Welcome to the Jungle

Who here is a fan of Disney? Well, let me make it perfectly clear that I am. Not the answer you were expecting, right? By now you should know not to expect anything from me, except unlimited musical commentary. I LOVE DISNEY! I don't care that they're a giant corporation, because the movies (at least the old movies) are pure film magic. So as the big corporate machine turns, placing all my classics in "the vault", I turn the other cheek and wait patiently for the DVD.

One of my absolute favorite Disney movies is the animated Jungle Book. It's one of those films you can sink into and believe in, because the story is great and the characters are great, and there's plenty of humor and danger. The soundtrack is also phenomenal. A perfect mix of score and character songs, and the fact that the story is already about a kid who's raised by talking animals kind of opens the door for you to suspend your disbelief of the fact that they're also singing and dancing animals. The utter perfection of pairing jazz music, that ultimate sound of freedom and rhythm, with a movie set in the jungle is too often overlooked. Plus, the casting of Louis Prima as King Louie and Phil Harris as Baloo was absolute genius.

It would be heartbreaking to have to pick favorite songs from this soundtrack of my childhood, so instead I'll elaborate on all of the songs. The album begins with a soft and slinky jazz song ("Overture - Jungle Book") by George Burns where wind instruments (I'm thinking oboe), bass, and brushes on drums set the tone for the wild of the jungle. The sound is almost as hypnotizing as Kaa, but then the orchestra breaks into our dream and gives the jungle a little light. "Baby" follows with a perfect animation soundtrack feeling that accompanies sneaking steps with sneaking music. "Colonel Hathu's March (The Elephant Song)" continues the soundtrack with probably the cutest song ever created to accompany a military. The elephant section of this movie was always one of my favorites, and I confess to marching around the house when this song was being played. We can't spend too much time on the elephants though, because "The Bare Necessities" is the next song on our journey. This song is a classic, and with good reason: it captured that beariness - that need to scratch your back on a tree or just sit around and eat honey - that everyone experiences. You can't forget the fact that "The Bare Necessities" also high-lighted horns and bass, and even had a little solo and some scat singing. Now we have the monkey song - "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" - and honestly, can you think of a song that is more fun than this song? I'm not even going to try to review this Louis Prima masterpiece. Next we have three score songs which are lush and beautiful ("Monkey Chase", "Tell Him", and "Jungle Beat"). I think George Burns outdid himself on this soundtrack, not only matching the music to the setting, but almost molding the setting to the music. I'll never think of a jungle without hearing that pulsing jazz music. "Trust In Me (The Python's Song)" is the scariest and most hypotizing of any of the songs on the album, but it's balanced out by the humor of "What'cha Wanna Do" and "That's What Friends Are For (The Vulture Song)". Granted, I first listened to these songs before I knew that the vultures were thinking about eating Mowgli, but I still think these birds are a perfect and humorous addition to a section of the movie that could have just been horrifying. George Burns swoops in again to score "Tiger Fight" and "Poor Bear", which is the saddest part of the Jungle Book. The final original song is "My Own Home (The Jungle Book Theme)", and it finishes the movie with a little sadness, because you realize that Mowgli will never again be part of the jungle. Still, it's a Disney movie, so we can't end on a sad note, and "My Own Home (The Jungle Book Theme)" isn't really the end. In perfect denoument the soundtrack returns to the jungle with "The Bare Necessities (Reprise)" and all is jazz and rhythm. Let's hear it for a perfect soundtrack, executed with perfection.

The Post Where I Address my Fear of Horses

Anyone who lives a musical life will come across an album or a band that they dislike. That feeling of disconnection - complete polar opposition to a certain sound - is not novel for music lovers. Sometimes this band opens at a local venue and you find yourself yawning through their set, sometimes their music is played every hour on your local radio station, and sometimes this band happens to be the "it" band of the week (or month, or year) and you can't seem to extricate yourself from their sound.

I found myself in such a situation recently with the band called Band of Horses. Sounds benign, right? Lots of neighing, with the smell of leather polish and oats coming to mind. Wrong, actually, and my absolute polar opposition to their first album (Everything All The Time) could not be explained away by my irrational fear of horses. I really just didn't like the music: from the floating gothic romance of "The Funeral" to the wide open spaces feel and cliffhanger ending of "I Go To The Barn Because I Like the", I couldn't find anything fun or new. It sounded to me like these guys were trying to be so cool, and failing miserably. Except that they weren't failing at all. Every time I opened a magazine, the cover of Everything All The Time with it's palindromic, haunting trees was staring out at me. Let me tell you, if trees really could stare, no one would fall asleep. To get back to my point though, I can't really explain why I disliked their music, except that it seemed built upon a foundation of alternative music pretensions. So I ignored the airplay and the chatter from fellow music geeks, and went off to listen to my Rush alone.

A few weeks ago, I woke up in the early morning to hear this anthemic rock song with intense lyrics. It was one of those musical moments where you fall in love with a sound, because it captures a feeling. Any insomniac will tell you that when the sun falls away and leaves the dark there is nothing keeping away the demons, the ghosts of choices and actions that can haunt you through the night, and this song with it's three repeating lines captured all the feelings of a restless night. I sat awake listening through the dark for the name of the band, the name of the song, and then I hear a husky, tired, third-shift voice whisper "Is There A Ghost" by Band of Horses. My nemesis band, whose first album stalked me on my musical travels had created a song that completely captivated me. Not to imply that the rest of their new album Cease to Begin is my new favorite CD of the year. Actually, the rest of the album is a little too reminiscent of The Shins for my tastes; but, that first song is something altogether new and beautiful.

"Instant Karma" by John Lennon

Check out Yoko knitting blindfolded. Awesome!

"Territorial Pissings" - Nirvana

Always one of my favorite Nirvana songs. I <3 the lyrics.

Our Electrical Universe

You know that moment when you're thinking about a certain song, and when you turn on the radio, that song is playing for you? Did you ever wonder if that stuff happens because the whole universe is connected to and in your mind, conspiring to give you that song you most ardently hoped for?

Here's something to turn around in your mind: everything ever created in our world is just a manifestation of thought. All power and reality is in your head.

I found myself arguing with a 7-year old about the existence of Batman last week (I believe in superheroes, but the whole conversation was somewhat of a misunderstanding, because I never said that Batman was actually a flesh and blood person, I just argued for the truth of the idea. I don't think the kid got it, but he'll probably figure it out some day. Little kids are smart). The conversation was odd because I felt like our predesigned roles had been reversed, like I was acting as the stubborn child and this kid as the parent figure. I've always been good at creating my own reality and blocking out the reality that exists around me and that other people have actually agreed on (I'm a really stubborn kid). For example, I'm a reasonable person, and I'll agree with anyone that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry probably doesn't exist (and even if it does, I'm not invited), but somwhere deep down inside, it's still the only school that will ever win my heart and be my dream school. So whenever someone insists on asking where I want to go to school, my only honest answer is Hogwarts (I can't understand why people think I'm being a smartass. Wouldn't you go to a school of awesome magic if you had the option?).

I guess it's kind of the same with music. People often ask me what music is worth listening to (wasn't everything good made in the '60s and '70s? Ummm, no). I always answer in my most incredulous voice that you barely even have to look to find excellent music right under your nose! Granted, if you only listen to TOP 40, if you never take a flip through Rolling Stone, Spin, Paste, or any of the numerous publications that write about local music, and if you close your ears and mind to new sounds, then you're creating a world for yourself without much hope of interesting new music. The previous sentence describes a kind of life that I would not recommend to anyone, but that you'll often run into when talking to people about their musical tastes. Here's the only thing you have to remember to gaurantee that you'll come across interesting music: visualize finding interesting music! Even if you don't find someone else's great music, you can always create your own. Everything you ever wanted is in your own head.

To commemorate your introduction to a literal universe of possibilities, here's a playlist of songs that I found - with a little help from my buddy serendipity - when I most needed to hear something illuminating. Listen on!

"Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin

"Mary Jane" by Alanis Morrisette

"Ghost Town" by ZOX

"None of Your Business" by Salt-N-Pepa

"Time Bomb" by Rancid

"Rhythm Futur" by Django Reinhardt

"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by Angelique Kidjo

"Clampdown" by The Clash

"How It Ends" by Devotchka

"The Mooche" by Duke Ellington

"Opera" by Floetry

"The Harder They Come" by Jimmy Cliff

"They Want Us To Make A Symphony Of The Sound Of Women Swallowing Their Own Tongues" by Le Tigre

"Rockin' In The Free World" by Neil Young

"All Apologies" by Nirvana

"Cell Block Tango" by The Original Cast of "Chicago"

"Where Is My Mind?" by Pixies

"Today Is The Day" by Apollo Sunshine

"Longview" by Green Day

"Sugar Free Jazz" by Soul Coughing

"Black Panther" by Mason Jennings

"On The Radio" by Regina Spektor

"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns 'n' Roses

"Thank You (Falletinme be mice elf agin)" by Sly and the Family Stone

Tea Time

My past experiences with Wes Anderson movies have been odd to say the least. The Royal Tenenbaums royally freaked me out (this may have something to do with the fact that I watched it when I was about 12) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou achieved a place in my mind somewere between a movie by the creators of This Is Spinal Tap and Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami (which ranks it with the strangest artistic experiences of my life). Still, I keep coming back to his movies, because there's something there, maybe hidden behind the dry humor and David Sedaris-like family commentary, that's striking and important.

