Yet again, I have been preoccupied with overseeing building construction and have neglected listening to music during the course of last month. It seems construction never ends, especially if you have to constantly dispute the quality of work being done, and demand changes and revisions. Some day I’ll write about my building construction travails… if I have the energy.
Mike Oldfield: Oldfield is primarily a guitarist but can play multiple instruments. He is best known for the 1973 album Tubular Bells, on which he played more than twenty different instruments, which were mixed in a multi-layered recording. Incidentally, Tubular Bells was the first record released by Richard Branson on his newly launched recording label, Virgin Records.
The opening track Tubular Bells Part 1 was used in the horror film The Exorcist. The first two tracks, The Source of Secrets and The Watchful Eye off the Tubular Bells III album are favored by some audiophiles to test their systems. Etude from the film Killing Fields is one of my favorite soundtracks.
Pearl Jam: Formed in Seattle, by Eddie Vedder on lead guitar and vocals, Jeff Ament on bass, Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Mike McCready also on lead guitar, Pearl Jam is one of the leading proponents of the 90’s era grunge genre of music. They’ve had several drummers since formation in 1990, but former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron joined in 1998
Their debut album Ten, released in 1991 contained a string of hits and was one of their most successful releases. My favorite Pearl Jam track however is Dissident from their second album Vs.
Lauren Daigle: Primarily a gospel singer, Daigle is best known for her crossover pop hit single, You Say in audiophile circles. Most of her success lies in writing and singing Christian music. I’m a non-believer myself, but I find a great deal of beauty in religiously inspired music. Lauren’s voice is also pretty amazing; it gives me chills. I’ve listened to this one song on repeat, ten times in the last month according to Tidal.
First Aid Kit: Sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg are a Swedish folk duo who I didn’t think were very well known outside of their homeland. They have however released five albums and were nominated on three occasions for a Brit Award for best international group.
I am partial to My Silver Lining which I listen to as an audiophile-level recording. They also do a great cover version of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill, which I’ll also leave below.
Cassandra Wilson: I’ve covered Cassandra last month. Streams of her music seem to have rolled over from April to May. She does a great audiophile-level cover version of I can’t Stand The Rain, which was originally recorded by Ann Peebles, but Tina Turner performs arguably the most popular iteration.
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