30 March, 2009

An important conversation (and many important questions)

I think this is an amazing interview, an interview that moves into a rather profound discussion of science as art. I would always argue that science is art: it is a creative medium for expressing some notion of truth. I also think most people do not see things that way. Troy James Sobotka apparently does...

Does Creativity Stem from the "Challenge"?

"Worn Me Down (LIVE)" - Rachael Yamagata



Gone - she’s gone.
How do you feel about it?
That’s what I thought.
You’re real DONE UP about it.
And I wish you the best
But I could do without it
And I will because you’ve worn me down
Oh, I will because you’ve worn me down

Worn me down like a road.
I did everything you told.
Worn me down to my knees.
I did everything to please.
But you can’t stop thinking about her.
No, you can’t stop thinking about her.

And you’re wrong. You’re wrong.
I’m not overreacting.
Something is off.
Why don’t we ever believe ourselves?
And I, oh I, I feel that word for you.
And I will because you’ve worn me down.
And I will because you have worn me down.

Worn me down like a road.
I did everything you told.
Worn me down to my knees.
I did everything to please.
But you can’t stop thinking about her.
No, you can’t stop thinking about her.

She’s so pretty.
She’s so damn right.
But I’m so tired of thinking about her, again, tonight.

Worn me down like a road.
I did everything you told.
Worn me down to my knees.
I did everything to please you.

Worn me down like a road.
I did everything you told me to do.
But you, you can’t stop thinking about her.
No, you can’t stop thinking about her.
No, you can’t stop thinking about her.
No, you can’t stop thinking of her.

26 March, 2009

"Wish You Were Here (LIVE)" - Pink Floyd



So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

Did they get you to trade
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you exchange
A walk on part in the war,
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

25 March, 2009

It is the perfect day for Rush...

Limelight - Rush

22 March, 2009

I bet Batman could have used this information...

This is a fascinating blog post from Carl Zimmer (contributing Discover magazine editor, author, and blogger at The Loom) about bat locomotion:

How To Be A Bat [Life In Motion]

There are seven incredible videos of bats doing their thing (flying, landing, walking), and an excellent post to back the visuals. One thing that struck me as supremely strange was this concept of putting bats on a treadmill in order to study the mechanics of their walking behaviors. I mean really, no human I know walks normally on a treadmill, and treadmills were designed by/for humans. Ick. There's something sick about that entire idea. Still, I think the subject is completely captivating, and I was spellbound by the videos.

20 March, 2009

"Harbor Saints (LIVE)" by Michael Zapruder



I started reading about Michael Zapruder at this blog: Love Shack, Baby. There are some quality posts, and I urge my lovely readers to check 'em out.

As for Mr. Zapruder, listen and be lulled to sleep. Then, listen again (really listen) and stay up awake all night thinking.

"I Woke Up Today" - Port O'Brien



This is a fantastic, slightly disturbing, video. I love the color, I love the noise, I love the dance moves, I love the little girl, I love the shark (I love the fact that they tag every band member at the beginning of the video, like the video is some radical/sick children's television show). I love the fact that the song celebrates the small and remarkably huge victories of life.

Waking up is the first step to living.

Side note: Port O'Brien does a heart-rending cover of "Something In The Way." There is a place deep in my heart where Nirvana resides, and Port O'Brien wins bonus points for covering (with the perfect level of respect and ingenuity) an often overlooked song in their catalog.

"The Iditarod (SLAM)" - Birdmonster

Friday Afternoon Singer-Songwriter

"Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" by She & Him was playing on my radio when I woke up this morning, and although Zooey Deschanel never fails to remind me of Elf (a movie that holds a special place in my heart), I was also reminded of something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Zooey's voice is not a Jazz voice a la Billie Holiday, it carries a little twang of folk and country that often undoes the softness in her vocals ("I Should Have Known Better" is one of the few tracks on the album Volume One that cultivates that softness, and even forces it to the forefront). Still, I was searching through my music this morning, trying (although that word really conveys a level of work that was not present in my wanderings) to find a voice that combines Holiday and Deschanel.

