What You Can Get With A Starbucks Coffee

I like to work in Starbucks at times. It's either really loud with chatter or really relaxed and quiet. Either way, in the Starbucks where I live, they have a flat screen TV where they display the names of the songs playing, along with the artists and the albums. I have to say, Starbucks has really tapped into their musical sides, what with their Starbucks CD Mixes like "Dinner For Two" and "Wind Down," consisting of artists from all walks of life. 

So I'm at Starbucks one day, and I hear a couple of really nice songs, so I write their names down and check them out online. Of course, I had to download them afterward,and so far I can't stop listening to them. 

• "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" By Madeline Pyroux
• I know this is a Bob Dylan song originally, but the way this is arranged, it sounds like it was originally made for both Jazz and Rock. Everything feels like Spring in this song. Pyroux's voice is a pleasant blend of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. She sure did study her Jazz Queens!

• "Plage" By Crystal Fighters
• The moment I heard this, it felt like it was summertime in Venice, California, right on the beach, and we were celebrating somebody's birthday. I've never heard of this group before, but if all their stuff is as fly is this, I'll be tempted to buy all their stuff. This goes right up there on the list of Top Feel-Good Songs Ever.

• "Puncture Repair" By Elbow
• A very melancholy, poignant song that contains one and a half verses and one chorus. It's one man's voice and a piano playing two notes at a time, yet somehow, the music fills the room the way an Orchestra would. I love the melody progression and the simplicity of the lyrics, and for cloudy days or cold nights this song is perfect.

• "Homework" By Big Deal
• Remember doing your homework and having something else on your mind, like a bad friend or a lost love? Nowadays whenever I do something similar to homework, this song comes in my head. The sweet, lilting voices of two British guitarists and songwriters enhance this beat-less symphony of acoustic and electric guitars. A perfect sunset tune.

• "Late Lounge Lover" By Hacienda
• I've got very few salsa jams on my iPod, and that's because I'm very picky about them. It has to really stick in my head, all six minutes of it, before I choose to buy it. So when I heard this, I knew I had found a keeper. Definite what the title implies--aa relaxed lounge joint with hints of charm.

• "The Man With The Harmonica" Apollo 440
• Probably the most eerie song in this whole collection. I did a little research, and the song was part of a compilation album dedicated to a composer named Ennio Morricone. With that in mind, I'd say they did a pretty good job. They integrated a classic sample into a totally electroniced-out beat, and did it well.

Not just a coffee when you walk into Starbucks, eh? I think I just found a new source of discovery for Art Batter! 

Let me know what you think, and tune in soon for a review of Safe House! I'm watching it tomorrow!

-CDM