I recently bought some new music (yes, RIAA, bought) and I’ve been very happy with it.

The first album is Le Fil (The Thread) by Camille. I first heard about it on an NPR story and the few tracks they played I enjoyed. I usually can’t go wrong on NPR recommendations, and this is was no exception. She has a lovely voice and as far as I know she could be singing about her laundry (Alex tells me the first song is not for children) but it is great to listen to at work since the sound just kinda flows over you and you don’t get caught up in the lyrics.

The second album I like even more than the first. Haughty Melodic by Mike Doughty is simply amazing. I first came across his voice many years ago driving back from Charlottesville, Virginia and listening to the college radio station there. They played a tune called “Soft Serve” by Soul Coughing, the band that Mike used to front. I loved that song and immediately bought the album. However, Soul Coughing had many songs that were a bit too hard and harsh for my taste, mixed in with these lovely, catchy tunes that featured Mike’s voice. Haughty Melodic is a whole album of just those tunes. It’s great. I (seriously) listened to the whole album 5 times in a row today. I think “Unsingable Name” is probably my favorite track, but they are all marvelous, even when they head toward the sarcastic with “Busting Up a Starbucks” and “White Lexus”.