23 February, 2009
"Singing to the Earth (To Thank Her For You)" - Apollo Sunshine
Apollo Sunshine 'Singing to The Earth' from Jagger McDaniels on Vimeo.
I love this song. As a side note, this is my 500th post. It is beyond strange to think that I have been blogging for almost four years.
22 February, 2009
Barack and Blanchot
I have recently been in a kind of contemplative collecting mood where I unconsciously amass bundles of words and ideas from the corners of my life. It isn't the most productive mood, and last night I even described it as apathetic, but I think it is actually almost the opposite of apathy. I feel like I am pulling together thoughts, pictures, words, and sounds and storing them away for a later date. It is almost like a plant storing the nutrients required to produce a flower. It is only the promise of something worthwhile at the end that is preventing me from being completely discouraged with myself at the moment. To paraphrase Maurice Blanchot in The Writing of the Disaster, passion and patience are in some senses singular: two halves of the same coin. As my patience fails to wear thin, my passion grows exponentially, and I hope that some type of productivity grows alongside my passion (with time for me to write my final papers).
Here are a couple of things which have caught my interest and attention in the past few days.
The Writing of the Disaster by Maurice Blanchot is a book compiled of paragraphs of insight. The book is disjointed in its presentation, but I think this constant rearranging and patch-working of ideas tends to open space for the reader to engage the material. There are logical pauses and spaces for contemplation, and often these pauses are followed by a striking and profound thought which forces you to pause again. The design of this book is very intelligent. Here is one of my favorite quotations from the first fifty pages:
If the dilemma is to go mad or to die, then the answer will not lack and madness will be mortal.
Earlier in the book there are a pair of ideas that fall on opposing pages. They are particularly interesting because they are working within this theme of transference through language which is so central to the book, and they discuss the capacity and incapacity of language to act as an extension of experience between people. I personally find this fascinating, and I think these quotes are really remarkable.
Reading is anguish, and this is because any text, however important, or amusing, or interesting it may be (and the more engaging it seems to be), is empty - at bottom it doesn't exist; you have to cross an abyss, and if you do not jump, you do not comprehend.
To want to write: what an absurdity. Writing is the decay of the will, just as it is the loss of power, and the fall of the regular fall of the beat, the disaster again.
You can see that there is a real cadence to this language. It is very percussive and musical, and it resonates through my head as I read (and reread) the passages.
On a different note entirely, I found this article about the use of hip-hop music by the Democratic Party during Obama's campaign. Appropriation and exploitation are terms that should be contemplated when dealing with any political movement, but I find this article poorly written and poorly organized in its critique of the campaign's utilization of music when attempting to attract young voters. What I do find interesting is Obama's take on the whole genre:
Here are a couple of things which have caught my interest and attention in the past few days.
The Writing of the Disaster by Maurice Blanchot is a book compiled of paragraphs of insight. The book is disjointed in its presentation, but I think this constant rearranging and patch-working of ideas tends to open space for the reader to engage the material. There are logical pauses and spaces for contemplation, and often these pauses are followed by a striking and profound thought which forces you to pause again. The design of this book is very intelligent. Here is one of my favorite quotations from the first fifty pages:
If the dilemma is to go mad or to die, then the answer will not lack and madness will be mortal.
Earlier in the book there are a pair of ideas that fall on opposing pages. They are particularly interesting because they are working within this theme of transference through language which is so central to the book, and they discuss the capacity and incapacity of language to act as an extension of experience between people. I personally find this fascinating, and I think these quotes are really remarkable.
Reading is anguish, and this is because any text, however important, or amusing, or interesting it may be (and the more engaging it seems to be), is empty - at bottom it doesn't exist; you have to cross an abyss, and if you do not jump, you do not comprehend.
To want to write: what an absurdity. Writing is the decay of the will, just as it is the loss of power, and the fall of the regular fall of the beat, the disaster again.
You can see that there is a real cadence to this language. It is very percussive and musical, and it resonates through my head as I read (and reread) the passages.
On a different note entirely, I found this article about the use of hip-hop music by the Democratic Party during Obama's campaign. Appropriation and exploitation are terms that should be contemplated when dealing with any political movement, but I find this article poorly written and poorly organized in its critique of the campaign's utilization of music when attempting to attract young voters. What I do find interesting is Obama's take on the whole genre:
20 February, 2009
17 February, 2009
Visual Stimulation (a.k.a. Why I Use YouTube)
If you go to my Valentine's Day post, and read the attached comment, then I think you will understand the impetus for this post. I want to focus in on the question "are visuals just spectacle?" for a couple of reasons. 1) I utilize visuals regularly in my blog; and 2) I think they are an important part of the aural experience, and one that is often overlooked when discussing music. As a side note, I am a little blown away by the fact that one of my friends so readily tapped into the collective unconscious yesterday by asking the excellent question: what do you see when you listen to music? He got me thinking again about the close connections of the senses and the roles which visuals do play in the musical experiences of the individual.
I use YouTube for a number of reasons. The most practical reason is that I do not have a lot of money at my disposal and I choose to refrain from downloading illegally. YouTube then, is often my musical sharing tool of choice. I spend a great deal of time choosing videos that are of high quality and that are also visually stimulating in some new and interesting way. Performance and music videos fascinate me, and I find them appealing as a sort of microscope into the minds of other people who are attempting to decipher or convey an aural experience in a new way. Strong words, melodies, or rhythms can enter your mind softly and situate themselves in comfortable positions until you choose to engage them on some type of conscious level. A good song falls within the standards of good poetry, but has layers of meaning that are conveyed instrumentally as well as lyrically. Adding a visual layer to a song can introduce a new level of meaning, which can be equally as subtle as the lyrics or the fleeting violins in the introduction, but are also penetrating and striking in a completely original way. Instrumentals, lyrics, and pictures combined in the best of possible ways, can create a three-dimensional experience. I already find music tactile and multidimensional, so adding a layer of visuals generally only enhances this quality, although it is true that those YouTube montage videos can severely detract from the enjoyability of a song.
What do I see when I listen to music? This question caught me off guard because generally I find myself caught up in the act of listening to a song, and I do not take the time to think as much about visual stimulation. I realized after a little thinking that I often see the lyrics imprinted upon my mind, as if I am reading a musical book. At the same time, my mind also strongly registers percussion and rhythm in kinds of visual waves, which contribute strongly to that sense of musical tactility that I mentioned before. I am entranced by repetition and rhythm schematics and at the same time caught by the underlying meaning of songs. The more I look at what constitutes the majority of my favorite music, the more I realize that I am attracted to a certain aural type. There is a reason why Jimi Hendrix's Axis: Bold As Love is my favorite album, and it has nothing to do with my current surroundings and everything to do with my inner workings.
I use YouTube for a number of reasons. The most practical reason is that I do not have a lot of money at my disposal and I choose to refrain from downloading illegally. YouTube then, is often my musical sharing tool of choice. I spend a great deal of time choosing videos that are of high quality and that are also visually stimulating in some new and interesting way. Performance and music videos fascinate me, and I find them appealing as a sort of microscope into the minds of other people who are attempting to decipher or convey an aural experience in a new way. Strong words, melodies, or rhythms can enter your mind softly and situate themselves in comfortable positions until you choose to engage them on some type of conscious level. A good song falls within the standards of good poetry, but has layers of meaning that are conveyed instrumentally as well as lyrically. Adding a visual layer to a song can introduce a new level of meaning, which can be equally as subtle as the lyrics or the fleeting violins in the introduction, but are also penetrating and striking in a completely original way. Instrumentals, lyrics, and pictures combined in the best of possible ways, can create a three-dimensional experience. I already find music tactile and multidimensional, so adding a layer of visuals generally only enhances this quality, although it is true that those YouTube montage videos can severely detract from the enjoyability of a song.
What do I see when I listen to music? This question caught me off guard because generally I find myself caught up in the act of listening to a song, and I do not take the time to think as much about visual stimulation. I realized after a little thinking that I often see the lyrics imprinted upon my mind, as if I am reading a musical book. At the same time, my mind also strongly registers percussion and rhythm in kinds of visual waves, which contribute strongly to that sense of musical tactility that I mentioned before. I am entranced by repetition and rhythm schematics and at the same time caught by the underlying meaning of songs. The more I look at what constitutes the majority of my favorite music, the more I realize that I am attracted to a certain aural type. There is a reason why Jimi Hendrix's Axis: Bold As Love is my favorite album, and it has nothing to do with my current surroundings and everything to do with my inner workings.
16 February, 2009
"Solace" - Dorothy Parker
There was a rose that faded young;
I saw its shattered beauty hung
Upon a broken stem.
I heard them say, "What need to care
With roses budding everywhere?"
I did not answer them.
There was a bird, brought down to die;
They said, "A hundred fill the sky-
What reason to be sad?"
There was a girl, whose lover fled;
I did not wait, the while they said,
"There's many another lad."
I saw its shattered beauty hung
Upon a broken stem.
I heard them say, "What need to care
With roses budding everywhere?"
I did not answer them.
There was a bird, brought down to die;
They said, "A hundred fill the sky-
What reason to be sad?"
There was a girl, whose lover fled;
I did not wait, the while they said,
"There's many another lad."
14 February, 2009
Happy V-Day from Otis Redding
Try A Little Tenderness (Live)
Last year I picked some less than amazing songs on Valentine's Day. This is the real shit, man.
<3
12 February, 2009
There are days when I think of all the reasons why I hate Boston...
and then I remember the Dresden Dolls. I was thirteen when I heard "Coin-Operated Boy" for the first time, and I honestly didn't understand all of the nuances of that song. I was a little naive, or maybe I was just thirteen. I did, however, understand the immensity of such a song being played on popular radio. A Boston band influenced by German cabaret was playing regularly alongside the formidable, but completely uninteresting Dropkick Murphy's (formidable and uninteresting, humorously enough, are often the same words I use to describe Boston itself. Throw "ugly" in for a little bit of flavor, and you can mimic me!) I loved "Coin-Operated Boy," but I was completely enthralled by "Girl Anachronism" with all of its beautifully twisted language and crashing melody. "This passion is a plagiarism" has to be one of the most honest lines I have heard in a song in a long time. Yes, Virginia was not a bad follow-up, especially with delightfully macabre songs "Sing" and "First Orgasm." Now, Amanda Palmer has released her own album, which is also macabre, delightful, twisted, and gory. I tend to think of it as some kind of Tim Burton confection fit to be played alongside Sleepy Hollow. "Astronaut" is the first single, and it is absolutely worth your time and energy.
Flexibility
When I used to drive my brother around regularly, I would subject him to all kinds of music. I tried not to make things unbearable for us both by playing anything too girly (Something Corporate, Sara Bareilles, and Regina Spektor were saved for solo drives). Often we would listen to Muse, Pink Floyd, Lupe Fiasco, and Amy Winehouse. During one period of time Radiohead's Pablo Honey was on indefinite repeat. I could not get enough, my brother, however, thought it was suicide music.
"You" is amazing, and neither of us had a bad word to say about that effervescent miracle of a song, but it only lasted us to the first set of traffic lights. "You" would give way to "Creep," and then the "blood is thicker than water" maxim would be tested. I had heard "Creep" so many times before that it wasn't really an issue to push the skip button, but at the same time I felt as if I was doing a musical disservice to my brother. It is a great song, and it flows so well with the rest of the album that it is almost sacrilegious to move directly from "You" to "How Do You?". What did I do? Well, it was my car so you can venture a guess.
The point of this story I suppose is that there are some songs that are inescapable. There are some songs that seem to follow you around. For me, "Creep" has been one of those songs, and I am completely fascinated by the fact that it never wears my ears thin. It is as if the universe knows that I am destined to listen to this song, so why not let me enjoy the thing.
Creep by Amanda Palmer
"You" is amazing, and neither of us had a bad word to say about that effervescent miracle of a song, but it only lasted us to the first set of traffic lights. "You" would give way to "Creep," and then the "blood is thicker than water" maxim would be tested. I had heard "Creep" so many times before that it wasn't really an issue to push the skip button, but at the same time I felt as if I was doing a musical disservice to my brother. It is a great song, and it flows so well with the rest of the album that it is almost sacrilegious to move directly from "You" to "How Do You?". What did I do? Well, it was my car so you can venture a guess.
The point of this story I suppose is that there are some songs that are inescapable. There are some songs that seem to follow you around. For me, "Creep" has been one of those songs, and I am completely fascinated by the fact that it never wears my ears thin. It is as if the universe knows that I am destined to listen to this song, so why not let me enjoy the thing.
Creep by Amanda Palmer
Walking On Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
This is the most randomly awesome video that I have witnessed in a long time. It begs the question, why three boys in trench coats and Chuck Taylor Converse? I say, why not?
D-d-d-desolation Row
Desolation Row by My Chemical Romance
Desolation Row by the Grateful Dead
Desolation Row by Bob Dylan
11 February, 2009
And now for something competely different!
