Soothing, Sober October

In these dire economic times bundled with a minor bout of homesickness, I'm finding myself veering away from the dance and pop music that has frequented my listening habits lately.

The final quarter of this year sees releases by Britney Spears, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Kanye West, Eminem, Guns and Roses (!), and more -- basically a mainstream music lover's dream come true.

But as the New York Times wrote this past Sunday:

"Looking at Billboard No. 1 songs from 1955 to 2003 for a study to be published in the journal Psychology of Music, he found that in uncertain times, people tend to prefer songs that are longer, slower, with more meaningful themes."

At Virgin Records this past week, I purchased Fleetwood Mac's first (white) album. Rumours is pretty much ingrained in my mind already, but I had this insatiable need to hear "Rhiannon" and "Say You Love Me." Oddly enough, this was the first time I realized how much Christine McVie sounds like Jon Anderson of Yes. Fun fact: I went to college with Lindsey Buckingham's niece, who was obsessed with Justin Timberlake.

I've also been listening to Belle and Sebastian's Tigermilk, their first album and the only one of theirs I never owned. And then there's the new Antony and the Johnsons' EP, which has the stunning "Another World." I also like "Hope Mountain" and "Crackagen," but it was a bit overpriced for a five song EP.



I didn't see his show at the Apollo last week, but reviews were a bit disappointing.

My love for dance pop gets a shake up this Friday when I see Roisin Murphy debut in NYC. I'm also hoping to catch Designer Drugs play a set on Saturday.