Life on Mars?

Its been a pretty mellow week so far, I just spent most of it writing a bunch of new songs since I'll start pre-production on Thursday.  I'm so excited to get some new songs out there its gonna be great.  In the meantime, I've been trying to get inspired by listening to lots of music and broke out some old & new stuff.  I don't know why but I've been getting really stoked on David Bowie again.  Have you heard his song "Life on Mars?" ?  It's freakin' amazing!!  I've also been stoked on Elliot Smith's "New Moon" CD.  I've been a big fan of his and was lucky enough to see him perform in San Diego a month before he commited suicide.  He's one of the best singer/songwriters ever so it was really sad to see him loose his battle to drugs & alcohol.  His songs were so emotional and his voice was so fragile that you can feel his pain.  This new CD is a collection of old demos and b-sides (recorded at home with him playing acoustic guitar).  I also recommend his album "XO" which I think is his greatest work ever.  If you're in the mood for something more upbeat check out Tim Armstrong's (from the punk band Rancid) new solo album.  He went back to his old-school Ska/Reggae roots and it totally kicks @ss!  When I was in LA last month I heard his new single "Into Action" all other the place.  Check it out yo!