Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By

(PODCAST SHOWNOTES ARE IN THE POST BEFORE THIS ONE. I ALSO HAVE PICTURES FROM THE PUB CRAWL I WENT ON LAST WEEK, IN THE POST BEFORE).

See Me River, "Ed Jackson"

Before you get lost in the sway of this song, get carried away by the breezy melody, I'll go ahead and give you a heads-up on the subject matter. It details the truly tragic and bizarre story of a man who set his apartment on fire and then shot himself because his landlord was forcing him out of where he'd lived for 80 years. I hope that didn't deflate any of the melodic beauty of the song for you. The song is aesthetically pretty--leavening my emotions, relaxing and dissolving much of the tension I've built up over the week. The guitar skates on top of the melody; barely touching it--just skirting the song like a flock of birds on a calm, steady lake. The singer's voice is soothing--taming and caressing the rest of the song. Smooth, but with a hint of gruff to keep it from being overly polished. So my advice: listen carefuly to the lyrics, read the explanation of the story in this KEXP article, bow your head and think of Ed Jackson for a few minutes, and then close your eyes and enjoy the song. You'll probably still remember the grisly details of the lyrics, but it's possible to appreciate this song on both the aesthetic level (pretty!) and the topical (WTF? He did what?).


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The Society Of People Who Wear Black (SOPWWB) think they see a colorful shirt in the distance. They must pounce quickly, lest it get away and corrupt the world.


QR5, "Revisited Gone"

This is a little bit of an older song (3 or so years). I have such a fondness for this band, though, that I'm willing to go against my usual M.O. of posting relatively new songs (less than six months or so). I originally planned to play "Dreams" (available for stream on their Myspace) but the only mp3 I found expired. Back when I started writing this blog, I only wrote very short blurbs about the songs I featured, but I remember how much I loved QR5's "The Easiest Lines" and "Fallen Tree"..I may have been short-worded then, but those songs resonated with me. When I heard "Dreams" and "Revisited Gone" today, I remembered exactly who they were and I relived the same reaction I had almost four years ago when I first heard them. The voice is warped in a wiry, wrought iron kind of way. Like he's wrapped his voice around so many songs that it's started to bend into the shape of the instruments. The music is relaxed, in no hurry to reach whatever destination the singer intends. It's content to exist, much as I am as I listen to it.

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Thanks to Cable and Tweed for the mp3 link


No one hates Brady jokes more than I do ("Here's a story...), so I'll just simply write "QR5".


Architecture in Helskinki, "That Beep"

This is one of the bands that I've heard of for years, but I hadn't heard much of their music; something in their name suggested to me that they were a Scandinavian Metal or Industrial band, so I never thought much about them. Well, they're pretty opposite of a Metal or industrial band, unless those bands play pop music--sweet, sweet, techno pop music. Pop music that'll stick to your shoe. I can't tell you for sure what the song's about--the lyrics are kind of incongruous. I think she's talking to an ex (though maybe only a one-night ex).. She said she never knew the person's middle name, but she's waiting on his/her "dynamite". She also talks about evil lovers and eights and nines. Maybe she's a cylon. I think it doesn't matter much what the lyrics mean :) I think it's just good fun, and for someone like me who listens to ALOT of heartbreaking, sincerely contemplative folk music, a little fun helps buoy me back up.

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I wonder if I'm the only one reading this old enough to remember Romper Room. This reminds me of that show.

Episode 65, My Mother Would Be Uncomfortable

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New Theme Music! Maus Haus, "We Used Technology (But Technology Let Us Down)"
(No website listed)
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The Kooks, ""Always Where I Need To Be"" (Live from WOXY)
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Matisyahu, "Smash Lies"
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Matthew Ryan, "Misundercould"
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Ugly Casanova,, "Things I Don't Remember" (This song's a little explicit. Just a little).
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Joker's Daughter, "Worm's Head"
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Mr. Gnome, "Pirates"
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These United States, "Slow Crow Over" (From WOXY)
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Soundpool, "Pleasure and Pain" (Oops. Sometimes I wait to long to post these and the links expire. This link has expired).
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Ehhh...pain

Pub Crawl, February 21st, 2009

I apologize for the way my beer consumption last night will probably affect my writing today and my podcasting.


Eric and me in front of the double decker bus


Don't worry--my cup was empty (for that moment, anyway)

More pictures

I'm working on the podcast next. Then eventually the post. Ow my head hurts.

Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By

Thanks to Cute Overload for the link to the photo

Okay, folkses. Dis is deh deal. I'm sick. My head is all stuffed full of gunk, and it's leaking. I ain't in fine form. I've been drinking tea all day (I didn't even drink coffee!) and I've been taking herbal supplements and Dayquil. I'm going to drink some Acai juice in a few minutes. Nothing has been helping. Of course insisting on trudging to the movie theater in the rain last night probably didn't help. It was Valentine's! I wanted to see Coraline! Great movie, btw. I love stop-motion. Maybe it's cause I'm naturally slow. I can identify with the characters.

