It’s been nearly three years since I last featured Josh Joplin on the blog, and I feel pretty much the same way I did back then.
To quote myself, “these are the Random Weekend selections I most enjoy — little blasts from the past that give me an excuse to catch up with an artist I’ve long ago forgotten.”
Today’s random SOTD is an acoustic bonus track on the Barenaked Ladies’ 2003 album Everything To Everyone. It’s not as if the band is usually an electric powerhouse, so I’m not sure how much this version differs from the album original.
Sure enough, listening to the album cut reveals it’s pretty much the same song, just a little louder.
I’m always surprised when I see the name of an artist that’s completely unfamiliar to me and then discover they’ve been recording for a decade. Such is the case with Cymbals Eat Guitars, an indie rock outfit hailing from Staten Island. The band formed in 2007 and have released four albums, including this year’s Pretty Years.
Entertainment Weekly has this to say about their latest single, ‘Finally’:
I feel somewhat cool for recognizing the name Anderson .Paak, one half of NxWorries, and for that I thank my musical savant nephew, who recently introduced me to .Paak’s solo work. This duo (pronounced “No Worries”) is a collaboration between .Paak and producer Knxwledge. I guess the ‘O’ key was broken on their keyboard.
I haven’t had much time to delve into .Paak’s music yet but I’ve really liked what I’ve heard so far. A rich, modern blend of hip-hop and soul.
Before today, I’ve posted only one Green Day song to the blog, and I started that post remarking that I was surprised I’d made it through 1,555 songs without featuring them. Well, I nearly made it another 1,500.
As I said back then, I’m indifferent to most of Green Day’s music but I really like their rock opera (and eventual Broadway musical) America Idiot. So it’s no coincidence that I like today’s SOTD, which Entertainment Weekly compares to that earlier work.