So I embark on my journey through The Darjeeling Limited, Wes Anderson's latest full-length. I plan on seeing this movie in theatres, and fully engaging in the experiences of the three brothers (Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson). I hope this adventure will be a less-depressing spiritual journey than Into The Wild. If the soundtrack is any indication, which it usually is, The Darjeeling Limited will be exponentially more enjoyable than that Sean Penn drama. Every song on the Into The Wild soundtrack is an ode to isolation, with Eddie Vedder sobbing about some kid with no common sense, while The Darjeeling Limited soundtrack is as varied a collage as India itself and soaked in humanity.

Most of the music found in the 22 songs on the album comes from other movies. These movies are Indian in origin, and not contemporary; the kind of movies that are best viewed in a theatre, where you can be immersed in the story. Among the other songs on the soundtrack are some classical pieces that lend a little drama, and a few rock songs by The Kinks and the Rolling Stones that define the experience as Western while celebrating the influence of Indian sound in rock-psychedelia. The album opener and closer are almost polar in their opposition. "Where Do You Go to (My Lovely)" by Peter Sarstedt is minimal (guitar and voice alone) with sweet, offbeat, pop lyrics and a slightly depressing folk air; an appropriate beginning to a movie that opens with a death. The finale is "Les Champs-Elysees" by Joe Dassin, a bouncy French jazz song with plenty of horn and piano, and a playful approach to music-making. In between, as I described above, are the songs and sounds of India which I've always found intoxicating and uplifting. The campy "Typewriter, Tip, Tip, Tip (From Merchant Ivory's film 'Bombay Talkie')" makes you feel like you've stepped into the 1960s and 1970s in India. "Title Music (From Satyajit Ray's film 'Teen Kanya')" is instrumental and lush. "Charu's Theme (Satyajit Ray's film 'Charulata')" sounds like an improvisation on scales from a child's music class: plain and unsteady, but perfect. "Prayer" by Jodphur Sikh Temple Congregation and "Memorial" by Narlia Village Troubadour are two locally flavored songs that are yearning and spiritual.

Overall, this album is a collage of sounds and culture, and a collage that succeeds in matching bits of the past and the present with bits of Western and Eastern culture. I ask myself what more important spiritual journey you could encounter than such a magnanimous union of disparate sounds and feelings? Where Sean Penn and Eddie Vedder celebrate Chris McCandless's inability to live in the real world, inability to embrace all of humanity and come to spiritual enlightenment by really getting his hands dirty, Wes Anderson seems to do the opposite. He throws his characters into the quirkiest, dirtiest, and most uncomfortable celebrations of human existence (albeit the most unlikely and fantastic). This is my kind of spiritual journey.

MIT Hacks Harvard!!

MIT is basically the coolest school on the planet. A school filled with merry little pranksters. Above is the latest MIT hack, where John Harvard is turned into a guy from Halo 3. How awesome is that? Check out more hacks on this website, and read more about Harvard's amazing transformation: MIT Hacks

The Shins en Espanol

Say What You Want to Say to Me by Spanish for 100 just says everything, doesn't it? Well, maybe not the title by itself, but the music has a lot to say. You'll regret not having listened to "Limerance Be" when your friendly, neighborhood blogger told you to when you hear it on the soundtrack of another Zach Braff movie. Not that it's bad to be liked by Zach Braff (we love you, Zach!), it's just that after Natalie Portman made "New Slang" a hit, and that awkward guy in your local record store tried to use the Garden State quote as a pickup line, "New Slang" lost a little bit of its poignancy. I'm not here to write about that old Shins album (so two albums ago), I'm actually here to write about the new album from Spanish for 100.

Whatever their name means, this band is making music that should be heard. I would describe the sound of Say What You Want to Say to Me as orchestral lo-fi, which seems like an oxymoron, but makes more sense when you actually listen to some of the songs. This album sounds like a collaboration between Remy Zero and the Shins.

"Attack!" has a plodding yet manic energy, with swirling guitar noise and a steady rhythm. The lyrics are similar to beat poetry, where the cadence and sound of the words is as important as the meaning. "Sangria" is the second song on the album, but a definite departure from "Attack!". Although the two songs are recognizable as album siblings, they have different personalities. "Sangria" is an orchestral song of musical highs and lows, and the rhythm and timing are experimental. " Say What You Want To Say" pulls in a little country influence, but maintains some of the coolness of Seattle alternative rock. You can imagine this band in plaid and jeans, rocking in nature or in the city. I love the fact that the vocals are almost more melodic than the instrumentals in this song. "Snakebite" and "Sweet Surprise" follow that same country line, and you can imagine these songs as the soundtrack to open spaces and starry nights. "Limerance Be" happens to be the single, and is a gorgeous song with soft but strong vocals. For anyone who doesn't know what limerence is (I had to look it up), it's a phsychological concept from the 1970s (Dorothy Tennov, Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being In Love) that is basically the idea of an involuntary attachment to a person. It isn't quite love, but more like a long infatuation. The sighing nature of the song seems to be a perfect match to the notion of a limerent relationship, and I expect to hear this song on the soundtrack to an indie romantic comedy in the near future. The rest of the album moves in an even more expiremental direction, and I think I enjoy the songs "Red", "Thought Twice", "She's a Robber", and "Quick As Ashutter" because of this experimentation. The band is playing with sound, but not to the point where the music becomes unlistenable, just to the point where the songs' interesting qualities are at their peak. I would recommend this album to any musiclover, but especially to those who have lost a little of their limerent feelings towards the Shins, but who need a soundtrack to their own indie romantic comedy.

"Drive My Car" by the Beatles

Asked a girl what she wanted to be
She said baby, can't you see
I wanna be famous, a star on the screen
But you can do something in between

Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe I'll love you

I told that girl that my prospects were good
And she said baby, it's understood
Working for peanuts is all very fine
But I can show you a better time

Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe I'll love you

Beep beep'm beep beep yeah

Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe

I told that girl I can start right away
When she said listen babe I got something to say
I got no car and it's breaking my heart
But I found a driver and that's a start

Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe I'll love you

"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" by Bob Dylan

You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last.
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast.
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun,
Crying like a fire in the sun.
Look out the saints are comin' through
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.

The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense.
Take what you have gathered from coincidence.
The empty-handed painter from your street
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets.
This sky, too, is folding under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.

All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home.
Your empty-handed armies, they are going home.
The lover who just walked out your door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor.
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.

Leave your stepping stones behind, there's something that calls for you.
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you.
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore.
Strike another match, go start anew
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.

Excerpt from "Flagpole Sitta" by Harvey Danger

...Been around the world and found
That only stupid people are breeding
The cretins cloning and feeding
And I don't even own a TV

Put me in the hospital for nerves
And then they had to commit me
You told them all I was crazy
They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, Goddamn you

I'm not sick, but I'm not well
And I'm so hot cause I'm in hell
I'm not sick, but I'm not well
And it's a sin, to live so well

I wanna publish 'zines
And rage against machines
I wanna pierce my tongue
It doesn't hurt, it feels fine
The trivial sublime
I'd like to turn off time
And kill my mind
You kill my mind
Mind...

Paranoia, paranoia
Everybody's comin' to get me
Just say you never met me
I'm runnin' underground with the moles
Diggin' big holes
Hear the voices in my head
I swear to God it sounds like they're snoring
But if you're bored then you're boring
The agony and the irony, they're killing me, whoa!

I'm not sick, but I'm not well
And I'm so hot cause I'm in hell
I'm not sick, but I'm not well
And it's a sin to live this well

(One, two, three, four!)

Snap

Bold Displays of Cowardice by Easy Tease and Set the Woods on Fire by Art In Manila

These two alternative albums snap with creativity and exhuberance. For example, listen to "The Headless Horseman Rides Again" or "Set The Woods On Fire" and you'll understand the way these two bands focus their fantastic imagery around a point. The stories aren't allegories, but there's truth in these songs nonetheless.

The Easy Tease create carnivalesque jazz and folk with many instruments mixed for optimum creative output. Listen to "Blizzard a-comin'", and you can hear the soft snow falling from the piano keys while in the background the horns warn of the torrents that will fall. On "Father's Sonata" the horns play a more central role, guiding the mood of the song and twisting around each other and the rest of the instruments. "The Mad Scientists Break Into the Laboratory to Steal Solanine" is the most appropriately titled long song I've ever heard (take that Fall Out Boy!). If the hysterical hooting that takes place behind the vaudeville sounds isn't connected to a mad scientist, then I'll have to rethink my whole worldview. The whole album is rough patchwork, cobbled together with some of the oddest sounds in the musical arsenal, but forming a nice quilt.

Set the Woods on Fire accomplishes a similar final product, but the pieces that form this product are less obscure and varied. There's a lot of crooning from Orenda Fink (Azure Ray), and the lyrics are the crowning achievement of the entire album. Because of the central role of the lyrics, the songs sometimes sound like the female rock music of the '90s: sweet and sad. However, there are definite highlights on this album that make it more varied than most of the music put out by say Sarah Mclachlan. "Our Addictions" rockets back to the '80s a little, with obvious synth-influence (obvious, but not egregious), and the Orenda Fink's voice really soars on this song. "Set The Woods On Fire" adds a magnificent strength to despairing sounds, while "Spirit, Run" is a definite celebration of spiritual freedom with ghost sounds. "Anything You Love" would have been my choice for a grand finale, but is situated nearer the middle of the album. Despite its poor placement, this song is my favorite with a little Spanish guitar and a Victorian opening statement: "Believing in the living can be a dangerous thing" (by Victorian, I mean macabre). This album is spiritual, the question is whether it's celebrating the spirits of the living or of the dead.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Don't worry because even though Elliott Smith is gone, he's not forgotten. Albums chock-full of his music are still being released. If you're in the mood for the real Elliott Smith, listen to New Moon. It's a two CD collection of lovely lullabies (that will give you sweet dreams and crazy nightmares).