Hey all!
I know I've been out of commission for awhile, and I do apologize for this (deeply and from the bottom of my heart. Do hearts have bottoms? What does the bottom of a heart look like, and what's actually there?). Anyway, I am looking out my window right now and watching cars gallumph through the sad-looking trees along the road. They are dead of winter trees that are standing so still and silent in this little breath of Spring air (ah, Spring). The trees are the smart ones because they know that there is still no reason to celebrate the warmth, it is uncertain and will probably disappear before the weekend is upon us. I still haven't learned that Spring never comes when it says it will. What a tease!
With my own naivete in mind, I have decided to craft a mixed masterpiece of life in the most stagnant months of the year. With my birthday coming up, I am feeling a little depressed, taking stock and wondering what I have actually accomplished in an entire year. Last year at this time, I was in a similar place. In fact, every year at this time I am in this place. My mood at this moment is just about as uncertain as the weather, and I find myself tiring of my constant self-assessment. I have been consumed by my work during the last week, with my free time eaten away by new media. Is that shallow? It feels to me like I am hiding from something, and maybe like the groundhog, I don't really want to see my own shadow.
Shakespeare said that "the play is the thing." I love plays, but for me the mix is the thing, it is the only type of crafting which I excel at on a regular basis (Side note: You know those craft projects that come pre-packaged in the cute boxes? I cannot, for the life of me, put them together. I always end up fucking something up, usually by jumping ahead and realizing that I cannot go back. Such is life.)
So here is a mix for my faithful readers. It will hopefully be less schizophrenic than this post. Peace, love, and all that jazz.
"Meltdown" by Ash
With galvanizing power this song wails into existence born on a message of revolt. The drums and guitars centralize over the repeated line: "I think (I think) my head is gonna explode," a line that was unbelievably apropos in Shaun of the Dead. Right now this song is one of the few songs (besides Stravinsky and Led Zeppelin) that can keep me in the moment for longer than ten seconds. It is focused like a laser beam.
"Atomic" by Blondie
Time for a revelation from my musical past. I don't think anyone knows this little factoid. The boy who I "liked" in fifth grade had a penchant for Blondie (he also loved playing card games: 45's, War, etc.) At the time, the only knowledge I had of Blondie was the random Debbie Harry song on The Rugrats Movie soundtrack *cough* LAME *cough*. This song is pretty fucking amazing, with lyrics that could come off as desperate in many contexts, but instead sound amazingly smooth and shiny. It is the kind of song that would be played on a spaceship, but the type of spaceship that caters to strippers? I think it's amazing.
"Time is Tight" by Booker T. & the MG's
This is a funky intermission song. When I listen, I feel like I am at a 1970s drive-in movie theatre getting ready to watch the second half of a double-feature. The instrumentation is very tight and metronomic, and in this case these qualities are comforting and far from banal.
"Straight to Hell" by the Clash
This song is sampled in M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes," and I found this odd upon first listen, because this song is fairly odd for The Clash. For example, the lyrics are almost stream of consciousness, and whenever I hear the song I feel like Joe Strummer and Mick Jones were pulling a kind of Jackson Pollock with their song-writing. It seems like a cathartic, "let's throw shit at the wall" kind of song, and I really enjoy the surrealism of their polemics. It is refreshing lyrically, and the music is stimulating and layered. This is one of my favorite Clash songs.
"Don't Go Down" by Elliott Smith
A song of doomed love that sounds like a train wreck musically personified. I find the mess both stimulating and frightening. Smith has a way of using very few words to invoke a veritable relationship chasm. He opens the wound and you fill the space with your own pain. This can be a therapeutic type of digression, but it can also become emotive in the worst possible sense of the word. There are times when you just need to decide to be happy.
"I Will Survive" by Cake
This is one of those times. Cake makes me happy, especially when they cover Gloria Gaynor songs with aplomb and a wonderful portion of funk. John McCrea's has a monotone and ironic voice which adds a wonderful layer of sarcasm to a song that deserved a good dose. Behind the vocal work is the steady, pumping bass-line that resonates through your mind. Then there are the horns, oh the horns. If there is one thing in a great funk/soul song that I cannot resist, it is a wonderful smattering of tasteful horn-work. I'm in lust with this song.
"Down to the Waterline" by Dire Straits
Silence is a paintbrush, and the guitar work makes me swoon. Check out these lyrics:
Sweet surrender on the quayside.
You remember we used to run and hide.
In the shadow of the cargoes I take you one time.
And we're counting all the numbers down to the waterline.
Near misses on the dogleap stairways.
French kisses in the darkened doorways.
A foghorn blowing out wild and cold.
A policeman shines a light upon my shoulder.
Up comes a coaster fast and silent in the night.
Over my shoulder all you can see are the pilot lights.
No money in our jackets and our jeans are torn.
Your hands are cold but your lips are warm.
She can see him on the jetty where they used to go.
She can feel him in the places where the sailors go.
When she's walking by the river and the railway line.
She can still hear him whisper:
"Let's go down to the waterline."
I know I've been out of commission for awhile, and I do apologize for this (deeply and from the bottom of my heart. Do hearts have bottoms? What does the bottom of a heart look like, and what's actually there?). Anyway, I am looking out my window right now and watching cars gallumph through the sad-looking trees along the road. They are dead of winter trees that are standing so still and silent in this little breath of Spring air (ah, Spring). The trees are the smart ones because they know that there is still no reason to celebrate the warmth, it is uncertain and will probably disappear before the weekend is upon us. I still haven't learned that Spring never comes when it says it will. What a tease!
With my own naivete in mind, I have decided to craft a mixed masterpiece of life in the most stagnant months of the year. With my birthday coming up, I am feeling a little depressed, taking stock and wondering what I have actually accomplished in an entire year. Last year at this time, I was in a similar place. In fact, every year at this time I am in this place. My mood at this moment is just about as uncertain as the weather, and I find myself tiring of my constant self-assessment. I have been consumed by my work during the last week, with my free time eaten away by new media. Is that shallow? It feels to me like I am hiding from something, and maybe like the groundhog, I don't really want to see my own shadow.
Shakespeare said that "the play is the thing." I love plays, but for me the mix is the thing, it is the only type of crafting which I excel at on a regular basis (Side note: You know those craft projects that come pre-packaged in the cute boxes? I cannot, for the life of me, put them together. I always end up fucking something up, usually by jumping ahead and realizing that I cannot go back. Such is life.)
So here is a mix for my faithful readers. It will hopefully be less schizophrenic than this post. Peace, love, and all that jazz.
"Meltdown" by Ash
With galvanizing power this song wails into existence born on a message of revolt. The drums and guitars centralize over the repeated line: "I think (I think) my head is gonna explode," a line that was unbelievably apropos in Shaun of the Dead. Right now this song is one of the few songs (besides Stravinsky and Led Zeppelin) that can keep me in the moment for longer than ten seconds. It is focused like a laser beam.
"Atomic" by Blondie
Time for a revelation from my musical past. I don't think anyone knows this little factoid. The boy who I "liked" in fifth grade had a penchant for Blondie (he also loved playing card games: 45's, War, etc.) At the time, the only knowledge I had of Blondie was the random Debbie Harry song on The Rugrats Movie soundtrack *cough* LAME *cough*. This song is pretty fucking amazing, with lyrics that could come off as desperate in many contexts, but instead sound amazingly smooth and shiny. It is the kind of song that would be played on a spaceship, but the type of spaceship that caters to strippers? I think it's amazing.
"Time is Tight" by Booker T. & the MG's
This is a funky intermission song. When I listen, I feel like I am at a 1970s drive-in movie theatre getting ready to watch the second half of a double-feature. The instrumentation is very tight and metronomic, and in this case these qualities are comforting and far from banal.
"Straight to Hell" by the Clash
This song is sampled in M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes," and I found this odd upon first listen, because this song is fairly odd for The Clash. For example, the lyrics are almost stream of consciousness, and whenever I hear the song I feel like Joe Strummer and Mick Jones were pulling a kind of Jackson Pollock with their song-writing. It seems like a cathartic, "let's throw shit at the wall" kind of song, and I really enjoy the surrealism of their polemics. It is refreshing lyrically, and the music is stimulating and layered. This is one of my favorite Clash songs.
"Don't Go Down" by Elliott Smith
A song of doomed love that sounds like a train wreck musically personified. I find the mess both stimulating and frightening. Smith has a way of using very few words to invoke a veritable relationship chasm. He opens the wound and you fill the space with your own pain. This can be a therapeutic type of digression, but it can also become emotive in the worst possible sense of the word. There are times when you just need to decide to be happy.
"I Will Survive" by Cake
This is one of those times. Cake makes me happy, especially when they cover Gloria Gaynor songs with aplomb and a wonderful portion of funk. John McCrea's has a monotone and ironic voice which adds a wonderful layer of sarcasm to a song that deserved a good dose. Behind the vocal work is the steady, pumping bass-line that resonates through your mind. Then there are the horns, oh the horns. If there is one thing in a great funk/soul song that I cannot resist, it is a wonderful smattering of tasteful horn-work. I'm in lust with this song.
"Down to the Waterline" by Dire Straits
Silence is a paintbrush, and the guitar work makes me swoon. Check out these lyrics:
Sweet surrender on the quayside.
You remember we used to run and hide.
In the shadow of the cargoes I take you one time.
And we're counting all the numbers down to the waterline.
Near misses on the dogleap stairways.
French kisses in the darkened doorways.
A foghorn blowing out wild and cold.
A policeman shines a light upon my shoulder.
Up comes a coaster fast and silent in the night.
Over my shoulder all you can see are the pilot lights.
No money in our jackets and our jeans are torn.
Your hands are cold but your lips are warm.
She can see him on the jetty where they used to go.
She can feel him in the places where the sailors go.
When she's walking by the river and the railway line.
She can still hear him whisper:
"Let's go down to the waterline."
18 January, 2009
"Bottle It Up (LIVE)" by Sara Bareilles
There'll be girls across the nation
That will eat this up babe
I know that it's your soul but could you bottle it up and
Get down to the heart of it,
No it's my heart you're shit out of your luck
Don't make me tell you again my love love love love.
Love love love love.
I am aiming to be somebody this somebody trusts
With her delicate soul
I don't claim to know much except soon as you start
To make room for the parts
That aren't you it gets harder to bloom in a garden of
Love love love love
Love Love love love
Only thing I ever could need, only one good thing
Worth trying to be and it's
Love
Love
Love
Love
I do it for Love
Love
Love
Love
We can understand the sentiment you're saying to us
Oh,
But sensible sells so could you kindly shut up
And get started
At keeping your part of the bargain aw please
Little darlin'
You're killing me sweetly with love love love love
Love love love love
Only thing I ever could need only one good thing
Worth trying to be
Love
Love
Love
Love
I do it for Love
Love
Love
Love
Started as a flicker meant to be a flame
Skin has gotten thicker but it burns the same
Still a baby in a cradle got to take my first fall
Baby's getting next to nowhere with her back
Against the wall.
You meant to make me happy make me sad.
Want to make it better better so bad.
But save your resolutions for your never new year
There is only one solution I can see here.
Love you're all I ever could need only one good thing
Worth trying to be and it's
Love
Love
Love
Love
I do it for love, love, love, love
Oh, only gonna get get what you give away,
So give love, love
Only gonna get get what you give away
Love.
17 January, 2009
Look Around You - Episode 1 (Maths)
According to WIRED magazine the complete series of Look Around You educational spoof videos will be available to view on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. You can also just watch them on YouTube now!
16 January, 2009
Bollywood Millionaire
I recently watched the movie Slumdog Millionaire, and beside being struck by its beautiful and story and filmed brilliance (kudos Danny Boyle), I found myself completely entranced by the soundtrack. The music is like a cocoon over a butterfly, it covered and consumed me at various points during the film, almost overwhelming, but always encompassing and encouraging the dream within.
A great portion of this soundtrack was created by the Tamil artist A.R. Rahman, who has crafted scores of scores for movies from Elizabeth - The Golden Age to Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. His sound combines the mechanical and "industrial" feeling of Nine Inch Nails with highly artistic and delicate styles of Classical Indian music. It is post-modern in a very ironic and beautiful way. "Riots" sounds like something pulled from Blue Man Group's Bollywood excursion, while "Ringa Ringa" is repetitive and fragile, but has a strong percussion section that supports the rest of the song. "Latika's Theme" could have come from a Zero 7 album, it hums and throbs with the heartbeat of the love story that is the soul of this movie. "O...Saya" is the song that best chronicles the feeling of intensity and the racing pace of the movie. It completely encapsulates the feeling of running from and towards something momentous.
