i love this song, pt 6

no second chance, philip glass (conducted by michael riesman)


you can download it here

i can't quite explain why i love this so much

arcade fire plays neon bible in an elevator


the avett brothers play st. joseph's in a gondola

al green

you've probably heard some of his better known songs (let's stay together, tired of being alone, etc), but you should be listening to almost everything he did in the early-mid 70's.

this this has got to be one of the better pieces of album art out there. i love this song.
i'm so glad you're mine, i'm still in love with you


al became an ordained minister in the late 70's and focused on gospel music for about 30 yrs. his attempts to find his sound were mostly futile until he collaborated with questlove from the roots on his latest album.

here's the title track
lay it down (ft. anthony hamilton), lay it down


you can download his music here

jim noir

jim is a quiet fellow from manchester who writes and records everything himself. his sound is completely unique.

how to be so real, tower of love



this next one is a really weird song that has never been released. there is a disembodied narrator telling snippets of the elves and the shoemaker in the background. jim doesn't start singing until about 2:15, but it is worth the wait. enjoy...
hello and good morning


you can download his music (except for hello and good morning) here

i love this song, pt 5

aluminum city by honeycut



you can download it here

how to make a ringtone for your iPhone using iTunes

this will only work on unprotected files, scroll to the bottom of the post for a quick explanation of how to determine whether your song is protected

1. open iTunes and make sure your settings are set to create a ringtone (steps 2-3).

2. go to "Preferences" (i think this is under "File" on a pc), select "Import Settings" under the "General" tab



3. Select "AAC Encoder" under "Import Using:"


4. pick the song you want to create into a ringtone. listen to the song and decide what part of it you want to use as the ringtone - you have up to 40 seconds

5. ctrl+click (right click on a pc) the song and select "get info"



6. select the "options" tab, put in the desired start and stop time (again, up to :40), and press ok


7. ctrl+click your song and select "Create AAC Version". this will create a new file of the song with your start and stop time.


8. drag the new file (which will be shorter than the original) to the desktop

9. after dragging it to the desktop, delete the new file from iTunes. you must do this or you iTunes will not import the ringtone. at some point you will want to go back and deselect the start and stop time on the original file so your song will play normally

9. rename the file. change the extension from ."m4a" to ".m4r". if prompted, select "Use .m4r"




10. drag the new .m4r file into your iTunes library. if you have done everything correctly, it should show up in the ringtones playlist

11. sync your iPhone or drag the ringtone into your iPhone if you manage it manually

12. you're done


how to recognize file types:
this only works on unprotected files. most songs that you buy on iTunes now are no longer protected. you can see what type of file it is by ctrl+clicking (right click on a pc) the toolbar where it says Song, Artist, Album etc. and selecting "Kind"

if the file is a "Protected AAC" it will not work, but if it is a "Purchased AAC" or "MPEG Audio File" or "AAC" it will work.

there is a way to "unprotect" protected files, but it's a bit of a pain

grizzly bear

another of daniel rossen's (from department of eagles) bands...

two weeks, veckatimest


easier, yellow house


you can download their music here

i love this song, pt 4

in an aeroplane over the sea by neutral milk hotel


you can download it here

blitzen trapper

just listen to the words in this song (lyrics below)...

furr - furr


country caravan - wild mountain nation


you can download their music here

here are the lyrics for furr:

Yeah, when I was only 17,
I could hear the angels whispering
So I droned into the words and
wondered aimlessly about 'til
I heard my mother shouting through the fog
It turned out to be the howling of a dog
or a wolf to be exact.
The sound sent shivers down my back
but I was drawn into the pack.
And before long, they allowed me
to join in and sing this song.
So from the cliffs and highest hill, yeah
we would gladly get our fill,
howling endlessly and shrilly at the dawn.
And I lost the taste for judging right from wrong.
For my flesh had turned to fur, yeah
And my thoughts, they surely were, turned to
instinct and obedience to God.

You can wear your fur
like the river on fire.
But you better be sure
if your makin' God a liar.
I'm a rattlesnake, babe,
I'm like fuel on fire.
So if you're gonna' get made,
don't be afraid of what you've learned.

On the day that I turned 23,
I was curled up underneath a dogwood tree.
When suddenly a girl
with skin the color of a pearl,
she wondered aimlessly,
but she didn't seem to see.
She was listnin' for the angels just like me.
So I stood and looked about.
I brushed the leaves off of my snout.
And then I heard my mother shouting through the trees.
You should have seen that girl go shaky at the knees.
So I took her by the arm
we settled down upon a farm.
And raised our children up as
jubilee as you pleased.

And now my fur has turned to skin.
And I've been quickly ushered in
to a world that I confess I do not know.
But I still dream of running careless through the snow.
An' through the howlin' winds that blow,
across the ancient distant flow,
it fill our bodies up like water 'til we know.

You can wear your fur
like the river on fire.
But you better be sure
if your makin' God a liar.
I'm a rattlesnake, babe,
I'm like fuel on fire.
So if you're gonna' get made,
don't be afraid of what you've learned.

sam cooke

sam cooke had this to say when he was asked to define soul:


bring it on home to me (might be my favorite song... ever)


nothing can change this love


you can download his music here

rogue wave

zack schwartz created rogue wave after losing his job in the dot-com bust. thank you dot-com bust.

eyes, eyes - single


rarely does a cover improve on the original, but these guys completely nailed it here

everyday, stubbs the zombie soundtrack


you can download their music here
or listen to them online here

trojan records

genuine vintage reggae. i love this stuff. trojan (now owned by sanctuary) has put together a bunch of box sets for your convenience (i'm partial to the rocksteady set)

ba ba boom, the jamaicans


dreams to remember, the hippy boys


carry go bring come, justin hinds and the dominoes


iTunes has also put together an essentials page for trojan records and rocksteady

m ward

(the one on the left) he's half of the duo she and him, the other half being that cutie pitootie zooey deschanel (on the right). he's a gifted songwriter and has got a great lo-fi sound.

here comes the sun again, transistor radio


never had nobody like you (feat. zooey deschanel), hold time


you can download his music here
or listen to him online here