koogrr, who makes me feel musically shallow. Broad, but shallow.1. Total volume of music files on my computer?
Mmm. Right this second, about 3.5 Gigs, not quite enough to fill my iPod Mini. There's easily treble that archived on burned CDs. (Heh. Treble.)
2. The last CD I bought was...
That'd be Groovie Ghoulies Monster Club, which is my third album from the GGs; I also have a pile of MP3s byt hem from emusic.com, back when I was a subscriber in the heady TMBG Unlimited days of dial-up in 2001-2002. Monster Club is a unique album, it's about 50% fan-favorite tunes from early days, reworked.. and 50% new stuff. Not a bad first album if you want to hear what they sound like today- and "The Beast with Five Hands" is a rocking love song indeed.
3a. The last song I listened to before this was...
Off of DDR Radio, which I fell asleep to; the last song that I recall playing before sleep overtook me was Mantronik vs EPMD, "Strictly Business", off of 3rd mix.
[edit] Of course now, it's John Linnell's "House of Mayors", an mp3 I picked up some years ago, but paid minimal attention to until it was passed to my iPod, where it became one I enjoy quite a bit. It's a bit plebian of concept: a Disney-Animatronic museum of New York City mayors, as an introduction to the other mayor-related songs on the hard-to-find House Of Mayors EP. But the melody is enjoyable, and the lyrics are clever: "The next act of the show/ is an infinite row/ of unoccupied chairs/ in a big room upstairs/ in a house of the yet-to-be mayors."
3b. Song playing right now...
There isn't, interestingly enough; I rarely have music going in the morning/afternoon, especially when I'm trying to get LJ written in the scant time before I have to work. Background music can be a nice thing, but it it's any good, it can become more of a distraction than an assistance, especially for anything keyboard-related.
4. Five songs I listen to a lot or that mean a lot to me.
"Total Eclipse of the Heart", sung by Bonnie Tyler, but it's as much a Jim Steinman song as hers: Crazy crescendos, sweeps, and crashes that compliment the lyrics and voices well. One of the first pop songs that stuck with me, along with "Gloria", and still a favorite to this day. Available on the Faster Than the Speed of Night Album.
"Am I Awake", They Might Be Giants: one of their most artful productions, done as a theme song for the Resident Life TV show; it's a song about sleep deprivation combined with work, and mirrors a number of nights in college, and long overtime days I've had. Is it that time again/ wasn't it already then/ so does it have to be/ the time it was again? John Linnell's voice hits the right balance between sober and tortured, and the deep electronic sound hits a creepy vibe. The first time I heard this sone was on the TMBG Clock Radio program, and I listened to it nonstop for a good hour, before falling asleep to a night of surreal dreams. It's available on the Indestructible Object EP, as well and perhaps on iTunes.
"End of The Tour", They Might Be Giants: off of their John Henry album, and a gentle song about death, loss, and what happens to love. This is one of the songs I want played at my funeral. The engagements are booked to the end of the world/ so we'll meet at the end of the tour
"Echo Leader", The Last Emperor: I was torn between this and his more famous superheroes-versus-rappers Secret Wars, but Echo Leader is an even better showcase for the Emp's skills and incredibly tight lyrics. "I'm from the city that left the Liberty Bell cracked/ the Constiution's release party was held at/ Matter of fact, tell your crew to get the hell back/ or I'm 'a eat these cats, like that alien from Melmac." He raps about nerd subjects with ease and confidence, and pushes intellectual subjects and complex lines with solid street delivery. "My mother always told me to reach for the stars/ now I got the first black-owned business on Mars". The beats in this song are solid as well, though it's the Emp's vocal styles that are the main draw. "Echo Leader One, I'm goin' in, cover me/ So we can make the world bounce like it's rubbery." Damn that's smooth.
"The Girl With the Light In her Eyes", Michael Shelley: One of the songs that keeps my faith in love going. Michael Shelley writes music in a very honest, real way. His happy isn't cloying, his sad ends up as bittersweet. "When it's dark, and there's nothin' good waiting round the corner/ though I'm all dressed in black, don't count me a mourner/ 'Cause a voice that I hear/ you've all gone deaf but to me it's clear/ It's the girl with the light in her eyes." Mmm. Available on the Too Many Movies album.
5. 5 people to pass this to:
Gabrieli, Zephyr, Gyngerfox, Bigears, and Loam. I'd ask Buran but it'd be Elton Elton Jimmy Buffet Elton. ;)
--Chiaroscuro