Playlist : May 24th - 28th, 2010

A couple of compilations and some old favourites in this week's list. Unfortunately, it doesn't include the new vinyl only Ryan Adams release, Orion as I'd just splurged on Down Under By law (which arrived safely btw and has been ripped to mp3 nicely).

So here goes:

• Deb Talan - A Bird Flies Out - The distinct and honey sweet voice of The Weepies in a 2003 solo effort. The other half of The Weepies, Steve Tannen, recommended Ms Talan to me via Twitter, saying he'd listened to and enjoyed her music long before meeting her and forming a their band.

• VA - True Blood OST Volume 1 - My wife and I are massive True Blood fans and can't wait for Season 3 - which I'm told is due to start sometime in June. The soundtrack contains a whole lot of down home rock.

• Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do - A twitter follower and fellow alt-country tragic recommended the latest Truckers to me. This will be my first listen.

• VA - What It Is! Vol. 4 - The fourth and final installment of this great collection of funktastic soulful grooves.

• Jebediah - Slightly Oddway - With the overall brooding tone of much of the rest of the list, I felt I needed something a little power poppy. Seeing as the WAMIs were just on and the Jebs played, I chose this old favourite from 1997.

• Ice-T - Power - While writing my list of songs for Hip Hop Appreciation Week, I was reminded how much air time Power got on my TEAC double cassette deck (laughingly referred to as a boom box back in the day). Good fun, good knowledge and great grooves from SVU's own Finn ;)

• Black Star - Black Star - Another album I decided I wanted to hear while compiling my Hip Hop list. Talib Kweli and Mos Def bring the jazz and the BK swagger to their debut, and so far only, LP.

• Counting Crows - This Desert Life - Yes, Counting Crows, okay? As uncool as it is, I still don't mind a good CC track. People forget how massive August was. Crows PWNED son. I enjoy this album, if for no other reason than Mrs Potter's Lullaby can transport you instantly into a giggling and giddy flirtation with Monica Potter. Most people at least know Colorblind from the Good Intentions soundtrack.

• Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Cardinology - So after convincing the "bank manager" that I absolutely had to spend almost $100 on a record (after $700+ on an iPad and accessories), Ryan Adams decides to release Orion - a vinyl only sci-fi metal concept album that would have cost me $50 to import. Not. Happy. Radams. So in protest I will play the last Cardinals release and obstinately insist that metal is crap anyway and who wants a stinking clear vinyl record...

By Friday I may have gotten around to compiling all my Hip Hop Appreciation Week mixtapes, so I may be listening to them that day. I still have had no joy posting them here. Might need to make them a lower bitrate and try again.

See you at the coalface.