There are three songs on the album that do not include A.R. Rahman. The first is the surprise hit of the year "Paper Planes," while the second is the remix of this song by DFA. In the movie, "Paper Planes" has a strong place, soundtracking the main characters' movements into the world of crime. The song has a certain amount of the innocence and resignation that makes it a perfect backing track for frightened youth corrupted by necessity. It is for this same reason that the sample of the song "Paper Planes" does not work at all in the song "Swagga Like Us" by Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West, and Lil Wayne. These artists may have once been as caged by their circumstances as the boys in Slumdog Millionaire, but as adults they have little connection to the innocence of youth, and their song only comes off as a venue for showcasing their lack of humility. The DFA remix of "Paper Planes" is a funky version that adds some bass and a dynamic feel to a smooth song. The final smooth song is "Aaj Ki Raat" by Sonu Nagam, Mahalaxmi Iyer and Alisha Chinai. The song has a danceable club beat with strong vocal work, and various backing sounds that continue to promote that feeling of the old and the new, the mechanical and the organic.
Overall, the soundtrack is a strong casing for an amazing movie. Each song propels the plot forward and adds to audience enjoyment. On its own, the album is highly danceable; it also makes you think.
A great portion of this soundtrack was created by the Tamil artist A.R. Rahman, who has crafted scores of scores for movies from Elizabeth - The Golden Age to Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. His sound combines the mechanical and "industrial" feeling of Nine Inch Nails with highly artistic and delicate styles of Classical Indian music. It is post-modern in a very ironic and beautiful way. "Riots" sounds like something pulled from Blue Man Group's Bollywood excursion, while "Ringa Ringa" is repetitive and fragile, but has a strong percussion section that supports the rest of the song. "Latika's Theme" could have come from a Zero 7 album, it hums and throbs with the heartbeat of the love story that is the soul of this movie. "O...Saya" is the song that best chronicles the feeling of intensity and the racing pace of the movie. It completely encapsulates the feeling of running from and towards something momentous.
There are three songs on the album that do not include A.R. Rahman. The first is the surprise hit of the year "Paper Planes," while the second is the remix of this song by DFA. In the movie, "Paper Planes" has a strong place, soundtracking the main characters' movements into the world of crime. The song has a certain amount of the innocence and resignation that makes it a perfect backing track for frightened youth corrupted by necessity. It is for this same reason that the sample of the song "Paper Planes" does not work at all in the song "Swagga Like Us" by Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West, and Lil Wayne. These artists may have once been as caged by their circumstances as the boys in Slumdog Millionaire, but as adults they have little connection to the innocence of youth, and their song only comes off as a venue for showcasing their lack of humility. The DFA remix of "Paper Planes" is a funky version that adds some bass and a dynamic feel to a smooth song. The final smooth song is "Aaj Ki Raat" by Sonu Nagam, Mahalaxmi Iyer and Alisha Chinai. The song has a danceable club beat with strong vocal work, and various backing sounds that continue to promote that feeling of the old and the new, the mechanical and the organic.
Overall, the soundtrack is a strong casing for an amazing movie. Each song propels the plot forward and adds to audience enjoyment. On its own, the album is highly danceable; it also makes you think.
15 January, 2009
14 January, 2009
"Walking With A Ghost" - Tegan and Sara
"No matter which way you go. No matter which way you stay. You're out of my mind (out of my mind)..."
13 January, 2009
"Doing It Right (Live at Bestival)" - The Go! Team
I think this video is amazing. I especially enjoy the random shot of the woman in the chicken suit pleading not to be eaten.
Here are the difficult to decipher lyrics:
Do it! Do it! All right!
Do it! Do it! All right!
Do it! Do it! All right!
Do it! Do it! All right!
You got a mouth, don’t you act like you
ain't heard a thing.
Who told you to play the victim, you ain't suffering.
I see that lazy-ass attitude, hey let it drop.
You got potential, come on take it to the tippity-top.
Come on and show that energy that you always give out.
Use it for something good,
Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.
Keep jumping, reaching higher, you can’t take a fall,
Give it all!
Give it all!
Give it all!
Give it all!
Do it! Do it! All right!
Do it! Do it! All right!
Got ideas to supply,
And a passport to try,
Everything we should but don’t.
Everything we could but won’t.
Got out backs to the pack,
And no plans to take back,
Anything we’ve ever owned.
Anything we’ve ever known.
And what happens next will be yours now,
'cause we’ve gotta figure out,
If we’re gonna show you how.
Do it! Do it! All right!
Do it! Do it! All right!
We have the right combination, we got everything.
And to strike faster than lightning, we raise what we bring.
We have the right combination,
It ain’t time to crawl.
Give it all!
Give it all!
Give it all!
Give it all!
Do it! Do it! All right!
Do it! Do it! All right!
Got ideas to supply,
And a passport to try,
Everything we should but don’t,
Everything we could but won’t.
Got out backs to the pack,
And no plans to take back,
Anything we’ve ever owned.
Anything we’ve ever known.
And what happens next will be yours now,
'cause we’ve gotta figure out,
If we’re gonna show you how.
Do it! Do it! All right!
Do it! Do it! All right!
Do it! Do it! All right!
Do it! Do it! All right!
Aztec Two-Step and Jack Kerouac
A kind of creamy 1970s blend of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and Creedence Clearwater Revival, Aztec Two-Step is playing at the Iron Horse on the 24th of January. I am not going to see this show, but I hope they play the song "The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty (On The Road)" which is a ballad to the man who makes Jack Kerouac's most famous book move.
Let me rephrase that, Dean Moriarty is the "white rabbit" of On the Road, while Sal Paradise is Kerouac himself and a post-WWII American Alice. The song is flat compared to the book itself, but it is an interesting history lesson for anyone who knows about Kerouac. Only free-jazz on par with Miles and Coltrane could ever hope to claim a handful of the spirit of On the Road, which has all the light and noise of a "flash in the pan", and the depth and layered quality of great poetry. The Aztec Two-Step ballad has the best intentions with no climax, no fabulous roman candles that pop and flash across the open night sky. If I had to attach songs to the characters in On the Road, I would have to say that Carlo Marx is John Coltrane's "Impressions", Dean Moriarty is Miles Davis' "Budo", and Sal Paradise is something at once old and new, possibly a careful mix of Duke Ellington's "Caravan" with a hint of "Django's Tiger", and a smooth finish with Coltrane's "India".
When it comes to songs that reference the book, I would always rather listen to The Hold Steady's recent Springsteen-esque "Stuck Between Stations," instead of singer-songwriter ballads. They don't have enough punch. "Stuck Between Stations" is a song that succeeds in calling up the connections between Sal Paradise and John Berryman, and every young man or woman looking for America. This is a magnificent feat when you think of how often a single literary allusion works in a song, not to mention two!
Let me rephrase that, Dean Moriarty is the "white rabbit" of On the Road, while Sal Paradise is Kerouac himself and a post-WWII American Alice. The song is flat compared to the book itself, but it is an interesting history lesson for anyone who knows about Kerouac. Only free-jazz on par with Miles and Coltrane could ever hope to claim a handful of the spirit of On the Road, which has all the light and noise of a "flash in the pan", and the depth and layered quality of great poetry. The Aztec Two-Step ballad has the best intentions with no climax, no fabulous roman candles that pop and flash across the open night sky. If I had to attach songs to the characters in On the Road, I would have to say that Carlo Marx is John Coltrane's "Impressions", Dean Moriarty is Miles Davis' "Budo", and Sal Paradise is something at once old and new, possibly a careful mix of Duke Ellington's "Caravan" with a hint of "Django's Tiger", and a smooth finish with Coltrane's "India".
When it comes to songs that reference the book, I would always rather listen to The Hold Steady's recent Springsteen-esque "Stuck Between Stations," instead of singer-songwriter ballads. They don't have enough punch. "Stuck Between Stations" is a song that succeeds in calling up the connections between Sal Paradise and John Berryman, and every young man or woman looking for America. This is a magnificent feat when you think of how often a single literary allusion works in a song, not to mention two!
"Where Do We Go" - Sandrine
I read somewhere that this was the best day-dreaming music of the last few years, and I would certainly equate this song with the dreaminess of "New Soul" by Yael Naim (the song that tops my day-dream playlist). You can hear it in the movie Last Chance Harvey which I really want to see! Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, where can you go wrong?
08 January, 2009
Electric Owl Land
Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina - a vegetarian-friendly mecca in the midst of, well, North Carolina - Andy Herod is Electric Owls, a band that has yet to release more than five songs, but had me hooked from the first chord. Continuing the tradition of Bright Eyes before him, Andy is a one-man band with occasional backup from various musically talented friends. His extended play, Magic Show, was released by Vagrant records in early November of last year.
The cover art itself is enough to make you wish those hard copies were available in stores near you. The music beneath that art is tantalizing and stronger than most EP music. "Magic Show" sounds to me like some wonderful combination of ELO and Wolfmother. There is a definite psychedelic underpinning for a sound that swirls into a windy guitar riff and drums like hoof-beats. It makes me feel like I should be on a wild snowy mountain, in the midst of a storm (this is good). "Darken Me" has an extremely different feeling. In fact, as I listen to "Darken Me" I cannot help but think of Sufjan Stevens' Christmas carols. The lyric "I have tried to be your friend, but self-respect has worn so thin" is strong and soft in the song. It is a funny kind of sad song that doesn't bring you down until you really start to think about the words. "Cannibal Superstar" is similarly melancholy with a wild streak. Whereas most melancholy music is somewhat heavy and dense, this song is all about the wind and string instruments, and all about this feeling of levity that comes with certain kinds of sadness. "Throw the Switch" is the final song on the album, and it has an energy reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen, and a musical intensity similar again to ELO. It is very difficult to believe that these songs were created by one man with the help of a few friends, because the sound often feels cavernous and practically orchestral. I cannot wait for the full-length album, and I believe, if you listen along, you'll feel the same way.
07 January, 2009
Why I Can't Get Enough of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours"
I am an extremely contrary person, and upon finding myself in a community that prides itself on music-snobbery, I decided to go in the other direction completely. In about four months time, I could be found listening primarily to pop music from my youth (Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Something Corporate, Blink-182) and almost completely shunning the Grateful Dead and the Beatles (although the latter group is very difficult to shake). I had just had enough lyrical dissection sessions, and what I really wanted was a dance party. (What you need to know however, is that if I were to suddenly find myself in a world populated by people who only had dance parties to popular music, I would be the person locked in my room dissecting Beatles and Grateful Dead songs. It is just my nature.) Disney music and showtunes also took priority over campus-popular groups like MGMT and Au (this is not to say that I dislike any of this music. I just got sick and tired of the hype.)
During December, and now in the first days of the New Year, I have forged a passionate connection to Rihanna, T.I., certain songs by Beyonce (not "Single Ladies"), and the irrepressible Jason Mraz. Also, for some inexplicable reason, I have been listening to the BBC News. It is an odd combination, I must admit. The first three artists were not particularly attractive to me until recently, but I keep coming back to Mr. A-Z, and I feel like this deserves a coherent and logical explanation.
On We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., Mraz finds a new side to his own brand of musical magic. Whereas Waiting for My Rocket to Come was somewhat angsty but always hopeful, and tongue-in-cheek, and Mr. A-Z followed this pattern with enough experimentation (the bossa nova "Bella Luna" and the R&B inspired "Geek in the Pink" come to mind) to spice things up a little, this new album opens up a brand new world of pop goodness. The experimentation feels less forced, and the songs are smoother. I listened to "Make It Mine," "Butterfly," "Coyotes," and "The Dynamo of Volition," and they all reminded me of Jamiroquai songs like "Canned Heat" and "Blow Your Mind." It is a strong transition for Mraz, who was a strong songwriter from the get-go. The other songs on the album, including the first single "I'm Yours" are pretty stripped-down, laid-back, singer-songwriter R&B songs. "If It Kills Me" is the only song that really breaks from the two themes of the record, and it sounds like it belongs on Broadway in a love story. The album is well-worth a listen.
This post was meant to discuss the merits of "I'm Yours," because it is this song that has become my reason for listening to popular radio. The musical elements are intelligently mellow and equally upbeat. Everything rests on a light Reggae sound, a sound that is all about positivity and soul. The lyrics are positive, in fact they rest on this deep belief that you can find true love with fewer complications, and express this love without reservations (something that I personally wonder about, and that I am constantly working towards). It is a bittersweet feeling to hear these lyrics, and even the way that Jason Mraz sings them is bittersweet, a taste that adds depth to this song and brings it to a level far above the David Archuleta drivel that finds itself on the charts. I would go so far as to say that Jason Mraz is a more ironic and sarcastic incarnation of the talented John Mayer. They write music that is very different, but the sentiment is often similar and similarly catchy.
