Today I did not listen to the new Wilco album, sky blue sky, which I am so in love with right now that I am compelled to listen to it at least twice a day. I did not listen to the Arcade Fire, the Meat Purveyors, of Montreal, or any of the other usual suspects rounding out my current favorite list of bands. Instead, I hurriedly grabbed some CDs on my way to work this morning from our collection which I knew to be from the seventies. These albums turned out to be Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin, Electric Warrior by T-Rex, and the Neil Diamond Album His 12 Greatest Hits.

All throughout the day I let the music wash over me as I worked away at my desk, basking in a warm seventies glow as I composed clever emails and discussed important issues with my colleagues over instant messenger. I began the day listening to Neil Diamond as he gently crooned “Song Sung Blue,” “Shilo” and my personal Neil Diamond favorite “Sweet Caroline.” After lunch I endeavored to stay awake during the 11-minute long Led Zeppelin epic “In My Time of Dying”, and then shouted for more cowbell during “Houses of the Holy”.

As I drove home this afternoon I had to physically restrain myself from turning on the radio to the NPR Program All Things Considered. During a typical drive home, the soothing voices of my beloved drivetime friends, Melissa Block, Michele Norris, and Robert Siegel keep my mind off of the dreadful hour-long commute and in turns bemused, intellectually stimulated, and thoughtfully concerned about world events. But no NPR for me today. Instead I popped the Electric Warrior CD into my car’s CD player, turned the volume up to “11″, and discovered that rocking out to “Mambo Sun,” “Jeepster,” and “Bang a Gong” keeps my mind distracted from road rage almost as well as listening to NPR does.

But it’s not quite the same. I wonder if there are NPR podcasts from the seventies that I can listen to…

Tags: Led Zeppelin . T-Rex . Neil Diamond . Wilco . Sky Blue Sky . Of Montreal . The Meat Purveyors . Arcade Fire . NPR . All Things Considered