I found it in Madeleine Peyroux, who dropped a new album, Bare Bones, on the 10th. This is the first of Peyroux's albums that ignores Jazz standards, and just caters to her own songs. "Instead" starts the album with a realistic entreaty to think positively. It takes on that Jazz tradition of recognizing pain, but pushing for hope (one of my favorite characteristics of Jazz, even when it sounds hopeless). "Bare Bones" goes beyond Jazz standards however, channeling a little Randy Newman. With that realization, I begin to see where Zooey and Madeleine are so similar. They combine softness and strength (Billie Holiday-esque qualities, in my humble opinion) with clever sarcasm and self-deprecation (oh so very Randy Newman). It is all achieved through music that is consistently aurally pleasing and unobtrusive. So much so, in fact, that Zooey and Madeleine kind of sneak up on you, be it when you're in your favorite little coffee shop or just shuffling through your iPod. They are quality, but they are not fantastic, and it is precisely because of this that they both make amazing soundtracks for everyday life. This is not to say that they fail in any regard as singer-songwriters, but only that they capture something very realistic and encapsulate it in song. Their music is where you find comfort and home on a sunny Friday afternoon.

19 March, 2009

This was just asking to be re-posted!

Alternative Energy Revolution (from XKCD)




(To be perfectly honest, the Nuke plants creep me out much more than the turbines, but I still think the Europeans have the right idea with their vertical blades. Check out these designs: Beautiful Wind Turbines. Number 4 is my favorite!)

18 March, 2009

"Tunnelvision" - Here We Go Magic



Here We Go Magic is the new Luke Temple project. It is a kaleidoscopic trip into the musical margins. The self-titled album is available on iTunes. I love the whole album, but I especially love the songs "Only Pieces" and "Ahab." "Only Pieces" is a rhythmic musical orgy placed in the circular scheme of a repeated lyric (Temple's delivery reminds me of Paul Simon). "Ahab" grooves like the captain never could, with a mellow, whispered delivery.

A Twitter inspired shout out

I tweet. I do. I chronicle my life (not in minute detail, but with a few details nonetheless). Still, until very recently, it was a private affair shared with only a few key individuals.

As of late, I have been receiving a lot of "follow" requests. I think this probably stems from the fact that I began "following" Rachel Maddow and Sasha Frere-Jones, and some Twitterites assumed that I would be an interesting person to follow due to my choice of company. They assumed incorrectly, and I saved them the pain of reading my banal updates by denying their requests.

My curiosity got the best of me, however, when it came to one Twitter request from a Sam Jacobs (a.k.a. The Flying Change). I jumped down the rabbit hole, following the link from his Twitter account to his website. Lo and behold: music!

I'll allow Sam to speak for himself (words from the website's Bio page):

The Flying Change is the songwriting and performance vehicle driven by New York-based artist and technologist Sam Jacobs. Sam used to write and record under the name Lipstik but people found the name distracting and he didn’t care enough not to change it. As Lipstik, Jacobs released one full length titled ‘Everything Is Good’ in 2006, one EP titled ‘There Is Only One Thing’ in Winter 2008 and numerous demos, covers, and experiments through his monthly email list (which remains, thankfully, intact).

When you’re riding a horse, there are two types of lead changes, whereby the horse moving in a canter or gallop, changes leads. The first is the simple change. The second and more difficult maneuver is the flying change. You can, or should be able to, see how this could be a metaphor for life and living.

Most importantly, the title comes from the Pulitzer-prize winning book of poems titled ‘The Flying Change’ written by Henry Taylor. Henry went to school with Sam’s father...


You can listen to the Lipstik LP and EP on the Flying Change website under the Discography section, and you can buy these albums from the same place or through the iTunes music store. You can also listen to the new album, Pain Is A Reliable Signal, with the website music player. The music is well-crafted, fun, and reminds me of some beautiful State Radio/Jack Johnson/Jack's Mannequin hybrid. My favorite song, so far, is "Don't Look Away," a little tune that starts off sounding a bit melancholy, but fleshes out that feeling with horn-work and tech-noises. I am so glad that Sam Jacobs tried to friend me on Twitter, and succeeded in adding a wonderful layer to my Spring 2009 soundtrack.

