There are only 8670 items in iTunes today - did I delete some? Shuffle brings me:

The Charles C. Leary from Oh Me Oh My... by Devendra Banhart

I dragged myself through pouring rain to see Devendra at some crummy Lower East Side club shortly after this album came out. For whatever reason, I never actually saw him perform. Then he came out with another album and another and earned accolades and people started calling him king of the freak folk scene and he was dating half of CocoRosie and hanging out with Lindsay Lohan. And though I continued to buy his albums, I kind of turned my back on him.

Two weeks ago, I saw him perform at Carnegie Hall as part of the David Byrne curated series. He was magnetic. I saw how he could pull music-making people to him. I wanted to kick off my shoes and join the melodic cacophony on tambourine.

Though the tape hiss and weirdly doubled, slightly detuned vocals place this song in exactly the space it deserves, I am glad Devendra has a recording budget now. I will drag myself out in rain or snow to see him perform again.

Two things radio announcers can say to annoy me:

1. "On a Telarc compact disc..."

A compact disc? Is that like a long-playing vinyl record? A digital audio tape? Come on.

2. "Meeyoooooosic... for discerning/independent/snooty listeners"

Meeyoosic? Is that what I listen to while my butler serves me tea as I recline supine on a divan in a parlor? Ma'am, in your attempt to sound all professional and hide the fact that you're a 20 year old media production student, you have turned into Lovey "Millionaire's Wife" Howell.

On the other hand, the offender of #2 did just play new releases by Lily Allen and Lee Hazlewood back to back.

A record I pulled from my mom's dusty stash when I was 15 or 16 because of the terrifying cover art. And, oh, it did not disappoint.

King Crimson's 1969 debut In The Court Of The Crimson King (link is to a live show)

I reencountered this song while watching Children Of Men.

Like seeing a friend from high school on the movie screen, a little older, cleaned up, but still spouting that glorious proggy poetry and musical wizardry. (I suppose 21st Century Schizoid Man was too obvious a choice?)

That I recognized Krystof Penderecki's Threnody For The Victims Of Hiroshima a little later in the movie... icing on cake.

I can live in a dystopian future, if it has a decent soundtrack.