Here’s another CD I’ve really been enjoying, but under For My Ears Only. This is because it’s a rough, raw, almost cheekily punkish rock sound, and David’s CD collectioin runs more to James Taylor and Kenny G. Me, I may be middle-aged, but musically I’m in denial. 😉

The first thing you hear on this CD is that the singer doesn’t give a crap about singing in “Received English” – he’s a Yorkshire lad, they’re all Yorkshire lads, and they’re not having any of that elitist crrrap about singing like a BBC advert for the latest beer or ringtone or whatever. The lyrics are razor-sharp and cut so fine, you have no idea you’re being sneered at (they don’ t much care for wine-drinking Yuppies, nor scary looking coppers).

The lead singer’s not the only asset this band has – guitar work is good to great, with lots of different little stylish hooks and good stuff stolen from the best. Drums-bass combo basalt rock solid, with hints here and there that they’ve listened to a lot of different kinds of rock, pop, and even a little exotica or jazz somewhere.

“Kickass” is probably the best adjective for the Arctic Monkeys’ “Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not.” I’m looking for an interesting next few CDs from these blokes – there’s so many different directions they could go, because unlike a lot of young, raw bands, they’ve already got the chops – lyrically, musically, stylistically, rhythmically.

It almost makes me wish I could strap on some Dragon Skin body armor and go catch them in a club appearance. I’m sure I’d need it for my elderly, easily bruised body, because I’m a little long in the tooth for the mosh pit… but that’s where I’d want to be to listen to these guys play live.

Technorati Tags: Arctic Monkeys, Music

I admit it, I enjoy listening to Enya sing. Some of her music is special to me, but a lot of it can be too much of a new-agey muchness.

Currently, I’m listening to a CD I picked up on a whim called Amarantine. We’ve been listening to this CD in the car the last few days, and today’s the first I’ve had a chance to rip it to iTunes and really listen attentively, rather than dividing my attention between half-heard melodies and watching the road roll by with David. I absolutely loved the song she did for the Return of the King, I have that on iTunes already. So I bought this CD, and found that although she doesn’t have “Into the West” on it, she does have several songs in a fictional language, complete with lyrics written with a fictional alphabet.

Well, it ain’t Elvish, but that doesn’t matter so much – I like listening to her sing in Gaelic and don’t know what the hell she’s saying there, either.

In the album art, she’s still working the waifish look with the richly-colored gowns that look like she’s been dancing and has only just this second settled into repose. They fall into these beautifully flowing folds and billows, you see. Voice is still good.

Not many of the songs are standouts, however. It’s pleasant enough stuff, but I suspect I’ll begin pulling some of them off of iTunes after a few listens. A couple of them are keepers, but if this album had been the one she brought out all those years ago, she wouldn’t have broken out the way she did.

iTunes: Enya: Sumiregusa: Amarantine [4:42]