I'm Yours (Live) by Jason Mraz
Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks, now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out, I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some
But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours
Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment people, dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved
So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate, our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours
D-d-do do you, but do you, d-d-do
But do you want to come on
Scooch on over closer dear
And I will nibble your ear
I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and I laughed
I guess what I be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do, our name is our virtue
But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours
Come on and open up your mind and see like me
(I won't hesitate)
Open up your plans and damn you're free
(No more, no more)
Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours
(It cannot wait, I'm sure)
So please don't, there's no need
(There's no need to complicate)
There's no need to complicate
(Our time is short)
'Cause our time is short
(This is our fate)
This is, this is, this is our fate
I'm yours
Oh, I'm yours
Oh, I'm yours
Oh, whoa, baby you believe I'm yours
You best believe, best believe I'm yours
During December, and now in the first days of the New Year, I have forged a passionate connection to Rihanna, T.I., certain songs by Beyonce (not "Single Ladies"), and the irrepressible Jason Mraz. Also, for some inexplicable reason, I have been listening to the BBC News. It is an odd combination, I must admit. The first three artists were not particularly attractive to me until recently, but I keep coming back to Mr. A-Z, and I feel like this deserves a coherent and logical explanation.
On We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., Mraz finds a new side to his own brand of musical magic. Whereas Waiting for My Rocket to Come was somewhat angsty but always hopeful, and tongue-in-cheek, and Mr. A-Z followed this pattern with enough experimentation (the bossa nova "Bella Luna" and the R&B inspired "Geek in the Pink" come to mind) to spice things up a little, this new album opens up a brand new world of pop goodness. The experimentation feels less forced, and the songs are smoother. I listened to "Make It Mine," "Butterfly," "Coyotes," and "The Dynamo of Volition," and they all reminded me of Jamiroquai songs like "Canned Heat" and "Blow Your Mind." It is a strong transition for Mraz, who was a strong songwriter from the get-go. The other songs on the album, including the first single "I'm Yours" are pretty stripped-down, laid-back, singer-songwriter R&B songs. "If It Kills Me" is the only song that really breaks from the two themes of the record, and it sounds like it belongs on Broadway in a love story. The album is well-worth a listen.
This post was meant to discuss the merits of "I'm Yours," because it is this song that has become my reason for listening to popular radio. The musical elements are intelligently mellow and equally upbeat. Everything rests on a light Reggae sound, a sound that is all about positivity and soul. The lyrics are positive, in fact they rest on this deep belief that you can find true love with fewer complications, and express this love without reservations (something that I personally wonder about, and that I am constantly working towards). It is a bittersweet feeling to hear these lyrics, and even the way that Jason Mraz sings them is bittersweet, a taste that adds depth to this song and brings it to a level far above the David Archuleta drivel that finds itself on the charts. I would go so far as to say that Jason Mraz is a more ironic and sarcastic incarnation of the talented John Mayer. They write music that is very different, but the sentiment is often similar and similarly catchy.
I'm Yours (Live) by Jason Mraz
Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks, now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out, I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some
But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours
Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment people, dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved
So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate, our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours
D-d-do do you, but do you, d-d-do
But do you want to come on
Scooch on over closer dear
And I will nibble your ear
I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and I laughed
I guess what I be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do, our name is our virtue
But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours
Come on and open up your mind and see like me
(I won't hesitate)
Open up your plans and damn you're free
(No more, no more)
Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours
(It cannot wait, I'm sure)
So please don't, there's no need
(There's no need to complicate)
There's no need to complicate
(Our time is short)
'Cause our time is short
(This is our fate)
This is, this is, this is our fate
I'm yours
Oh, I'm yours
Oh, I'm yours
Oh, whoa, baby you believe I'm yours
You best believe, best believe I'm yours
29 November, 2008
27 October, 2008
25 October, 2008
21 October, 2008
19 October, 2008
18 October, 2008
The Definition of Hardcore
I've been missing real soul-lifting, earth-shaking music as of late. Not because there is a lack of great music, but instead because I have been unable to stop and smell the proverbial roses for the last couple of months. I hate being busy, but at the same time, I love what I am doing (and I always want to do more).
Tonight I was reborn, refreshed, and reinvigorated by the sounds of Broadcast Live, a more-than-just-hip-hop/rock outfit from Albany, New York. The quartet form a quirky collaborative who - in the same concert - covered Dylan and Dead Prez. The music of Broadcast Live is charged with the musical activist electricity of Rage Against the Machine, and their instrumentation is tightly layered and interwoven. Songs draw on jazz, classic rock, folk, punk, hip-hop (old and new), hardcore, and jam while still remaining cohesive and natural.
Playing a mix of songs from their older album Underground, and their yet-to-be-released (sure to be amazing) album Boomerang Metropolis, the band touched on issues that cannot be ignored (gentrification, homophobia, racism, oppression, modern day US slavery, disenchantment, radicalism). At the same time the music flowed and gelled, providing the words steady passage without detracting from their weight. It is difficult to do justice in words alone to a band that uses their own poetry of words and music to convey their beliefs and spread their knowledge. All I can say is that if you are a fan of music, and a fan of justice and the beauty of free expression, listen to Broadcast Live.
Broadcast Live website
Broadcast Live MySpace
Tonight I was reborn, refreshed, and reinvigorated by the sounds of Broadcast Live, a more-than-just-hip-hop/rock outfit from Albany, New York. The quartet form a quirky collaborative who - in the same concert - covered Dylan and Dead Prez. The music of Broadcast Live is charged with the musical activist electricity of Rage Against the Machine, and their instrumentation is tightly layered and interwoven. Songs draw on jazz, classic rock, folk, punk, hip-hop (old and new), hardcore, and jam while still remaining cohesive and natural.
Playing a mix of songs from their older album Underground, and their yet-to-be-released (sure to be amazing) album Boomerang Metropolis, the band touched on issues that cannot be ignored (gentrification, homophobia, racism, oppression, modern day US slavery, disenchantment, radicalism). At the same time the music flowed and gelled, providing the words steady passage without detracting from their weight. It is difficult to do justice in words alone to a band that uses their own poetry of words and music to convey their beliefs and spread their knowledge. All I can say is that if you are a fan of music, and a fan of justice and the beauty of free expression, listen to Broadcast Live.
Broadcast Live website
Broadcast Live MySpace
14 October, 2008
13 October, 2008
Soundtrack to my Fall: Glasvegas
This fall has landed in my heart holding hands with a massive case of deja vu. I cannot disconnect the two. It isn't that I can remember past events more clearly than I can the rest of the year. Those snapshots of life are still blurry. What is different, and slightly disconcerting, is that I am feeling closer emotionally to the "self" of last year, than I am to my current "self". There are only shades of difference between the two selves, and yet I often feel as if I am being haunted by my own ghost. I suppose this feeling is appropriate given my proximity to Halloween, but it is still slightly confusing.
I found the most appropriate music to soundtrack this feeling: Glasvegas by Glasvegas.
This album is epic in a way that I have not heard since Muse's Black Holes and Revelations (Wow, I just felt a wave of strong deja vu. Black Holes and Revelations happened to play a big role in my life last fall). There is a certain glamor and sheen surrounding Glasvegas which is unusual to find in new artists. I am not certain that I can even do justice to the album with the words at my disposal. In fact, I am not sure that I can process this album with constant replays of emotions from last fall running through my head. Suffice it to say that "It's My Own Cheating Heart that Makes me Cry" and "Lonesome Swan" fill some of the deja vu ridden areas of my brain, allowing me to focus on both the present and the past. Without music, I would be a real mess.
Go watch "Daddy's Gone" on YouTube: "Daddy's Gone" - Glasvegas
Then listen to It's My Own Cheating Heart that Makes me Cry - Glasvegas
I found the most appropriate music to soundtrack this feeling: Glasvegas by Glasvegas.
This album is epic in a way that I have not heard since Muse's Black Holes and Revelations (Wow, I just felt a wave of strong deja vu. Black Holes and Revelations happened to play a big role in my life last fall). There is a certain glamor and sheen surrounding Glasvegas which is unusual to find in new artists. I am not certain that I can even do justice to the album with the words at my disposal. In fact, I am not sure that I can process this album with constant replays of emotions from last fall running through my head. Suffice it to say that "It's My Own Cheating Heart that Makes me Cry" and "Lonesome Swan" fill some of the deja vu ridden areas of my brain, allowing me to focus on both the present and the past. Without music, I would be a real mess.
Go watch "Daddy's Gone" on YouTube: "Daddy's Gone" - Glasvegas
Then listen to It's My Own Cheating Heart that Makes me Cry - Glasvegas
30 September, 2008
28 September, 2008
14 September, 2008
Prodigal Daughter
Life has been wild for the last few weeks, but no less stuffed with musical discoveries, and I am taking this opportunity to apologize for my lapses as a blog writer. I have allowed this blog to sleep for far too long, and now it's time to vent.
Music defines generations, and often that music is applied to one or more subsets and subcultural movements of future generations. You'll find people in your life who know the words to every song by Bob Dylan; and then, there are those whose passion lies with the spirit of the Grateful Dead on misty mountains in New York. There are people here who own the entire Beatles' collection (in fact, multiple people, who I at once admire and fear).
The thing is, there's a point where obsession becomes less about the object, than about the consumer. There's a point where self-definition is impossible without resorting to listing brand names (band names) and singing the lyrics to other people's songs. In my major life transition, I was subconsciously afraid of resorting to these tactics. I was afraid of realizing myself through music, instead of recognizing the music in myself, so I pulled back.
What have I discovered? One thing is that I am strong enough to sleep without any music. I don't have to self-medicate. At the same time, if I'm trying to wind down after a long night, there's nothing like the Juno and Marie Antoinette soundtracks as lullabies for life. The only lullaby I've heard that made me sleepier faster was being sung the other day in the shower. It was a Hebrew lullaby, and I almost fell asleep while shaving my legs.
Gogol Bordello makes amazing party music and attracts all kinds of people. Ska-P, NOFX, and Sublime are not appropriate studying music. Alanis Morisette makes you feel better when people fuck with you, and Jimi Hendrix can lighten any mood. Rancid is a surprising point of connection for people of all backgrounds, while Apollo Sunshine devotees are almost always local. Focusing on weighty texts is best done while sitting in the beautiful tree outside of the media Yurt, as live jazz is broadcast across the campus. Stringed instruments are my greatest downfall. Live cello and violin hypnotize me like nothing else (although a heavy bass-line can be pretty magical). I love classical music, and though I am illiterate when it comes to its complexity, I cannot concentrate on another thing while I am listening. It consumes my brain.
Until very soon, my lovely blog readers, this is all I have to say. I promise my next post will be filled with musical goodies.
Music defines generations, and often that music is applied to one or more subsets and subcultural movements of future generations. You'll find people in your life who know the words to every song by Bob Dylan; and then, there are those whose passion lies with the spirit of the Grateful Dead on misty mountains in New York. There are people here who own the entire Beatles' collection (in fact, multiple people, who I at once admire and fear).
The thing is, there's a point where obsession becomes less about the object, than about the consumer. There's a point where self-definition is impossible without resorting to listing brand names (band names) and singing the lyrics to other people's songs. In my major life transition, I was subconsciously afraid of resorting to these tactics. I was afraid of realizing myself through music, instead of recognizing the music in myself, so I pulled back.
What have I discovered? One thing is that I am strong enough to sleep without any music. I don't have to self-medicate. At the same time, if I'm trying to wind down after a long night, there's nothing like the Juno and Marie Antoinette soundtracks as lullabies for life. The only lullaby I've heard that made me sleepier faster was being sung the other day in the shower. It was a Hebrew lullaby, and I almost fell asleep while shaving my legs.
Gogol Bordello makes amazing party music and attracts all kinds of people. Ska-P, NOFX, and Sublime are not appropriate studying music. Alanis Morisette makes you feel better when people fuck with you, and Jimi Hendrix can lighten any mood. Rancid is a surprising point of connection for people of all backgrounds, while Apollo Sunshine devotees are almost always local. Focusing on weighty texts is best done while sitting in the beautiful tree outside of the media Yurt, as live jazz is broadcast across the campus. Stringed instruments are my greatest downfall. Live cello and violin hypnotize me like nothing else (although a heavy bass-line can be pretty magical). I love classical music, and though I am illiterate when it comes to its complexity, I cannot concentrate on another thing while I am listening. It consumes my brain.
Until very soon, my lovely blog readers, this is all I have to say. I promise my next post will be filled with musical goodies.
13 September, 2008
"Hey Jude" by The Beatles
Hey Jude, don't make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
Hey Jude, don't be afraid.
You were made to go out and get her.
The minute you let her under your skin,
Then you begin to make it better.
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.
Hey Jude, don't let me down.
You have found her, now go and get her.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin,
You're waiting for someone to perform with.
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do,
The movement you need is on your shoulder.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her under your skin,
Then you'll begin to make it
Better better better better better better, oh.
Na na na na na ,na na na, hey Jude...
