In Praise of Pandora

I'm always amazed by pandora.com. Sometimes in a strange way, when it jumps the track and goes off on a tangent—though that's probably my fault, because I have one "station" with all my random eclectic suggestions in one place—but most often in a delightful way, when it finds something wonderful I'd never heard of before, like the songs of Scott Walker.

The tracks I've heard sound like a strange cross between David Sylvian and Jack Jones, and they appeal to the part of me that likes to wallow in melancholy.

Alas, for legal reasons, pandora.com can't offer its services to those outside the US—at least not yet.

Come to think of it, that title is a bit misleading. I don't think I've ever mentioned my dear friend Pandora Barzane here, and it's overdue. She's a sweet and charming lady, and I'm very glad to have met her.