Nightcapping

I'm in a musical mood this week. No, I'm not suddenly bursting into elaborate song-and-dance numbers. Although, that could be arranged for a fee. Rather, the purchase of my new sound system has meant that I've been listening to even more music than I usually do. "Usually" being a word that could be replaced by "pretty much all the time."

Last night, I was enjoying a quiet evening in. The lights were down low. I was relaxing on my heated carpet with a half-bottle of superb Italian Chianti, and I was listening to the tunes washing over me. Now, I would never be one to condone drinking alone. But, if you were so inclined, these are 5 album choices that you could do worse with than to use as your musical accompaniment:

"Fox Confessor Brings the Flood" by Neko Case. Subdued, slow-tempo torch songs by Ms. Case. Just hearing her voice sets me to a slow burn that practically mulls wine by itself, countered only by the goosebumps that run up my spine when she hits the bridge of each song.

"Time Out" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. One of my personal favorite jazz albums ever. Recorded in 1959, it's Mr. Brubeck early in his career, but "Take Five" is my all-time favorite jazz tracks, and the version on here is absolutely smoking. In fact, I could listen to nothing but that track on repeat and polish off a crate of wine, no worries. It doesn't hurt that the rest of the album is equally as awesome.

"Blue" by Joni Mitchell. Let's face it, there's a fair chance you'd be drinking red wine alone on a Wednesday evening because of relationship problems. Or, worse still, a breakup. In that case, you might as well be wallowing in self-pity, sadness, and loss with the ultimate break-up album. I guarantee that, given enough wine, you'll find ways to apply each individual lyric to your own situation. And yet, there's still an air of hope and optimism throughout the album that makes you feel better for having heard it.

"Floodland" by Sisters of Mercy. Sometimes, in the dark of the evening, in the solitude of your own home, in the grips of a nice bottle of wine, all you really want to do is dress up in black, light some candles, and listen to Goth music. And that's fine. Just make sure it's this album, if you want it to be done right.

"Discreet Music" by Brian Eno. Other times, you just want to have something in the background, so you can focus solely on the enjoyment of the wine, and get lost within your own thoughts. This early ambient album of Eno's is just the thing. Simple and soothing, it's best played low and allowed to wash through the room and over you. Don't listen for meaning it, just enjoy the ride.

Of course, if I were entertaining others, it would be a completely different list. But that, as they say, is a question for another day.

Thwarted

Ah, technology. You constantly find ways to ruin a Sunday.

As a birthday present to myself, using an unexpected Christmas work bonus, I got the deal of the century.

A beautiful Marantz home theater amplifier for a fraction of its original cost.

It was delivered bright and early this morning, along with a couple of Blu-Ray DVDs that I had bought to blow me away with True-Dolby sound this Sunday afternoon.

Eagerly, I ripped open the packaging, cleared (a lot of) space on my shelving unit, and placed the behemoth gently in its new home.

Only to discover that my current, cheap-ass home theater system uses stupid proprietary speakers that have their own special jacks.

Currently, then, I have a lovely, beautiful, hi-fidelity bookend on my shelves.

Look like someone's using the rest of the Christmas bonus on new speakers.


Here's my new shiny behemoth. Below it, as an example of scale, is the amplifier that I had been using up to this point. And which I guess I'll still be using for a while longer.