Ever wonder what I'm listening to? It's bound to be an eclectic mix. If you're looking for something new, or just want to know where my musical ears are in any given month, check back for this random, unordered, and unpredictable list. By popular request, I've linked albums to their Amazon review pages or individual websites where possible.

EXPLORATIONS:
Autumn 2006: You're liable to find anything and everything on my playlist right now; it's a time for new, fresh ideas and explorations into uncharted waters, as well as revisiting old familiar friends. What follows is a random sampling of current listening choices.

Emilie Autumn's On a Day: Music for Baroque Violin & Continuo is already out of print, but you can still purchase the album via digital download from Traitor Records, along with her victorian industrial vocal albums.

The Journey: The Best of Audiemus is a terrific introduction to the "faux world music" of composer Karl Jenkins; breath-taking vocals, enchanting orchestrations, and a language of his own making.

If you're not familiar with the 1990s pseudo-mediaeval stylings of Dead Can Dance, Memento (sic) provides an all-around introduction to this Australian group. Fuelled by the creative talents of Brendan Parry and Lisa Gerrard, Dead Can Dance is often referred to as alt-pop or ambient pop, because their music continues to defy description.

Victory for the Common Muse. Neil Hannon is a genius. That is all.

Norway's Satyricon is another group which defies a simple description. You'll often find them in the death metal category, but their albums include orchestrations and chant. Their debut album from 1999, Dark Medieval Times, is currently among my favourites.

Don't call them "twee" pop. Architecture in Helsinki have firmly established themselves in the forefront of the indie pop genre; their songs are unique, diverse, and peppered with everything from electric instruments to recorders and clarinets. In Case We Die is their latest album, and a good introduction to this Australian group.

Rainy Day Music by the Jayhawks: I wonder if this is what Simon and Garfunkel might have sounded like, starting out 40 or 50 years later?

I've become very passionate about the "newgrass" music of Nickel Creek. Their latest, Why Should the Fire Die?, is their most sophisticated album to date. Their earliest albums, recorded when they were teens, are increasingly hard to find but well worth the effort.

Wonderfully witty and irreverent, Bea Arthur's Broadway album Just Between Friends is a CD no musical theatre collection should be without.

Belle and Sebastian: absolutely anything by this Scottish group is worth a listen. Their latest is The Life Pursuit.

One of my favourite "live" albums of late is Flogging Molly's Whiskey on a Sunday.

The most outrageous group I'm currently listening to is Gogol Bordello. If you've never experienced New York City style gipsy punk rock, performed at lightning speed and laced with absolutely manic accordion riffs, start with Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike. You might want to use the headphones for this one, unless your flat mate likes surprises.