Be happy because, if you're in the mood for something Smithesque but not completely unoriginal, you can listen to Malcolm Middleton. Previously a member of the band Arab Strap, whose music straddled the edge of Goth (it's quite lugubrious) and Folk (the lyrics are often the defining characteristic), Malcolm Middleton has created three solo albums. I'm going to ignore the first two for today because they were created while he was still a member of Arab Strap, and instead concentrate on album number three: A Brighter Beat. The title for this album is ironically appropriate, for although the songs are preoccupied with death, depression, and lost love, they are distinctly more upbeat than most of what Arab Strap created. Not to imply that this is a collection of happy songs. You won't find any unicorns or a pot of gold on this side of the rainbow. It's more likely that after wallowing with Malcolm for a bit (maybe after a nasty breakup) you'll click your heels three times and ask to go home. Still, it's always a good idea to own an album that'll help you through the dark times, and A Brighter Beat is that kind of album.

The first song "We're All Going To Die" sounds emo, right? Wrong; this song has a sense of humor. Not only is the chorus a repeated sing-along of the words "you're gonna die, you're gonna die, you're gonna die alone", but Malcolm can sing them without cracking up and with a charming Scottish brogue. The song is dark, but also witty and dry.

"Death Love Depression Love Death" sounds cumbersome, but breaks into full-out rock mode after a few crooned lyrics. It's probably the most badass track on the whole album, and it's also dark, but in a rock 'n' roll way.

"Stay Close Sit Tight" achieves a certain light beauty, but again, the lyrics are heavy. The lyrics of this song almost lurk behind the sweet piano, like a monster under your bed.

"Up Late At Night Again" captures that restless, sleepless, half-living feeling of insomnia. Why don't people sleep at night? The night is uncomfortable, and sometimes in the dark, all of your problems, failures, and regrets are thrown into sharp relief. In the day, you can forget some of these things because there are people around you and things feel alive; but at night you wrestle with your deepest fears.

My favorite song on the album is a little penultimate masterpiece called "Superhero Songwriters". This song has drama and depth, and the title itself speaks of something huge that you can't live up to: a superhero. "Stop dreaming, start living..." and "I'm getting older..." are a few of the depressing realizations that come to light in this song, but despite the weight of these ideas, the strings move with grace through the song.

To be honest, I think this whole album is a reckoning with that hideen monster: depression. Depression lurks around every corner and in every crevice, but unlike Elliott Smith, Malcolm Middleton seems to have enough humor to pull himself from under that ever-present monster. It's comforting, in a way, to know that other people are fighting their demons. I hope he wins his fight.

Comfortable Sounds

As I was previewing new music this morning, I came across a real gem of sound. The album is Red Earth by Dee Dee Bridgewater, and it seemlessly wraps traditional American Jazz music in the sounds of Africa. For musical historians, this mixture shouldn't be much of a stretch as jazz is a direct decendent of many types of African music. Still, what Dee Dee Bridgewater has accomplished is a feat of musical prowess. It takes clean composing and highly polished musicianship to make music from another world sound as comfortable as the jazz I can hear in my own backyard. Bridgewater creates an absolute masterpiece with varying sounds interwoven, but what's exceptional about this music is that it doesn't sound plastic, it doesn't sound like music that has been a constant labor of love. Instead this music sounds organic and rich like it was grown in the best soil.

"Afro Blue", which was previously released, sounds vibrant and "rich as the night" to pull a phrase from the song itself. "Bad Spirits (Bani)" is composed of lyrics sung in both an African dialect and in English, and this lyrical trade-off is paralleled by the musical trade-off of African and American sounds. "Mama Don't Ever Go Away" is so well-crafted that you don't even notice the piano that's sprinkled into the song, unless you listen carefully. "Long Time Ago" is the first slow song, but it's still a celebration song, and Dee Dee's voice reminds me most of a bird singing at dusk. "Red Earth" is the first real blues song, but in this context blues doesn't seem to meld as well with African music as Bridgewater's jazz does. This is unfortunate, because Dee Dee's voice seems built to sing blues just as well as jazz and with more power than on her jazz numbers.

"Red Earth" is a fine song on its own, but the music seems better matched to jazz lyrics and delivery. There's a certain level of improvisation that can be found on the whole album, but blues isn't really known for its improvisational potential; and, although there's certainly room for creativity in any kind of music, the sentiment of a great blues song can be overwhelmed by too much sound. The uneven sound can be found again on the song "Compared to What" which is another blues number. Still, Dee Dee Bridgwater's album carries only a few of these unsuccessful forays into blues music, and is ultimately redeemed by many successful jazz fusion numbers.

This album is a celebration at its roots. It's a celebration of the potential of music, the culture found in music, and the cadence and rhythm of the music itself. Red Earth is an album that captures the sounds of summer, of vibrant, exploding life.

Out of Body Experiences, and why Boys are Bad

Here are two articles of interest. Both are from the NY Times and both revolve around the brain.

"Studies Report Inducing Out Of Body Experiences"

and

"Is There Anything Good About Men?"

Be sure to read the transcript from the actual lecture "Is There Anything Good About Men?", which is linked at the Tierney Blog.

The Orphan of Zhao

According to Wikipedia and the New York Times, The Orphan of Zhao is a famous Chinese play, cemented in the world of musical theatre by its classical and cultural aspects. The play is historically sanguine, and based on a traditional Beijng Opera. Stephin Merritt's (Magetic Fields, Gothic Archies, Future Bible Heroes, and the 6ths) adaptation of the Orphan of Zhao for New York City's 2003 Lincoln Center Festival, is both inspired and strange.

I'm sure my faithful blog-readers are scratching their heads at this moment, wondering why I'm writing about an old musical. Well, the main reason is that I just found out about Stephin Merritt's Orphan of Zhao, and I think it's awesome. Stephin Merritt is currently working on a musical adaptation of the children's story Coraline by Neil Gaiman, which is a story so eerie and haunting that I was only able to read forty pages (granted, I was about twelve years old when I tried). Now, I've listened to quite a bit of Merritt's music, and most of it is pleasantly recondite with lots of strange images that only make sense on a primal level. Not to say that his music is hunter-gatherer in any way, it's actually very sophisticated and seems to be composed with care. Coraline is filled with menacing, almost violent descriptions of actions that are commonplace (I seem to remember that sewing buttons was particularly horrible in the story), and the Orphan of Zhao is openly violent, but like most Chinese stories, the violence is wrapped in intrigue and honor.

In the Orphan of Zhao, Merritt pulled in the bizarre traditions and almost histrionic pulse of American musical theatre, but retained some of the art and subtlety of Chinese theatre. The music itself is full of traditional Chinese sounds, and the lyrics are odd. Take for example the song "Has the World Gone Insane?". The music clashes together like orange and brown clothing, the imagery of "enemy baby with enemy milk on his chin" is both ridiculous and frightening, and the song succeeds in making the listener feel uncomfortable; I think the point is to make people feel uncomfortable. Physical discomfort makes you want to change your position, so maybe mental discomfort does the same thing mentally; and, if this is true, then mental discomfort is an invaluable tool to a writer. I'm sure that Coraline was written to be an uncomfortable story, to make you realize that their are some actions in life that are frightening, even though they're also mundane. Scary things don't always make sense; in fact, I think scary things rarely make sense, which is why they are so scary.

Getting back to music and away from philosophy, I would recommend the Orphan of Zhao to anyone who enjoys musical theatre. Stephin Merritt composes multi-layered and emotional scores, and he drags you into the story (preferably, kicking and screaming). You can find Stephin Merritt's showtunes on iTunes, and probably somewhere else. Just don't listen if you're afraid of discomfort and insidious violence.

Desert Rock

I can't imagine what it would be like to live in a war-torn land. I imagine Iraq as it is at this moment: a world where people are afraid to leave their houses, where food and clean water are scarce, and where the people with any money at all have scuttled across the borders to find refuge in other countries. These images are far from tangible to me, because I'm separated by more than miles. I'm separated from the experiences of refugees by all of the things that make my world comfortable, and that allow me to blog, right here, about music.

One of the most remarkable things I've learned while reading about world music, is that all truly creative people will make their music in the circumstances described above. As bombs fall in their backyards, musicians continue to play. They create in the midst of unbearable destruction. It's really a beautiful thought, like the titular image in "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn": the beautiful, strong tree growing in the midst of poverty and depression. The tree grows where no other tree can, and it grows strong without care and cultivation. It's just another reminder that beautiful things don't just grow in the dirt, they grow because of the dirt. Despite the fact that I cannot understand living in a war-torn country, I can understand the music that comes from such a world. The one thing I really can't imagine, is a world without music.

When you feel like roaming the desert for forty years, try listening to this music. I guarantee that you won't have a tan when you're finished, but you also won't be unbearably thirsty.

"Matadjem Yinmixen" by Tinariwen

"Habibi Min Zaman" by Balkan Beat Box

"Cheik Omar Bah" by Toumani Diabate

"Char Chinari Bazaar" by Rahul Sharma

"Until We Burn In The Sun (The Kids Just Want A Love Song)" by Bedouin Soundclash

Out of the Darkness booms...Emerson College!

I listen to all kinds of radio stations (well, at least all the kinds that I can find on my dial). I always like to listen to something that matches my mood, so I switch up my radio station almost every night. I frequent the BBC, WFNX, the local hip-hop station, the local classic-rock station, and the loudest pop station, with world, jazz, and classical sprinkled in for good measure.

Last night, I was dialing through all the boring stations (how many times do we really need to hear "Free Bird"?) and I came across a fun hip-hop song. The song was so catchy that I listened to the whole thing, and when the DJ popped on at the end, I was struck by his enthusiasm and untrained commentary. The "uhhs" and "umms" were ubiquitous in this DJ's speech, but I didn't mind because the guy actually seemed interested in the music. Come to find out, this is Emerson College's station (WERS 88.9). I'd tried to tune into their station before, but had never received such a clean signal.

