crap i've been listening to

since i don't have much to post about today, i thought i'd make a list of albums i've been digging lately (inspired by p-squared's mix-cd postings).

pedro the lion
achilles heel
jade tree records
if r.e.m. met the lemonheads and then used way more feedback, all while under the influence of a sweet codeine cough syrup haze... it would sound a lot like pedro the lion. thoughtful lyrics and pretty, fuzzy melodies. the lead singer sounds like evan dando at half speed.

elvis costello
the best of elvis costello and the attractions
columbia records
i am only now just discovering the awesomeness of elvis costello. watching the detectives may be one of the coolest songs by anyone ever. "i don't know how much more of this i can take/she's filing her nails while they're dragging the lake."

david cross
it's not funny
sub pop
david cross is an angry man. and funny like a trainwreck. you don't want to look, but dammit, it's just so horribly hilarious. i don't normally buy comedy albums, but this one was worth every cent.

iron and wine
our endless numbered days
sub pop
not since i discovered simon and garfunkel's greatest hits at the tender age of 15 have i stumbled across an album this beautiful. simple, hushed, and rootsy. music that makes you stare off into the distance.

jeff tweedy
january 9, 2003 live show
www.bluegrassbox.com
in which jeff plays old and new, cracks the house up, shares some of his poetry, all while giving the crowd a full medical report ("the medication makes me talkative"). he would check himself into rehab for pain relievers a little over a year later. this musical meltdown is funny and sad all at once and, amazingly, the music doesn't suffer. tweedy is healthy and touring with wilco again.

otis redding
good to me - recorded live at the whiskey a go go, vol. 2
stax records
there were r&b guys who were better singers, but none could match redding's raw energy and power. damn, this guy could sing. this is all live stuff, from a 1966 performance. really, if you're gonna pick up some otis, don't bother with any of the studio stuff. get a live recording, where he and his band just let it rip. awesome.

jay-z/danger mouse
the grey album
http://www.illegal-art.org/audio/grey.html
this is one of the most amazing things i've heard in a long time. if you're unfamiliar with what a mash-up is, it's where dj's and producers take two distinctly different works and re-work them by taking vocals and bits and pieces from both, thus creating a new and unique result. a dj named danger mouse took the awesome rap vocals from jay-z's recently released black album, and mashed it up with beats he created from the beatles white album. ground-breaking, compelling, and totally awesome. it's worth it just to hear how he re-works all these beatles songs into new beats.