Half as Much to Halleluhwah

"Half As Much"  Patsy Cline  The Legendary Patsy Cline
"Half Asleep (alternate version)"  School of Seven Bells  Dream Pop [Mojo]
"Half Forgotten Daydreams"  John Cameron  The Sound Gallery, Vol. 1
"Half Jack"  The Dresden Dolls  Dresden Dolls
"Half Light I"  Arcade Fire  The Suburbs
"Half Light II (No Celebration)"  Arcade Fire  The Suburbs
"Half of You"  Cat Power  You Are Free
"Halfway Home"  TV On The Radio  Dear Science
"Halfway to Heaven"  Candi Staton  The Best of Candi Staton
"Halleluhwah"  Can  The Roots of the Sex Pistols [Mojo]

I am trying to get back to a more regular posting routine.  I worry too much about what I am going to say (especially in light of what the final product ultimately turns out to be).  It is also seems that doing this is a learned skill, not just the writing, which improves with practice, but the mechanical acts involved in this - budgeting the time to listen to the songs, scanning youtube/vimeo/megacafe for video links, reading about the various artists - it all takes time that requires accommodation.  Moving around my established pattern of not doing much at all has proven more difficult than one would expect.  Just as I think I am getting back into a routine of blogging here, I discover it has been 10 days since my last post . . . ugh.

There was a period, just after I got Dear Science when, every time it would come on, regardless of what song it was, my older son would ask, "who is this?"  That question is always the first clue that he is enjoying the song.  It is always kind of satisfying when I can get his attention enough, and overcome his inherent (and completely accurate) belief that he is cooler than me, that he wants to know more about something I am listening to.  (of course in this case that satisfaction is completely stolen, since Charles got me Dear Science as a Christmas present - that, For Emma, and Hercules & Love Affair - it was a good holiday).

That was my experience for most of these 10 songs.  I found myself saying "Who is this? Oh, I need to listen to more of this . . ."  Which probably means Mojo is doing its job - the tracks from School of Seven Bells and Can are intriguing and I will be pursuing more music from both groups.  Although I do not expect Charles to be tolerating 18-minute Krautrock workouts all that often.

I am fascinated that Can just pulled Damo Suzuki literally off the street one day, and he was their lead singer in concert that evening.  This does not happen in my current profession - no one is coming by my office saying, "you know, I really like your style . . . we have this case going on at the court of appeals next week, why don't you come brief for us?  Swing by the office, we'll research together."