17 March, 2009

SXSW Buzz Punk: the Thermals

The B-52's meets the Hold Steady meets the moody weather of Portland, Oregon (plus one hot, rocking female bassist)?

The Thermals.

They are playing eight shows at SXSW, and then heading out to tour behind their fourth release Now We Can See, which will drop in early April. They will even be in my area...WOOT. It's probably time to bring out the Chuck Taylor's and get ready for a mosh-pit party.


Pillar of Salt

Y La Bamba live in Portland, Oregon

Exile in Guyville LIVE

I listened to Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville live recording through NPR's All Songs Considered recording podcasts yesterday, and I was blown away. I love this album ("Fuck and Run" is at about 30 minutes into the podcast, in case you just want to listen to one song). This is a truly amazing recording. This is not to say that Liz Phair is an exceptional musician: she isn't. The music isn't amazing, the recordings are rough and raw, and what is really amazing is how visceral all of the music sounds live. The lyrics are hard-hitting on the original record, and in the context of fifteen years of lived experience they are even more potent.



Exile in Guyville Live on NPR


Reading through the lyrics to "Fuck and Run," I have realized that there is a strong feminist quality to these lyrics that is alarmingly understated in reviews. Yes, people always point out the sexually explicit and empowering lyrics, but there are layers to this song-crafting that must be explored further. In "Fuck and Run" you find regret, remorse, doubt, vulnerability, anger, cynicism, irony, sarcasm, and real, sweet longing. A precursor to Jagged Little Pill, Exile in Guyville succeeds in channeling multifaceted characteristics of womanhood and the female experience. Phair's strength lies in her ability to acknowledge her weaknesses, and this is fully present on Exile in Guyville.



I woke up alarmed
I didn't know where I was at first
Just that I woke up in your arms
And almost immediately I felt sorry
Cause I didn't think this would happen again
No matter what I could do or say
Just that I didn't think this would happen again
With or without my best intentions
And whatever happened to a boyfriend
The kind of guy that tries to win you over?
And whatever happened to a boyfriend
The kind of guy who makes love cause he's in it?

And I want a boyfriend
I want a boyfriend
I want all that stupid old shit like letters and sodas
Letters and sodas

You got up out of bed
You said you had a lot of work to do
But I heard the rest in my head
And almost immediately I felt sorry
Cause I didn't think this would happen again
No matter what I could do or say
Just that I didn't think this would happen again
With or without my best intentions

And I want a boyfriend
I want a boyfriend
I want all that stupid old shit like letters and sodas
Letters and sodas

And I can feel it in my bones
I'm gonna spend another year alone
It's fuck and run, fuck and run
Even when I was seventeen
Fuck and run, fuck and run
Even when I was twelve

You almost felt bad
You said that I should call you up
But I knew much better than that
And almost immediately I felt sorry
Cause I didn't think this would happen again
No matter what I could do or say
Just that I didn't think this would happen again
With or without my best intentions

And I can feel it in my bones
I'm gonna spend my whole life alone
It's fuck and run, fuck and run
Even when I was seventeen
Fuck and run, fuck and run
Even when I was twelve

"I'm Shipping Up to Boston" - Dropkick Murphy's



I wanted to add an Irish proverb for good measure, but I really could not decided which one to include. I have grown up hearing most of these in some context:

A diplomat must always think twice before he says nothing.

A dog owns nothing, yet is seldom dissatisfied.

A hair on the head is worth two on the brush.

A kind word never broke anyone's mouth.

A lie travels farther than the truth.

A light heart lives long.

A silent mouth is sweet to hear.

A turkey never voted for an early Christmas.

Better be quarreling than lonesome.

Bricks and mortar make a house, but the laughter of children makes a home.

Don't break your shin on a stool that is not in your way.

Even the longest day has its end.

Give away all you like, but keep your bills and your temper.

Good luck beats early rising.

If you dig a grave for others, you might fall into it yourself.

If you get a reputation as an early riser, you can sleep till noon.

