As my recent list of top 20 albums of the decade so far was wrapping up, my brother-in-law asked me if I’d forgotten to consider Ben Folds Five’s The Sound of the Life of the Mind.
For a moment, I thought I had. So I went back to my notes to see exactly how things shook out.
Turns out the album was in the 21st spot, bumped out of the countdown when I decided to make a space for Adele’s 21, which I had forgotten when first compiling the list.
A year after the release of her surprise self-titled album, Beyoncé has dropped a Platinum follow-up edition that adds a few extra tracks and videos.
It feels more like a holiday season cash-grab than an extension of the very personal and artistic statement she made with the first record.
I have a great musical memory.
I don’t mean that I can easily recall melodies or lyrics. On the contrary, I butcher the lyrics even to songs I know very well.
I mean that I can vividly remember the experience of hearing certain songs — the time, the place, the people I’m with.
This is the second time a cut from Rufus Wainwright’s live recreation of Judy Garland’s concert at Carnegie Hall has shown up on a Random Weekend.
The first time, I took advantage of the opportunity to land a pretty good joke, which I’ll paraphrase here:
“Buying this album is the gayest thing I’ve ever done. At least so far.”
I saved the best for last.
Matt McAndrew — or Tattoo Neck, as my family calls him — is the clear front-runner on The Voice this season. At this point I’ll be flabbergasted if anybody else ends up on top.
Meet Me In Montauk 