We have granite countertops and nothing hurts them. I take things out of the oven and set them right on the counter. I haven’t had any problems with acidic things. My sister in law got a granite table and she said it was the best investment she ever made. She said you can set every hot pot right on it and nothing her two kids does hurts it at all. She said it is so easy to clean up after all crafts and meals etc. I think it is gorgeous and am looking into getting one myself.

http://www.last.fm

I’ve always liked the look of granite table tops, but I don’t have one so I have no advice for you.

For music, I’ve been all hopped up on Tegan and Sara, Neko Case and Carbon Leaf lately.

Music-

Try Great Big Sea, Tempest, Vasen, James Keelaghan, Mary Fahl, October Project, Keane, The Nields, and getting more Celtic/traddy, try Danu, Dervish, Solas, Lunasa, Wolfestone, aaaand..how about some Altan? The good thing about the Celtic stuff is that the babbies will groove to them. Miss B Loooves Great Big Sea as well.

Granite? Don’t do it dude!

Good thing I read the comments; I thought I was gonna be all original with the Rilo Kiley, Bruce/Seeger Sessions, Pandora.com trifecta. But also:

Inara George
Ray Lamontagne (HOT voice! Oh god, like Clooney, who? kinda hot)
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra
Cinematic Orchestra

And an advanmce recommendation–I bet Ani Difranco’s NEXT cd is going to be amazing–she’s pregnant now!!

Aww..nobody said Ben Lee. I heart me some Ben Lee. I sixth (seventh? eighth?) Snow Patrol. Also, if you are looking for a song that will get stuck in your head, try London Bridge by Fergie.

I am in love with Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins-Rabbit Fur Coat and some others I like as well…
Jack Johnson- very mellow and my 2 year old loves it
Aimee Mann
Mumbo Gumbo
John Butler Trio
I must have been living in a cave because I haven’t heard of half of these bands! But I second the Anthony Hamilton choice.

I second Stars, Sufjan Stevens, The Shins, Brandi Carlile, Death Cab for Cute’s newest album is great….

I’m not imagining the table you’re talking about very well, but granite is always nice looking though rather expensive.

Guster – they have a new album coming out, but check out their older stuff as well
Carbon Leaf – their older stuff is rock that’s very influenced by Irish music – try Echo Echo or their live album 5 Alive. The Irish is less of an influence in their most recent album, Indian Summer, and which may be nonexistant in their upcoming new release. I adore all their albums, and have succesfully converted many people.
Cake
Jack Johnson
Foo Fighters (I just saw their acoustic show last night, and it was magnifico)
Jem
Poe (get both of her albums)

UFO’s Lights Out. Old, but I love it.

No experience with granite.

My ex and I had a thing similar to the Depp Clause. We had a List. Same idea. I was allowed to spend the night with John Waite if I got the opportunity. I forget who was on my ex’s list. Anyway, I know that John Waite is old enough to be my Dad, but hey. I asked him to dinner once (John, not my Dad) and he turned me down, so he’s way off the List now.

music:
i assume you are already listening to deathcab, and snow patrol. but you might also want to check out the postal service. good stuff.

but great stuff?:
KEANE.
i don’t really go to concerts any more because, well, there are other people there.
but keane? ya. they inspired me to buy the first concert tickets i have purchased in YEARS. and i actually planned my trip to china so i’d be back in time for the show.

*adds Roomba to wedding registry*

I am laughing because I buy the product you used to epitomize the ridiculousness of WF: Earth Balance, baby! Vegan and organic, sans hydrogenization? Magic.

I’ll add a few other recommendations to your now sweepingly vast music log:

-anything by the Pernice Brothers
-the last Handsome Boy Modeling School album, I think it is called White People
-Nelly Furtado’s cover of Gnarles Barkley’s Crazy (and I quadritto or whatever we’re up to on the Gnarles B. rec) — also love her played out single Promiscuous and her duet w/ Chris Martin called something like All Good Things
-I like the new Devandra Banhart (sp?)- Cripple Crow
-anything by Missy Elliot
-Le Tigre – I love them, especially the song Viz…but you really can’t lose w/ these ladies…

Have, like, an awesome time listening to all of these tunes whilst installing your granite!!

