol' Blue Eyes. Doug grew up listening to Frank Sinatra. It wasn't because his parents were particularly Sinatra fans. Instead, growing up in New Jersey he really couldn't help it. In big ways and small, Sinatra was everywhere. On the radio. Blaring over the speakers at Yankee Stadium at the end of a game. In Atlantic City. You get the idea.

Back in July, Starling David Hunter took note of an announcement by MTV that it had purchased Neopets, the parent company of popular website Neopets.com, for an undisclosed sum. Here's the strategic logic behind the acquisition: Virtual Pet Shop Boys

Adam at Sophistpundit examines intellectual property, and what the future might hold for artistic expression.

Prent Rodgers at Microtonal Music Podcasts invites you to listen to four different microtonal pieces by four different composers, all for solo piano. Each was done using a different set of techniques to retune the piano, with different intonation systems, and all showcase the world between the 1:1 and the 2:1. Check it out.

Please check out the archive page for previous Carnivals, to submit posts for inclusion in future carnivals, and to volunteer to host.

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Is Humps by The Black Eyed Peas really that bad?

Oh yes, indeed. Pure dagnasty evil, it is.

From Hua Hsu's article in Slate:

Ouch.

When we moved into the new house this summer, we finally got cable TV again, after an 11-year abstinence therefrom. I have since then caught brief snippets of truly bad videos on MTV, VH1, and BET while surfing channels. (Until I saw My Humps, I thought the worst music video I had ever seen was Missy Elliott's Lose Control. So bad, it almost forces you to watch. And what's up with slappy clappy happy slaves dancing in sexually suggestive ways in mid-1800s costumes? Must have some sort of "deep" meaning to it, but it went right past me).

Hat tip to Mediocre Fred for pointing me to these awful noises and images. (Gee, thanks).

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I had no clue that jazz master Dave Brubeck was still alive, much less touring at his age.

Last week, on December 6, he turned 85.

Read more here about his life and influences. (You know you're getting old when your birthday wishes start to read like obituaries - in fact, I bet this author took out his canned obit and put a different intro and conclusion to it for the birthday piece).

Keith Emerson cites Dave Brubeck as one of his influences, and Brubeck is thus indirectly one of my influences.

Here's wishing him continued health and long(er) life.

(Via Rand Simberg)

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Bookish Gardener Chan provides an exquisitely economical review of Camille Paglia's latest on Madonna.

Be sure to compare and contrast Paglia's essential disco playlist with Chan's.

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This week's edition of the Carnival of Music is taking place over at Starling Hunter's The Business of America is Business (great name for a blog!)

Drop by and check it out.

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The 23rd Carnival of Music has a host! Starling Hunter at The Business of America is Business will be hosting our next edition of the Carnival, next Monday (December 5).

Please submit posts here.

Also, we REALLY need some more hosts for future editions of the Carnival. This is more than a link-whoring traffic-generator for the participants involved. It has so far been a remarkably diverse celebration of all kinds of music, from the highbrow to the low, the player's perspective to the listerner's, the composer's to the critic's. Please help make this Carnival a lasting success and volunteer here.

Spread the word!

Thanks!

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Sorry for the belated posting. Please check out Brian Sacawa's Thanksgiving edition of the Carnival, posted two days ago at Brian's Sounds Like Now.

We'll be on temporary hiatus next Monday, but I hope to have a host lined up by the first Monday in December.

As always, go to the Carnival's home page to peruse earlier editions and for more information about hosting or submitting posts for the Carnival.

Thanks, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

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The Music Carnival turned 21 yesterday at Owlish's place. I like how he visited the blogs of past hosts to find some additional linkable material. Check it out.

The 22nd Carnival will be held at Brian Sacawa: Sounds Like Now next Monday.

Please volunteer to host future carnivals and submit your posts for next week's carnival here.

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Ray Kurzweil offers this nice eulogy of one of the twentieth century's most influential inventors.

(Via Mixolydian Don).

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