This post's purpose is to collect my common tags in one place, so readers (and I!) can easily access entries on several subjects.

Went to see Meshell Ndegeocello last night and it was great. Despite me being very, very tired. I really want to check out her new album now. Her backup band was really excellent and really tight, as well. She's changed a lot since the early 1990s! When she did some of her earlier work, she performed it in completely new ways, so they felt like new songs.

And she's such a marvelous bassist. I could have listened to her on bass all night.

There was one song, that I didn't recognize, that felt like a blend of Bjork and Sade.

I really don't need to say anything else, do I?

I went to the gym again this morning, despite it being a post-choir day (rehearsal ends at 10 pm, so I'm always short of sleep the day after). I lifted weights and did ten minutes of cardio, and made it to work with ten minutes to spare. Still figuring out how to save time here and there in the non-exercise parts, so I can use my lunch hour for workouts and not be gone for too awfully long. I am slightly stiff, but don't hurt.

Wrote just over 500 words at lunch yesterday. Brought netbook to hopefully get the same at lunch today.

We got the last (and most difficult) of the Macmillan pieces last night, a setting of "O Bone Jesu," to pair with the Carver setting of the same text. Hint: they are nothing alike! I've never sung this piece before, so that makes me happy, too.

Here are two of the pieces we're doing, performed by the Westminster Cathedral Choir. Please comment if you download, and also if you are a Macmillan fan. Or if I have converted you!

Christus Vincit, James Macmillan. Make sure to listen all the way to the end.

Kyrie, Mass, James Macmillan.

This is the recording: MacMillan: Mass and other sacred works.

Tell me your favorite songs about cities, or with cities in the titles, or by bands named after cities.

Eighties Mix. Let me know if you download.

No particularly original choices in this mix; that's sort of the point.

Eighties Mix

1. "Owner of a Lonely Heart," Yes
2. "You Spin Me Right Round," Dead or Alive
3. "Der Komissar," After the Fire (Falco cover)
4. "White Wedding," Billy Idol
5. "Time After Time," Cyndi Lauper
6. "Relax," Frankie Goes to Hollywood
7. "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty
8. "The Metro," Berlin
9. "Tom Sawyer," Rush
10. "La Isla Bonita," Madonna
11. "The Teacher," Big Country
12. "Sweet Dreams," Eurythmics
13. "Who Can It Be Now," Men At Work
14. "Fascination," Human League
15. "Rio," Duran Duran
16. "Crimson and Clover," Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (Tommy James and the Shondells cover)
17. "Cruel Summer," Bananarama
18. "The Safety Dance," Men Without Hats
19. "King of Pain," The Police

Tom Purdom reminded me of this awesome, awesome bit from Patrick O'Brian the other day, from the Aubrey-Maturin series. In this section, Jack Aubrey is speaking to Stephen Maturin about some new music he's acquired.

( Bach had a father. )

I should walk around all the time with a Bach soundtrack. I listened to choruses on my walk home yesterday--the first "Kyrie" lasted all the way from my office to the bridge--and on the bus this morning. I get an amazing uplift from the beginning of "Et expecto," and the segue into "Sanctus" is so glorious, so heavenly, so joyful. Perhaps it's that "Sanctus" is when suddenly the chorus goes into six parts, and to set it off, it's all swirling, soaring, spiraling threes.

I've come to realize that while singing is a somatic experience for me, listening is a somatic experience, too.

I wrote 1500 words on Saturday morning and went to the Orchestra with Tom Purdom in the evening, where I heard Sergey Khachatryan's truly stunning performance of Shostakovich's Violin Concerto #1--one of those times when your eyes can't move from the performer and if your ears could swivel, they would, to catch every scrap of sound. Kurt Masur was the guest conductor. The other pieces were Brahms' Symphony No. 2 and Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks," from which they also did a brief encore, which is almost unheard of these days; program must have been a little short. About halfway through the walk home, Bach started in again on my brain radio.

Sunday, I cleaned and tidied. A lot. I boxed up more books in my ongoing struggle to make my shelves appear less messy and crammed, discovering a few books I'd forgotten I had in the process. Also a duplicate copy of one of the Retief books (Keith Laumer); I left those out, along with Fritz Leiber, because I've been thinking about a reread. I also attempted to buy a wire box to hold cds at an office supply store, which didn't have them even though they had every other wire desk accessory. At least they had manila envelopes, which I also needed.

Tonight, paleologa is in town, so barbarienne and feklar and I are all going out with her for Brazilian barbecue. The war cry of that event is, "Meat!"

I'll be working on this chorus, "et expecto," from Bach's B minor Mass this weekend, trying to memorize it as much as possible. If I can go by this week's rehearsal, we're doing it faster than the recording I've provided (that one's by The Sixteen). I'm not quite up to that speed yet.

Have the Sanctus, too. It is very awesome.

My favorite recent music acquisitions are two cds by Rokia Traoré, a singer from Mali. Here's a track from her. The song is called "M'Bifo."

What's your favorite pop song featuring stringed instruments? Like, where they're a significant portion of the melody or background or otherwise significant to your thoughts/memories of the song?

Yes, this is for a mix. I have most of it done already, but you never know what other people will suggest unless you ask.

Ave virgo sponsa dei, by Adrian Willaert. Eight minutes, thirty-eight seconds. Performers are The King's Singers. Best with headphones. Pay attention to the bass line.

I love this piece more than I can say.

In case anyone missed it and still wants it, here's another link to my Nov-08 Political Playlist.