“Save my commute, for I have been forced to listen to Seattle radio lately. Which, ugh.”

Anna K. already recommended KEXP 90.3 FM, to which I’ll simply add that if your reaction to that recommendation is also “which, ugh,” then there is nothing I could recommend to you.

Having said that, some albums I bought so far this year include Broken Social Scene’s self-titled album (art-rock, somewhat like Sonic Youth); Ladytron, Witching Hour (electro-pop with goth tinges); Sons & Daughters, The Repulsion Box (Britpop-folk); Boards of Canada, The Campfire Headphase (ambient electronica); and local bands The Fading Collection, Supertron and Beehive, Operation Artichoke (both electronic-dance-breakbeat-rock). Some albums I still want to pick up include Goldfrapp, Supernature (electro/glam rock); The Editors, The Back Room (indie rock, like Interpol); Psapp, The Only Thing I Ever Wanted (indie-pop with some electronica, some quirkiness); Halou, Wholeness and Separation (moody electronica). All of this music gets played on KEXP; I’ve also been digging “Sad Sad City” by Ghostland Observatory, but I’m still waiting to hear other songs by them.

Hey, I would currently recommend The Decemberists or Josh Ritter. They are my new all time favorites!

I don’t know if anyone has mentioned him yet, but if not you should check out Sufjan Stevens. I’m obsessed…look at Come On Feel the Illinois. Fucking genius.

Sufjan Stevens. REPEAT: Sufjan Stevens.

You can’t go wrong with Tori Amos. She is a siren. My siren.

Also highly noteworthy:

Angela McCluskey- the album “things we do” is AMAZING. “it’s been done” is my favorite song.
Jude- the album “no one is really beautiful” is a great listen start to finish.
Concrete Blonde-the album “bloodletting” is always fun.
Leonard Cohen- the album “the future” is a goody. there is only one voice like leonard cohen.
NIN- revisit pretty hate machine.

And of course, any and all U2.

i highly highly recommend:

stars
broken social scene
death cab for cutie
clap your hands say yeah

and also? my husband totally digs sarah silverman too :)

I’ve been quietly visiting this page on and off all day and writing down recommendations myself, by the way. Mostly, though I’m perplexed by the love for The Shins and the (albeit mild) consistency of the rec, here and elsewhere. I have two of their albums, and I have to say: nothing really did it for me. Way back when I saw Garden State, I fell hard for “Caring is Creepy” and really hoped it was indicative of their larger body of work.

Errr, it wasn’t. Instead, I see a bunch of overly pretentious little college boys squeaking out inane lyrics and pretending to be deep, a la Bright Eyes. Is it me? Would anyone care to enlighten me?

Is it me or does the kid vaguely resemble Beetlejuice in that last photo? Muss the hair some more… add a little purple eyeshadow….

Top commute tunes: The Eagles Greatest Hits, Rob Thomas’ solo album, NIN Downward Spiral (I always play Pigs when I pass a police officer) Poison’s acoustic set. (cause Im ol skool like dat) Tori Amos Under the Pink, Pearl Jam’s latest, Aerosmith “Permanent Vacation”, Eminem-any and all, Veruca Salt “American Thighs”, Train, Alanis Morrisette-the older one with the Bitter Bitch song on it. I could keep going and going but I tried to weed out the extremely geeky ones or the very obvious ones to have.

Silversun Pickups! (The Pikul ep is my favorite and makes me want to drive drive drive just so I can turn up the stereo, and the new album Carnavas…also really freaking great!)

Granite stains like a bitch if not properly sealed and that seal maintained. While lovely, I personally recommend against it. We had granite at a restaurant I worked in, and it was professionally sealed and *still stained*. Music-wise, I’m a fan of Jann Arden & Mary-Chapin Carpenter. Also really like Amos Lee. Hate, hate, hate Gnarls Barkley. Pandora is a great way to find new music. Yahoo’s Launchcaster also does not suck.

I looooove KT Tunstall and Rilo Kiley. But they’re both kinda girly. :shrug: Kaki King is pretty damn cool too. (I have a thing for K’s I guess) I’m addicted to the smashing pumpkins personally, and if you don’t like one cd by them you will probably like another one.