Emerson does a really nice job with their station. The shows aren't weighed down with an overabundance of talk, the music is mixed fairly well, and the content is interesting without being too challenging. I feel like there's a real market for this kind of station, that plays a well-rounded bunch of music, isn't afraid to regularly mix new sounds in with the old, and has a certain youthful exhuberance that is found most notably on college campuses. Check out the WERS website here: http://www.wers.org/ and then friend WERS on Myspace. Oh yeah, it would be cool if you listened too!!

Beyond "Galang"

Everyone who listens to fringe hip-hop and dance music can agree that M.I.A. makes different sounds (getting a consensus on whether those sounds are good or not is another story). A few things you need to know about Maya Arulpragasm (M.I.A.) are 1) that you've probably heard an M.I.A. song without even knowing you were listening (Honda used the song "Galang" to sell their cars); 2) M.I.A. is an artist with rabid fans and rabid foes; and, 3) M.I.A., whose life has been defined by a series of dramatic moves across the world and parents who "fight the power!", has made her music both multicultural and rebellious. M.I.A. is not easily definable, which is probably why everyone is trying to define her music.

I will try not to fall into the trap of jaded music reviewers and analyze every lyric on M.I.A.'s new album, Kala. I enjoyed "Galang", and the whole Arular album, but not enough to invest in an entire copy. I didn't get involved in the hype of the last album (not an easy task), and I judged her music on its own merit; I hope I'll be able to do the same with Kala.

Kala starts off with the song "Bamboo Banga", which sets the mood for the whole album. This record is a dance record, but the dancing is not the wild and exhuberant type of dancing that followed "Galang", it's the kind of dancing that is done early in the morning at clubs. "Bamboo Banga" gives you the feeling that everything is dark, but very alive; the underground is throbbing. It's a nice fringe club song, but it gives the whole album a deeper, darker, almost chthonic feeling.

"Bird Flu" takes you a little higher; although the banging and drumming reminds me of Army Marching Bands and gunfire, the vocals aren't as low as those on "Bamboo Banga". M.I.A.'s lyrics are dark, and the theme of cultures at odds hits harder the second time around. On Arular, M.I.A. threw out some lyrics that referenced the consumer culture of European countries as compared to the struggle to live that takes place in countries to the South and East, but her ideas were far from fully formed and her lyrics lacked that extra pop against the dance music. M.I.A.'s lyrics are written with a steadier hand, especially on "Bird Flu" where, in the same line, she juxtaposes "live in trees chew on feet" and " watch lost on cable". This line brings together the idea of how people see her (as a racist caricature of a Sri Lankan or as a poseur), and how she sees herself (a mixture of all the worlds from which she comes).

"Boyz" and "Jimmy" are very different songs musically, but they're both dance songs about boys. "Boyz" is banged out over some heavy beats and horns, while "Jimmy" is very '70s Disco meets '80s dance tune. Both songs are fun for a few listens, but I found them both annoying after the third play.

"Hussel (featuring Afrikan Boy)" dives into deep jungle sounds with an eerie speed after the Western bubblegum sounds of "Jimmy". Maybe M.I.A. is juxtaposing cultures again, maybe she's pointing out the fact that the jungle is never too far from the party, or maybe I'm overanalyzing. No matter what its meaning as far as album position goes, this is my favorite song on the album. I especially enjoy the lyric: "I hate money cause it makes me numb". An astute observation that rings true, because it's made by someone who hasn't always had money.

"Mango Pickle Down River (featuring The Wilcannia Mob)" is the weirdest song on the whole album. The song consists of rhymes without much of a back-beat (again that throb is present). The rhymes are thrown out by kids and by M.I.A. herself, but the song fails a bit, because it never really tricks the listener into hearing the lyrics.

"20 Dollar" is mechanical and dark. The lyrics are well-written, but slightly overwhelmed by the fuzzy, overloud guitars in the background. An interesting song, whose placement creates another disjointed juxtaposition (if M.I.A. didn't plan these awkward bridges between completely different sounds, then her mixer is definitely not doing a good job). The softness of "Mango Pickle Down River" smooshes up against the hardness of "20 Dollar", probably making the song sound more dramatic than it would against, say "Hussel".

"World Town" is the most fun you'll have listening to the whole album. The song is light and playful, but not without depth. M.I.A. is representing the World Town, a crossroads of disparate cultures and sounds, but she's bringing it all together in a cohesive little unit of song.

"World Town" sets the mood for the final five songs, which are all lighter in tone than the first seven. These five final tracks are what you'll hear on the radio, if you hear any of Kala on the radio. It's unlikely that the album will recieve much attention from stations, because the sounds are influenced by both world-music and rebellion, a bit of a stretch for most stations. Still, the fact that Timbaland appears on the penultimate track "Come Around" is testament to the fact that M.I.A. is getting attention from the popular musical community.

Overall, the album Kala carries a depth and a finish that were not found on Arular. The polish of the songs on Kala is partly from being recorded in a studio that lives up to the sounds being expressed, but the writing is also polished. The album is not without bumps, but it is of a higher quality, in my opinion, than Arular. None of the tracks on Kala are as fun as "Galang", but maybe M.I.A. didn't want them to be. Check out the album if you're interested in a dance record that stretches your mind.

What is the male equivalent of a muse?

I've been wondering that for awhile, and I finally had to get it out in the open. The question was becoming stale in my mind. I'm pretty sure that I'll have to invent a word for a male muse. This is a perfect example of cross-sexism in our culture: women can only be inspiration, and men can only be inspired. Interesting idea, but I'm probably just paranoid.

Moving from muses to music isn't too much of a stretch. I'm always wondering where artists find their inspiration, especially those artists who see something exceptional in the mundane. Sometimes you really have to reach to understand an obscure lyric, but other times the reference falls right in your lap, and you can shout "I UNDERSTAND!!". A little dramatic, I know, but I definitely think those words when a particularly puzzling lyric falls into place in my mind.

For example, I'm almost always confused by Moldy Peaches lyrics and The Decemberists' songs are just a little obscure for my mind (although, very catchy), but I can feel an Elliott Smith song and Iron & Wine lyrics just make sense to me. I'm sure this feeling is different for every music-lover, which is why people have such varied tastes in music. Which brings it all back to inspiration, doesn't it? Different things inspire different people, because humanity's varied experiences make completely varied ways of understanding our world. I'm inspired to view the world at a different angle through music, if I can find something in the music that applies to me. In this way, I think music can be just as enlightening as great stories and poetry, but only as enlightening as the active participant (the listener) will allow based on his/her experiences.

My ideas are a little jumbled at this time, but my basic point is that inspiration occurs on multiple levels, and is really more like a game of tag than a game of solitaire. Inspiration is bounced between the people who place themselves in the line of ideas. If you expose yourself to everything from smooth jazz to back metal, then you're placing yourself in the path of many ideas. People who expose themselves to different types of music, are opening themselves to a variety of thoughts. Some of these ideas will inspire you to take action, to apply a new principle to your life, while other ideas will not jell with your current experiences or make sense to you in your life's context. Anyone who takes part in this inspiration exchange is an artist of life.

I've come to the conclusion that there doesn't need to be a word for a male muse. Muses come in all shapes and sizes, colors and sexes, and are not necessarily human. The word muse has transformed over time to mean inspiration, and inspiration obviously doesn't have to be female. An artist, someone who is open to inspiration, can find genius in a peanut-butter sandwhich. The active participant can hear (see, read) this peanut-butter sandwhich in the context of their life, and then allow their experiences and their inspiration to form into new ideas. Mmmmmm, I'm hungry.

On The Road 50th Anniversary!

"I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till I drop.

This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion."

-Jack Kerouac, On The Road


50 years and so many minds opened to the possibility of adventure. People ask me what I dream of in my heart. People say: "What do you really want to do? What do you really want from life?". I guess I want some kind of obvious journey, a task or absolute goal that I can pursue, but in pursuing, discover myself a little more. I want to live in a great story, and witness enlightenment; travel, and be enlightened in the process. I want a eucatastrophe, and I want to be able to write about it in a way that makes others feel as connected as I do when I read Kerouac. I guess I wouldn't feel connected, if I weren't confused, and neither would Jack.

Jazz was the heart palpitation of the beat generation, and the best of it doesn't have a straightforward groove. Here's some old and new jazz for you guys to enjoy:

"Stardust" by John Coltrane

"Zarafah" by Joshua Redman

"Lazy Afternoon" by Joe Henderson

"Poet" by Cassadra Wilson

"St. James Infirmary" by Turk Murphy

"A Banca Do Distinto" by Badi Assad

"Cypresses" by Anat Cohen

60 Musical Revolutions Per Minute

I heard this NPR interview with Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello the other day. Very interesting, and fun, and they play plenty of music from "Super Taranta!". Also, on the same page, NPR has a recorded Gogol Bordello concert.

NPR: Eugene Hutz

Bring on the Lucie (Freeda People) - John Lennon

(Alright Boys, this is it, over the hill)

We don't care what flag you're waving
We don't even want to know your name
We don't care where you're from or where you're going
All we know is that you came
You're making all our decisions
We have just one request of you
That while you're thinking things over
Here's something you just better do

Free the people now
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it now
Free the people now
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it now

Well we were caught with our hands in the air
Don't despair paranoia is everywhere
We can shake it with love when we're scared
So let's shout it aloud like a prayer

Free the people now
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it now
Free the people now
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it now

We understand your paranoia
But we don't want to play your game
You think you're cool and know what you are doing
666 is your name
So while you're jerking off each other
You better bear this thought in mind
Your time is up you better know it
But maybe you don't read the signs

Free the people now
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it now
Free the people now
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it now

Well you were caught with your hands in the kill
And you still got to swallow your pill
As you slip and you slide down the hill
On the blood of the people you killed

Stop the killing (Free the people now)
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it now
Stop the killing (Free the people now)
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it now

Bring on the lucie

Wicker Plane - State Radio

Oh my gosh, State Radio, do you guys EVER sleep? It seems like whenever I go on your site you have a new cause, a list of up-coming shows, and an album in the works, *SIGH*. I guess that's why I love you.

