Is it just me or is this age of easily downloadable digital music making us all really fucking lazy?

I could pin some of this on the time taken up in raising a child but that wouldn't be entirely fair. After all most of the concerts that I used to go and see in a previous life (20-25 rock concerts in 2004-2006) didn't get rolling until 10pm or later, long after Ciaran has gone to bed. So why have I only seen 1 live rock concert in 2007? (2nd upcoming thanks to Kyle) Can I blame you sorry sods for being equally comatose when it comes to the live music experience?

And it's not restricted to rock music. The last opera I saw was over a year ago and I haven't been to see the TSO or any chamber music in a couple of years. How are the rest of you on this count? Have you seen anything lately or see anything on the horizon that looks interesting?

As for the music package itself are any of you still purchasing with any frequency. Amazingly it has been over a year since my last purchase at Soundscapes and the only CD I've bought since the summer was the new Band of Horses. If any of you are still buying the shiny silver discs are you seeing the strength of the Canadian $ reflected in the prices?

On a similar "demise of music" note I see that Sunrise downtown is now selling used CDs in addition to their regular inventory. Makes me think HMV will soon be the only game in the heart of the city.

read an interview w/ stars frontman torquil campbell, quoted as follows:

"God bless Animal Collective, but they really have, in their own strange way, made indie rock a much more conservative place than it should be. If you can create intellectual distance from your work, then critics will feel clever for getting it and give you good marks; if you create music that fucked-up 13-year-old girls might enjoy, then critics will feel like you're trying too hard and not give you good marks. The Pitchfork phenomenon in particular is bizarre because it seems to have altered the fundamental way in which people get into music. I really do think that people should probably lose their virginity before they start writing reviews for Pitchfork."

Questions that follow:
1) Are bands that are wear their heart on their sleeve musically penalized for so doing? Know we touched on this discussion a few years back (sentimentality vs. ironic distance) so wondered if you all felt the same today.
2) Is Animal Collective's music really intellectually distant? I would argue otherwise.
3) Is it likely that most Pitchfork scribes have yet to engage in coitus? If so, should they be barred from publishing until they've done the deed?

Should these questions bore you to tears, here's an article on the future of itunes.

Alone together absolutely....I think thats the second time that Chet album has been discussed, so anyone not owning it may want to do so....I'd add Miles davis Nuit sur les Champes-Elysces from Ascenser Pour L'Echafoud

Excellent choice...favourite version of it?

I'll add Coltrane's "Naima" and Howard Dietz's "Alone Together" (fave version of which is Chet Baker's from "Chet").

In the jazz category I'll nominate Jimmy Van Heusen's "But Beautiful".

In honour of the NYC trip, I thought I would pose a jazz question to the bloglodytes. And here it is:

What are the top five jazz ballads (compositions rather than performances), and top five rock ballads (or slow songs, if you'd rather), of all time?

I will start with one jazz to get the whole thing going - Goodbye PorkPie Hat by Charles Mingus.