It's no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking.

Praise youth and it will prosper.

16 March, 2009

I can never get enough Stevie



"Mesmerizing" - Liz Phair

Exile in Guyville is a masterpiece, and this one of the best songs on the album. Don't watch the video, just listen to the song.

You said things I wouldn't say
Straight to my face, boy
You tossed the egg up
And I found my hands in place, boy
After backing up as far as you could get
Don't you know nobody parts two rivers met?
Don't you know I'm very happy?
You know me well
I'm even happier
I like it
I like it

With all of the time in the world to spend it
Wild and unwise, I wanna be mesmerizing too
Mesmerizing too
Mesmerizing to you

With all of the time in the world to spend it
Wild and unwise, I wanna be mesmerizing too
Mesmerizing too
Mesmerizing to you




It Goes Without Saying - Nico Muhly



This is beautiful on all levels.

Jenny Holzer's Projections

Jenny Holzer has an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC. I love her Projections series of light/language "sculptures" that were broadcast 43 separate times on buildings in cities around the world from 1996 - 2007. These will not be included in her exhibition at the Whitney. Instead, you can now find a series of paintings by Holzer entitled Redactions, where she silkscreens text from declassified government documents onto canvases. There will also be a section dedicated to her LED work. She takes aesthetics into account when designing the color and shape of her LED signs, and has also programmed declassified government documents into this work. All of this is so very powerful and poignant, and it makes me wish I lived in New York. Above all, however, I still love her Projections.

Whitney Exhibition Description

Website for Projections


These are some of Holzer's Projections from Florence, Italy in 1996:





15 March, 2009

Zen Garden Rock

I do not usually enjoy music that is purely psychedelic, relying on sitar and theremin, and meaningless poetics to accomplish a semblance of substance. Harsh? Maybe, but I have had too much experience with bands (and people) who hide their inanity and flakiness behind a facade of spiritual depth.

This obvious generalization does not hold true for Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound who come charged and fully rocking from San Francisco, California, and psychedelic in the most wonderful way. Their epic rock songs remain grounded in the art of the blues, but loosely grounded and ready to levitate. Root-rumbling bass flows underfoot like an epiphonic stream, and taps into the delicious, growling guitar. The percussion adds flashes of light to the landscape, every drumbeat an exclamation point, a thunder clap following the stream.

In 2007 Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound released their second album on Tee Pee records. It is entitled Ekranoplan (in case you are wondering what an Ekranoplan is, it is a Ground Effect Vehicle which falls somewhere between an airplane and a hovercraft on the flight vehicle spectrum) and it certainly has its valleys and peaks. The title track tries to accomplish too much in my opinion. It becomes an aural tornado when it would have succeeded as a tamer storm. The third track, "Rudy on The Corner," is melodic and moody, and the odd vocal effects (fuzziness and tunnel sound combined) achieve a certain level of eccentricity without alienating the listener. "Occult Roots" hits the Blue Oyster Cult button directly on the head, while smoldering and simmering like the creepiest Black Sabbath songs. My personal favorite track from the entire album is "D Brown." I feel as if Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound is creating a landscape with this song. It reminds me of the building of Narnia in The Magician's Nephew (although I am almost certain that this soundtrack is better). Every section of the song adds a new element to the landscape, and the Earth starts humming along, always growing, moving, changing. The thing about Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound is that they groove and jam, but they rarely become bland. I am impressed.



Side note: I wish I had a little artistic talent so that I could design concert posters for a living. I think they are amazing and beautiful.

13 March, 2009

Goodnight - ZOX



One of my friends played this song tonight. Memories!

I <3 Zox.

12 March, 2009

Louis CK - Kids



This man is too funny!

09 March, 2009

08 March, 2009

Live Music Archive....!!!!

Hey all you lovely readers! The sun is shining in my part of the world, and I thought I would take this moment to share a little link that was passed on to me by my blogging buddy Sean:

The Live Music Archive is a wonderful source for amazing (and free) recordings of concerts by your favorite artists.

