I guess now that summer's finally over, it's appropriate to look over it and wonder--particularly to note exactly how my music collection has changed, and changed (indeed) it has. More than usual, I think I've accumulated some unusual fare.

Will (Baude) will be happy to see growth in the jazz section of my tastes, as well as the opera section. This includes a four-CD set of Ella (Fitzgerald), recordings from 1936-1950, and the beautiful and prolific Madeleine Peyroux, not only her original release, Dreamland, but also her new CD, Careless Love. None of these, I can assure you, are in any way regrettable.

And what about opera? I'm going slow. This summer (early summer) I picked up on Aida (and have, in no way regretted it), as well as--with what I must admit was initial trepidation, soon assauged away--Der Fliegende Hollander. Of course Wagner is scary, but here's a great place to begin (as it was for him, I might add...). Next, maybe, Puccini? Madame Butterfly? Or should I just give all sense of decorum and go with Carmen? Any advice about next steps is, of course, appreciated (any advice on what recordings are good would be nice too...).

But what else crept in? Indie Rock. Or, at the very least, rock that used to be indie (in part). Travis, that is--The Man Who, which, I know, is a relatively old release, but one which I rediscovered in mid-June, and don't mind saying is a lot of fun. Cf., over, and over again, "Turn." And the summer, of course, wouldn't have been a musical adventure if it weren't for Sufjan Stevens's Illinois, the second in his Herculean adventure to tribute all fifty states in CD form. I'd never quite realized what a phenomenon Casimir Pulaski Day was until various confused friend began asking about it. Casimir Pulaski Day, note, is one of the greater phenomena that happen on this CD.

But as for strange interlopers, I suppose that's about it: my summer in musical eccentricities....now, if anyone can tell me a little about the new Kanye West album, I'd be much obliged....