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
Hey Jude, don't be afraid.
You were made to go out and get her.
The minute you let her under your skin,
Then you begin to make it better.
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.
Hey Jude, don't let me down.
You have found her, now go and get her.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin,
You're waiting for someone to perform with.
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do,
The movement you need is on your shoulder.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her under your skin,
Then you'll begin to make it
Better better better better better better, oh.
Na na na na na ,na na na, hey Jude...
25 August, 2008
22 August, 2008
My my metrocard, think I'll go a little but then I go far
This week has been difficult for many reasons, but waking up on Tuesday to find no mood-matching music on iTunes definitely left me grasping to fill a hole in my life. The shuffle feature on my iPod was put to good use, because even when the songs failed to match my mood they were at least a nice distraction from the thoughts that were streaming through mt head. I was able to settle down (a little) and actually finish a book! Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan was recommended to me not by a person, but by a trailer directly preceding Pineapple Express. I can already tell that the book is different from the movie. For one thing, the "will you be my girlfriend for five minutes?" that starts the whole crazy night has been reversed (Norah now asks Nick if he'll be her boyfriend for five minutes). Still, the movie looks just about as messy as the book. Let's hope the director didn't banish the randomly kitschy musical references and sing-alongs from the production ("My My Metrocard" by Le Tigre...inspired).
The book gave me a little bit of a "life high", and I found myself inspired to smile and to create a playlist of my own. It's a quick read - maybe 200 pages at most - and it's one of those books that seems to take on a life of its own and suck you into its pages. When you've finished, you should listen to "My My Metrocard" and think about the random awesomeness of life.
The book gave me a little bit of a "life high", and I found myself inspired to smile and to create a playlist of my own. It's a quick read - maybe 200 pages at most - and it's one of those books that seems to take on a life of its own and suck you into its pages. When you've finished, you should listen to "My My Metrocard" and think about the random awesomeness of life.
19 August, 2008
A Small Disclaimer
This blog is for fun.
I try to write pieces with integrity, and I work hard to honestly assess the music that I review, but there are times when I am misinformed or when I am unable to see all of the facets of a particular song or artist. I have never claimed to be unbiased, and I seriously doubt that any music reviewer is completely unbiased. Because I realize that often my perceptions, likes, and dislikes are governed by my world-view and my experiences, I generally refrain from writing negative reviews.
It's easy to find things to dislike about a sound, but it is more rewarding to find a certain "twist of this" or a "pinch of that" which can bring the entire song to a new level.
That being said, if I have an issue with an album that I basically enjoyed or with a band that I believe are talented but could improve their sound, I will not shy away from voicing my opinion (and let me remind my lovely readers that it is just one opinion). If you really want to know what you think about the music I'm reviewing, then you need to go listen. There's no substitute for listening to music.
I try to write pieces with integrity, and I work hard to honestly assess the music that I review, but there are times when I am misinformed or when I am unable to see all of the facets of a particular song or artist. I have never claimed to be unbiased, and I seriously doubt that any music reviewer is completely unbiased. Because I realize that often my perceptions, likes, and dislikes are governed by my world-view and my experiences, I generally refrain from writing negative reviews.
It's easy to find things to dislike about a sound, but it is more rewarding to find a certain "twist of this" or a "pinch of that" which can bring the entire song to a new level.
That being said, if I have an issue with an album that I basically enjoyed or with a band that I believe are talented but could improve their sound, I will not shy away from voicing my opinion (and let me remind my lovely readers that it is just one opinion). If you really want to know what you think about the music I'm reviewing, then you need to go listen. There's no substitute for listening to music.
"The Story In Your Eyes" by the Moody Blues
If I were you, I would skip the movie and just listen to the song.
I've been thinking about our fortune
And I've decided that we're really not to blame
For the love that's deep inside us now
Is still the same
And the sound we make together
Is the music to the story in your eyes
It's been shining down upon me now
I realize
Listen to the tide slowly turning
Wash all our heartaches away
We're part of the fire that is burning
And from the ashes we can build another day
But I'm frightened for your children
That the life that we are living is in vain
And the sunshine we've been waiting for
Will turn to rain
Listen to the tide slowly turning
Wash all our heartaches away
We're part of the fire that is burning
And from the ashes we can build another day
But I'm frightened for the children
That the life that we are living is in vain
And the sunshine we've been waiting for
Will turn to rain
When the final line is over
It's certain that the curtain's gonna fall
I can hide inside your sweet sweet love
For ever more
I've been thinking about our fortune
And I've decided that we're really not to blame
For the love that's deep inside us now
Is still the same
And the sound we make together
Is the music to the story in your eyes
It's been shining down upon me now
I realize
Listen to the tide slowly turning
Wash all our heartaches away
We're part of the fire that is burning
And from the ashes we can build another day
But I'm frightened for your children
That the life that we are living is in vain
And the sunshine we've been waiting for
Will turn to rain
Listen to the tide slowly turning
Wash all our heartaches away
We're part of the fire that is burning
And from the ashes we can build another day
But I'm frightened for the children
That the life that we are living is in vain
And the sunshine we've been waiting for
Will turn to rain
When the final line is over
It's certain that the curtain's gonna fall
I can hide inside your sweet sweet love
For ever more
14 August, 2008
"Just What I Needed (LIVE)" by the Cars
I don't mind you comin' here
and wastin' all my time
'cause when you're standin' oh so near
I kinda lose my mind
it's not the perfume that you wear
it's not the ribbons in your hair
I don't mind you comin' here
and wastin' all my time
I don't mind you hangin' out
and talkin' in your sleep
it doesn't matter where you've been
as long as it was deep, yeah
I always knew you'd marry well and
you look so fancy I can tell
I don't mind you hangin' out
and talkin' in your sleep
I guess you're just what I needed
(just what I needed)
I needed someone to feed
I guess you're just what I needed
(just what I needed)
I needed someone to bleed
I don't mind you comin' here
and wastin' all my time time
'cause when you're standin' oh so near
I kinda lose my mind, yeah
it's not the perfume that you wear
it's not the ribbons in your hair
I don't mind you comin' here
and wastin' all my time
I guess you're just what I needed
(just what I needed)
I needed someone to feed
I guess you're just what I needed
(just what I needed)
I needed someone to bleed
I guess you're just what I needed
(just what I needed)
I needed someone to feed
I guess you're just what I needed
(just what I needed)
I needed someone to plead
yeah, yeah, so plead me
you're just what I needed
you're just what I needed
yeah, you're just what I needed
yeah, yeah yeah
13 August, 2008
Darker and Darker (My Love)
Since probably the early nineties popular alternative music has been extremely cyclical. There are definitely creative souls and bands who challenge the status quo - some, even, who have had a modicum of success - but not since the late grunge movement has there really been a new and defining alternative sound for the times. Most bands fall on a spectrum of derivation, and can be elegantly pinpointed as denizens of the recycled sounds of a different era. The Strokes, the Kaiser Chiefs, the Killers all looked to late 1970s glam rock and 1980s post-punk for inspiration. Wolfmother came tumbling fully-formed from the ear of Jimmy Page. Vampire Weekend (with one of the more creative musical recycling projects) seems to be trying to hybridize the sounds of Paul Simon, the Beatles, and Buddy Holly. You know that Amy Winehouse character? She's one talented lady, but her sound is very much a product of her forbears. Now we have two bands who have latched onto the sounds of two particular bands: Jefferson Airplane and the Doors.
Darker My Love is a band from L.A. who channel the heavy psychedelics of the Doors. On "Blue Day" off their new album 2 they buzz and hover with their guitars, while the syncopated drumming pounds the whole concoction into your head. "Northern Soul" off the same album has a wailing guitar intro that sometimes sounds like a distorted bird call (the Flying V is at it again). Consistency and length are two attributes of the songs on 2 that closely tie them to the sounds of the Doors. These attributes are coupled with a dark almost creepy sound that gives way to animated solos. Unfortunately, Darker My Love is not in possession of a front man like Jimmy Morrison. Morrison could channel the energy of the listener into a dark and distorted song, with a charisma that ran through his voice like an electric current. He acted as the translator for a sound that was almost too strange for people to enjoy. Darker My Love has very safe vocalists in their guitar players Tim Preston and Rob Barbato, and their music suffers from that safety. If the band wants to channel the Doors (which they most certainly are doing) then they should also mic the organ/clavinet ramblings of Will Canzoneri in a way that makes them a more prominent part of their music. Ray Manzarek made organ solos extremely cool, why shouldn't Canzoneri do the same?. Unless they're looking to be particularly original, Darker My Love should capitalize on the achievements of their musical forefathers.
Shock Cinema likes their literary references, and they've taken the "White Rabbit" concept to a whole different level. Hell and Highwater begins with reference to a "Leviathan" and ends with the song "Dead Sea". "Leviathan" calls to mind the creature in Melville, with dark and heavy guitar grumbling and mechanical precision; it's a deadly song. "Dead Sea" on the other hand heavily buys into guitar symphonics and mythical language that references the Devil and other familiar characters. They both have aspects of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" (and other songs like "Embryonic Journey" and "Plastic Fantastic Lover" off of Surrealistic Pillow). There's definitely some hero-worship going on here, because Shock Cinema ***vocalist Autry Fulbright*** (See Edit below) channels Grace Slick throughout Hell and Highwater. Often Destiny Montague's voice isn't as sharp or clear as Slick's, but she has found a nice balance between hard and soft sounds that gives her an added fierceness.
What can you really say about bands that so closely resemble a sound that has had its time in the spotlight? I find myself wanting to compare their music to fanfiction. You know your favorite artist is done creating, but you still want to read or listen to more of their work. What do you do? You can create your own versions of the same song, or you can come up with a sound that's new and fresh. There's nothing bad about Darker My Love or Shock Cinema, they just aren't the same as the real thing and they aren't distancing themselves enough to be genre-defining. These bands are playing to the past; but they can't live up to history, they need to create it.
***This is the kind of mistake that happens when you're writing while tired. Not acceptable, but a little understandable. If you look at the comment below, you will see that Fulbright is actually not the vocalist, but a multi-instrumentalist. Destiny Montague is the vocalist for Shock Cinema. Miyuki Furtado completes the musical trio (who according to Myspace, pull in other artists from time to time). Shock Cinema happens to have an intriguing biography The Legend of Shock Cinema on their website.
Darker My Love is a band from L.A. who channel the heavy psychedelics of the Doors. On "Blue Day" off their new album 2 they buzz and hover with their guitars, while the syncopated drumming pounds the whole concoction into your head. "Northern Soul" off the same album has a wailing guitar intro that sometimes sounds like a distorted bird call (the Flying V is at it again). Consistency and length are two attributes of the songs on 2 that closely tie them to the sounds of the Doors. These attributes are coupled with a dark almost creepy sound that gives way to animated solos. Unfortunately, Darker My Love is not in possession of a front man like Jimmy Morrison. Morrison could channel the energy of the listener into a dark and distorted song, with a charisma that ran through his voice like an electric current. He acted as the translator for a sound that was almost too strange for people to enjoy. Darker My Love has very safe vocalists in their guitar players Tim Preston and Rob Barbato, and their music suffers from that safety. If the band wants to channel the Doors (which they most certainly are doing) then they should also mic the organ/clavinet ramblings of Will Canzoneri in a way that makes them a more prominent part of their music. Ray Manzarek made organ solos extremely cool, why shouldn't Canzoneri do the same?. Unless they're looking to be particularly original, Darker My Love should capitalize on the achievements of their musical forefathers.
Shock Cinema likes their literary references, and they've taken the "White Rabbit" concept to a whole different level. Hell and Highwater begins with reference to a "Leviathan" and ends with the song "Dead Sea". "Leviathan" calls to mind the creature in Melville, with dark and heavy guitar grumbling and mechanical precision; it's a deadly song. "Dead Sea" on the other hand heavily buys into guitar symphonics and mythical language that references the Devil and other familiar characters. They both have aspects of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" (and other songs like "Embryonic Journey" and "Plastic Fantastic Lover" off of Surrealistic Pillow). There's definitely some hero-worship going on here, because Shock Cinema ***vocalist Autry Fulbright*** (See Edit below) channels Grace Slick throughout Hell and Highwater. Often Destiny Montague's voice isn't as sharp or clear as Slick's, but she has found a nice balance between hard and soft sounds that gives her an added fierceness.
What can you really say about bands that so closely resemble a sound that has had its time in the spotlight? I find myself wanting to compare their music to fanfiction. You know your favorite artist is done creating, but you still want to read or listen to more of their work. What do you do? You can create your own versions of the same song, or you can come up with a sound that's new and fresh. There's nothing bad about Darker My Love or Shock Cinema, they just aren't the same as the real thing and they aren't distancing themselves enough to be genre-defining. These bands are playing to the past; but they can't live up to history, they need to create it.
