Snow on the ground and a looming holiday rush in the air.
I've been a bit scattered this week -- bashing away at getting a bunch of stuff done at work before year-end, trying (unsuccessfully) to work on the major assignment for my course, and thinking (intermittently) about what the hell to get people for Christmas.
Three songs figuring prominently on my musical radar in the last few days:
- Sara Valenzuela - "Para Continuar" -- this incredibly pretty tune was included on a Nacional Records Sampler that I downloaded for free from eMusic a while back and promptly forgot about until I played it at work this week; Valenzuela's work is a gentle pop-jazz hybrid that will likely appeal to fans of Bebel Gilberto or Nora Jones -- you can download "Para Continuar" plus another song for free from her website (after you enter the site -- Flash required -- select 'Galería' from the menu, then go to 'Extras: Downloads')
- Isao Tomita - "Arabesque No. 1" -- taken from his 1974 album Snowflakes Are Dancing, this is an electronic re-working of an old Debussey chestnut; soothing, without degenerating into New Age-y musical wallpaper
- Matthew Barber - "Soft One" -- heard on the mainstream radio station that I listen to on weekday mornings, this is a solid pop gem, reminiscent of the old Cars song "Just What I Needed"; purchased from iTunes this week (along with the Tomita track)