Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By

Kitty update: She's holding on only by virtue of scheduling. I originally had an appointment for her to, well, you know, go to that final appointment in the sky yesterday, but I had difficulty trying to find an empathetic vet assistant for that day (please--when I'm making arrangements to put my cat to sleep, don't say you'll have to "put her on ice" for the weekend) so I'm waiting until Tuesday because I have Veteran's day off. I'm going to spend the morning with her and then we'll take her out to my favorite vet and vet assistant who moved to the other side of town (when you live in the city with the largest land mass in the United States, "the other side of town" is a long way off.) Until then, we're hanging out. I'm trying to make sure she lasts until Tuesday.

Oh, some good news :) I heard KaiserCartel's "Oh No" in the grocery store. They're one of my top favorite new bands, and since I don't listen to the radio, I never know when one of the bands I listen to makes it to the population's consciousness. Their subconscious, at least.

We Landed On The Moon, "The Night Was Open"

This reminds me of the spirited indie music I started listening to as far back as the 80's. The first "independent" song I ever obsessed over was The March Violet's "Turn To The Sky" (Youtube clip). I listened to that song every day for years. Seriously--I was still listening to it in college and that was the early 90's. The vocals in "The Night Was Open" have this same clear, soaring quality--piercing through the surface of the song, sailing above the instruments. The music lets the vocalist lead, but it doesn't let itself become diminished. It's as much a star as the vocals. The guitar alternates between bright, starry notes and full, insistent charging. Each style representing the overall feel of that moment in the song: the song itself thrashes to a crescendo in some parts and then softens to a poignant, sparse echo, with only a few guitar notes and her lovely voice overlaying the space.

CD Baby site (the band's website redirects to their Myspace page)
Myspace

During the planning and discussion phases of going to the moon (hey, the trip doesn't plan itself)


Aquella Ilusion, "Como Yo Te Creo"

I do not know what the lyrics mean (I unfortunately don't know Spanish), but it sure is a pretty song. At 1:40, it's also over before it's done. I would love to hear more of the bright, lightly played piano. I'd love for the song to pursue the keyboard bit that ushers the song out. It starts to take a very prog-rock early 80's direction. I want to hear him get his ELO on. Though I wish there more to the song, the loveliness of the orchestration and the timelessness of the melody creates a song that's rich, full and consequently better developed than a lot of longer songs. I guess it's true: size doesn't matter. *ducks to avoid hurled tomatoes*


Website
Myspace
More songs at Music.download.com


Half of Aquella Ilusion


Retroactive:

Sufjan Stevens, "Casimir Pulaski's Day"

This song is about four years old, but it's one of my favorite songs ever. It's also one of those songs I can't listen to much because it makes me cry so much. It's a song about experiencing death second-hand. It's about someone very close to you dying slowly, gradually. While I'm not going to compare my situation to a human dying, it feels like it to me. Quatsch has been the closest to a child I've had, and to me she is my child. So, this is one of those songs I think about when I think about what's happening to her (though I hope I find some non-weepy songs to remind me of her, too)


Listen

Label site
Myspace


Thrift stores are great