2006-02-06 - 12:57 p.m. Holy mackeral! Have you seen the latest nickel design? I guess I don't look that closely at nickels anymore (not like I used to, when I was a nickel-watchin' youngster) but there's something about the "obverse Jefferson" (didn't Dorothy Hamell use the Obverse Jefferson to win the gold at Innsbruck?) that disturbs and excites me, like they let David Lynch loose at the U.S. Mint one day. On the other end of the experential spectrum, neither disturbing nor exciting but perfectly pleasant is Beth Orton's new record. She seems to have the confidence on this one to abandon all the electronica nonsense and just sing some good, strong songs with traditional folk/pop instrumentation. "Heartland Truckstop" sounds like something from Astral Weeks...and hey, this album is on the Astralwerks label--I think I finally just got that pun, if it's a pun and not a refrence to a third thing. But the best discovery of the week for me so far (um, granted it's only Monday) is singer-songwriter Kelley Stoltz. His album Below the Branches captivates me--great melodies and lo-fi-ish but imaginative production. It does not scream "2006"--there's a timeless quality to this, like all my favorite records. I have a feeling I'll be listening to this a lot in the coming months, and probably liking it even more as time goes on. thoughts? (5 comments so far) previous - next blog archive contact