Shooflypie

It was nice having Friday off for Fall Break; we've always had a Monday off too but not this year. This year we get the day before Thanksgiving off. So, four more full weeks and then a two-day week. I can live with that. I've started my Transition To Teaching program as well, so busy times ahead. Enough about my schedule, let's get to today's ten... 1. Rabbit/The Essex Green (7) - last played on 11/9/14 2. Scotch Grove/The Mountain Goats (5) - last played on 3/31/15 3. Did She Overtake You/Robert Forster (6) - last played on 7/23/13 4. Restlessness/J Tillman (7) - last played on 4/7/13 5. The Stars Just Blink For Us/Say Hi (8) - last played on 11/2/14 6. Nothing Lasts/Matthew Sweet (4) - last played on 9/3/14 7. Empty Space/Teenage Fanclub (6) - last played on 10/14/15 8. July, July!/The Decembersists (8) - last played on 5/17/15 9. Slow/The Broken West (11) - last played on 11/15/14 10. Wonderful Savior/Mavis Staples (10) - last played on 11/9/14  ...

I spent some time in the most recent Heavy Rotation talking about Josh Ritter. His new album, Sermon on the Rocks , came out on Friday (still weird that Friday is new release day, isn't it). I've only played it once but I decided today was the perfect day to devote a shuffle to his work. I now have 6 of his albums (bought Historical Conquests last week), so let's see what the distribution looks like... 1. New Lover (19) - from The Beast in Its Tracks 2. Man Burning (15) - from Hello Starling 3. Lighthouse Fire (2) - from Sermon on the Rocks 4. Rumors (4) - from The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter 5. Another New World (19) - from So Runs The World Away 6. Good Man (11) - from The Animal Years 7. Here At The Right Time (12) - from The Animal Years 8. Lights (17) - from The Beast in Its Tracks 9. The Temptation of Adam (4) - from The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter 10. Wolves (14) - from The Animal Years

I've got chores both inside and outside. I've got a bunch of TV to catch up on. I'm enough of a fan that I still want to watch the Bears play. I want to read more of the book I started yesterday. So, it's time to start the music... 1. Argonauts/Hospitality (18) - last played on 1/9/14 2. The Electric Version/The New Pornographers (1) - played countless times on CD 3. Shame/The Avett Brothers (4) - last played on 12/4/11 4. I'm Not Mad Enough/The Ladybug Transistor (7) - last played on 6/24/12 5. My Sweet Lord/Yim Yames (7) - last played on 6/23/13 6. Brand New Companion/Steve Earle (4) - last played on 12/18/11 7. My Favourite Book/Stars (6) - last played on 6/2/13 8. 7:30/Pernice Brothers (9) - last played on 4/23/13 9. Now We Can See/The Thermals (13) - last played on 2/26/15 10. Homeward Bound/Rhett Miller (7) - last played on 10/26/14

The second half of September saw these five albums get a lot of play... Destroyer/Poison Season - The album opens with strings and a tinkling piano on the first of three times we hear the song "Times Square" (this one adds "Poison Season I" to the title; the last of the three adds "Poison Season II" and the middle one adds nothing) and it reminds me a little of "Pure Imagination." It's over in 2:33 and gives way to a blast of sax and pounding drums. Really, "Dream Lover" comes on like Springsteen and the E Street Band. Unsurprisingly, I like it a lot. Speaking of Springsteen, there is a song here called "The River." It's sultry and slinky and has some great horns. The middle "Times Square"is built around an acoustic guitar, piano, drums, bongo, and a sax and it bounces along perfectly. "Archer on the Beach" brings back the slink with a groovy bassline and drums offset by a squalling guitar before...

I'm eating Count Chocula as I start today's shuffle. Yes, I am a 44 year-old man. Cue the music! 1. Midnight Surprise: My Time Spend Down the Lavender Bridge/Oh God, Really//Lightspeed Champion (6) - last played on 8/26/12 2. Unison Falling Into Harmony/Great Lake Swimmers (6) - last played on 3/24/13 3. All My Love/American Music Club (9) - last played on 12/21/14 4. The Part of Him/Drive-By Truckers (8) - last played on 8/9/15 5. You Gotta Dance (with Who You Came to the Dance With)/The Hold Steady (9) - last played on 5/10/15 6. For Your Heart/Divine Fits (20) - last played on 1/18/14 7. Dead Great Town/Bowery Boy Blue (8) - last played on 10/19/14 8. Ticket To Ride/The Beatles (5) - last played on 8/9/15 9. Flaming Wreck/Pernice Brothers (12) - last played on 4/5/15 10. Unhinged/The Drams (4) - last played on 9/28/14