Music music music

So first I must highly recommend Rufus Wainwright's WANT: One, which came out in 2003 but I've only just been able to procure. Woooow. This is a seriously killer cd. I haven't heard orchestrations like this...well, ever, on a pop cd, and rarely in movie soundtracks or concert halls. It's gorgeous. And makes me keenly aware that there are simply not enough songs out today featuring kickass trumpet solos ("Beautiful Child", Track 11).

Also spinning for me lately is Fiona Apple's newest, which I hear is actually being released soon (for a while the studio refused to release it, and so Fiona was pissed, and let it leak out onto the internet, hence our getting it). Extraordinary Machine - album title and also my favorite track. Incidentally, another great use of instrumentation not normally heard in pop music, including chimes and oboes.

And finally I just finished a rather obsessive project, which is that I wanted to make a cd of songs that reminded me of the books of the Old Testament Writings. Originally I was going to just burn a couple Beck songs for my prof, since he (despite being a music fiend) claims not to have ever heard a Beck song with a melody (ha ha - who doesn't love singing along to "Debra" or "Nicotine and Gravy"? Just because the words don't make any sense doesn't mean there's no melody line). But then I got to thinking about how many of Beck's offerings sound a lot like Ecclesiastes, and that got me thinking how other pop songs by the artists I love remind me of other books of the Writings, and, well, next thing you know, I've compiled a cd for Dr. John that is a veritable musical journey through the Writings. Here's the playlist:

Psalms
Beautiful World
(Colin Hay, Going Somewhere, 2000)
Sunshine On Leith
(The Proclaimers, Sunshine On Leith, 1988)
Trouble On The Line
(Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose, 2004)
O Pallanhaare
(Lata Mangeshkar & Udit Narayan, Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India, 2001)

Proverbs
they
(jem, Finally Woken, 2004)

Song of Songs
You Dance
(eastmountainsouth, Eastmountainsouth, 2003)
Come On Closer
(jem, Finally Woken, 2004)

Job
Life Is Bad
(Shelby Lynne, I Am Shelby Lynne, 2000)
God Makes No Mistakes
(Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose, 2004)
Hard Times
(eastmountainsouth, Eastmountainsouth, 2003)

Lamentations
It Won't Go Away
(Kasey Chambers, Barricades & Brickwalls, 2002)

Ecclesiastes
Hurt
(Johnny Cash, American IV: The Man Comes Around, 2002)
O Maria
(Beck, Mutations, 1998)
Sweetness Follows
(R.E.M., Automatic For The People, 1992)
Just A Ride
(jem, Finally Woken, 2004)

Daniel
The Golden Path
(The Chemical Brothers featuring the Flaming Lips, Singles 93-03, 2003)
7
(Prince, The Hits/The B-Sides (Disc 1)

And if I'd only owned the cd, I would also have had to add "The Greatest Song in the World" by Tenacious D in my apocalyptic section. *sigh* Oh, well. now you can tell me what I missed - maybe there will have to be a Writings Volume 2.