Music For The World

Looking for something new to tickle your ears? No, not a feather. I’m talking music.

I have to confess that my musical tastes are eclectic. Some days I listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers and other days I’m kicking back with Aretha Franklin. I’ve been known swipe my daughter’s Eminem or Nellie CDs or borrow my son’s Lynard Skynard. There really is no music that I don’t enjoy.

The internet has opened up a new world of music to many, including me. I’m not sure how I found Jonathan Coulton‘s site or when I first discovered it but I have gone back to it many times, just to listen.

Jonathan is a 37 year old guy who used to write software but quit that job so that he could pursue music. His site offers all of his songs, both those he’s written and a few cover songs. He had this year long project where he recorded a new song every week and offered them for free on his website. I think that might be when I first listened to him. You can now buy any song for a dollar or albums for $10. Of course, you can listen to any of the music before you buy.

Anyway, Coulton’s music reminds me a little of They Might Be Giants for some reason. I love TMBG, by the way, so naturally I enjoy a lot of the songs that Jonathan offers on his site. If you head over and wonder what to sample first, check out Code Monkey. Love that one. Tom Cruise Crazy is good, too. Oh, and I’m not usually one to listen to cover songs but I’m glad I made an exception for the Beatles’ I Will. Memories, you know.

Coulton is a self-described Internet Musician; you won’t find him playing a Vegas hotel or nightclub. You can enter some info to Demand a performance in your town, though. You know I’ve already done that.

To get you started, Jonathan has listed some favorite songs by topic – funny, sweet, funny and sad, geeky – so you can get a taste of his music. This guy thinks of everything, doesn’t he? And if you are musically inclined, go ahead, pick a favorite song, record yourself performing it and send it to him. He might post it to his blog!