Listening to update

I try to save my 40 monthly emusic tracks for as long as I can, but inevitably I have downloaded all of them the day they refresh, as was the case this month, and it's all thanks to these three new albums sitting in my "Listening To" section.

Basia Bulat - Oh, My Darling I'm working on a review for this one for Nada Mucho right now. I love the record. On some of her more upbeat tracks she reminds me of Richard and Linda Thompson back when they were on speaking terms. "In The Night" is without a doubt my favorite song on the album, but I warn you the linked video there involves drummers dressed up as bears and dancers dressed up as skelingtons... It is not for the faint of heart.

Nellie McKay - Obligatory Villagers So her first album Get Away From Me was about 50 percent pretty great. The 50 percent I preferred leaned on the conventional vaudeville side of things, rather than the intentionally weird, They Might Be Giants side of things. This new one, unfortunately, leans on the weird side. There's some great moments, but it's not a casual listen, because it's music that really grabs your attention through odd voices and blurting interjections. I still enjoy it, especially "Zombie" but there's not a track that stands out as strongly as "Ding Dong".

Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová - The Swell Season I've written about these two. Their album is essentially half songs from the film Once. The difference here is that the songs are all piano, guitar, violin and cello, rather than piano, guitars, bass and drums. "Falling Slowly" is still the best track, and Hansard's explanation about the song on that video is pretty hilarious.