music meme

Bill has passed me the baton on a music meme, so here goes:

1. Total amount of music files on your computer:
I have 8626 .m4a files (ripping my own CDs in iTunes), 996 .m4p files (purchased via iTunes), 5346 .mp3 files and a few dozen .wav files, some of which are things I digitized from vinyl and have yet to convert. So around 15,000 files. 30,000 if you include the copies of everything on my external backup drive. Geek alert, geek alert.

2. The last CD you bought was:
CD? Probably late last summer, I bought a couple Ben Folds CDs that weren’t available on iTunes (Fear of Pop, Volume 1 and Naked Baby Photos). I buy nearly all my music exclusively online nowadays. My most recent album purchase was The Diary of Alicia Keys. I didn’t know much about her before the Grammys, and I was impressed by her voice. I really like the album after the first couple listens.

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?
“Death is a Star” by The Clash. I listened to Combat Rock, and it’s the last song on the album.

4. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.
1) “American Idiot” by Green Day. A fantastic single, a great song, an instant classic, and my most recent heavy rotation song. 2) “Hey Ya!” by Outkast. Perfect upbeat hooks. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this song. 3) “Kissing A Fool” by George Michael. His best ballad and, I’d argue, one of the best ballads ever. One of only two songs I’ve ever done karaoke in public. 4) “Welcome to the Boomtown” by David + David. This song always stops me in my tracks. It has such a haunting beauty. It’s pretty obscure, but worth seeking out. 5) “Gett Off” by Prince. Funkynastysexy. Hedonism with a killer groove.

5. Who are you going to pass this stick to? (3 persons) and why?
Rod, because he’s a new addition to my links list, I like his blog, and I’d like to know what he likes besides the bossa nova. Keith, because I wish he would write more and I value his opinions on music. Scott, because he’s one of my favorite blogs and he rarely writes about music.