1. "Have You Had Enough," Rickie Lee Jones
2. "Wake Up," Rage Against the Machine"
3. "Beautiful Struggle," Talib Kweli
4. "A Change Is Gonna Come," Ben Sollee (Sam Cooke cover)
5. "Eyes on the Prize/Hold On," Sweet Honey in the Rock
6. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," Stevie Wonder
7. "We Shall Not Be Moved," Mavis Staples
8. "Freedom Is Like Gold," Andy M. Stewart and Manus Lunny
9. "State of the World," Lifesavas
10. "Pastures of Plenty," Odetta (Woody Guthrie cover)
11. "One Little Step Towards Freedom," Kim and Reggie Harris
12. "People Get Ready," The Blind Boys Of Alabama
13. "Power and the Glory," Phil Ochs
14. "Change A Gonna Come," Asian Dub Foundation
15. "Go," Indigo Girls
16. "Get Up, Stand Up," Bob Marley and the Wailers
17. "We Shall Not Be Moved," Sweet Honey in the Rock
18. "The Times They Are A Changin'," Keb' Mo' (Bob Dylan cover)
19. "It's a New Day," Will.I.Am
20. "We Shall Overcome," Mahalia Jackson
21. "Somos El Barco," John McCutcheon
22. "The Star Spangled Banner," Ruben Guevara

December 2008 Mix. Several on this one I discovered thanks to folks on the friendlist, so thanks!

I spent most of December playing with the choices and order, and never being quite satisfied; then I listened again this month and rather liked it. A number of these songs are still in rotation on my MP3 player.

I am considering making these mix posts friends-only--please comment if you download, so I know to add you. Thanks!

( Playlist. )

1. What are your top five favorite pop songs from the 1980s?

at the moment:
"The Metro," Berlin
"Time After Time," Cyndi Lauper
"The Teacher," Big Country
"Fascination," Human League
"Sweet Dreams," The Eurythmics

2. What song do you feel a 1980s mix absolutely must include?

"The Safety Dance," Men Without Hats

3. What group/singer do you feel a 1980s mix absolutely must include?

Madonna.

4. Which 1980s song are you most sick of hearing?

Right now, "Tainted Love."

5. Optional question: were you alive during the 1980s?

Yes.

Here's the November 2008 list at MegaUpload.

There's one transition I thought was a little rough towards the end, but pfui, I'm sending it out anyway. Enjoy! Please comment if downloading.

November 2008

1. "Have You Had Enough," Rickie Lee Jones
2. "Wake Up," Rage Against the Machine
3. "Beautiful Struggle," Talib Kweli
4. "A Change Is Gonna Come," Ben Sollee (Sam Cooke cover)
5. "Eyes on the Prize/Hold On," Sweet Honey in the Rock
6. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," Stevie Wonder
7. "We Shall Not Be Moved," Mavis Staples
8. "Freedom Is Like Gold," Andy M. Stewart and Manus Lunny
9. "State of the World," Lifesavas
10. "Pastures of Plenty," Odetta (Woody Guthrie cover)
11. "One Little Step Towards Freedom," Kim and Reggie Harris
12. "People Get Ready," The Blind Boys Of Alabama
13. "Power and the Glory," Phil Ochs
14. "Change A Gonna Come," Asian Dub Foundation
15. "Go," Indigo Girls
16. "Get Up, Stand Up," Bob Marley and the Wailers
17. "We Shall Not Be Moved," Sweet Honey in the Rock
18. "The Times They Are A Changin'," Keb' Mo' (Bob Dylan cover)
19. "It's a New Day," Will.I.Am
20. "We Shall Overcome," Mahalia Jackson
21. "Somos El Barco," John McCutcheon
22. "The Star Spangled Banner," Ruben Guevara

My computer is fixed, but I lost all my music player files, so goodbye to several playlists in progress and at least three I'd already zipped to post. Could recreate those, but it would be a big hassle, since their source songs are scattered among many, many different backup cds.

Pfui.

Also I do not like the updated music player. I do not like the default views, Sam I Am. I do not like the way it sorts, Sam I Am. I do not like it! Do Not Want! Pfui again.

However, I pieced together most of my November 2008 mix from my LJ post of a couple days ago, and was able to re-purchase the MP3s I bought for it, and found some of the others on my most recent backup. And one song, I just gave up and re-ripped.

Pfui. Again, pfui.

I never thought this would happen, but I'm actually stuck on a mix. November 2008 has a bunch of political songs, some related to the election and some not, and I seem to have run out of ideas, at least ideas of songs I like and that seem to fit in with the others. Suggestions?

This is what I have so far:
"Beautiful Struggle," Talib Kweli
"A Change Is Gonna Come," Ben Sollee (Sam Cooke cover)
"Eyes on the Prize/Hold On," Sweet Honey in the Rock
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," Stevie Wonder
"We Shall Not Be Moved," Mavis Staples
"State of the World," Lifesavas
"Pastures of Plenty," Odetta (Woody Guthrie cover)
"People Get Ready," The Blind Boys Of Alabama
"A Change Is Gonna Come," Aretha Franklin (Sam Cooke cover)
"We Shall Not Be Moved," Sweet Honey in the Rock
"The Times They Are A Changin'," Keb' Mo' (Bob Dylan cover)

As you can see, I'm not opposed to repeating a song if the rendition is different. Overall, it seems to be going in the gospel/soul/hiphop direction mostly, so it could either still go that direction or I could make the rest of the songs all different from that.

Have some Bach.

J. S. Bach, "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme," BWV 140/Kantate am 27. Sonntag nach Trinitatis. (Arleen Augér; Peter Schreier; Siegfried Lorenz; Thomanerchor Leipzig; Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum; Hans-Joachim Rotzsch)