***This is the kind of mistake that happens when you're writing while tired. Not acceptable, but a little understandable. If you look at the comment below, you will see that Fulbright is actually not the vocalist, but a multi-instrumentalist. Destiny Montague is the vocalist for Shock Cinema. Miyuki Furtado completes the musical trio (who according to Myspace, pull in other artists from time to time). Shock Cinema happens to have an intriguing biography The Legend of Shock Cinema on their website.
11 August, 2008
10 August, 2008
Tell me about your favorite songs (in degrees of separation)
I wouldn't say that I'm a superstitious person, but I do believe in connections. I find examples of Jungian synchronicity in so many facets of my life that it's almost impossible not to believe in a collective unconscious, and therefore an interconnectedness of all things in the universe. It's not religious per se, but there's definitely a spiritual aspect to this personal belief and the concept certainly adds to my hopefulness for the human race.
The thing is that this concept of interconnectedness is also just mad fun, especially when I'm compiling playlists. I'll randomly pick a song and then try to tie it to every song that follows. Sometimes I create rules for this game. For example, I might only be able to make connections between the artists and not between the genre or subject matter. Sometimes I play with completely personal connections. Music is tied closely to memory, and I can usually find a memory of my own that's associated to multiple songs. Often, there are no rules except finding that one required link between songs.
I encourage you guys to play this game. It's fun and relaxing. Here's a quick example of one of my music by degrees playlists. I've created better playlists (I'm sure), but this is just a quick example to get your creative juices flowing.
"Up On Cripple Creek" by the Band is my starting point, and it lends itself well to this kind of game. At first glance, it's a fairly unique song, but it also has many ties to different genres/memories/moments in time/other bands. I'm going to follow it with a song by Apollo Sunshine, who do a slamming live cover of "Up On Cripple Creek". My second song is "Mayday Disorder" off of the beautifully psychedelic album Katonah. Fantastic imagery and instrumentals are par for the course with most Apollo Sunshine songs, but "Mayday Disorder" climaxes in a smashed guitar solo and high energy percussion. The first band I can think of that also combines high energy instrumentals with psychedelics is the Flaming Lips, and the best song to showcase this kind of jamming is the "The W.A.N.D." off of the 2006 release At War With the Mystics. It would be fairly easy to tie The Flaming Lips to many 1960s bands who dabbled in LSD and other hallucinogenics (I feel like that word choice is fairly comical) given Wayne Coyne's outspokenness about his own trips. Instead, I like a bit of a challenge, and I'm going to make this connection with shared political dissatisfaction. The Flaming Lips will be followed by "Zombie" by the Cranberries, another song that uses some mystical and disturbing images as metaphors for the evils of war. There are really famous Irish bands, like the Cranberries, but there are also fake famous Irish bands like the Commitments. The book by Robby Doyle was turned into a movie with an amazing Irish soul covers soundtrack that includes a version of Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" (the next song on my playlist). Another Redding song that became a famous cover is "Respect", later performed to great acclaim by Aretha Franklin. In the Redding version, the song is a mid-Civil Rights era request for "a little respect" at home. The Civil Rights era was a time of soulful and inspiring protest music which has inspired the protest music of generations since. For my generation, our standard-bearing song has to be "American Idiot" by Green Day. It has been overplayed, but it can still make me wince and then slam-dance. I saw Green Day twice while on their American Idiot tour, and they put on a fucking show. I was pleasantly surprised when one of their opening acts - Jimmy Eat World - performed with just as much energy and enthusiasm. My favorite song by Jimmy Eat World is "A Praise Chorus", an addictive ode to musical first love that has the campy chorus "Crimson and Clover, over and over". This chorus was lifted from the song "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells, a rock band of the 1960s who released "Crimson and Clover" in 1968 (the same year that the Band released their first album Music from Big Pink).
Here's a rundown for those readers who lost track:
"Up On Cripple Creek" by The Band
"Mayday Disorder" by Apollo Sunshine
"The W.A.N.D." by the Flaming Lips
"Zombie" by the Cranberries
"Try A Little Tenderness" by the Commitments
"Respect" by Otis Redding
"American Idiot" by Green Day
"A Praise Chorus" by Jimmy Eat World
"Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells
The thing is that this concept of interconnectedness is also just mad fun, especially when I'm compiling playlists. I'll randomly pick a song and then try to tie it to every song that follows. Sometimes I create rules for this game. For example, I might only be able to make connections between the artists and not between the genre or subject matter. Sometimes I play with completely personal connections. Music is tied closely to memory, and I can usually find a memory of my own that's associated to multiple songs. Often, there are no rules except finding that one required link between songs.
I encourage you guys to play this game. It's fun and relaxing. Here's a quick example of one of my music by degrees playlists. I've created better playlists (I'm sure), but this is just a quick example to get your creative juices flowing.
"Up On Cripple Creek" by the Band is my starting point, and it lends itself well to this kind of game. At first glance, it's a fairly unique song, but it also has many ties to different genres/memories/moments in time/other bands. I'm going to follow it with a song by Apollo Sunshine, who do a slamming live cover of "Up On Cripple Creek". My second song is "Mayday Disorder" off of the beautifully psychedelic album Katonah. Fantastic imagery and instrumentals are par for the course with most Apollo Sunshine songs, but "Mayday Disorder" climaxes in a smashed guitar solo and high energy percussion. The first band I can think of that also combines high energy instrumentals with psychedelics is the Flaming Lips, and the best song to showcase this kind of jamming is the "The W.A.N.D." off of the 2006 release At War With the Mystics. It would be fairly easy to tie The Flaming Lips to many 1960s bands who dabbled in LSD and other hallucinogenics (I feel like that word choice is fairly comical) given Wayne Coyne's outspokenness about his own trips. Instead, I like a bit of a challenge, and I'm going to make this connection with shared political dissatisfaction. The Flaming Lips will be followed by "Zombie" by the Cranberries, another song that uses some mystical and disturbing images as metaphors for the evils of war. There are really famous Irish bands, like the Cranberries, but there are also fake famous Irish bands like the Commitments. The book by Robby Doyle was turned into a movie with an amazing Irish soul covers soundtrack that includes a version of Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" (the next song on my playlist). Another Redding song that became a famous cover is "Respect", later performed to great acclaim by Aretha Franklin. In the Redding version, the song is a mid-Civil Rights era request for "a little respect" at home. The Civil Rights era was a time of soulful and inspiring protest music which has inspired the protest music of generations since. For my generation, our standard-bearing song has to be "American Idiot" by Green Day. It has been overplayed, but it can still make me wince and then slam-dance. I saw Green Day twice while on their American Idiot tour, and they put on a fucking show. I was pleasantly surprised when one of their opening acts - Jimmy Eat World - performed with just as much energy and enthusiasm. My favorite song by Jimmy Eat World is "A Praise Chorus", an addictive ode to musical first love that has the campy chorus "Crimson and Clover, over and over". This chorus was lifted from the song "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells, a rock band of the 1960s who released "Crimson and Clover" in 1968 (the same year that the Band released their first album Music from Big Pink).
Here's a rundown for those readers who lost track:
"Up On Cripple Creek" by The Band
"Mayday Disorder" by Apollo Sunshine
"The W.A.N.D." by the Flaming Lips
"Zombie" by the Cranberries
"Try A Little Tenderness" by the Commitments
"Respect" by Otis Redding
"American Idiot" by Green Day
"A Praise Chorus" by Jimmy Eat World
"Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells
09 August, 2008
07 August, 2008
Underwater Wedding
I've been listening to music of extremes lately. I alternate between Katonah by Apollo Sunshine which is a bubbly, kinetic, chaotic carnival that I've already reviewed in this blog and the Juno soundtrack which is full of soft, sad, freak-folk songs. I'm celebrating life changes but also kind of living in my own uncertainty, and along with the thunderstorms, this mindset it making my summer feel kind of damp and moldy.
This morning I came across the album Does You Inspire You by Chairlift, and it perfectly melded with my current mood. The music is sparse and very computerized, while the vocals and the lyrics are personal but sometimes cold in that dramatic 1980s poptastic way. It reminds me a lot of a more feminine version of the Magnetic Fields.
The album begins with the track "Garbage" which is a sleek, tongue-in-cheek ode to relationship garbage: both literal and figurative. The song has an upbeat tempo, but the lyrics are a bit of a downer. At first listen, I can imagine some kind of odd hybrid of Chrissie Hynes and Courtney Love in Chairlift's lead singer Caroline (no last name provided on their snazzy Myspace page). She's sometimes even-toned, even monotone, but then breaks into sad and angry octave shifts and sing-sighing on songs like "Territory" and "Don't Give A Damn". My favorite surprise on this album is the song "Bruises" which sounds like it should either be a depressing account of physical/emotional abuse or something emo/gothic in theme. Instead, "Bruises" is a snappy song that does discuss some emotional bruising, but in a very playful way. The lyrics: "I tried to do handstands for you, I tried to do handstands. Every time I fell on you, yeah, every time I fell..." capture a lot of emotion in statements that are kind of abstract. The song that directly precedes "Bruises" is called "Earwig Town", and it has a gothic feeling that might remind you of the song that plays while you ride through the Haunted Mansion at Disney World. The story that's told in "Earwig Town" is actually pretty gross, recounting the earwigs' residence in the singer's ear and then the laying of their eggs in her head (ewww). Moving on to something a little less disgusting, we find the song "Evident Utensil" which is actually really upbeat and campy. The "Evident Utensil" is a pencil, and the song ends up revolving around the rigors of writing.
The album Does You Inspire You isn't particularly creative in the music department. Most of the album could be labeled 1980s post-punk and pop, with the exception of the gothic "Earwig Town" and the folky "Don't Give a Damn". The creativity of Chairlift is expressed solidly in the lyrical content of the songs which bounce from a recitation of an ex-boyfriend's shit ("Garbage") to stories where the main players are earwigs and pencils ("Earwig Town" and "Evident Utensil"). I'm pretty impressed with the thematic breadth of the album, and I actually enjoy the musical shallowness. It's nice to listen to an album that isn't weighed down by it's own seriousness.
This morning I came across the album Does You Inspire You by Chairlift, and it perfectly melded with my current mood. The music is sparse and very computerized, while the vocals and the lyrics are personal but sometimes cold in that dramatic 1980s poptastic way. It reminds me a lot of a more feminine version of the Magnetic Fields.
The album begins with the track "Garbage" which is a sleek, tongue-in-cheek ode to relationship garbage: both literal and figurative. The song has an upbeat tempo, but the lyrics are a bit of a downer. At first listen, I can imagine some kind of odd hybrid of Chrissie Hynes and Courtney Love in Chairlift's lead singer Caroline (no last name provided on their snazzy Myspace page). She's sometimes even-toned, even monotone, but then breaks into sad and angry octave shifts and sing-sighing on songs like "Territory" and "Don't Give A Damn". My favorite surprise on this album is the song "Bruises" which sounds like it should either be a depressing account of physical/emotional abuse or something emo/gothic in theme. Instead, "Bruises" is a snappy song that does discuss some emotional bruising, but in a very playful way. The lyrics: "I tried to do handstands for you, I tried to do handstands. Every time I fell on you, yeah, every time I fell..." capture a lot of emotion in statements that are kind of abstract. The song that directly precedes "Bruises" is called "Earwig Town", and it has a gothic feeling that might remind you of the song that plays while you ride through the Haunted Mansion at Disney World. The story that's told in "Earwig Town" is actually pretty gross, recounting the earwigs' residence in the singer's ear and then the laying of their eggs in her head (ewww). Moving on to something a little less disgusting, we find the song "Evident Utensil" which is actually really upbeat and campy. The "Evident Utensil" is a pencil, and the song ends up revolving around the rigors of writing.
The album Does You Inspire You isn't particularly creative in the music department. Most of the album could be labeled 1980s post-punk and pop, with the exception of the gothic "Earwig Town" and the folky "Don't Give a Damn". The creativity of Chairlift is expressed solidly in the lyrical content of the songs which bounce from a recitation of an ex-boyfriend's shit ("Garbage") to stories where the main players are earwigs and pencils ("Earwig Town" and "Evident Utensil"). I'm pretty impressed with the thematic breadth of the album, and I actually enjoy the musical shallowness. It's nice to listen to an album that isn't weighed down by it's own seriousness.
05 August, 2008
Remember!
"No individual or group can block
another individual's path or change it
against what fits his nature and his
purpose. It might be done for a time, but
in the end it won't work out."
Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE
another individual's path or change it
against what fits his nature and his
purpose. It might be done for a time, but
in the end it won't work out."
Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE
Absolutes
Michael Cera is cute. This is a fact. Even when he's completely the opposite of cute (Superbad), he's still cute. He's also funny which kind of goes without saying. Did you know that he also has amazing taste in music?
