Commercial trappings

I'm not sure how we should generally feel about Angie Stone, but her song Wish i didn't miss you is absolutely wonderful.

Might be one for the iPod or download list only though, not sure.

Since she has collaborated with Snoop Doggy Dogg (or whatever), it seems that perhaps she should not be in a collection. Links to suspect (read: lame) rappers can strike great big chunks out of anybody's credibility and render their work unsuitable for a potential partner's CD stack.

Having said that, I have surprised myself with my leniency lately.

We are the zeitgeist

Well, maybe we're a bit High Fidelity about things, but bugger me if this isn't one of the true spiritual parts of Embarrassing LPs. As somebody potentially going through a Herbie Hancock crisis, I think I have a right to be worried. It's worth noting that there have been two postings on jazz proper (including mine on NuJazz, and even the "proper" jazz one was by me), one on trip hop and the techno post mentioned prog rock, and there has been a whole post on Brian Eno, and Gossy's post on classic rock mentioned Pink Floyd. There is a huge culture of shame and hypocrisy in record buying. Stop the madness!

Rehashings and false nostalgia

Scissor Sisters. I wanted to like them and I tried to like them and I thought they were disco, but really, in the end, they are just novelty.

We've heard all this in 1974 and I wasn't even born then. Verdict: banned.

We've had this talk before...

I was downloading some MP3s off the internet, and I found one by a Swiss group who will remain unnamed to protect their embarrassment who were advertised as NuJazz. Jazz one can dance to, like Trüby Trio, who are great, and other such artists. However, there are limits to NuJazz, though the Miles Davis age coefficient is inapplicable in this case. I propose that the Amon Tobin windchime count be employed:

number of songs with windchimes involved >= total number of album tracks/3
=album inadmissible

Number of latin-jazz house albums also falls under this category.

Colours and kids

I allow a limitless number of Cat Power CDs, and in fact if you have anything pre-Moon Pix and can demonstrate that you actually bought it pre-Moon Pix then I will not stop loving you until the day I (or you) die.

Cat Power may well be one of the worst – no I hesitate – most frustrating live shows I have ever witnessed but I love her albums unconditionally and will allow a full back catalogue, although throwing in an All Tomorrow's Parties compilation may be overdoing it a tad, even if it is good.

Same does not go for Smog. I would be pleased to see one or two, but no more than that.

I am still not ready to write about disco, but my love for it remains unchanged.