(not quite) 13 songs or albums that helped me fall in love with SD

OK, so this was supposed to be a Thursday 13 but (obviously) I didn't get it out on time. And, as you will discover shortly, I couldn't come up with 13. I got 9. I've been thinking about this ever since I got inspired by that music meme awhile back, and I still could only come up with 9. So this is a Friday Nine. Which is fine with me, because really, there's far too much catchy alliteration in our bloggy titles, isn't there?

One thing that struck me pretty soon after I met Sugar Daddy was that he had kickass taste in music. I found his taste VERY attractive. So here are the 8 albums that formed the soundtrack of his seduction of me.

Bran Van 3000 - Glee

I first heard the song, "Drinking in LA" in the movie, Playing by Heart. My friend and I saw it because it was what happened to be playing at our local independent cinema, and we loved it. Later, I discovered that the movie was marketed as a comedy, which I must say is a total crock. Certainly there are funny moments, but there are way more really sad, really moving moments. This movie was also my first introduction to Goodnight Moon. The scene that featured that classic children's book, incidentally, brought me to tears. Embarrassing, almost sobbing tears in a public movie theatre.

Anyways, I loved that movie, loved Ryan Felippe (I can't be bothered to look up how to spell his last name), loved the deliciously melancholy song, and when I discovered that Sugar Daddy not only knew who made the song, but owned the cd... well, I was toast.



(See? It's a good song! The rest of the album's pretty good too.)

Basement Jaxx - Remedy

With its tanned, shiny, naked bodies entwined on the cover, and the decidedly sexual moaning preface, this cd actually kind of embarrassed me when I first heard it. But it was also kind of irresistible in those exciting early days of a brand new relationship with someone I thought was way outta my league in his hotness factor.

Finley Quaye (eponymous I think but can't be bothered to look it up because I've already talked about it)

I already talked about how we danced to one of these songs for our first dance at our wedding... It's good stuff.

Ali Farka Toure- Radio Mali

I really admire(d) Sugar Daddy's eclecticism. And I like this cd.

Air - Moon Safari

This is such a fantastic ambient cd, it would have been enough all by itself. It's a great cd for a relaxing rainy afternoon (not that we have those relaxing afternoons anymore), or whatever.



(This isn't an Air video, but I love how the imagery suits the song so much.)

Massive Attack - Mezzanine

(I actually like No Protection better, but Sugar Daddy didn't have that one, he had Mezzanine, which is still pretty good. And, considering that I didn't have any Massive Attack, was still pretty cool.)

Africa: Never Stand Still - various

This remains pretty much my favourite compilation of African music. I highly recommend it.

Tindersticks (eponymous)

I'm not sure what it was about this cd that impressed me, except that it's pretty accoustic so it makes a nice counterpoint to all the electronic cds. Plus it reminds me A LOT of a super-talented high school band I liked once.

Indian Ropeman - Elephant Sound

I love the fusion of throbbing hip hop and more classical Indian sounds. Little did I know that this fusion thing would become more and more fascinating to me, especially after I started belly dancing in 2001(ish? 2002?) with a fusion-focused instructor. Love it.

* * *

Now, just to round out the 13 number, I offer you four tidbits that I've just picked up in Bill Bryson's Troublesome Words. I know, I'm a grammar geek.

"No reader should ever be required to retrace his steps, however short the journey."

"It is worth noting that affect as a verb is nearly always bland and almost meaningless. [...] A more precise word can almost always be found."

"The belief that and should not be used to begin a sentence is without foundation. And that's all there is to it."

"Where the authorities do find common ground is in the belief that approximate and approximate to are cumbersome and nearly always better replaced by something shorter."