I think that some instruments were created for a specific purpose. The electric guitar, for… Read the postWeek 37: “Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 49” by Dmitry Kabalevsky
If you were giving advice to someone trying to make a name for themselves in… Read the postWeek 36: “Whirlpool” by Tim Fagan
There are some things that, for reasons you can’t fully explain, make you cry like… Read the postWeek 35: “Casimir Pulaski Day” by Sufjan Stevens
In an earlier post (this one) I declared Sarah Harmer’s song “Lodestar” to be the… Read the postWeek 34: “Dynamite Walls” by Hayden
And now, a brief story about why I like sample-based music. Many years ago, I… Read the postWeek 33: “His Majesty King Raam” by Lemon Jelly
I’m not the Grinch. I’m not a Christmas-hater. I think Christmas is a great time… Read the postWeek 32: “Little Girl Blue” by Nina Simone
Sometimes beautiful songs show up in the least likely places. A couple of years ago,… Read the postWeek 31: “Despertar” by Aisha Duo
It’s always seemed strange to me that Blur and Oasis got lumped into the same… Read the postWeek 30: “Tender” by Blur
I took piano lessons for almost a decade as a child, but by mid-high school… Read the postWeek 29: “Clair De Lune” by Claude Debussy
One of the great things about the emergence of alternative and indie music in the… Read the postWeek 28: “The King of Carrot Flowers, part 1” by Neutral Milk Hotel
Sometimes your enjoyment of a particular band has more to do with one particular band… Read the postWeek 27: “Ramparts” by John Frusciante
Picking which Death Cab song to include on this list is like being asked to… Read the postWeek 26: “Marching Bands of Manhattan” by Death Cab For Cutie
The Texas-based instrumental rock band Explosions in the Sky got their big break when their… Read the postWeek 25: “Day Eight” by Explosions in the Sky
When he was 21, Chris O’Connor and two friends formed a band called the I-Rails.… Read the postWeek 24: “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand” by Primitive Radio Gods
Family road trips have changed over the years. Today, things like iPods, PSP’s, and TV… Read the postWeek 23: “Vocalise” by Rachmaninov (as performed by Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma)
If you are Canadian, chances are you have seen the work of the National Film… Read the postWeek 22: “Dayvan Cowboy” by Boards Of Canada
In the span of about 18 months, Leslie Feist when from being just another face… Read the postWeek 21: “The Water” by Feist
Keeping with the European theme of last week’s entry, this week we move west to… Read the postWeek 20: “Les Deux Pianos” by Yann Tiersen
Admit it. Part of you is fascinated by Scandinavia. I’m not sure how it happened;… Read the postWeek 19: “Live Long” by Kings of Convenience
Yes, this is an entry about a song by Extreme. Yes, that Extreme, the hair… Read the postWeek 18: “Midnight Express” by Extreme