“The Unearthly Phonograph”

A brand-new song for 2012, this time in a spooky/sampletronic/hauntological vein. It’s the titular lead-off track from “The Unearthly Phonograph,” a loosely conceptual song compilation that I hope to release as the first of a series of radio programs later this year. I’m also hard at work on more original tracks in this vein in the hopes of a proper digital EP or LP. Stay tuned…

“Half Asleep, Half Awake”

Here’s my original song from last year’s CD Exchange Party: a spacey, moody, 7/8 extravaganza about that disorienting feeling of being caught between two worlds. This time out, I combined live and virtual instruments with a couple of samples, as well as some not-completely-embarrassing lead vocals (thank you, Auto-Tune).

Precision Coffee Instrument: Burr grinder

Unexpectedly Beautiful Rendition: PS22 Chorus Sings Ariel Pink’s “Round and Round”

Browser Tune-Up: sharkZapper Extension for Chrome

Leafy Green: Spinach

Proto-Beatboxing Moment: Jimmie Riddle & Jackie Phelps Eefing and Hambone Act

Intake Control: Lose It!

Interactive Lovefest: SXSW Interactive

Coin-Operated Curiosities: Musée Mechanique

Musical Genius: Frank Zappa

Literary Genius (Who Was Even Smarter than Everyone Thought): Vladimir Nabokov

Cartoon Re-Imagining: The Monkeys You Ordered

Hauntological Soundtrack Source: Ghost Box

Excuse to Go Back to the Future: iCADE

Whoopie Pie: Society Bakery

Tool for Reading It Later: Instapaper

Brain Cartography: MindMeister

Celestial Jukebox: Grooveshark

Way to Keep Up with the iJoneses: Mac App Store

Excuse to Buy a Bigger Hard Drive: Thousands of free Netlabel albums, curated by Phlow Magazine, Free Music Archive and Archive.org

Chance to Discover Your Inner George Martin: Propellerhead Record 1.5

Book to Read Before Seeing the Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (UK Edition)

Where to Find a Book to Read Next: Project Gutenberg

Fully Customized E-Magazine: Flipboard

Device to Read All This Stuff On: iPad

Pocket-Sized Ubiquitous Capture Device: Moleskine Volant X-Small Plain Notebook

Reimagining: Sherlock

8-bit Musical Massacre: Flying Lotus – Kill Your Co-Workers

Digital Brain: OmniFocus

Unexpectedly Delicious Diet Food: Alton Brown’s Sardine-Avocado Sandwich

Cool Internet Trick: Easy Bit.ly QR Codes

Note: This will likely be my last Weekly Obsession entry until December, as I will be taking the month of November to participate in my first ever NaNoWriMo. Wish me luck!

Pocket Pen: Zebra F-301 Compact

Lust Object: The new MacBook Air

Fashion Statement: Playbutton

Musical Evolution: Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz

Burger Topping: ¡Jalapeños!

Mind-Eff: When does a dream become a nightmare?

Cheap-Ass Lunch: Gourmet Ramen noodles

Music Groop: Stereolab

Controversial Cartoon Show Opening: The Simpsons by Banksy

Mac App for Writers: Scrivener

Productivity Podcast: David Allen Getting Things Done Podcast

Brew: Guinness Draught

Author, Dream-Weaver, Visionary (Plus Actor): Garth Marenghi

Spice: Rosemary

Netflix Queue-Enlarger: instantwatcher.com

Vintage Adventure Novel: At the Earth’s Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Source for Random Asian Goodies: 99 Ranch Market

Album: Deadringer by RJD2

Concert: Field Music, 9/30/10 at The Loft, Dallas

Store-Bought Salsa: Herdez Salsa Verde

Restaurant Salsa: Chuy’s Salsa Fresca

Non-Paper-Based Mobile Reading Experience: iBooks

Online Diversion: Website Asteroids

Offline Diversion: Chess

Geographical Source for Televised Entertainment: Great Britain

Starbucks Order: Grande Caffè Americano

Publisher of Random Awesomeness: Dover Publications

Mommy Blog: Mother Is Not Concerned / LitLad (Tied)

Personal Challenge: NaNoWriMo

Free Music Download: Jim Noir – Melody Junction EP

Britcom: Green Wing

Pen: Pilot Varsity

Season: Autumn

Vintage Keyboard: Clavinet / Mellotron (Tied)

Lust Object: The Boxee Box

Wow App: Epic Citadel

Video Series: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis

Coffee: Zabar’s Dark Espresso Roast

Dessert: Ridiculously Easy Peach Crunch Cake

Browser: Google Chrome

Bookstore: The public library

Birdcall: Mourning dove