Erie Canal (Day 113)

The Raconteurs - "Five On The Five"
Am I the only one who loves the new-ish Raconteurs album? I think I once referred to it as a guilty pleasure, but you know what? I don't feel guilty anymore. It's a balls-to-the-wall, kick-ass rock album, that manages to feel old-fashioned and modern at the same time. It's definitely my go-to album of late when I just want to rawk out a bit. Yes, I still love you ephemeral, folky friends like Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes, but a guy's gotta bang his head too, ya know? It's also a rare follow-up album that is actually better than the group's debut. Not many examples of that these days...I can't even think of one. You?
Dan Zanes - "Erie Canal"
Today's Song With The Most Previous Plays (a whopping 21!) comes courtesy of my daughter. It's the eighth track on Dan Zane's album Rocket Ship Beach, an early favorite of hers (and mine). Nice traditional tune though, sung by Suzanne Vega.
Rivers Cuomo - "The Bomb"
Johnny Cash - "Send A Picture Of Mother"
Sloan - "Light Years"
Gustavo Santaolalla - "Pajaros"
Tom Waits - "Children's Story"
It's called "Children's Story" and Tom Waits recites this little tale in the cadence of a father reading to his child over a lilting melody but the whole thing is a bit more nihilistic than that. Check it out:

Once upon a time there was a poor child, with no father and no mother
And everything was dead
And no one was left in the whole world
Everything was dead

And the child went on search, day and night
And since nobody was left on the earth, he wanted to go up into the heavens
And the moon was looking at him so friendly
And when he finally got to the moon, the moon was a piece of rotten wood

And then he went to the sun
And when he got there, the sun was a wilted sunflower
And when he got to the stars, they were little golden flies.
Stuck up there, like the shrike sticks 'em on a blackthorn

And when he wanted to go back, down to earth, the earth was an overturned piss pot
And he was all alone, and he sat down and he cried
And he is there till this day

All alone

Um, yeah, who's gonna sleep well now? Apparently the story comes from Woyzeck which is a 19th century German play by Georg Buchner about a soldier of questionable mental health who murders his mistress. (At one point a "Doctor" conducts an experiment on the poor soldier during which he must eat nothing but peas. He then goes kinda nuts. Further proof that this not a text for kids.) On a sunnier note, my 2.9-year-old is a voracious reader. (Or listener really, since she can't read - - although she is a pretty great memorizer.) He current favorites are a bit sunnier than Woyzeck. They include (because I'm sure you're wondering):



I think this odd trio of books actually sums up her personality pretty well: Adventurous, mischievous and girlie.
Elvis Costello & The Imposters - "Nothing Clings Like Ivy"
The Flatlanders - "Julia"
Tortoise - "I Set My Face To The Hillside"
Fruit Bats - "Magic Hour"
The Evens - "Eventually"
The Strokes - "15 Minutes"

And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 13
Total minutes of music (approx.): 45
Song with the most previous plays: "Erie Canal" - 21
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Had some NY Times inspired house envy. How cool would it be to live in this pad?: