The Sky Won’t Snow and the Sun Won’t Shine

It’s that kind of day today. I was hoping for a blizzard, but we were not to be so lucky. Instead, we have a raw, damp, very November kind of day with intermittent half-assed snow flurries. It sucks.

I got to be the cool music-knowing kid at the bookstore today, when while purchasing The Arcade Fire’s CD, the clerk began asking me questions about them. I answered as best I could, recommended a few songs she should download from iTunes to get an idea of the sound, and she was all like thanks! I can’t wait to check them out!

It’s weird, because around here I sometimes get to be the cool music-knowing kid, but almost all of my cool music knowledge comes from friends in other, larger cities, where my musical knowledge makes me no better than a top-40-only high school sophomore. I got into The Arcade Fire, for example, because of Alberto’s recommendation (and thank you for that!). Come to think of it, most of my favorite music is stuff I picked up because of the influence of people in my life. But I don’t know, maybe we’re all that way. Here are some examples:

  • I got into most of the classic rock I like – Steely Dan, The Who, The Doors, Yes, Supertramp, and others – from my parents, but mostly my dad.
  • I like Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Fleetwood Mac, Simon & Garfunkel, Joan Baez, and others because of my parents, but mostly my mom (unsurprisingly, she’s the folksier of the two).
  • Joe Jackson, Aimee Mann, and The Police are in my life for good mostly because of my friend Frank, along with a handful of songs from the 70s and 80s that I got into because of his influence.
  • Gavin DeGraw, Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, and a few other current pop artists are due to Ginny thrusting her tastes upon me, although sometimes my other sisters have been involved with that as well.
  • I like Ben Folds Five, Jeff Buckley, Mae Moore, and the hard-to-find Howard Jones album Live Acoustic America because of my freshman year roommate.
  • I’m down with Grandaddy and Interpol because of Mike, Blue October and Damien Rice because of Jen, and The Dandy Warhols and The Arcade Fire because of Alberto.

And then there are, of course, a million other songs/bands that I’ve picked up along the way, through friends and articles and websites and, once in a while, the radio. I collect musical tastes like I collect accents – at random, mostly from other people. But the accent thing is a post for another day.

My hands are cold.

5 Replies to “The Sky Won’t Snow and the Sun Won’t Shine”

  1. I have the greatest idea! A CD exchange in which we each make mix CDs of our favorite songs and send them to each other! Ahem.

    I bought my first Dandy Warhols disk last week (props to ~A) and I’m loving it. Favorite stuff lately: Elliott Smith, “Figure 8.” I never saw myself becoming an E.S. fan, but this one’s damn near perfect. And perfectly depressing in the best way.

  2. ben folds has got mad shit going on:

    –a cover of “bitches ain’t shit” that is actually kinda sad-inducing
    –new album april 22nd
    –rerelease of whatever and ever amen with extra tracks.

    rockin’!

  3. Which Dandy’s album have you two picked up?
    Mike, I think Neutral Milk Hotel may be in your future; it’s challenging but, the aeroplane over the sea is one of the best albums ever made.

    Right now, I keep listening to my friends, The Happy Bullets, and replaying “Vice and Virtue Ministry”.
    The player’s a funny thing, the sample of songs don’t seem to connect but, I assure you, the band is top-notch and they put on a show worth jumping around about. Big D, you know what I’m talking about when I say that.

    xoxo

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