Been clicking mercilessly for the last three hours on the Radiohead Tickets page.
This is getting rather tedious.

EDIT: Got'em! :)

This is quite righteous:

In the midst of our lovely snowstorm (25-50 cm...sigh), and avoiding to work on my Hamlet essay, I've decided to compile my choices for top 5 Beatles albums. Enjoy!

1. Abbey Road - Most people list Sgt. Pepper's as their favourite Beatles album, and given the creative turning point it presented for the band, I don't blame them. That being said, I find Abbey Road the most listenable and satisfying, simply because it sounded like after all of the ego battles during the White Album recordings, the band was able to come together (ha, pun) and set aside their creative differences to make a really stellar and cohesive final album (aside from the comparatively bitter Let It Be recordings...heh). The harmonies are great, and songs such as "Something", "I Want You (She's So Heavy), and "Golden Slumbers" move me at every listen.

2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The obvious choice, and a very close second. Listening to Sgt. Pepper's surge of creative freedom and experimentation is invigorating and shows the heights of what these four individuals were capable of. A very full and consistent album, with "A Day In The Life" taking a spot as one of my all-time favourite songs.

3. The Beatles (White Album) - Oh, White Album. There's a lot to criticize about the Douple-LP, whether it's the various incidents of padding and unfinished ideas, or the pretentiously mystifying "Revolution 9". However, I personally find that the bad is far outweighed by the good - "Dear Prudence", "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "Revolution", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", and so on. Also of note is that although you could see the album as a collection of solo tracks, the more independent endeavors, such as "I Will", "Julia", and "Yer Blues" present an intriguing foreshadow into Lennon and McCartney's solo careers. An interesting experiment from the band, to say the least.

4. Revolver - Although not nearly as mind-blowing as some of their later work, this 1965 release is incredibly solid from start to finish, and in many instances ("Love You To", "Tomorrow Never Knows") showcases the great transition from the typical pop sound of the good ol' days to the psychedelic and experimental sound of their late-60s work.

5. Magical Mystery Tour - Whoo! Hare krishna! Although I find some of the more hippy/LSD aspects of the album to be a bit silly ("Flying"), Magical Mystery Tour presents some incredibly strong moments as well, such as "Strawberry Fields Forever", not surprisingly recorded during the Sgt. Pepper days. Overall, a fairly whimsical listening experience

Since I'm going to be taking a very, very long plane ride in two days (!!) to Egypt, I thought I'd stock up the ol' iPod with some tunes to pass the time. In the process, I've taken the time to discover a whole lot of really great music. This includes...

• Sufjan Stevens
• Neil Young
• The Band
• Joni Mitchell
• Morrissey
• Pink Floyd
• Velvet Underground

I'm surprised that it's taken me this long to tap into these artists - their work is really awe-inspiring.

Today, with a $25 gift card to HMV I got from my uncle, I splurged and bought two CD's!

Radiohead- Com Lag (2plus2isfive) EP


and Bjork- Volta


With this, the new Radiohead album that came out last week, the Across the Universe soundtrack my mom bought *and* Beck's The Information that I got from accumulating enough stamps from the used CD store, it's been beyond an awesome week for music. Radiohead's Com Lag is really just something neat for the fans. The album contains ten songs, all performed live at different points during some of their recent tours. There are some re-mixed pre-existing songs, such as 2+2=5 (The Lukewarm), I Will, and Remyxomatosis as well as some experimental tracks, and what I can only describe as "jam sessions". A very neat little B-side.

Volta is the first time I've really enjoyed Bjork's work. I've always found her interesting, but her music's never really been an easy listen for me, which sort of hinders the whole experience. This album feels a lot more accessible and down to earth, without losing too much of that weird spark that makes her so interesting and different.

Very good investments, all around. :)

Today, I woke myself a good half-hour earlier than I normally would.
Why, you ask?
Well, quite simply, I wanted to download the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, that was released just today. The band has taken a new initiative, where they give listeners the option of paying anything from 0 to 100 pounds in exchange for a download link to their new CD. Seeing as I don't own a credit card, I went for the free option, and a couple minutes later, boom! New album on my computer.


Radiohead, exhibiting their rock band cool.

What do I think of the album?
I absolutely love it. It's a fusion of the rough, guitar-driven sound of The Bends and OK Computer and the digital abstract sound of Amnesiac and Kid A. Since I love both incarnations of the band, seeing them together makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. At the moment, some stand out tracks are "Bodysnatchers" and "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi".

To download the album, visit www.inrainbows.com (though it's probably running quite slow, now that everyone's rushing to buy it). It's well worth the listen for both new and old Radiohead fans.