Latest eMusic acquisitions

Usually I know down to the hour when one of my two eMusic accounts is about to roll over. Yesterday it snuck up on me, so I was pleasantly surprised to see 75 fresh downloads ready for me to consume at a worrying rate. I really needed a pleasant surprise yesterday, so it was even more welcome than usual. I don’t always post about what I get from eMusic but I was so pleased with this batch that I had to share. More after the jump…

• Cro Magnon: Zapp !{.broken_link}
  How did I stumble onto this one? Who knows. I was probably just randomly browsing through the eMusic catalog one day. Regardless, I’m now the proud owner of an album by a Belgian group which describes its music as “urban chamber rock.” Yeah, it’s a bit different, but different in a good way. However, it’s not for the musically meek. If you don’t like trying new things then you won’t appreciate this album.
• DEVO: Watch Us Work It{.broken_link}
  Those of you with TV will probably recognize this song from the Dell commercial in which it was featured. Me? I’d never heard it before. All I knew was that DEVO had a new song out and that I should own it. As DEVO goes it’s only OK. I prefer their earlier stuff. Regardless, I hope this means that we can finally see an album of all new DEVO originals sometime soon.
• Flowrush: The Space is the Place
  Again, not sure where I dug this up. Flowrush is a progressive/electronic/psychedelic band out of Mexico (I refuse to link to their band’s website as it’s on MySpace and, as with most things there, is ugly and useless). However much I bag on their web presence I still have to tip my hat to their music. It reminds me a lot of Particle’s Launchpad album, which I enjoy greatly.
• Iroko Percussions: Eponyme
  I’m a broken record, I know. But somewhere along the line, for some strange reason, I found this album and added it to the list of things I ought to get. Iroko Percussions is a multi-cultural group whose music is about as diverse as the band. It leans heavily towards African percussion sounds but there’s a fair bit of electronic influence in there as well. This album is, sadly, fairly short. It’s good stuff and I’m likely to keep my eyes out for additional works by this group.
• Loreena McKennitt: The Mask and the Mirror
  This album? Yeah, ain’t new. I think it’s from way back in 1994 or so and I’m just now getting around to officially adding it to my collection. If you’re not into Celtic-influences in your music then skip this one. I, however, dig the stuff and Loreena McKennitt does good work. Also, how can you beat an album that features a bibliography?
• Martin Gordon: The World is Your Lobster
  Martin Gordon, where have you and your music been all my life? The biting, witty and satirical lyrics all wrapped up in these skillfully produced packages of pop? Yes, I like it. I like it a lot and I’m going to get more at my earliest opportunity.
• Over the Rhine: The Darkest Night of the Year{.broken_link}
  I’ve enjoyed Over the Rhine ever since I was introduced to their work about seven years ago. Since then I’ve acquired many{.broken_link} of{.broken_link} their{.broken_link} albums{.broken_link}. This one is a Christmas collection, but not your typical one. Somehow the band has managed to make Christmas carols moody and it really works. Officially this one will get filed under ‘Holiday’ but I might just pull it out from time to time at other times of the year. It’s a nice piece of work. I’m pleased to see that they’ll be releasing another Christmas album{.broken_link} later this year. Looking forward to that, I am.
• Todd Rundgren: Todd Rundgren and His Friends
  Continuing my effort to fill in the considerable gaps in my collection. Yes, a few of his tracks from the 70’s rate high on the “cheeseball” scale. That aside, Rundgren is a smoking musician. I’m not sure how I’ve gone so long without having any of his stuff, but now I can tick it off my list.