Modest Mouse perhaps? Dunno if you’re into their brand of strangeness. Oh! If you wanna hear something realllly crazy try to find Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re. Insane japanese all-girl band. But I like em.

Oh and…. Sarah Silverman is hot. >_>
There I said it.

So you already have 374 new bands to check out. But I must recommend my favorite because they are that awesome. Guster. They just released a new album at the beginning of the summer. It’s called Ganging Up on the Sun. Not only does Guster’s music rock (they call themselves wuss rock, and they’re kind of right. Very melodic, great lyripcs, lots of harmony) but the boys are hilarious. They have a good road journal on guster.com.

also, riley is freaking adorable.

All right, my comment is surely pointless, since you’ve already had 75 people telling you what to do. BUT! Granite? Go get it. Lovely stuff, indestructable. As for music? Ummm….I got nothin’. I’m stuck on that for myself.

ok i didnt read all the suggestions, so there might be some repeats here. i tend to dig a sorta indie vibe. but im an itunes addict, and here are some of my favorite artists:

[] ok go sweet lil poppy bits of goodness. you might know ‘here it goes again’ from the awesome video where they dance on treadmills.
[] jamie cullum hes a young british jazz singer who does a great job with the classic jazz songs, but does AMAZING jazz versions of pop songs–ie radiohead’s high and dry. deliciously wonderful.
[] keith urban if youre in the mood for some nice crossover country, hes fabulous and as an added bonus hes HOT.
[] sia her album ‘colour the small one’ is great, chill and totally relaxing. i could listen to her song “breathe me” over and over and over again
[] kt tunstall her song “black horse and the cherry tree” has been hanging around on the adult contemporary charts for a while. great album. bluesy guitar vibe.
[] jem chill techno vocal. kinda dido-ish.
[] death cab for cutie indie rock at its finest.
[] roisin murphy industrial pop. theres nothing out there like her. shes awesome.
[] the postal service chill techno indie. they have a sick version of “against all odds” that is hauntingly beautiful.
[] jack johnson voice and acoutsic guitar. simple. wonderful.
[] imogen heap trance-like vocals. the lead singer for froufrou. unique and great. be sure to check out froufrou as well.
[] oldies but goodies with my obsession for finding new music, i sometimes forget about the old fabulous tried-and-true artists: queen. stevie wonder. u2. rem. van morrison. sting. sometimes its better to rediscover something from a long time ago. its like hearing it all over again!
[] the oc soundtracks ok i admit this sounds kinda freaky at first, but these are some of the finest soundtracks out there. they have a mostly indie rock vibe. i own all five of them, and they rank up there with my all-time favorite soundtrack–garden state.
[] greys anatomy soundtrack nice mix including roisin murphy, the postal service, rilo kiley, etc.

hopefully this gets your out of your stale music rut. be sure to check out pandora. its fabulous and ive found some GREAT artists through that as well.

Dirtie Blonde

http://www.dirtieblonde.com/

Stay

and

Officially In Love

With granite, you’ll have no need for a hot plate. I had granite countertops in my kitchen in Seattle and I loved them — especially because they were dark and hid stuff well!! Enjoy your new music and new table (hopefully). We expect pictures.

Not sure if anyone else suggested it but “Broken Boy Soldiers” by The Raconteurs.
It’s a new band with Jack White from the White Stripes.
Also, a classic, “The Velvet Underground & Nico”. I have never tired of that album.

Hi Sundry!

I have to confess to only skimming the comments but I want to second(?) Sufjan Stevens. His music is so beautiful and complex, but still rockin. You will like it, I promise.

I know you are a punk rock girl, but if you want some chill, summer soundtrack-type music, my new favorite boyfriend is Matt Costa – These Are The Songs That We Sing. He is kind of like a less cloying Jack Johnson, or maybe even a young Paul Simon.

I highly recommend Ok Go’s Oh No (whole album) because it makes me dance in my chair wherever I am. Plus, their videos are awesome. They’ve taken every influence and made it their own.