No, actually, I love State Radio because they play their asses off and make killer sounds. Their newish EP is very nice, and their new album (which hits the streets on September 18th) sounds like it shall be excellent. If you want even more State Radio, check out their Youtube videos, which are numerous. Definitely catch a show, because these boys can rock.

Find complete tour dates on their site: http://www.stateradio.com/

STARDUST

This movie is amazing, honestly, it is sooo good. It is like the Princess Bride, only more irreverent, and Tristran Thorn is a little less charismatic and elegant than Westley, while Yvaine is a little more pissed off than Buttercup, hahah. Oh, it's fun! Overall, just a great love story (and really, what better kind of story is there?).

Rebel Rebel pt. 1

Happy musical morning to you all!!

I read an article yesterday that got me thinking about musical rebellion and parallel cultural rebellion. The guy being interviewed is an X-games participant, and he told the interviewer that hip-hop music reflects the exact rebellious attitude of boarding; in some way, these two arts come from the same mental battleground (if you feel like skipping my philosophical ramblings and just reading that article, it can be found in the latest Rolling Stone magazine with Guns 'N' Roses on the cover).

I can completely understand that idea, it just makes sense, but I wouldn't limit myself to hip-hop. When musical creativity starts flowing in such a way that the sentiment is no longer apathetic or inconsequential; when artists start really caring about something and wanting things to change, the product is rebellion followed by absolute revolution. Granted, after time symbols devolve, their meanings change, and they are usually stolen by the enemy and used for their purposes; but, the ideas remain, as do the distrust and the dissatisfaction that caused the rebellion in the first place.

Boarding and hip-hop may be the symbols of our dissatisfaction, along with MySpace, illegal downloading, and a multitude of different forms of expression. Eventually, these symbols will be co-opted, you can already see it happening, but the ideas will live on. In ten or twenty years, maybe our kids will pick up an old Roots album and feel a little bit of a connection to that rebellion. I hope you guys will open your eyes and ears (obviously) to hear some of the most rebellious music of the past and the present:


"Sonata for piano No. 14 in C Minor, KV 457: Molto Allegro" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Did you know that Mozart wasn't even very popular by the end of his career? His music was too much of a stretch for many of the listeners of his day. There is a trait of his music that makes it almost otherworldly in origins, which, I think, is why he is now so very much appreciated as an artist. Although his sound was a bit too different for his time, it has held up very well to the tests of time.


"Cross Road Blues" by Robert Johnson

He influenced Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, and so consequently influenced almost every rock band since. His stripped down blues is a gorgeous piece of American musical history, and a departure from the happy tunes of the day.


"East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" by Duke Ellington

The Duke helped push along a musical revolution, that, in turn, pushed along a cultural revolution. Didn't you know that at one time, jazz was taboo? You can feel the pulse of the city in this song, the metronome that keeps time in a concrete jungle. That steady rhythm, that sound like the count-down to an explosion, that's what scared people.


"Anything Goes" by Cole Porter

Anyone who thinks Cole Porter was a normal guy is seriously deluding themselves. He wrote popular music and Broadway shows, but listen to his lyrics and you'll hear how rebellious the ideas really were. The man knew how to turn a phrase and create music that the whole world could enjoy, but like any great writer he also injected something sensational.


"What'd I Say, Pt. 1" by Ray Charles

This is raw music. The soul of the American youth was bared for the world, and many couldn't accept that the soul could be so ALIVE. Let's hear it for Ray.


"Roll Over Beethoven" by Chuck Berry

Rawk baby, the beginning of rock 'n' roll. You can argue that Elvis started it all, but I always liked Chuck.


"Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix

There's so much music from the 1960s that was, well, different that it's very difficult to pick a starting place. I had to pick Hendrix, because his music is still different. No one before Jimi or since Jimi has been able to capture that sound. There have been equally great guitarists and musicians, but no one like Hendrix.


(TO BE CONTINUED)

"Timebomb" by the Old 97s

I got a timebomb, in my mind Mom.
I hear it ticking but I don't know why.
I call the police, but they don't like me.
I hear 'em whispering when I walk by.

I got a landmine in my bloodline.
I'm not immune to getting blown apart.
She's like a claymore, that's what she's there for.
She's waiting 'round here to get blown apart.

Having her on my brain's like getting hit by a train,
She's gonna kill me. Oh Celeste, oh Celeste.

I got a timebomb, in my mind Mom,
It's gonna go off, but I don't know when.
I need a doctor
aww,
to extract her.
I got a feeling she'd get right back in again

I got a timebomb, in my mind Mom,
I got it badly for a stick-legged girl
She's gonna kill me, and I don't mean softly.
I got it badly for a stick-legged girl

Having her on my brain's like getting hit by a train,
She's gonna kill me. Oh Celeste, oh Celeste, oh Celeste.

More Magical Than A Blue Ford Anglia...

It's obvious that I want a Spiderpig as my blog mascot. He can't swing from a web, but who really cares?

I LOVE WEIRD MUSIC!! I especially love eccentric tunes that make me laugh. In this post I hope to convey some of my love for odd music, while opening my readers to the world of all things strange and amusing. I'm not as talented as Spiderpig, but I hope you'll come along for the ride anyway.

"Love Today" by MIKA. A song that originally garnered attention in an iPod commercial doesn't sound amazingly promising, but this song happens to be one that, no matter how I scrub my ears, just won't leave my head! It's a contagious track that would be the perfect backdrop to your life as an inhabitant of Candy Land. Underneath all of the pink bubbles and horses, MIKA sounds a bit like Freddy Mercury, albeit a more notably flamboyant Mercury (I don't know how much more flamboyant you can honestly get!) The song is pure fun, and any underlying meaning is secondary to the ridiculously fun feeling of the music.

"Save Ginny Weasley From Dean Thomas" by Harry and the Potters. I've written about these bookish boys before. There music has graced many an obsessed bibliophile's ears, and was the soundtrack to the release of the final Harry Potter book in Boston. This is absolutely the kind of music I play when I want people to think I'm really weird, not that most people need to be coaxed into thinking that I'm weird. This particular song is an ode to Harry's redheaded love interest, and although the structure and music is pretty basic, the lyrics are out there! Let's just say that Luna Lovegood would be a big fan of these boys. However crazy the song is, I love the sentiment so much that my "wizard star still burns for" it.

"Music Box" by Regina Spektor. This song plays with opposites, as Regina sings with her softest and sweetest voice and then quickly changes to her sharpest voice (sometimes even gagging on a particularly pretty note). The song also moves lyrically, from child's play to dealing with death and violence. In some sections of the song that speak of feeling trapped, Spektor actually traps the listener, giving you a little taste of clostrophobia and then freeing you again. The juxtapositions are a nice tool used to create a perfect patchwork quilt of song. Read the lyrics below, and feel the weirdness:

"Life inside the musicbox ain't easy
The mallets hit
The gears are always turning
And everyone inside the mechanism
Is yearning to get out
And sing another melody completely
So different from the one they're always singing
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But then I feel mortality surround me
I want to sing another melody
So different from the one I always sing
But when I do the dishes
I run the water very very very hot
And then I fill the sink to the top with bubbles of soap
And then I set all the bottle caps I own afloat
And it's the greatest voyage in the history of plastic

And then I slip my hands in and start to make waves
And then I dip my tongue in and take a taste
It tastes like soap but it doesn't really taste like soap
And then I lower in my whole mouth and take a gulp
And start to feel mortality surround me
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But life inside the musicbox ain't easy
The mallets hit
The gears are always turning
And every one inside the mechanism
Is yearning to get out
And sing another melody completely
Is yearning to get out
Is yearning to get out
Is yearning to get out"

"Spider Pig" by Hans Zimmer. Almost operatic in sound and scope, this song completely encompasses the grandeur of Spiderpig. With high and low notes playing up his moral virtues and vices, the Spiderpig theme song is certainly music for the ages. This song has a sound that its contemporaries cannot hope to match. Listen, and you'll hear the sweet voices of angels.

(A little much? I think not.)

The Mooney Blues: The Attack of Space Rock!!!

As you can tell from all of the talk of global warming and other environmental issues in the news, as of late, the world's been pretty interested in the wellfare of, well, the world. For thousands of years the great majority of the human population accepted the notion of a geocentric universe, and even though we now know that we aren't the center of everything, doesn't it still feel like we are?

However self-centered our little green planet is, we've found time to look beyond ourselves seeking help and guidance from outerspace. For me, it's actually pretty comforting to think that someone, somewhere may actually have it more together than us little earthlings. Deep down, don't we all think there's more to life than just this?

Here are a couple albums that can make you feel spacey and then bring you down to Earth (sort of), it's your choice whether you'll be loony like Luna Lovegood or centered like Remus Lupin.

"Dins" by Psychic Ills

Eight songs that play with your eardrums, and give you the feeling that you could be living in an episode of Dr. Who (the latest reincarnation of that series is pretty freaking sweet, by the way). Quite a few of their songs are like the intros to Pink Floyd hits, so after listening for a bit, you start to feel a little panicky; "Telltale Heart" symptoms and fainting spells are in your future. The way Psychic Ills creates music is quite manipulative really, and subliminal, layering sound upon sound until you have what would normally be called a song. "Electriclife", "Untitled", and "January Rain" are all squeezed together on the album, and make me feel as if space travel is in my immediate future. Time travel is also a definite possibility, as some of these songs conjure visions of 1960s New York and San Francisco. Whatever your musical interest, "Dins" will take you on a trip that's not necessarily pleasant, but definitely interesting.


