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What can I say? I'm a diehard Wilco fan. One of my earliest posts here at Transcendental Floss was in response to their previous record, and their latest, Sky Blue Sky, has captivated me just like everything they've ever done. Of course, it's been out for awhile and everyone's digested it and reviewed it to death, but still I can't keep my mouth shut about it. At this point, with their six albums sandwiching two Mermaid Avenue volumes of collaboration with Billy Bragg, I'd go so far as to compare their run of recordings to pretty much any of the great bands in history. Seriously, it's been one revelation, one evolution, one highly listenable album after another spanning twelve years! This latest offering continues to be drenched in references to their musical influences, and here the 1970s reign supreme. With nods ranging from Steely Dan to Led Zeppelin, this is a record that has that classic vinyl sound all over it.

— Gonzo

Loudon Wainwright III - A Live One

Here's a likely obscure one for many of you. Loudon, father of Rufus, was one of many post-Dylan singer-songwriters whom, if they didn't intentionally try to follow in Dylan's footsteps, ended up labeled as having done so during a surge of public interest in people who could simply sing songs and play an acoustic guitar. Loudon is a quirky writer and performer, and his songs range from very funny to shockingly raw and personal. I'm particularly fond of Clockwork Chartreuse, which plays around with a little of the old ultra-violence. If you watched as much M*A*S*H as I did when it was on, you might remember Loudon, who appeared as Captain Spalding, the singing surgeon, in three episodes in its third season.

— gonzo

eye candy

Once

This low budget "musical" (I'll explain the quotes in a second) knocked me out and inspired me to quit my job, take off for Europe with my guitar, and spend the rest of my days busking, but then I remembered that I'm married and have a 10-year old son, both of whom I like an awful lot. Sigh. Anyway, Once has been labeled a musical only because songs are performed in the film from start to finish. But, the songs aren't obviously contextual, the actors don't just break into song to backing music coming from nowhere, and there are no dance numbers through the Dublin streets where it was filmed. The chemistry between the two leads is wonderfully sweet and funny, the music is at times lovely and tender, other times deliciously melodramatic and passionate.

— gonzo

brain candy

Ode Magazine

Here's a twist, our first ever magazine recommendation in the Brain Candy department. With the tagline "To People - To Passion - To Possibilities", Ode is a breath of fresh air, good news for a change and lots of it. Articles are easily digestible without being dumbed down, and they regularly highlight ideas and people I later hear about via other media sources. Co-produced in The Netherlands and the U.S., there's a decidedly European feeling to the zine that I enjoy immensely. From science to spirituality, sustainability to the arts, I love getting my hit of optimism every issue. If you aren't a magazine reader, the Ode website offers a lot of the content from the magazine, as well as reader blogs and social networking interactivity.

— gonzo

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