As if this blog wasn't irregular enough, I'm taking a break for about a couple of months.
My iMac, which has the program that converts my songs into the Flash format you listen to here, has died on me. I'm still thinking whether to buy a new one or have it fixed. Either way, it'll take a while before my online life is back on track. If you wish to know when I start blogging again, please e-mail me at alternativesounds {at} gmail.com
Now as to why I've been quiet for a longer while than usual, yes, that was a bit rude, not making good on my promise of a diverse all-women March. Weird as it may sound, my frame of mind has just been focused on something else. Since my last post, I've not only quit my job, but I've also left the world of journalism where I spent many happy years. Truth is, I had long been wanting to shift careers, but it was never easy for me to do, being in a place the language of which I don't speak, and not having letters of higher learning after my name. You can imagine how happy I was when I got this new job – the title and description will bore you, but it's exactly what I'd been looking for – and so I wanted to make sure that my mind was a fresh, clean slate before my first day. I'm still going through a learning curve, but I think I'll be fine.
In other news, I had 10 days off in between jobs, and during that time, I finally had the chance to organize my CDs. I think I overdid it. I separately alphabetized my English-language and world-music albums by artist name. Then I stacked my compilation CDs by genre and alphabetized them by album title, then my soundtrack albums by film title, and then my freebie CDs by the names of the magazines they came from.
I've also been buying a lot of new albums. Here are some of them, and it pains me that I can't blog about them just yet:
- Air : Pocket Symphony
- Andrew Bird : Armchair Apocrypha
- The Arcade Fire : Neon Bible
- Archie Bronson Outfit : Derdang Derdang
- Arctic Monkeys : Favourite Worst Nightmare
- Bright Eyes : Cassadaga
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah : Some Loud Thunder
- Everybody Else : Eponymous
- Grinderman : Eponymous
- Kings of Leon : Because of the Times
- LCD Soundsystem : Sound of Silver
- Low : Drums and Guns
- Matt Costa : Songs We Sing
- Modest Mouse : We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
- Rodrigo y Gabriela : Eponymous
- The Shins : Wincing The Night Away
- Tracy Thorn : Out of the Woods
Anyway. I was actually able to convert three songs into Flash before my iMac died. Here's the rest of what I promised last month.
fall at your feet : mary black
click here or on the image below to listen
Fall At Your Feet by Crowded House ranks high up in my favorite songs of all time, and this cover version doesn't disappoint. Mary Black, an Irish folk artist, made it her own and even infused a lot more emotion than the original.
A strong reminder that some of the best beats in music can be heard outside the English-speaking world. Gigi is from Ethiopia.
recovery : new buffalo
click here or on the image below to listen
I saw this act in Sydney last year. Very good.
