Listening to:

Last weekend I put together 100 songs as a soundtrack for a party. It went really well! I’m in the process of transcribing the list and may post it here soon. In the meantime, here’s a list of some of the stuff I have been listening to this week:

1. Porcupine Tree – In absentia. Heavy heavy heavy.

2. Marc Almond – Stranger Things. Luscious sounds.

3. Okna Tsahan Zam – shaman voices. Already raved about this album on this blog.

4. King Crimson – Lizard. Second album by this band, a bit dated but good fun to listen to.

5. String Cheese Incident – tracks for download from their site (http://www.stringcheeseincident.com/copy.sounds.htm). Incredibly talented band in the Grateful Dead and Santana mould. A friend brought an album back from the US this summer – heard it and thought Wow! Had to get hold of some stuff.

6. Gong – Other side of the sky: a collection. Double CD collection, reminds me of the albums I used to have and why I raved about them, even the silly bits!

7. Tortoise – Standards. New discovery for me – in a field of their own!

8. Various Artists – Wein, Weib und Gesang (Download from Kikapu Records at www.kikapu.com). Five hours of music for transferring to an mp3 CD.

9. Tom Waits – Blood Money. This is a brilliant album. I’m listening to it to gear up ready for buying his new album ‘Real Gone’.

10. Sigur Ros – Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do. Spectacularly weird mini album from a collaboration performance with Merce Cunningham and Radiohead.

No wonder I’m feeling good at the moment!