Seems like a lot of people are doing best of 2007 entries this month. As I said back in June 2007, my year sort of runs circumscribed by the hot Andalusian summers, so I’ve already done my best of 2007 list.
However, I thought I’d update that list a bit and write a little about what I’m looking forward to in 2008.
… wrote some really good songs (The Guests, Hallelujah), and some really bad ones (I’m Your Man). Sometimes I really like Leonard and other times his music makes me cringe.
In our community, the “year” sort of runs from September to July. At the moment, it feels like the end of the year as many of us are going our separate ways for the summer. I know that to those of you who don’t live in Spain, it doesn’t really make sense for things to be this way. But I assure you that when you’ve lived in Sevilla during July and August, it makes complete sense.
At any rate, the year is ending for me and I’ve been looking back over the year at my favourite albums, songs, groups, books, concerts and films.
By looking at my “Recently Played Tracks” in the sidebar. If all other artists disappear and the only band I am listening to is Wilco, you know I’m stressin’. I can’t explain it. Wilco just help me focus. I tune everything out and I can think clearly when I pop them on my iTunes party shuffle and turn up the volume. Weird.
Thanks to shmuel, I’ve got a nifty little list in the right sidebar titled “Recently Played Music” that lets all of you have a peak at what I’ve been listening to lately in iTunes and on my iPod. If you click on the list, it’ll take you to my last.fm user page where you can see my top artists and my top tracks.
I’ve taken to using emusic.com for downloading music legally. Most of the artists featured on the site are independent and unsigned, but there are quite a few on there that are well-known. The song files are DRM-free (DRM is the technology that limits the consumer’s ability to use songs as they wish in compliance with the law), legal and good quality. I recommend this avenue for acquiring new music over all others. The iTunes store is OK (I guess), but the DRM that the recording industry bigwigs force Apple to put on the song files infringes your legal right as a consumer to use those files as you see fit within the already existing legal frameworks. I find that highly annoying and have stopped using the iTunes store all together. And I couldn’t be happier with the result!
I saw these guys in concert at the South Pop Festival last month which I blogged about here and here.
12Twelve is an instrumental band hailing from Barcelona. Officially, they are a four piece group, but I am pretty sure there were six of them when they played here last month. They play a sort of psychadelic rock-jazz who’s energy is infectious.
12Twelve were, for quite a few of my friends, the high point of the festival. They were a last minute inclusion when a French band called “Tender Mercy” had to cancel. I can’t say that I am disappointed that Tender Mercy didn’t end up coming, because 12Twelve were excellent.