Lila Downs - La Llorona

A traditional song done in a mostly traditional style, but this rendition is only a few years old.

Mozart - Requiem

This is just the first two sections (Introitus and Kyrie) of the complete work. John Eliot Gardiner conducts the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir.



The English translation of the words:

Grant them eternal rest, Lord,
and let perpetual light shine on them.
You are praised, God, in Zion,
and homage will be paid to You in Jerusalem.
Hear my prayer,
to You all flesh will come.
Grant them eternal rest, Lord,
and let perpetual light shine on them.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Harry Nilsson - Sister Marie

Another rarity from the Nilsson box set that really stands out for me. It was apparently released as a B-side, and is notable for being another of Nilsson's covers (like "Everybody's Talkin'"). Interesting that someone originally known as a songwriter would regularly perform other people's songs, but if you really love songs as songs, then it's not so surprising.

Harry Nilsson - Leggenda

A lost gem from the Harry Nilsson box set. This clip is actually ripped from an original vinyl release, where it was the B-side of the Italian single version of "Without You."

Krugman on Ryan's Dog Whistle

There's a fair amount that's already been said about Paul Ryan's comments on the roots of poverty, but Krugman as usual sums things up pretty well.

We are told, for example, that conservatives are against big government and high spending. Yet even as Republican governors and state legislatures block the expansion of Medicaid, the G.O.P. angrily denounces modest cost-saving measures for Medicare. How can this contradiction be explained? Well, what do many Medicaid recipients look like — and I’m talking about the color of their skin, not the content of their character — and how does that compare with the typical Medicare beneficiary? Mystery solved.

Or we’re told that conservatives, the Tea Party in particular, oppose handouts because they believe in personal responsibility, in a society in which people must bear the consequences of their actions. Yet it’s hard to find angry Tea Party denunciations of huge Wall Street bailouts, of huge bonuses paid to executives who were saved from disaster by government backing and guarantees. Instead, all the movement’s passion, starting with Rick Santelli’s famous rant on CNBC, has been directed against any hint of financial relief for low-income borrowers. And what is it about these borrowers that makes them such targets of ire? You know the answer.

Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns

Title track from her first studio album after Court and Spark, her breakthrough, so expectations for this one were high. At the time I thought there were some good songs but was kind of disappointed. Now I think it's very good.

Terry Southern in eBook Form

I was talking last night about Terry Southern with someone. A little online searching turned up this clip about how his works are now available in eBook format.