Chrisooya's Stream of Conciousness

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I can’t count the number of times that I have picked up the newspaper at a time of crisis and found whole swaths of the front page given over either to the already known result of some other dull game or to the moral or criminal depredations of some overpaid steroid swallower. Listen: the paper has a whole separate section devoted to people who want to degrade the act of reading by staring enthusiastically at the outcomes of sporting events that occurred the previous day. These avid consumers also have tons of dedicated channels and publications that are lovingly contoured to their special needs. All I ask is that they keep out of the grown-up parts of the paper. Chris Hitchens, sports hater. (via newsweek)
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10. Blue Scholars - Coffee & Snow

And here is one last 2009 track that should serve well through these cold first months of 2010. Simple but satisfying, this is a great track for winter.

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9. M. Ward - “Never Had Nobody Like You”

This may have been my most listened-to song of 2009. Just fantastic. Love the fuzzy guitar, Zooey Deschanel’s backup vocals, the lyrics, everything. Thanks to Melinda for introducing me to this track.

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8. The Dead Weather - “New Pony”

The Dead Weather is Jack White’s latest project, bringing together the the singer from The Kills, the guitarist from Queens of the Stone Age and Jack White on the motherfucking drums. And he bangs the shit out of them.

Their album, Horehound, is probably the best album of 2009. And off that album the track that I just can’t get enough of is this cover of Bob Dylan’s “New Pony.” I mean holy shit. This is a song that demands you turn up the volume—if I find out any of you listened to it on your laptop speakers, we cannot be friends any more.

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7. O.C. - “Times Up” (Samon Kawamura instrumental remix)

Originally called Takeshi Kitano, until the real Takeshi Kitano threatened legal action, a new Japanese label (now known simply as Takeshi Records) released a small handful of excellent instrumental hip hop last year. I had a very difficult time deciding which one to post, but this remix by Samon Kawamura eventually won out. Perfect music for chilling with the lights down low, or perhaps for some nighttime driving.

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6. Mic Blaque feat. Damaja D and Chen Lo - “Fresh Out”

I sometimes forget that people are still making Hip Hop this good. All three emcees are on their game, and Kilo’s production is just right. The title is appropriate, ‘cause this shit sounds fresh.

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5. Marina and the Diamonds - “Obsessions”

Marina and the Diamonds is from Wales, and as far as I know is pretty new. I dig this track. Sadly though, none of her other songs are any good, which is a shame because she has a fantastic voice.

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4. Michael Jackson - “We’ve Got a Good Thing Going On”

Recorded a long long time ago, but this version was produced this year and released on a new CD of stripped down mixes of old Michael Jackson tunes. This was my official song for Fall.

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3. Leonard Cohen - “Recitation”

Leonard Cohen is one of my favorite artists. In 2009, for the first time in 15 years, the 75-year-old Cohen went on tour. I was fortunate enough to see him in Madrid. An amazing concert, and afterward I picked up the Live in London album he released earlier in the year.

On the live album, he mostly plays his old classics, but there is one new track: this spoken word poem. It will give you goosebumps.