Smile Politely

Leonard Cohen and Guilty Pleasures

As I was going about the hustle and bustle of my day (surfing through music blogs) I came across an oldie: Leonard Cohen. I gave an affectionate sigh of, “aww” and pushed play. I can’t say this for certain, but I want to trust my instincts that my favorite Cohen song, “Suzanne,” is about my favorite musician, Joni Mitchell. I am aware of their love connection, to put it awkwardly, and because my obsession with Mitchell makes me feel like I know her, there’s something about when he sings, “when she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from china,” that makes me say that’s Joni, that’s Joni…

Though Joni’s tyranny over my iTunes play count has been in place for the past four, maybe five years, Cohen is gradually creeping up to the top like a rebel with a cause.

Anyhow, in the bustle of your day, take a moment to breath a sigh of relief, and push play:


Since I consider Joni and L. Cohen to be rather respectable in tastes, I would love to embarrass myself by sharing with you a guilty pleasure. I will start by saying this band is from Denmark. European, isn’t that like an airbag protecting me from the impact of criticism? I, uh, hope so.

Alphabeat – Fascination


I came across Alphabeat a few months ago, but my listening came to a halt when I couldn’t find the album anywhere in America… not even on a pirate site. I’m not sure if their album release hasn’t hit the states because the Atlantic is exceptionally wide or if America just isn’t hearing it. Regardless, I somehow got a hold of “Fascination” and consequently jumped around my room for two weeks straight. Check out their music video:

I will admit, that this band, particularly in this video, reminds me of a choir group that somehow hit the charts. Still, “guilty pleasure” does mean that I like them…

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