Here is a little preview of the bands whose shows can be found on the site:

Jason Mraz

Kimya Dawson

Tegan and Sara

Cowboy Junkies

Against Me!

Andrew Bird

Apollo Sunshine

Beirut

Ben Kweller

Billy Bragg

Blind Melon

...if I kept writing the bands like this, then I could really type all day long.

Here's a show performed by Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra in 2003:



Track List
Intro
My Lady Frustration
Talk-a-Tif
Pay Back Africa
Big Man
Sister
Excuse-o / Who No Know Go Know
Untitled (Vic In Ethiopia)
MTTT (Mother Tucker Tick Tock)
Government Magic > Indictment
Music How We Sit

07 March, 2009

Discordant Dance Music

The album Who is this America? came up on my shuffle this morning, and I found myself wondering if I had ever written about Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, or if I have always just savored their music through my headphones. When you are living with tons of other people, you really do have to choose your moments for playing rambunctious and often discordant music. Especially when said music exists on a plane where resonant horn phrases and a decidedly political message are a necessity.

I wanted to share the song "Big Man" with my lovely readers, because it is the first song that I ever heard by Antibalas. Back in 2004, I was cruising in my parents' van, listening to WERS (this is more of an accomplishment than you know! In order to listen to WERS in that van, I had to alternate between stations to maintain a strong signal. At the same time, I was always trying to listen to the music. This is a difficult balancing act because your mind is occupied both with listening for the first hints of static and to the song that is currently playing.) Some goofy college student came on the radio and introduced "Antibalas...it means Anti-bullets. I can dig that!" The introduction didn't detract from the song, which is an neo-Afrobeat dance tune with an amazing underlying rhythm, and horn-work that made my heart sing. The lyrics are anti-Capitalist, but in a way that maintains a sense of personal responsibility, a quality I think is too often lost when political statements are turned into music. Unfortunately, a top-quality recording of "Big Man" is not available through YouTube, but I am going to share this with you anyway (I like the introduction):

06 March, 2009

"Daydreamin' (Live)" - Lupe Fiasco & Jill Scott



Spring is right around the corner, and I am now daydreaming about daydreaming beneath the flowers...on a beautiful day.

04 March, 2009

"Something to Do With My Hands" - Her Space Holiday

Just listen...






You know it kills me to see such a pretty girl so tired
You've got your mother's cheekbones and your father's crooked smile
Forget all those places that you've never really been
And all those situations you somehow found yourself in
Let your body sink into me
Like your favorite memory
Like a line of poetry
Or a fucking fit of honesty
I'll do my best to keep you, keep you sleepy as the south
With my old watch on your wrist
And my thumbs inside your mouth
Suck on my fingertips until you kill all my prints
So your boyfriend has no clue
Of how much I've been touching you

My problem with me is my problem with you
It doesn't take much
For me to come unglued
I put my headphones on
And hear your favorite songs
And it kills me to know
That this won't be one of them

You know it saves me to think even for a little while
I owned the set of shoulders that you came to rely on
Like in that movie theater when you whispered in my ear
I almost didn't make it
This has been my hardest year
Your job is killing you faster than a cancer could
So now you're giving up like they always said you would
You've got that old map out now and you found the farthest town
You hope that if you're lucky this is where you'll settle down

I don't care where you move I don't care if it's far
All that I ask is that I know where you are
In case our timing is right
In case you need more from me
Than a bit of advice
Or a tongue full of sympathy

You know it kills me to see such a pretty girl so tired
You've got your mother's cheekbones and your father's crooked smile
Forget all those places that you've never really been
And all those situations you somehow found yourself in
Let your body sink into me
Like your favorite memory
Like a line of poetry
Or a fucking fit of honesty
I'll do my best to keep you, keep you sleepy as the south
With my old watch on your wrist
And my thumbs inside your mouth
Suck on my fingertips until you kill all my prints
So my girlfriend has no clue
Of how much I've been touching you

02 March, 2009

"I Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In" - Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings

I know I have posted this video in the past, but it certainly warrants a double-posting. Oh Sharon Jones, you make my heart sing.

"It Ain't Me Babe (LIVE)" - Bob Dylan