Well, neither did I, until I started sifting through the iTunes Celebrity playlists. He starts with a track off the completely surreal and avant-garde album Dreams Again by Dion McGregor. This album isn't really comprised of music, but instead is filled with the wild and rambling sleep-talking of Mr. MacGregor. It's weird, but it's completely original. In the same playlist I found Beulah, a now defunct California band who took after the Beach Boys and the Beatles, with a nice swirl of Heatmiser. Their music never sounded Southern California, which is a blessing for anyone who was ever forced to watch the O.C. Ironically enough, one of Beulah's songs was actually used on a soundtrack to that ill-fated and poorly written poseur show. Yoko is my current favorite Beulah album, and is also - unfortunately - their final album.
The band Microphones is also defunct in the most basic sense of the word, and yet Phil Elvrum (who is the band) still records and tours as Mt. Eerie. I'm just letting you know so you don't start thinking that all great bands are now defunct. It just isn't true. The Microphones often remind me of the Moldy Peaches, and yet their albums often feel epic in proportions where the Moldy Peaches work was always understated and rather humble. "You Were In The Air" off of the album Don't Wake Me Up sounds like the progeny of a foghorn and a motorcycle with Elvrum's soft and sweet voice floating over the noise. "Between Your Ear and the Other Ear" from the album It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water sounds like the kind of music that Leslie Feist listened to while she was writing The Reminder. The song is written like a single, and yet it's dissonant and distorted in a way that is incredibly refreshing. "I'm Like You, Tree" from the gorgeous album The Glow Pt. 2 is a tone poem that flows in your mind, and is soft but naggingly persistent in its tree metaphors.
Jim Guthrie should be a star. The thing is that most music-lovers view circuit-bending and video game music's relationship to "real music" in the same way that bibliophiles often view comic books in relation to "literature". One is for adults, and the other is just for kids and adults who want to be kids (I often wonder why you wouldn't want to be a kid instead of an adult. I don't think there are many amazing benefits, but I guess other people see things differently.) This is unfortunate, but I don't really feel bad for all of the people who are missing out. Morning Noon Night by Jim Guthrie was partially created on a Playstation using the MTV Music Generator, but you would never guess that this was the case. Guthrie has strong rock 'n' roll ties, and a voice that often evokes Elliot Smith. I can't really recommend one song over another on Morning Noon Night, because the whole album is excellent.
Last but not least we have the wonderful band Built to Spill. Cera recommends the song "Strange" from the album Ancient Melodies of the Future, and I have to concur that this song is a great introduction to Built to Spill. This is rock for the introverted and thoughtful listener. The clever lyrics and muddy guitar playing remind me of the best grunge music, but then you come across a melody or a hook that's just mind-blowing in its catchiness. Listen to "Happiness" from the same album and you'll hear strains of country music and folk, but always an undertone of harsh and grinding '90s rock.
The rest of the playlist is populated by musical gems, but I just picked out some of my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy some of this music, and maybe make discoveries for yourself as you explore the albums and artists that Cera so thoughtfully compiled. There's some great music on his playlist.
Well, neither did I, until I started sifting through the iTunes Celebrity playlists. He starts with a track off the completely surreal and avant-garde album Dreams Again by Dion McGregor. This album isn't really comprised of music, but instead is filled with the wild and rambling sleep-talking of Mr. MacGregor. It's weird, but it's completely original. In the same playlist I found Beulah, a now defunct California band who took after the Beach Boys and the Beatles, with a nice swirl of Heatmiser. Their music never sounded Southern California, which is a blessing for anyone who was ever forced to watch the O.C. Ironically enough, one of Beulah's songs was actually used on a soundtrack to that ill-fated and poorly written poseur show. Yoko is my current favorite Beulah album, and is also - unfortunately - their final album.
The band Microphones is also defunct in the most basic sense of the word, and yet Phil Elvrum (who is the band) still records and tours as Mt. Eerie. I'm just letting you know so you don't start thinking that all great bands are now defunct. It just isn't true. The Microphones often remind me of the Moldy Peaches, and yet their albums often feel epic in proportions where the Moldy Peaches work was always understated and rather humble. "You Were In The Air" off of the album Don't Wake Me Up sounds like the progeny of a foghorn and a motorcycle with Elvrum's soft and sweet voice floating over the noise. "Between Your Ear and the Other Ear" from the album It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water sounds like the kind of music that Leslie Feist listened to while she was writing The Reminder. The song is written like a single, and yet it's dissonant and distorted in a way that is incredibly refreshing. "I'm Like You, Tree" from the gorgeous album The Glow Pt. 2 is a tone poem that flows in your mind, and is soft but naggingly persistent in its tree metaphors.
Jim Guthrie should be a star. The thing is that most music-lovers view circuit-bending and video game music's relationship to "real music" in the same way that bibliophiles often view comic books in relation to "literature". One is for adults, and the other is just for kids and adults who want to be kids (I often wonder why you wouldn't want to be a kid instead of an adult. I don't think there are many amazing benefits, but I guess other people see things differently.) This is unfortunate, but I don't really feel bad for all of the people who are missing out. Morning Noon Night by Jim Guthrie was partially created on a Playstation using the MTV Music Generator, but you would never guess that this was the case. Guthrie has strong rock 'n' roll ties, and a voice that often evokes Elliot Smith. I can't really recommend one song over another on Morning Noon Night, because the whole album is excellent.
Last but not least we have the wonderful band Built to Spill. Cera recommends the song "Strange" from the album Ancient Melodies of the Future, and I have to concur that this song is a great introduction to Built to Spill. This is rock for the introverted and thoughtful listener. The clever lyrics and muddy guitar playing remind me of the best grunge music, but then you come across a melody or a hook that's just mind-blowing in its catchiness. Listen to "Happiness" from the same album and you'll hear strains of country music and folk, but always an undertone of harsh and grinding '90s rock.
The rest of the playlist is populated by musical gems, but I just picked out some of my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy some of this music, and maybe make discoveries for yourself as you explore the albums and artists that Cera so thoughtfully compiled. There's some great music on his playlist.
In Defense of Gothic Architecture
In 2003 and 2005, Apollo Sunshine released themed albums. They weren't concept albums per se, but both Katonah and Apollo Sunshine had tying threads running through their songs.
Katonah was experimental and playful, a bit psychedelic, and undeniably original. All of the songs were well-written, capturing different emotional manifestations of the same feelings. "Fear of Heights" propels the listeners forward and in the direction of their dreams, but discusses the pain that results in watching the people around you refuse to fly, refuse even to try, and instead stay firmly planted on the ground. It's followed by "I Was On the Moon", an ode to siblings and to family with a bittersweet dose of regret at the prospect of moving into adulthood. "The Egg" discusses sexuality, and that uncomfortable place between childhood and adulthood; while "Sheets With Stars" takes on the other half of the difficult relationship equation: emotions. These are the highlights of Katonah, and you can probably see a theme peaking through the guitar solos. Katonah is about all of the fears and excitements that go along with growing up.
Apollo Sunshine was a little less delineated, but there are still themes to find, if you some careful listening. Musically, the album separates itself from the pure phantasmagoria of Katonah, moving closer to the country rock of the Band and Creedence Clearwater Revival. "Flip!" is about being transported to "the other side of the world", while "Ghost" is an eerie exploration of an out of body experience. Both of these songs are actually just great metaphors for shifts in mental and physical reality, and both explore in greater depth the loneliness and uncertainty that were so prominent on "Fear of Heights. "A Finger Pointing At the Moon" is a little interlude whose lyrics I will copy here:
What we think is
less than we know.
What we know is
less than we LOVE.
What we love is
so much less than
what there is,
We are so much less
than what we are.
Words are simply
a finger pointing
at the moon,
They’re so far away
and so out of tune.
You can see that it states clearly the inability of words to perfectly capture feelings, but this revelation doesn't seem to lead to frustration. Instead I think it flows neatly into the realization that most important things are uncertain. You aren't ever on stable ground, and the only constant is change. "Phoney Marony" and "Today Is The Day" are about capturing the spontaneity of a moment; while "Eyes" centers around regrets and the importance of following through with your feelings. "Phone Sex" is about relationships that have gone stale because of miscommunication, and "Magnolia" dances all around the discomfort that comes from returning "home" after making your home somewhere else. Apollo Sunshine continues many of the themes on Katonah, but discusses them from a different mindset, and a more mature perspective.
Today, Apollo Sunshine released Shall Noise Upon, which looks to be the most epic of their albums. At sixteen songs it's the longest album released by Apollo Sunshine, and with a quick listen it sounds like it's the most musically varied. I'm not going to break down the songs for you (today), because I feel like Apollo Sunshine's albums benefit from listening time. Many of the nuances of the songs are only experienced after many listens.
Apollo Sunshine are creating tonal puzzles, and it would be inconsiderate of me to try to review the album after only a cursory listen. Instead, I will give my lovely readers something to think about, and hopefully I will explain my post title a little bit.
The title is a small homage to the architect John Ruskin who believed that Gothic architecture was the embodiment of the purest emotional feeling in architecture. In his mind it was the epitome of architecture as art. Where the Greek and Roman arches were wishy-washy, Gothic arches were absolute and unyielding. The often monstrous decorations on the Gothic structures were viewed by Ruskin as the purest expression of freedom by the craftsmen. Many architects believe that beauty in the many forms of architecture is expressed when the artist perfectly adheres to the prescribed form, and with this in mind architects often argue that Gothic architecture is crude and simplistic. Ruskin believed that the true beauty of Gothic architecture lies in its variety and the creativity expressed with raw, harsh, and often wonderfully human (flawed) designs. As I clicked through the songs on Shall Noise Upon, I couldn't help but think of Ruskin and his Gothic architecture. Some people will argue that Apollo Sunshine's music has become less stream-lined on this new album, and they're correct, but this doesn't mean that the music is any less poignant or layered. Instead, I think the band has reached a new level of freedom of expression, one that is uninhibited by adherence to genre or structure. Shall Noise Upon is raw like the best Gothic architecture.
Katonah was experimental and playful, a bit psychedelic, and undeniably original. All of the songs were well-written, capturing different emotional manifestations of the same feelings. "Fear of Heights" propels the listeners forward and in the direction of their dreams, but discusses the pain that results in watching the people around you refuse to fly, refuse even to try, and instead stay firmly planted on the ground. It's followed by "I Was On the Moon", an ode to siblings and to family with a bittersweet dose of regret at the prospect of moving into adulthood. "The Egg" discusses sexuality, and that uncomfortable place between childhood and adulthood; while "Sheets With Stars" takes on the other half of the difficult relationship equation: emotions. These are the highlights of Katonah, and you can probably see a theme peaking through the guitar solos. Katonah is about all of the fears and excitements that go along with growing up.
Apollo Sunshine was a little less delineated, but there are still themes to find, if you some careful listening. Musically, the album separates itself from the pure phantasmagoria of Katonah, moving closer to the country rock of the Band and Creedence Clearwater Revival. "Flip!" is about being transported to "the other side of the world", while "Ghost" is an eerie exploration of an out of body experience. Both of these songs are actually just great metaphors for shifts in mental and physical reality, and both explore in greater depth the loneliness and uncertainty that were so prominent on "Fear of Heights. "A Finger Pointing At the Moon" is a little interlude whose lyrics I will copy here:
What we think is
less than we know.
What we know is
less than we LOVE.
What we love is
so much less than
what there is,
We are so much less
than what we are.
Words are simply
a finger pointing
at the moon,
They’re so far away
and so out of tune.
You can see that it states clearly the inability of words to perfectly capture feelings, but this revelation doesn't seem to lead to frustration. Instead I think it flows neatly into the realization that most important things are uncertain. You aren't ever on stable ground, and the only constant is change. "Phoney Marony" and "Today Is The Day" are about capturing the spontaneity of a moment; while "Eyes" centers around regrets and the importance of following through with your feelings. "Phone Sex" is about relationships that have gone stale because of miscommunication, and "Magnolia" dances all around the discomfort that comes from returning "home" after making your home somewhere else. Apollo Sunshine continues many of the themes on Katonah, but discusses them from a different mindset, and a more mature perspective.
Today, Apollo Sunshine released Shall Noise Upon, which looks to be the most epic of their albums. At sixteen songs it's the longest album released by Apollo Sunshine, and with a quick listen it sounds like it's the most musically varied. I'm not going to break down the songs for you (today), because I feel like Apollo Sunshine's albums benefit from listening time. Many of the nuances of the songs are only experienced after many listens.
Apollo Sunshine are creating tonal puzzles, and it would be inconsiderate of me to try to review the album after only a cursory listen. Instead, I will give my lovely readers something to think about, and hopefully I will explain my post title a little bit.
