This is not another Wilco post

It's not like me to write about music. As my former roommates and piano and guitar teachers will tell you, I'm not exactly a music-savvy person. I don't know band members' names or history; I know what I like but I don't think I could tell you why. But what I do have is a naive curiosity and great friends with good taste who take the time to let me in on the musical wonderlands they're knowledgeable about. And the beauty about this combination is that I'm usually shown the backroom of artists long after they've established themselves among the low-profile world. Thanks to these fine people, in the last couple years I have been shown an array of great music.

I credit my Ireland roommate Tadhg, who took the time to make me an MP3 disc of his favourite artists including many from Ireland and Britain (and a few Monty Python clips), for introducing me to Mic Christopher and Ryan Adams. This led to spinoff discoveries of Gemma Hayes and Damien Rice. And thanks to my good friends in Toronto and an extra ticket, I was shown the world of Wilco. Wilco will always be special to me as it represents the first time I started listening to an artist in terms of albums and not just overall style or individual songs. The beauty of meeting Wilco long after he'd established his reputation is that it's let me get to know him backwards. Like any new love interest, I've gotten to know his latest self first, but now, having started sifting back, I've met what's been called his masterpiece, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and have since moved backwards further to Being There. I am halfway through getting to know Wilco during this time in his life, and I like him with a little twang. I can now understand why so many people were disappointed with his latest album. I'm sure everyone was waiting to see what he'd pull off next after making what sounds to me like keyboard helicopter sounds sound cool and polished tracks just weren't what they expected. I have many albums still to get to, and since it takes me a while to fully absorb an album to the point of moving on, it'll be a while until I'm done with him.

But for now I've switched back to one of my former acquaintances, Ryan Adams. I thumbed through his cds today, reading the titles, having heard a few songs off each and looking for ones that might represent an album representing the same style. I chose Heartbreaker. Being a self-conscious newcomer I was relieved when the cashier said "I love this record" and held it to her chest. I'm sure she says it to any customer with any cd, but it was still reassuring. So far I'm falling in lust, but it will take me a little while to really get to know it.

But to show appreciation to those patient and generous people who took the time to walk me through their worlds, I have compiled a best-of mix of what I've second-hand discovered over the last couple years. I don't know the rules of best-of mixes, but I hope you enjoy it.

Amber's best-of mix

1. Halloween - Ryan Adams, from Love is Hell, pt. 1
2. Jesus, Etc. - Wilco, from Hotel Yankee Foxtrot
3. Sweet Ones - Sarah Slean, from Night Bugs
4. Come pick me up - Ryan Adams, from Heartbreaker
5. Back of my hand - Gemma Hayes, from Night on my Side
6. Listen Girl - Mic Christopher, from Skylarkin
7. Up Against the Wall - The Be Good Tanyas, from Blue Horse
8. I feel it all - Feist, from The Reminder
9. 425am - Gemma Hayes, from Night on my Side
10. Heyday - Mic Christopher, from Skylarkin
11. Easy way to cry - David Gray, from A New Day at Midnight
12. Engish girls approximately - Ryan Adams, from Love is Hell, pt. 2
13. Side with sides - Wilco, from Sky Blue Sky
14. Cold water - Damien Rice, from O
15. Hotel Chelsea Nights - Ryan Adams, from Love is Hell, pt. 2