Cubicle Tunes - Week of October 1, 2007

There have been no cubicle tunes posts in recent weeks. That is because I haven't been in my cubicle in recent weeks. Stands to reason, yes?

Now I'm back, and here is the solid gold that is eminating from my iPod this week.

1. Joni Mitchell - Shine (2007)

I didn't even know this album was coming out, but I found it on iTunes and it is amazing. It has more of a sonic new age feel than her previous work, especially the title track. The remake of "Big Yellow Taxi" is disappointing and out of place, but the remainder of the album is pure bliss.

2. Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War (2007)

Another iTunes experiment that paid off. A great pop record with melancholy sprinkled throughout, especially the somewhat wrenching tale of a personal ad gone wrong in "Personal" or the emotional toll of a one-night stand in "Midnight Coward". I regret not going to see them last month when they played at Calvin College in Grand Rapids.

3. Holly Williams - The Ones We Never Knew (2004)

A very sullen and intimate collection of painful songs about human introspection and vulnerability. It's ballad heavy, but the instrumentation is unique and creates a different mood for each song. An absolutely brilliant album worthy of your time and attention.

4. The National - Boxer (2007)

Yes, this album is featured prominently in this series, but that should tell you something. The album has some songs with semi-tempo, but most of it is a slow burn that you keep waiting to explode but never does. Filled with such anti-emotion as "You might need me more than you think you will" and "Do you really think you can put it in a safe behind a painting, lock it up, and leave?", there's plenty of blame and prophecy to go around. It's getting late in the year, and this is my front runner for best album of 2007.

5. Damien Rice - O (2003)

It is only fitting that a painful song like "The Blower's Daughter" would play in the opening scene of the film Closer. Closer evokes a pretty strong emotional response if you've been in that situation, and the song speaks to the throwaway nature of modern relationships. The string arrangements are gorgeous, and the epic "Eskimo" is a folk-opera in itself.

I'm out-

KWass