The title is a small homage to the architect John Ruskin who believed that Gothic architecture was the embodiment of the purest emotional feeling in architecture. In his mind it was the epitome of architecture as art. Where the Greek and Roman arches were wishy-washy, Gothic arches were absolute and unyielding. The often monstrous decorations on the Gothic structures were viewed by Ruskin as the purest expression of freedom by the craftsmen. Many architects believe that beauty in the many forms of architecture is expressed when the artist perfectly adheres to the prescribed form, and with this in mind architects often argue that Gothic architecture is crude and simplistic. Ruskin believed that the true beauty of Gothic architecture lies in its variety and the creativity expressed with raw, harsh, and often wonderfully human (flawed) designs. As I clicked through the songs on Shall Noise Upon, I couldn't help but think of Ruskin and his Gothic architecture. Some people will argue that Apollo Sunshine's music has become less stream-lined on this new album, and they're correct, but this doesn't mean that the music is any less poignant or layered. Instead, I think the band has reached a new level of freedom of expression, one that is uninhibited by adherence to genre or structure. Shall Noise Upon is raw like the best Gothic architecture.
04 August, 2008
"Who Will Watch the Watchmen?"
The song is "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" by the Smashing Pumpkins.
03 August, 2008
Out of the frying pan, and into the Mojave
Seasonal music transitions can be just as important as seasonal clothing transitions. What would happen if I continued to listen to my Christmas music in June, July, and August? It would get old really fast, and would probably lose some its seasonal charm to my inappropriate listening habits. Alternately, if I replayed Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On" before the leaves were changing colors and falling all around, well that just wouldn't be very true to the spirit of the song, would it?
Staying on this theme Sea Lion by the Ruby Suns is the kind of album that is best enjoyed when the breaking of the clouds into flashing rain storms are a wonderful respite from the oppressive August heat. It's the point in the summer when I'm thankful for the dark of night after a long hot day. With a crackling bonfire, grilled feast, and good company, there's nothing more seasonally enjoyable than a soundtrack that feeds on primal energy. "Blue Penguin" sneaks in with the dusk, treading softly into your eardrums and relieving your brain from the heaviness that it felt as the temperature rose steadily to ninety. The song reminds me of a quietly tuning orchestra mixed with Ravi Shankar's autobiographical soundtrack. There are vaguely Eastern influences in the playing of the instruments, but there are also some science fiction sound effects and mumbling voices that give the whole song a creole texture. "Oh, Mojave" is strongly percussive, drawing on South American and African musical influences, while the whole song is a strong prayer to the intensely American desert. The music draws strongly on tribal songs, and is probably an homage to Native American music, but ends with an explosive noise and then the sound of metallic pinging off a rocky wall. "Tane Mahuta" is also dedicated to a famous natural landmark, although this time the landmark is very huggable. In New Zealand there is a tree called the Tane Mahuta which in the Maori language means "Lord of the Forest". I want to see this tree, and when I see it I want to be singing this song. The style is somewhat similar to the calypso rambling guitar lines of Vampire Weekend and Bedouin Soundclash, but this song is less accessible to the purely indie rock set. "There Are Birds" brings us back to the sounds of the Shins and New Order. The song is precision computer rock, but it never lacks heart, and it continues the Ruby Suns' album long love affair with nature. "It's Mwangi in Front of Me" sounds like some wonderful hybrid of Brian Wilson and Antony & the Johnsons, while I can even hear the ghost of a barbershop quartet skirting the background. This song is ethereal, but also heavy with humming sounds that wouldn't be out of place in a living jungle. There are hoots, and hushed whispers, and always the chattering of the insects and the wet rustling leaves. "Remember" is an uninhibited waltz, where the standards of the song are broken down. It's as if the Ruby Suns have purposely slowed down time - shutting off the rushing hustle and bustle, the ever-present need to stare at the clock or watch - and are just enjoying their commune with the real world instead of the fuzzy human construct that can so distort the important things in life. "Remember" is a sunset prayer. "Ole Rinka" takes on the musical tone of a drizzly rain, and has an almost mournful feeling. "Adventure Tour" reminds me of the Beatles more creative pieces, and is most definitely an ode to yomping (I'm not allowed to use the word "tramping", as in "tramping through the woods"). Then there's the burgeoning beauty of "Kenya Dig It?", which could have found its way onto the soundtrack to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory along with "Pure Imagination". It's fantastic in the best sense of the word, and it's also childlike and fun. The album finale is "Morning Sun" which has a electric whine and wail that is the tonal equivalent to the early morning rays of sunshine stretching sleepily across the sky. The pressure grows and grows, as the cool night fades away. Just remember that when the night comes again, you'll want Sea Lion in your stereo.
Staying on this theme Sea Lion by the Ruby Suns is the kind of album that is best enjoyed when the breaking of the clouds into flashing rain storms are a wonderful respite from the oppressive August heat. It's the point in the summer when I'm thankful for the dark of night after a long hot day. With a crackling bonfire, grilled feast, and good company, there's nothing more seasonally enjoyable than a soundtrack that feeds on primal energy. "Blue Penguin" sneaks in with the dusk, treading softly into your eardrums and relieving your brain from the heaviness that it felt as the temperature rose steadily to ninety. The song reminds me of a quietly tuning orchestra mixed with Ravi Shankar's autobiographical soundtrack. There are vaguely Eastern influences in the playing of the instruments, but there are also some science fiction sound effects and mumbling voices that give the whole song a creole texture. "Oh, Mojave" is strongly percussive, drawing on South American and African musical influences, while the whole song is a strong prayer to the intensely American desert. The music draws strongly on tribal songs, and is probably an homage to Native American music, but ends with an explosive noise and then the sound of metallic pinging off a rocky wall. "Tane Mahuta" is also dedicated to a famous natural landmark, although this time the landmark is very huggable. In New Zealand there is a tree called the Tane Mahuta which in the Maori language means "Lord of the Forest". I want to see this tree, and when I see it I want to be singing this song. The style is somewhat similar to the calypso rambling guitar lines of Vampire Weekend and Bedouin Soundclash, but this song is less accessible to the purely indie rock set. "There Are Birds" brings us back to the sounds of the Shins and New Order. The song is precision computer rock, but it never lacks heart, and it continues the Ruby Suns' album long love affair with nature. "It's Mwangi in Front of Me" sounds like some wonderful hybrid of Brian Wilson and Antony & the Johnsons, while I can even hear the ghost of a barbershop quartet skirting the background. This song is ethereal, but also heavy with humming sounds that wouldn't be out of place in a living jungle. There are hoots, and hushed whispers, and always the chattering of the insects and the wet rustling leaves. "Remember" is an uninhibited waltz, where the standards of the song are broken down. It's as if the Ruby Suns have purposely slowed down time - shutting off the rushing hustle and bustle, the ever-present need to stare at the clock or watch - and are just enjoying their commune with the real world instead of the fuzzy human construct that can so distort the important things in life. "Remember" is a sunset prayer. "Ole Rinka" takes on the musical tone of a drizzly rain, and has an almost mournful feeling. "Adventure Tour" reminds me of the Beatles more creative pieces, and is most definitely an ode to yomping (I'm not allowed to use the word "tramping", as in "tramping through the woods"). Then there's the burgeoning beauty of "Kenya Dig It?", which could have found its way onto the soundtrack to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory along with "Pure Imagination". It's fantastic in the best sense of the word, and it's also childlike and fun. The album finale is "Morning Sun" which has a electric whine and wail that is the tonal equivalent to the early morning rays of sunshine stretching sleepily across the sky. The pressure grows and grows, as the cool night fades away. Just remember that when the night comes again, you'll want Sea Lion in your stereo.
01 August, 2008
Mygosh, It's August?
First things first. Can anyone else believe that it's already August? I'm a little thrown by this temporal revelation. Time is not as cut and dried as it would at first seem.
Second, I've just "discovered" Paul Baribeau, and I think I'm in love. Strike that: THIS IS LOVE. He's a male version of Kimya Dawson, who's slightly more neurotic and a little less overwhelmingly uninhibited. He strikes me as the kind of introverted boy who dresses in plaid shirts and writes sonnets to his "Dark Lady" inspired by the many twinkling stars in the Midwestern sky. At the same time, there are songs where Paul is so exuberant, improvisational, and energetic you can't help but be carried away by the sentiment. If you listen to his self-titled album (released in 2004), then you can hear the roughness of emotion like a scratchy beard on "I Thought I Could Find You", "When You Go Back To College", and the beautiful ode to beauty "Strawberry". "Blue Eyes" is about being haunted by the eyes of a person who has peered into your soul only to move across the country, and it hurts when you listen. There's also "I Miss That Band" which is about losing part of your youth to time, but having all the memories preserved on tape (or album/cd) ready to remind you of your loss.
Moving forward in that fourth dimension, you'll find Baribeau's second album Grand Ledge a bit of a departure from the innocence of Paul Baribeau. It's not that his sound is darker, and he certainly doesn't sound bitter or disillusioned to the point of hopelessness; instead, I can hear a ticking clock in the background, a more persistent knowledge that our time on this earth is not infinite. It's a subtle thread in "Christmas Lights" that is amplified by the line: "Sometimes I don't want to make new friends, sometimes I just miss my old friends." The theme is less subtle on "Ten Things" which is a wailing, deep-belly laundry list to ponder. This song reminds me of a good friend who regularly asks for my list of the top five best and worst things in my life. It's a poignant question, and it makes the answering person slow down and separate the good and bad parts of their life into easily digested bites. Sometimes you just have to make a list (and this advice is coming from a person who generally likes to throw plans out the window). "Falling In Love With Your Best Friend" recounts that feeling of falling apart when you're just starting to put things together. The friendship to love transition can be more painful than the head-over-heels effect, because (generally) you don't want to jeopardize a good relationship by forcing it into a different category. Again Baribeau hits his mark, and translates raw emotion into song. "Things I Wish" is a sweet song that gains a fantastic quality when Baribeau spontaneously breaks into "lalalas".
I guess spontaneity is really the buzzword for the Paul Baribeau sound. He seems like the kind of guy who might get nervous in front of a crowd, but for the love of music he continues to perform and eventually goes beyond caring about his audience's perceptions. It's all about the truth of the moment, and in this way Baribeau succeeds in bottling emotions that are tangible and honest. Music like this is very difficult to find, and should be savored when a "discovery" like Baribeau is made.
Strawberry (LIVE)
Ten Things (LIVE)
Second, I've just "discovered" Paul Baribeau, and I think I'm in love. Strike that: THIS IS LOVE. He's a male version of Kimya Dawson, who's slightly more neurotic and a little less overwhelmingly uninhibited. He strikes me as the kind of introverted boy who dresses in plaid shirts and writes sonnets to his "Dark Lady" inspired by the many twinkling stars in the Midwestern sky. At the same time, there are songs where Paul is so exuberant, improvisational, and energetic you can't help but be carried away by the sentiment. If you listen to his self-titled album (released in 2004), then you can hear the roughness of emotion like a scratchy beard on "I Thought I Could Find You", "When You Go Back To College", and the beautiful ode to beauty "Strawberry". "Blue Eyes" is about being haunted by the eyes of a person who has peered into your soul only to move across the country, and it hurts when you listen. There's also "I Miss That Band" which is about losing part of your youth to time, but having all the memories preserved on tape (or album/cd) ready to remind you of your loss.
Moving forward in that fourth dimension, you'll find Baribeau's second album Grand Ledge a bit of a departure from the innocence of Paul Baribeau. It's not that his sound is darker, and he certainly doesn't sound bitter or disillusioned to the point of hopelessness; instead, I can hear a ticking clock in the background, a more persistent knowledge that our time on this earth is not infinite. It's a subtle thread in "Christmas Lights" that is amplified by the line: "Sometimes I don't want to make new friends, sometimes I just miss my old friends." The theme is less subtle on "Ten Things" which is a wailing, deep-belly laundry list to ponder. This song reminds me of a good friend who regularly asks for my list of the top five best and worst things in my life. It's a poignant question, and it makes the answering person slow down and separate the good and bad parts of their life into easily digested bites. Sometimes you just have to make a list (and this advice is coming from a person who generally likes to throw plans out the window). "Falling In Love With Your Best Friend" recounts that feeling of falling apart when you're just starting to put things together. The friendship to love transition can be more painful than the head-over-heels effect, because (generally) you don't want to jeopardize a good relationship by forcing it into a different category. Again Baribeau hits his mark, and translates raw emotion into song. "Things I Wish" is a sweet song that gains a fantastic quality when Baribeau spontaneously breaks into "lalalas".
I guess spontaneity is really the buzzword for the Paul Baribeau sound. He seems like the kind of guy who might get nervous in front of a crowd, but for the love of music he continues to perform and eventually goes beyond caring about his audience's perceptions. It's all about the truth of the moment, and in this way Baribeau succeeds in bottling emotions that are tangible and honest. Music like this is very difficult to find, and should be savored when a "discovery" like Baribeau is made.
Strawberry (LIVE)
Ten Things (LIVE)
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