Duran Duran.....Now

As a child of the 80's, Duran Duran was my second love. (Rick Springfield was the first, but let's not go there, at least today!) If I mention Duran Duran to people my age these days, I get the typical response: "They're still around?" If I mention them to younger friends of mine, they're familiar with the big hits, such as Hungry Like The Wolf, Girls on Film, or Rio. Certainly the band will always be famous for these songs, but their more recent output deserves some attention too.

Nick Cave and the Sad Soundtracks

When I saw the first half of the last Harry Potter movie, I was delighted to recognize a classic song from one of my favorite artists: Nick Cave. So it got me to thinking, what other soundtracks or scores have his songs been on? Turns out, the library has a few! The Road was a bleak favorite. Follow the break for more info.

Drive - Scoring a noir film with a cristal baschet and neo-80's new wave

I was very impressed with Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 film Drive.  A lovely blend of arthouse noir and crime thriller, the film (to a certain extent) is an homage to films like Bullitt(1968), Thief(1981), and "To Live And Die In L.A." (1985).The entire film score and accompanying songs radiate an active 1980's motif. Very reminiscent of two innovative film composers of the 1980's. The first is 70's ambient/electronic band Tangerine Dream who scored memorable films like Risky Business, Legend, Firestarter, and Near Dark.  The other being electronic king Giorgio Moroder who handled 80's classics American Gigolo, Scarface, Cat People, The Neverending Story, and Flashdance. 

A Sneak Peek* from the Cheap Seats (Regina Spektor)

On the first day of every month, a little voice inside my head reminds me, "Hey buddy! Check the Orders Placed section of the library catalog!" For those of you who don't know, if you head over to the "Catalog" section of the library website, there is a wonderful button on the right side called, "Browse Our New Titles." One of its subsections is "Orders Placed," where I discover all the new books, movies, television shows, and music that are coming soon to our library (and stake a nice little spot near the front of the reserve line)! The ritual always leads to some great finds: for example, on June 1st, when I discovered that Regina Spektor had released a new album!

Los Lobos

Welcome music lovers!  Ahhh, the intro to a fabulous show put on by Los Lobos at the Rialto Thursday night.  I have been lucky enough to catch them at the Rialto and at the Fairgrounds and even once at the Rodeo Grounds outside of Sells (anyone else go to that show?).  Last night's show ranks up near the top - they absolutely rocked everyone's socks off!

Musical Obsessions

Musical Obsessions

Do you suffer from musical obsession? I enjoy different genres of music and a variety of artists, but I can become obsessed with a single artist or group and listen to their music almost exclusively for weeks. Jack White is my latest obsession.

Mimi Music

Mimi.  It's babytalk, Spanish babytalk, for sleep.  Go mimis, I tell my 18-month-old.  She puts her head down on the pillow, face down, and snores.  That's when she's not tired.  When she's tired, she demands to "go mimis," her eyes filling with tears.  At night, our house is silent and she, fortunately, sleeps right through anything that might be going on outside of her camita.  During the day, she requires music and the gentle hum of a humidifier to block everything out.

Her preferred "mimi music" is Arrullos=Lullabies in Spanish by Jose Luis Orozco.  I've heard him called the J.LO of the children's music world. (Haha!)  He certainly is famous, well, elementary school/public library famous.  He does not, however, wear short skirts or date backup dancers.  He's prolific and bilingual.  His songs are charming, mostly acoustic, usually arrangements of traditional songs.  Excellent for soothing small children.  I highly recommend it, especially considering that this one CD has kept the toddler, and her sister before her, napping happily.  A rested baby=a rested parent.