One of these days I’m going to start posting things on time. Or not. I’m spending too much time feeling guilty for not working on my French homework to blog (we’re now to the point in class past what I remember from high school, which means I actually have to, like, pay attention at some level). I don’t feel like picking just a couple of bands this time, so I’m going to post several one-offs that have found frequent airtime on my mix CDs and iPod lately. (A propos of nothing except posting these songs reminds me of hearing them all the way back from seeing HP5 in Dallas on Sunday–Harry Potter in 3D IMAX? Awesome. Highly recommended. The 3D is only for about fifteen minutes near the end, but it’s pretty cool-looking, if a little tending toward eye-strain. I was glad it wasn’t 3D for the whole film.)

I discovered Spoon last year and bought some of their songs on emusic before my subscription ran out and I decided it was an unnecessary expense. Someday, though, when I have money, it’s going to be a necessary expense, because I just ran a quick search on six or seven bands I’ve recently decided I love, and they had them ALL. Especially since based on the two songs I’ve heard from Spoon’s new album, “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga,” they’re only getting better. I generally like this song, “Black Like Me,” but when he hits falsetto for a couple of notes? That completely hooked me, no turning back.

Spoon – Black Like Me (album “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”)
e-music – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)

It took me a few times through a Polyphonic Spree song to really get into it, but this one had me pretty much from the start. I love the density, which makes it impossible to use as background music or anything like it. In fact, it came on during the drive back from Dallas, when I was talking to the two friends riding with me, and it was incredibly distracting and I decided I didn’t like it. But then when I heard it today, by myself, I loved it again. Why? Because it requires your full attention in a way that most music doesn’t anymore.

The Polyphonic Spree – Section 22 [Running Away] (album: “The Fragile Army”)
emusic – The Fragile Army (2007)

There are a lot of Bishop Allen songs on my iPod. I mean, a lot considering I’ve only ever gotten them off mp3 blogs–like seven or eight tracks, where I usually only end up with two or three from a given band before I have to start buying them. And I liked one of those (“Butterfly Nets”) a lot, hated one (“Corazon”), and the rest fell sort of in-between, and yet I never deleted any of them, for an unknown reason. Then I heard “Rain” last week, not at all for the first time. In fact, it’s already on my iPod under two different titles (from different live performances or EPs). Yet it never clicked until now. Couldn’t tell you why. But I’ve listened to it at least five or six times just today.

Bishop Allen – Rain (album: “The Broken String”)
not available on emusic

I think I didn’t listen to Architecture in Helsinki for a while because their name is so odd. And then I decided their name was actually cool, but didn’t seek out their music. And then I saw this Sprint commercial on TV, and was like, that’s a cool song! And then it was on you ain’t no picasso. And so I downloaded it and played it and loved it and put in on mixes and posted it to my blog. The end.

Architecture in Helsinki – Souvenirs (album: “Fingers Crossed”)
emusic: Fingers Crossed (2004)
amazon: (click the album art for “Fingers Crossed”, but note also their upcoming album: Places Like This)

There. And now, between this post and all the previous Music Monday ones, you’ve pretty much got the mix CD I made last weekend and listened to two or three times today while running errands and procrastinating French homework. :)