Listening Assignments 1.28.08

1. Via Audio - Enunciation - I'm fairly sure there are multiple points in this song where you'll think you know where it's going. Then, 10 seconds later, you're wrong. But you're not upset about it; you revel in it. You listen to it on repeat. [from Say Something...|buy]

2. The Basics - Baby, Let Me In - Wally De Backer (Gotye) has those golden pipes and the rest of this Australian 3-piece has the '60s groove down pat. It's a short little ditty that'll make you feel pretty. [from Call it Rhythm & Blues|info]

3. Kid Dakota - 10,000 Lakes - This may have been an assignment back before the blog existed, but regardless, it's here now. It's pretty nippy outside recently, enough to make me feel like I'm traversing the open plains, crossing frozen lakes and covering myself in assorted pelts (faux-fur, I assure you). This song is about how I feel on those days. But the real reason it's an assignment starts at the 3:46 mark. [from The West is the Future|buy]

4. J. Tillman - Restlessness - The haunting sound of one J. Tillman has been documented here before, but I see no reason to stop there. Consider this part 3 of your downtempo lesson that began with Idaho and Hayden last week. This plods along like a heartbeat, an ebbing and flowing tide of melancholy. Not always sad though, just always slow. Slow enough to realize that you're breathing slower, along with him. Hanging on every whisper. 4:23 is especially sweet. [from Minor Works|buy]