I second Panic! At The Disco. Also, Death Cab For Cutie. So I steal music from my 14 year old daughter, ok??
Also, the granite? Got kitchen counters a year ago, have sacrificed a few good glasses, but overall wish I had gotten it years ago. It’s great stuff.

Oh my… lots of wonderful suggestions. What I have been loving this summer, that I didn’t really notice above:

-Lily Allen
-Gnarles Barkley
-John Legend

Just great laid back summer stuff!

Not to beat a dead group……..but if you like Juliana Hatfield then you must like Throwing Muses?? Or Belly. Sorry I was in Boston for those great years of them and the LemonHeads. You might also like:
Mountain Goats
Ozomatli
Pinback
Neutral Milk Hotel
Scruffy the Cat
Bullet LaVolta
Ron Sexsmith
Enon
Bim Skala Bim

This and ALL the other suggestions will keep you busy for awhile
ciao for now

Definitely go the Broken Social Scene route. Can’t go wrong there.

De-lurking to tell you about my favorite pop band: Orson. You may have to find them on Limewire or some other such website (they are only popular in Europe at the moment), but they are my favorite guilty pleasure! The kind of music you want to listen to in a convertible on a warm sunny day…

I’m a day late..but I had to say…whats wrong with Seattle radio??? Forgive me, but I lived there for a few years in the early 90’s. I moved there about a month before the whole grunge movement, so that whole time frame/musical era is special to me. Give me some Eddie Vedder anytime…..

Anyway…I’m absolutely THRILLED that some of your readers suggested a few of my faves. I’m pretty limited in my tastes. I find a few bands and wear their asses out, but have tons of other cds.

My personal faves: David Gray (perfect for those dreary days) Blind Melon-Soup is one of my faves (GO J!!!) and I’ll probably get all kinds of shit for this but I am a HUGE Dave Matthews Band fan. Don’t make the mistake of thinking “Crash” is their best..it’s SO NOT!!!

Do they still do the twisted tunes on that one station??? KWIS maybe?? I can’t remember……..

I did a post with a lot of links to all of my favorite underground hip-hop and it’s still awaiting moderation.

Also, one I forgot: if you like kind of rockin’, mysterious, girl singer/songwriter stuff, the Dark Horse Project is completely amazing, you can hear a couple of their tracks here.

OK, that’s two posts awaiting moderation. Apparently your modbot hates hyperlinks.

Here’s what has been on heavy rotation for me this summer:
Calexico–Garden Ruin (esp. “Lucky Dime” and “Deep Down”)
Sia–Colour the Small One
Zero 7–Simple Things; When it Falls (Sia actually sings some on these earlier Zero 7 albums; I love them!)
Corinne Bailey Rae (“Put Your Records On” is so irresistible!)

On July 27, Wood at Sweet Juniper! had a good list of music she’s listened to this summer.

I always recommend Paul Weller & Neil Finn. Not new, but great…

I love finding new music, and there are a few different ways that I do it. One, I go to http://www.allmusic.com. I take an artist I know I like, search for them, and then find all the artists that are supposed to be similar, then go on a downloading spree. I also browse alot of music blogs. sixeyes.blogspot.com/ is a good one. So are http://www.3hive.com/, http://www.stereogum.com/, http://www.fluxblog.org/, and saidthegramophone.com/.

That being said, I’ve been on a dancey kind of kick lately. I like Esthero and Goldfrapp. I have several perky, catchy dance tracks in a playlist on my iPod that I listen to during my drive to work. It really perks me up for my day.

Google is the best search engine

Hi Sam! Photos i send on e-mail.
Green

I have a lot of admiration when I see articles by other people who tend to be of an expert than me on this subject. The audience might think the idea looks effortless, however, there is so much going on behind the curtain. Your work is a result of research and knowledge from you and you were kind enough to share all with people like me. Thanks a lot.

I got what you mean , thankyou for posting .Woh I am thankful to find this website through google. “The test and use of a man’s education is that he finds pleasure in the exercise of his mind.” by Carl Barzun.

I really like this wriitng style.It is so entertaining. By the way, I like ” pa war” especially after arriving in the US.May be it is because I wanna hide my neck or that the weather is cold, or both. Iora

Superb information here, ol’e chap; keep burning the midnight oil.