"Noble Creatures" the Gourds

The cover of this album looks just like a 1980s cover of a $0.50 science fiction story; a man, boat, and giant squid are all surrounded by craters, stars, and sketchy planetary outlines. Funnily enough, much of the music found behind the crazy cover art, would fit better in a bar on Earth, than on Mos Eisley (let's hope I spelled that correctly, or I'll succumb to the wrath of rabid Star Wars fans all over the internet!). The Gourds are making the soundtrack for the places on Earth where stars can still be seen, and, in this country at least, those places are quickly disappearing to light pollution. Alt-country rockers like "How Will You Shine?" and "Moon Gone Down" seem penned as odes to deep blue skies on stuffy summer nights. "The Gyroscopic" is my favorite song on "Noble Creatures". The song trembles and bursts, as the Gourds pull influences from Mexico and California, singing of the "noble creatures of the sea". The lyrics on this album aren't focused, and they're very eccentric for a alt-rock band, but they still make sense in a roundabout way, which is really what you can say of the album and the band. Take a listen to "Noble Creatures", and see for yourself what it all means, if it really means anything.

NEW RELEASES: 7/10/2007

There are quite a few new albums that I've been looking forward to this year, and most of them have not disappointed me. This week, I'll quickly review some new releases that should be acknowledged.

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon.

It took me a long time to see what was so exciting about Gimme Fiction, but after watching the movie Stranger Than Fiction and hearing Brit Daniel and Spoon's soundtrack music, I gave their albums another chance. There's really something pretty cool about this band. Spoon can delve into a new genre, and make it sound like they've been doing it for their whole careers.

On Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Brit Daniel plays with lyrics and sound, and Spoon moves towards the interstellar classic rock sounds of Muse with a smudge of jangly country rock on their platinum spaceship. In my opinion, the best tracks are "The Ghost of You Lingers" which echoes, haunts, and spooks with flair; "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" which channels the Supremes' sweetness mixed with the Rolling Stones' nastiness; "Eddie's Ragga" which could be written by the Clash; and "Black Like Me" which howls and simpers in a very bluesy way.

Overall, this album is very nice, and quite cohesive. I don't think there's a bad song in the bunch, which is why you should listen to Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga as an album, not as a few interesting tracks.


Super Taranta! by Gogel Bordello.

Gogol Bordello have always been multicultural wanderers in the music scene, and even though they're often thrown into the same Gypsy music category as DeVotchka and Beirut, their music travels further and their sound is more eclectic. On Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, Gogol Bordello had a lot of Eastern European sound, even bringing in a definite Klezmer influence. Dub was thrown in a bit, and the punk scene was a definite breeding ground for many of the tunes, but the album always felt like the kind of music that Tevya would listen to if he were born in the '80s (or '90s).

On Super Taranta!, Gogol Bordello have travelled southwest towards Italy and Spain, and probably off into Africa. The journey is a rewarding one. Before, Gogol Bordello created the sound for the party, but now they've created the sound of the night clubs when the lights have gone on, the janitor is cleaning up, and most people have gone home to sleep off the alcohol. The band has definitely learned the power of a soft, quiet, song. Tracks that I would highlight are "Zina Marina", the first song to emphasize that Spanish influence with the bouncy horns; "Tribal Connection" which is a sing-along worthy tune if I've ever heard one; "American Wedding" which highlights Gogol Bordello's storytelling prowess; and "Alcohol" which is soft and sad, lilting like a person filled with the titular drink.

Very nice effort from Gogol Bordello, and I commend them for changing up their music so often while still maintaining an original sound.


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Nicholas Hooper.

A soundtrack that I've been looking forward to with great expectations. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is one of my favorite books, and I'm hoping that the new HP director will stay very true to it in the movie. If the soundtrack is any indication of the fun we'll have when we watch the new movie, then we'll be dancing in our seats.

Moving further from the original John Williams creation than any other composer, Nicholas Hooper lets the darkness float in. In some ways, this new soundtrack reminds me of a Danny Elfman creation for a Tim Burton movie. It's not too subtle, but it doesn't sound as if it will overpower the movie. Nicholas Hooper never fully lets go of John Williams' sound, but he makes it heavier and darker. After all, Harry is moving into a future that is clouded with unhappiness; Voldemort has returned, and he has killed.

Professor Umbridge is given a fittingly horrible song with saccharine bells and hemming horns, while Dumbledore's Army is strong and beautiful. The Kiss is a nice song which brings in the Christmas element from the book (oh, I can just smell the Christmas trees!), and The Death of Sirius is fittingly dark and dramatic.

Robots in Disguise

Last night I watched the new Transformers movie, and it was pretty awesome. Plenty of giant robot battles, and just enough Shia LaBeouf to keep me happy (I think he's sweet). To top it all off, I really enjoyed the soundtrack which you can preview on iTunes and hear in full when you see the movie. Right now you can listen to my favorite song from the movie:



It's a new Linkin Park song called "What I've Done", and it fits really perfectly with the whole movie. Running through the credits, this song made me feel really pumped after watching Megatron and Optimus Prime battle it out. WOOT!

LIVE EARTH MUSIC

Live Earth is probably something you've heard a lot about recently, if you're at all connected to the world. One reason is that Al Gore is behind it, and since "An Inconvenient Truth" you can't get away from Mr. Gore (even on South Park: Manbearpig ahhh!!!) Not that I really care, the man doesn't offend me like some people who are always in the news and I agree that Global Warming is a huge issue. I enjoy these musical festivities if they're for a good cause, so I'm actually pretty excited about Live Earth.

Still, if you're someone that doesn't believe in Global Warming or is just sick of Al Gore, you may feel annoyed at the prospect of an entire festival concentrated around these two entities. Don't get frustrated!! Instead, I challenge you to take a look at the list of artists playing Live Earth, listen to their music, and tell me there's not one band that appeals to you. If you can honestly say that you dislike every band in the line-up, then you're absolutely more of a music snob than I am! I don't applaud you, because that's just sad. Here's the official line-up, and it's looking pretty hot. On 7.7.07 you know where I'll be. Where will you be?

The headliner's/crowd draws are:
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Madonna
Smashing Pumpkins
Dave Matthews Band
John Mayer
Beastie Boys
The Police

Personally, I'm not even that excited about these guys ^, except for the Beasties o' course.

In Australia there's a lineup I'm especially proud of:
Blue King Brown who are truly exceptional musicians
Crowded House
Eskimo Joe
Ghostwriters
Jack Johnson
John Butler Trio
Missy Higgins
Paul Kelly
Sneaky Sound System
Toni Collette and the Finish
and Wolfmother

China's lineup is chock-full of local faves:
12 Girls Band
Anthony Wong
Eason Chan
Evonne Hsu
Huang Xiao Ming
Joey
Sarah Brightman
Soler
Winnie Shin

Germany has the rockers:
Chris Cornell
Enrique Iglesias
Jan Delay
Juli
Katie Melua
Lotto King Karl
Mana
Mando Diao
Michael Mittermeier
Reamonn
Roger Cicero
Sasha
Shakira
Silbermond
Snoop Dogg

Japan's got plenty of J-pop:
Ai
Abingdon Boys School
Ai Otsuka
Ayaka
Bonnie Pink
Cocco
Genki Rockets
Kumi Koda
Linkin Park
Michael Nyman
Rihanna
Rip Slyme
Rize
Ua
Yellow Magic Orchestra

South Africa's got the beat:
Angelique Kidjo
Baabaa Maal
Danny K
Joss Stone
The Parlotones
The Soweta Gospel Choir
UB40
Vusi Mahlasela
Zola

The United Kingdon has both a popular and eclectic lineup:
Beastie Boys
Black Eyed Peas
Bloc Party
Corinne Bailey Rae
Damien Rice
David Gray
Duran Duran
Foo Fighters
Genesis
James Blunt
John Legend
Kasabian
Keane
Madonna
Metallica
Paolo Nutini
Pussycat Dolls
Razorlight
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Snow Patrol
Spinal Tap (YES, the SPINAL TAP)
Terra Naomi

The United States has a similar lineup to the UK's "headliners and legends":
AFI
Akon
Alicia Keys
Bon Jovi
Dave Matthews Band
Fall Out Boy
John Mayer
KT Tunstall
Kanye West
Keith Urban
Kelly Clarkson
Ludacris
Melissa Etheridge
Roger Waters
Smasking Pumpkins
Taking Back Sunday
The Police

I wish I lived in Australia, South Africa, or even Germany because those lineups look really stellar. By the way, wasn't there supposed to be a concert somewhere on the continent of Antarctica?

Money Mark is no con

I fully admit to being a fan of Jack Johnson, Matt Costa, and the rest of the Brushfire Records bunch. When I heard that the latest addition to that happy, eco-friendly, record-making family is the man referred to as the 4th Beastie Boy, I was obviously pretty excited.

Money Mark is well worth the hype that he's received as a friend of both Jack Johnson and the beastly threesome, but he's also an original and unique artist whose music can stand on its own merits. His new album "Brand New By Tomorrow" offers groovy R&B keyboards, and vocals that take a page from Jamiroquai's cool delivery and the Beatles' lyrical and musical pairings. The lyrics are interesting, as is the music, with enough originality to make it exciting, but also accessible. Everything on this album is cool as a cucumber, a little jazzy, and perfect for chilling out on a hot summer day.

Lions, and Tigers, and Stripes, oh my!!

The White Stripes have been around for awhile, and they've gained quite a level of notoriety among indie kids and popsters alike. Unfortunately, I don't really understand what all the fuss is about! The claim that most people use to back up the White Stripes' musical genius is that this twosome has always refused to add any bells and whistles to their straight-ahead garage songs. They've stayed true to Motor City by keeping production values separated from music.

In my opinion, instead of high production values and strong musicianship, they use gimmicks like the whole fake incestuous relationship between Jack and Meg, the repeated colors red, white, and black (used most notably by the Nazi party), and the inherent bizarre nature of most of their music to attract the rock 'n' roll crowd.

I'm no prude. Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osborne aren't nearly as scary as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson in my book. It would be incredibly easy for me to ignore the White Stripes' odd idiosyncrasies if I found anything remotely akin to genius in their music. However, I only hear messy rock with obtuse and pretentious lyrics. In my opinion, this is a far cry from the best music of Detroit, the music that actually took its name from the city: Motown. Where the Supremes and Stevie Wonder were able to break down social barriers and create excellent pop music with meaningful lyrics and awesome musicianship, the Stripes stand in my mind as two kids in a garage making sounds that are transient and two-dimensional. When I here "Seven Nation Army", I hear a mess. A crudely patched "song" that really doesn't make me feel anything.

It's not that I haven't tried to understand the Stripes. I've listened to every album, and I've even found songs that are enjoyable, but nothing particularly exciting or unique. Nirvana already made heavy music, and the Sex Pistols made messy music, and honestly, both made music that's much better than the Stripes'. Still, I listened, trying to understand that genius that had so many reviewers in a tizzy. I even invested in The Raconteurs (a band I find much more to my liking than the Stripes), and this morning I listened to "Icky Thump". Nothing really appealing, nothing really fun, nothing really different.

Please spell out what I've missed!

Van Gogh (and find some awesome music!)

My favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh, and last night I watched a show that just really painted the man for me, so to speak. Check out this short series if you ever get the chance, it's fairly enlightening!

Simon Schama's Power of Art

In honor of the artist and his gritty, rooted, beautiful work I've created a musical playlist. I don't presume to think that it will capture even a speck of Van Gogh's genius, but, hopefully, it will complement the feeling I enjoy when I view Van Gogh's work.

Wheatfield Cypresses Playlist (for it's swirling summery perfection!)

"Lemon Grove Avenue" by Mason Jennings. Folk music, when done well, can balance swirling fantasy with deeply rooted feeling. Mason Jennings does folk well, and I love this song most for its lyrics: "I'm coming home, I'm coming home".

"Midnight Lightning" by Jimi Hendrix. "Blue light flashing" and a deep blues sound, with a guitar that meanders, and wanders, but never outright leaves the beat.

"Better" by Regina Spektor. If the tortured genius had felt this sentiment would he have felt anything at all? I do, and I love Spektor for asking.

"Symphony No. 29 in A Major, KV 201: I. Allegro moderato" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Here's the music of another genius who can absolutely fill you up with sound. The emotion is so strong.

"Galileo" by the Indigo Girls. This is such a powerful song that the ideas just blanket me. My mind is wrapped in their thoughts, and warmed by their feeling.

"One By One All Day" by the Shins. This album always reminds me of tumbleweeds and bubbles...is that weird? Probably, but it also captures that sort of melancholy summer feeling when you're counting the days to fall. It's like counting the days 'til the Rapture.

"Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys. One hit wonder anyone? Actually, their latest album is excellent, but that's not the reason Los Lonely Boys are on this playlist. This song just captured the marbled quality of life; the lyrics are so sad, but the whole thing is just so beautiful.

"Belleville Rendez-vous (English Version)" by The Triplets of Belleville. It's macabre and sweet; very french. Also the perfect ending. Fin.

OK GO - Don't Ask Me

Black Panther by Mason Jennings

"Black panther defy the power

Fight the violence with nonviolence

What good is justice if the scales are bent

By a criminal government

Think of the dead in Vietnam

Think of the dead in Birmingham

Think of the freedom we don't understand

Asleep in bed in a stolen land

Responsibility to understand

Responsibility to take a stand

Responsibility to know your place

In the struggle of the human race"

Little Steven's Underground, and other NEWS

So, I guess I wasn't the only music snob who decided to dedicate their musings to Sgt. Pepper last week. A few days ago I stumbled across a radio show called Little Steven's Underground Garage that also concentrated on Sgt. Pepper, although Little Steven played some more recent songs for our listening pleasure as well as the old psychedelic standbys. He does a pretty nice radio show with stuff that you don't usually hear outside of your headphones, and you can listen to it ALL online because it's archived.

Check it out here: Little Steven's Underground Garage

What else for musical news? Well, there are going to be plenty of summer concerts this year, and the summer itself seems to be looking pretty breezy and bright. I'm picking up good vibrations! What about you?

Writing of breezy and bright, I stumbled upon a little album this morning that seems to exemplify those summery ideals. It's called "Hotel Costes: Best of Stephane Pompougnac", and it's a collection of these eclectic French dance tunes covered by all kinds of crazy artists. Especially worthwhile picks, in my humble opinion, are "Where Do I Begin (Away Team Mix)" by Shirley Bassey, "Latazz" by the Funky Lowlives, and "Night Over Manaus" by Boozoo Bajou. They seem like tracks that would work on a nice night at the beach. Preface those dance songs with "Brasil" by Xavier Cugat and you've got yourself a cocktail party minus the cocktails.

"La Vie En Rose" opened on Friday, and I'm looking forward to seeing it, (1 because it looks like it's worth seeing, and (2 because I'm a fan of Edith Piaf. Her story is really so perfectly French romance in a sad way, and her music is just excellent. I guess I have a little love affair with French music, especially jazz. Django anyone? Now, Edith. It's great stuff.

Have a musical week!!!

40 Years of Sgt. Pepper

I remember vividly, pawing through my parents' CD collection as a young child. It was like searching for lost treasure, and I was never quite sure what I would find.

My very first memory involves the music of Gloria Estefan. The most infectious and soulful sound that I had ever heard in my young life, and that moment was created by my Mom. My Dad has told me about my lullabies, which didn't consist of cheerful rhymes, but often of the song "Won't Get Fooled Again" by the Who. I spent my early life surrounded by music of all kinds, and I was exposed to all of this music by my parents.

So, on that specific day when I was looking for something really different to listen to, I happened upon an odd-looking CD. The band on the cover was surrounded by all kinds of crazy characters, and they were dressed in the most outrageous and awesome costumes (what was up with their haircuts?); how could their music be bad? I remember putting the CD in my boombox, and quickly skipping through the songs to hear which ones sounded like the most fun. Hahah, wow this was weird, but great! I think I must have had the reaction that many music fans had on the 1st of June in 1967, when Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was first released. Even though I didn't know the Beatles' back story, I could hear that this music was still just so different from anything I'd ever heard. Here are the songs that most profoundly affected me when I was young. The choices may surprise you, but they're still some of my favorites.

The opener, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was an immediate rock hit with that garagey sounding guitar. The horns were pretty odd, and the laughter and applause in the background succeeded in making believe that Sgt. Pepper's Hearts Club Band was a real band. Today, I know the Beatles were trying to achieve a break from their usual personas, a completely different kind of band, and in my mind they definitely achieved this goal.

"With a Little Help From My Friends" was a perfect follow-up, being not too weird in my mind. It works cohesively with the rest of the album, but it's definitely more mainstream.

I would personally skip "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", because it really creeped me out, and it was too slow (plus, what was up with those lyrics? They didn't mean anything to my young mind.)

"Getting Better" rocked with an extremely catchy melody, and I liked those lyrics (although the reference to beating your wife was VERY dated, it really was kind of shocking to me.)

"Fixing A Hole" was nice for days when I was feeling like listening instead of dancing. I've always been a fan of heavy bass songs, and this song is kind of carried by the bass, while the "lead" guitar is recorded as a kind of background noise. I didn't appreciate all of the songcraft, but I could hear that it was a good song.

"She's Leaving Home" was a little melancholy for my childhood tastes, a little slow for my mind to grab onto, plus I kept wondering if this woman was his beaten wife (if so, then why was he so surprised that she was leaving?)

"For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" was pretty awesome and weird. It made me think of the circus, but with a kite performing all of the acrobatic tricks! The thing is that carnival/circus music is ominous sounding, dark and minor, with that creaky organ in the background. Still, I enjoyed this song because it was pure fantasy.

"Within You Without You" was cool, and exotic sounding. When I was younger I was very open to this sound, because my parents had always listened to world music. Also, my very favorite movie was "A Little Princess" directed by Alfonso Cuaron, and Sara and her father lived in India before her father had to fight in the War. Even though the song was a little slow for my tastes, I appreciated the tone and the world influence.

"When I'm Sixty-Four" was kind of plodding. It reminded me of old men and women, and I obviously didn't relate. I wasn't even thinking about being old, or anyone else being old for that matter.

"Lovely Rita" was a pretty song, even though I thought the lyrics were "Lovely Rita meet her maid" which didn't really make much sense. The piano was especially fun, and I was always a fan of Ringo's percussion on this song.

"Good Morning Good Morning" had a pretty awesome rhythm and it just made me feel good. It would have been a nice way to wake up, but it ended up just being a nice song. The odd sounds at the end were a little weird, but the guitar solo was pretty awesome.

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" a really banging tune that pulled the whole album together. It was very nice.

"A Day In the Life" kind of long and a downer from the rest of the album, but I always connected to this song. It was one song I never really skipped when I was listening to the album, which says quite a bit about the musical craftsmanship. I loved the ending and you really have to listen to the whole song for the ending to mean anything. Today, this is my favorite song on the album.


HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY SGT. PEPPER!!!!

Taming the Dark and Capricious Sea

Today I'm on a bit of a Pirates kick having watched the last movie late last night. Excellent in my opinion, and it's definitely one of those series that leaves you wishing for more, and scrambling to read the mythology it cites. Last year it was the Kraken, this year the nymph Calypso, and in honor of the movie I've created a playlist of music that would tame even the wildest sea.

Beautiful stuff, music!

"He's a Pirate" by Klaus Badelt. You've got to start off the playlist with a little movie tie-in. This song is awesome, immediately capturing the adventure, intrigue, and freedom of piracy. Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum!

"Skeleton Key" by the Coral. The closest you'll get to rock 'n' roll pirate music, even the lyrics are nautical. This song is loud and messy, with plenty of shouted chorus-style lyrics.

"The Ocean" by Led Zeppelin. Nice, nautical rock song. ...And really bad eggs!

"The Squid" by Zox. We can't forget the Kraken! Plus, the guitar is altogether reminescent of Jamaican music, with a maelstrom of a violin solo thrown in for good measure.

"Four Winds" by Bright Eyes. I love the sound on Cassadaga, especially when the instrumentals are highlighted. In this song, Conor Oberst plays second fiddle to, well, a fiddle! Very nice twangy sound, that's also very free-spirited.

"Catch the Wind" by Donovan. Oh yeah, he sounds just like Bob Dylan. His lyrics bring to mind cool sea breezes and days spent rambling across the beach. Pirate folk.

"Within Your Reach" by the Replacements. These boys were pirates, and I love every minute of this song. It's really just perfection in musical form, capturing the essence of a love separated for eternity.

"Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho" by Hans Zimmer. A finale is not a finale without an epic soundtrack. This song finishes off the Pirates 3 with the slogan of rebellion and freedom; drink up me hearties, yo ho!

Mixing Politics and Music Everyday!

So, I took this quiz thing almost two years ago when I first started this blog. My views have changed slightly (I'm now 0% Republican rather than 8%, and I'm way more Green Party than Democrat, which seems about right.) Check it out, this stuff is always fun!!

You scored as Anarchism, Anarchism 100% Green 92% Democrat 83% Communism 67% Socialist 67% Republican 0% Fascism 0% Nazi 0% What Political Party Do Your Beliefs Put You In? created with QuizFarm.com

Deep Reggae

Everyone knows of Bob Marley, reggae superstar, and rasta rebel whose music marks the protests and dance parties of generations. If you haven't listened to Legend, then you're in for a real musical treat, and even then you've only touched the surface of Marley's music. He had a bunch of kids, by the way, and many of them also choose to make music. His great backing band, the Wailers, still play. Because, in this country, much of reggae is overlooked (even in Marley's catalogue) I think it's high time that we hear a little more from this amazing genre of music. Here's a mix to get you through the spring storms and out into the summer sun.

"Concrete Jungle" by Bob Marley and the Wailers. This track from the 1970s chronicles the hard life of a city-dweller who can't find love, light, or true freedom in his home. The music is sweet and sad, and you can listen for a guitar solo and horns when the lyrics get difficult. This is really a beautiful song; poetic and imperfect, and absolutely one of my favorite Marley tracks.

"Westbound Train" by Dennis Brown. The late child-star of Jamaican reggae, and a man who had a truly beautiful voice, Dennis Brown sings this song with passion. The lyrics are fairly straightforward broken-heart material, but reggae lyrics are consistantly malleable to different situations. To paraphrase a quote from Adam Levine of Maroon 5 (no he's not a reggae star) you can apply the relationships of two people to larger ideas of the relationships between people and their communities, or people and their government. So the lyrics in "Westbound Train" that feel so personal with broken-hearted wisdom, can be applie to any situation. It's really quite wonderful!

"The Harder They Come" by Jimmy Cliff. From the influential movie also titled The Harder They Come, this song is really just awesome. It stays upbeat even when speaking of oppresion, and religion, which is something I cannot achieve in most of my conversations on the subject. I've personally never heard a singer-songwriter who can keep such deep topics upbeat, and in my opinion it's much more of a musical fete to write a happy song that's also intelligent than to write a sad and intelligent song. Jimmy Cliff has accomplished that balance of deep thought and upbeat attitude on this song.

"Armagideon Time" by Willie Williams. Woah, isn't that a Clash song? Well, yes and no. The Clash did an amazing cover of this song which is by Willie Williams. The original is much more laid-back and smooth, while the Clash make basically everything sound harsh (isn't that the point?) Just another instance where politics can be beautiful.

"I Can't Stand the Pressure" by Linval Thompson. Although known most for his song "I Love Marijuana", Linval Thompson wrote and sang many political songs throughout his career. This song has excellent lyrics, and although the production is a little shaky, I wouldn't want the song "cleaned up" for the world. The bass overwhelms the vocals, so Linval sounds like he's singing from somewhere far away.

"Gunmen Coming to Town" by the Heptones. It's gorgeous, a mix between reggae lyrics and rhythm and the feel of old-time doo-wop and soul. Very nice track from the Heptones even though the recording's a little fuzzy. As a side note, while listening to deep reggae and really any older recording, I've come to appreciate the imperfections of the recording process. I'd rather not have my music sound plastic-wrapped, but really capture the intonations and the depth of the human voice.

"Woman's Ghetto" by Phyllis Dillon. An angry song from a soulful female artist singing in a male-dominated genre. This song is intense and required. In any true discussion of politics you cannot overlook the people affected, and the people who are affected most by socio-economic issues are usually women and children. Phyllis Dillon raised the question, "How do you raise your kids in the ghetto? Feed one child and starve another?". She's right to question and I hope her music started a discussion. Enlightenment is all fine and good, but if you don't have food, then what's the point?

"Rescue Me" by Julian Judy Mowatt. Moving away from grand political statements, reggae is also just powefully joyful music. Like motown, the right reggae song can put a smile on anyone's face, and "Rescue Me" happens to be one of those songs. Appropriately enough, it's a cover of a motown song, and a cover that conveys the urgancy of the lyrics with the smooth rhythm of Jamaica.

Throw the reggae in the cd player and jam in the sunshine, but don't forget that there's a depth to reggae music that makes it a truly revolutionary genre, in all senses of the word.

Long Overdue Reciprocation

I pride myself upon my ability to wade through the crap in the current music scene and find the "diamonds in the rough", but I must admit that even music snobs need a kick in the ass once in awhile to really make us open our ears.

Take for example the Reciprocations EP by the Novel Citizen. This little album is filled with anything but little sounds, and is exactly the kick in the ass that I needed to realize what a talented band The Novel Citizen is. Below I'll go through a play-by-play of the tracks you'll find on Reciprocations, but before I move forward, I want to make it perfectly clear that the Novel Citizen is a Michigan quintet that everyone wants on their radar. They balance a sound that is both reminescent of post-punk, but with more originality and spunk than can be found in the sounds of the Interpol copy-cats that currently pollute the airwaves. Without further ado, let's get to the music:

"A Matter of Choice" is the kind of song that's a bit of a surprise. It's layered in a way that makes it perfect for radio-play, but also gives it some nice surprises, like the harmonies on the chorus, and the strong and steady bass-line. The horns at the end of the song, and the playful guitar sounds culminate near the end of the song in a pre-finale blast that reminds me of the Beatles. Not to say that the Novel Citizen really sounds the like the Fab Four, but the band's ability to combine pop music with the cutting edge definitely brings the Beatles to mind.

"False Front" starts off sounding so different from "A Matter of Choice" that I was a little confused, but the more I listen to "False Front" the more I start to hear the Novel Citizen's little idiosyncrasies. First, I have to address that bass again, sometimes it sounds really straight-ahead and other times really funky, like a slap/funk hybrid. The horns make a second appearance, which I find just awesome (I mean how often do you hear real horns in a rock band?). "False Front" combines all of these eccentric little elements to create a song full of originality. With all of these funky elements thrown together I can't help but hear the Talking Heads. The song is just so interesting, it's definitely musical brain-food, and that's probably why it reminds me of New York art-rock.

"Is A Vibe" really throws out that post-punk sound for the first time on Reciprocations. Although on the first run-through this song sounds kind of musically bland, when I really started to listen to the lyrics, I realized that the band is doing something really clever. On "Is A Vibe", the Novel Citizen seems to be poking fun at that robotic sound that's currently so popular. It's really pretty amusing and fun, the complete opposite of bland.

"Only" is such a cool sounding song, that I almost feel as if I'm in a room with the Novel Citizen (or maybe more like they're playing the personal soundtrack to my life). Again, the band keeps it's unique sound without becoming inaccessible and obtuse. It's anytime music that paints a pretty picture in your subconscious, but with a depth that you can plunge to when you're ready to start thinking.

"Warmlight" is a nice sound transition from "Only", because they're probably the two songs that sound most alike on the whole album. "Warmlight" takes that twinge of otherworldliness that you feel when listening to "Only" and blows it up to anthemic proportions. A nice finale, pulling all of the funky and fresh elements of the rest of the EP into a musical tapestry (it even has some of those freaky Pink Floyd whisper-mutters; quiet enough that you can't really understand what the speakers are saying, but loud enough that you can hear outlines of the words.) It's a really nice finish, and it leaves the listener with a sense of satisfaction, but not of sickness from over-listening.

Luckily more music should be on the way soon. I've heard some demos that the Novel Citizen have put together recently, and they're all as varied, interesting, and most importantly, enjoyable as the Reciprocations EP. In all honesty, I've been mulling over this music for longer than a week, just enjoying the landscapes that this band takes the listener through. The sound is excellent, and I would recommend it to any fan of good music.

Order of the Phoenix-In theatres July 12th