1971 the year modern music was born ... and the 3 decades it took to get it back

  1971 the year of Serge Gainsgourg's Melody Nelson and Can's Tago Mago.  Man rock 'n' roll had made leaps and bounds with these two albums, but the world wasn't ready yet for such futuristic sounds and beats, we were still worshipping Americana and on the cusp of going crazy for glam rock. Even with the decades to come nothing had yet to come out that sounded so dateless and fresh.  It wasn't until the mid to late 90's that this music would show its weary head again with Beck, Stereolab and Air ... then later on with Radiohead's duel landmark albums (Kid A and Amnesiac), everybody jumped in the boat, declaring it new, vibrant and weird, forgetting about its forerunners 30 years earlier ... who did it first!

The Period Of No Music ... Pun intended? Bet Your Ass It Is!

  I'm sure every music lover, and especially the super snobby delicate album collector go through bouts of this, which I'm currently in, THE PERIOD OF NO MUSIC, which can last up to a couple days or even a week ... usually -- for me at least! He he he (get it?)!  What brings on such a symptom can vary from the good old fashioned being sick of listening after a large music bing eg. long drives, to the depressed 'nothing I hear could ever please me' to my current superstition fuelled state of 'I haven't played a record since that job interview and I won't until I hear back' paranoia, ridiculous I know, but I like to rationalize it as Crowleyian-esque ritual, who knows it's probably a bunch of bunk jive bullsh*t, but we all act a little funny in tough times of life, let's just hope it works ... at least I've got film and books to fall back on to fill the void!

Richie Havens -- Alarm Clock

  You know I haven't had dibs on Sunday garage sale in years, I'm usually way too hungover to make it first thing in the morning but I can thank my summertime cold and the fact that I have to work at noon today for making it early ... point is, I picked up this very 70's folk album by Richie Havens, it sounds like it could be called Van Stevens or Cat Morrison, whichever you prefer!

Portishhead -- Dummy

  Yeah yeah sometimes I'm a negative f*ck, a judgmental piece of shit and have a dislike for almost everything, occasionally life doesn't feel so great ... big deal ... the soft, delicate moments of Portishead's Dummy can remind you of what's really on your mind ... the sound of a bout with existentialism!

The double but single LP

  The all over the place, uneven, seems like it should have been a double LP but one popped out!  Both Harvest and Diamond Dogs have that feel ... while Neil Young's turned out mega awesome, and unquestionable, Bowie's is aweful with brief moments of glam and the 'to be' plastic soul.  Point is you can hear the artists tumultuous states in the sound of the songs, and you feel the missing tracks between each number.

Rebekah Higgs -- Sha La La

  A dream pop drenched EP with a moody doo wop backdrop ... Julee Cruise's Twin Peaks sadness mixed with M. Ward's indie sweetness!

The Beach Boys -- 20/20

   In a complete state of melancholy, a kind of loneliness laced with a sence of belonging, I was wracking my brain for a suitable sound for my mellow misery ... the Beach Boys's album 20/20, a mostly soft and minimal record, complimented exactly how I was feeling ... man, Brian Wilson knows exactly how to touch our most basic emotions.