I’ve been tasked with a project related to my the graduation of my daughter’s sixth grade class at Barton Hills Elementary. Part of it involves finding appropriate music. When I’ve done this in the past I’ve had a specific song in mind long before starting the project. This time around I’m just lost. Here’s what I’ve found so far that might work (links are to iTunes previews).

1. All The Way Up – Emily Osment (3:12) – fast

2. At The Beginning – (from “Anastasia”) – 3:36 – slow

3. Do You Remember – Jay Sean (3:30) – medium fast

4. Find Yourself in You – Everlife (Music from Hannah Montana) – fast

5. For Good – Music from “Wicked” (5:06) – very slow

6. Graduation (Friends Forever) – Vitamin C (5:39) – med slow

7. I Believe – Fantasia (5:02) – slow

8. In This Diary – The Ataris (3:50) – fast

9. Make it Shine – Victoria Justice (3:07) – fast

10. Miles Apart – Yellowcard (3:32) – fast

11. Smile – Uncle Kracker – 3:21 – medium slow

12. The Climb (Guitar Intro) – Miley Cyrus – 3:56 – slow

13. Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield (4:15) – medium fast

14. U Smile – Justin Bieber (3:16) – slow

15. We Are Tomorrow – Bleach (2:52) slow then fast then slow

16. You Set Me Free – Michelle Branch (3:11) – medium fast

All of these add up to almost an hour of music which is far more than I need or will be allowed to use, so I’m going to have to do some winnowing and editing. What do you think should make the cut?

I recently created a web site for my daughter’s elementary school choir, and selected the open-source publishing system WordPress as the basis for it. It’s been over a year since I first installed WordPress to build ranchochase.com, and I was overwhelmed at the many improvements and additional features that have evolved in such a short time.

I was really amazed at the vast array of plugins that have been written to extend the functionality of an already dynamic publishing system. In particular, the ability to integrate content from other sources like flickr, twitter, and RSS feeds means WordPress can serve as an ideal container for all kinds of remote media.

This makes it ideal for a web site that needs to feature audio, video, and photographs. I am still trying out different ways to present the content, though. I’d dearly love to move away from using a Flash player for the audio – in fact, I’d like to be able to include content without having to worry about the end user having any third party plugins at all. Novice Windows users especially are very reticent about installing software they aren’t familiar with and their OS throws up so many warnings during the process they are actively discouraged from doing so.

So I am eager for the day to arrive when the modern browser alone can handle displaying stylish controls for playing audio, video, and zooming pictures with cool effects like those implemented with highslide or lightbox.

I came across a brand new plugin for wordpress that claims to do just that using HTML5, letting the browser take responsibility for the above tasks but degrading to lightweight Flash players if the browser isn’t able to. It has the catchy name of Degradable HTML5 audio and video plugin and here’s an example of what it can do with an audio link:

Annie Medley

http://ranchochase.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/PSC-Annie_Medley

This is what the flash player looks like (borrowed from the WPAudio plugin):
Annie Medley

This is what it looks like if you just insert a song into a WordPress post or page:
Annie_Medley

I really like the first option but it relies on your site visitor to be using a very recent browser. It also demands two formats of audio for each song (ogg and mp3) since Firefox and Safari look for content in different formats.

You can hardly scan a news source in January of any year without seeing a “best of [insert prior year here] list. I reviewed a few “best of” music lists for 2009 and decided to put together my own list of music released last year that I enjoyed hearing over and over.

Then I realized that some of the albums were actually released in 2008, but took me awhile to become aware of. That kind of delay happens when you aren’t a teenager and have responsibilities other than keeping up with the latest tunes. Anyway, here’s my lists, in no particular order of preference, along with a few comments interspersed along the way for your enjoyment.

Favorite albums of 2009

Barton Hills Choir – Holiday Songs ’09

What can I say other than there’s nothing more uplifting than a children’s choir singing bouncy Christmas songs? I guess in the interest of honest journalism I should disclose my daughter is in this choir. You can download the entire album with a printable cover at the Barton Hills Choir web site.

The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love

This album is one that demands to listened to from start to finish since it tells a story. Both narrative and orchestral, it’s something that has to be experienced to believe. Few people have time or feel compelled to spend it listening to “concept” albums nowadays, but the range of musical styles is vast and the story complex, so each additional listen brings deeper understanding and appreciation. Favorite track: The Wanting Comes in Waves

Demi Lovato – Here We Go Again

So here I have to admit that my daughter’s love of Disney Channel artists has apparently warped my brain or the “Camp Rock” star has talent. I’d like to believe it’s the latter.  Favorites include: Falling Over Me, Here We Go Again and the catchy So Far So Great.

The Leisure Society – The Sleeper

The best record you’ve never heard of. This has been described by some as “British folk,” but ultimately it’s melodic and features a fascinating collection of instruments. Hard to listen to this without relaxing and just enjoying the beautiful harmonies and clever lyrics. Try it, you won’t be disappointed.

Favorite albums of 2008

Priscilla Ahn – A Good Day

This singer has the most amazing voice I have heard in a long, long time. Favorite cuts: Red Cape, A Good Day (Morning Song).

Lenka – Lenka

Another female singer with a voice that captures. This cheerful record is one you can’t help smiling to while listening. Favorite cuts: Trouble is a Friend, Knock Knock, We Will Not Grow Old.

The Ting Tings – We Started Nothing

I first heard the Ting Tings by way of a live NPR broadcast and was knocked over by their energy and hypnotic rhythms. The studio version loses none of the energy and leaves you amazed that all of that sound could come from just two people. Highly recommended. Favorite cuts: Keep Your Head, Shut Up and Let Me Go, That’s Not My Name.

I decided to spend a little time bringing ranchochase.com up-to-date after many months of benign neglect. After updating the WordPress installation and disabling various now-incompatible plugins I decided to install a new theme for a change of pace. This one just happens to feature a good amount of burnt orange in honor of the Longhorns appearance in the National Championship game on January 7.

Hook ’em Horns!