By January of 2018, I was burned out. I had spent each of the previous 52 weeks identifying, listening to, and evaluating a new album. Though I got a lot out of my 2017 music mission, I did not have the energy or interest to invest in a lot of new music. As a result, … Continue reading Queen Harvest’s Top Five (5) Albums of 2018
Music
2017: Third Quarter Note
I feel like several years have passed since the second quarter of 2017. For reference, in the last three months I have graduated with a master’s degree, left my job of over three years, and moved across the country to start my career in a new landscape and climate, where I know no one but … Continue reading 2017: Third Quarter Note
2017: Second Quarter Note
Since my First Quarter Note I have diligently, doggedly, at times reluctantly, maintained a rigorous schedule of listening to a new album of music each week. There have been difficult dry spells when I felt burned out (See Weeks 17-19) and times of glorious abundance when I had the world on a string (See Week … Continue reading 2017: Second Quarter Note
2017: First Quarter Note
The first fourth of 2017 is mercifully behind us. Thanks to the recommendations of friends, strangers, and society-at-large, my weeks have been full of new music of all shapes and sizes. Every Sunday I choose an album to which I've never listened, and throughout the week I listen to it at least five times (to … Continue reading 2017: First Quarter Note
Queen Harvest’s Top Five (5) Albums of 2016
This year was not my most musically adventurous. I spent a lot of listening time on podcasts (SSDGM), lecture series (Russia, Ulysses, Ireland), and Hamilton (again), and made minimal efforts seek out new music. I have decided to take action against musical malaise next year. I will listen to a new album every week, at … Continue reading Queen Harvest’s Top Five (5) Albums of 2016
Bob Dylan Wrote a Protest Album for 2016
He just released it in 1964. With its black-and-white cover, solo acoustic guitar, and old school folky title, The Times They Are A-Changin’ seems like an album stuck in the music and history of fifty years ago. Nevertheless, Dylan’s songs of anger and despair each point a finger at social, economic, and political issues that … Continue reading Bob Dylan Wrote a Protest Album for 2016
Thoughts on Another Side of Bob Dylan
The inside of Bob Dylan’s head is a wonderland to which we are granted fleeting glimpses. Listen to an album and witness a single thought rolling around in his mind and bounding outward in endless lyrical variations–now humorous, now grave, now personal, now universal. From the outside looking in, Another Side of Bob Dylan finds … Continue reading Thoughts on Another Side of Bob Dylan
Queen Harvest’s Top Five (5) Albums of 2015
Since my groundbreaking Top Five of 2014 album chart last December, my loyal readers have been waiting all year to learn what were the hottest jams of Queen Harvest’s 2015. Let me tell you, this year did not disappoint. Every album was new to me, and some were even new to normal people. I laughed; … Continue reading Queen Harvest’s Top Five (5) Albums of 2015
Queen Harvest’s Top Five (5) Albums of 2014
Twenty Fourteen (2014) was a lousy year for the music industry, but it was a great year for my music collection. Allow me to recap the year with my Top Five Albums of 2014. 5. Day and Age (The Killers, 2008). Favorite song: “Spaceman” I bought this album after years of listening to Hot Fuss … Continue reading Queen Harvest’s Top Five (5) Albums of 2014
Halloween, Music, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Christmas gets all the attention, but Halloween is the holiday with the most potential for great music. This holiday season has seen me compulsively Googling what various internet sources would include on an essential Halloween playlist. Sadly, many of these listmakers are grasping at straws. Most lists consist of a few movie themes (Ghostbusters, The … Continue reading Halloween, Music, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show