Anyhoo, this post may not be up to my usual snuff, because of, you know, all the stuff in my head. Also, I only had two songs picked out before I got sick. I tried to listen to songs yesterday so that I could find a third song, but everything sounded tinny and far away. I couldn't really listen well to the music so I gave up. it's going to make the reviews for the two songs I do have hard to write!

Faunts, "Feel. Love. Thinking. Of."

Ooh...I feel very fuzzy-brained right now. Very hazy. That's mostly 'cause I'm sick. However, I've always had a thing for ambient, fuzzy music, and look! Here's a very fuzzy, poppy song (poppy in a good way). Now I just need to be floating in space like I do in some of my dreams. The chorus of this song reminds me of Mates of State--a more atmospheric Mates of State, slowed down by 50%. Slowed down like my reflexes, after I take my cold medicine.

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The one poor sod on the right looks hopelessly at the camera, wondering when his band mates will quit waiting for Spiderman to climb up the window. "It's never going to happen", he thinks sullenly to himself.

Odawas, "Harmless Lover's Discourse"

If the last song made me feel like I was floating into space, this song makes me feel like I've been there a long, long time. I feel a little like space may be opening up its song to me. Maybe that's just the cold medicine. Nope, I think the stars are singing to me. Huh...the planets are gorgeous on the piano. It's like they're playing just for me. Appropriately, the song has the lyric "this could be your last day on earth". I feel like mine was Wednesday, when I first started getting sick. Now I'm way past the asteroid belt. This song will definitely inspire some of my Dayquil dreams and Nyquil nights.

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More mp3s available here


Murky, opaque, illusory. Like their music. I like it.

Episode 64, You Say Tomato, I Say Something Else

The song post is in the post before this one.

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New Theme Music! Maus Haus, "We Used Technology (But Technology Let Us Down)"
(No website listed)
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Illinois, "Hang On" (Download link is in the middle)
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(From the EP The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe, Chapter 1)

Peter Broderick, "And It's Alright"
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You Say Party, We Say Die!, "Opportunity (Montag Remix)"
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Greg Laswell, "I'm Not Out" (demo)
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Alina Simone, "Beware"
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Bell X1, "How Your Heart is Wired"
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Teargas & Plateglass, "One Day Across The Valley"
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Tyler Ramsey, "Long Dream"
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Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By

**The podcast show notes will up tomorrow. Normally I post the show notes before the blog post, but I told some people I'd have this post up today, and I'm not going to have to time to look up all the information for the show notes today**

Greg Laswell, "How The Day Sounds"

How The Day Sounds


This guy is awesome. I've loved every song I've heard from him. I played "Sing, Theresa Says" (video) a few years ago. I heard "How The Day Sounds" on Paste Magazine's compilation #46. It's one of those songs that'll make me stop whatever I'm doing and listen. Most days I complain about the annoyances of life, but here's a guy who's having a wonderful time. It reminds me that I, too, can enjoy at least a moment of the day. Even if it's the small part of the day I'm not under pressure at work. Maybe it's that part of the day my co-worker played "Thriller" and I danced in the aisle. Or the moment we all came together for the "Wear Red For Women" event. Or the medieval festival I went to last weekend. Whatever, the moment of the day is, this song helps me to remember to appreciate it. It's sad that I have to be reminded, but maybe if I take a moment every day to enjoy myself, eventually I won't have to be reminded. Unfortunately, I can't find a "legitimate" free mp3 for the studio version of the song for you to enjoy. I could e-mail the record label, but I want to get this song on my blog this weekend, so I don't have time. I did write the promotion company, and they said they'd get back to me. I want to go ahead and get this up, though. I did find a live version for download. There's also a video of the performance.

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Paste Magazine
Greg Laswell's playing not far from me on February 22nd. I may actually brave the cold, stay up past midnight on a Sunday night and go.


Greg Laswell is laughing. I guess the day said something funny


Glasvegas, "Geraldine" (the download mp3 button is on the left of the page, not far below their picture)

This song is totally addicting. I want to listen to it over and over. It totally persuades me of the power of Geraldine. I think she may be a rock star. (Actually, I like to believe that she's Geraldine: the saucy, unapologetic vicar from the great British show Vicar of Dibley). She sounds totally awesome. I think I want to do whatever she tells me. If I start walking backwards, I think she will right me. If I'm tired, I think she'll make me better. Oh, but wait. That might be Geraldine's subversive plan. It seems from the lyrics that Geraldine may have a bit of a Florence Nightingale complex. Seems like she likes to befriend misguided, confused, prescription-soaked souls and make them depend completely on her. It appears that she likes people to need her. She wants to be people's "shepards" and "guides". If someone starts to fall, she'll talk him or her "off the ledge". If they've gone on a wayward path, she'll "turn [their] tide" Hmmm...sounds a little like...Oprah. Or the leader of a cult. Kind of hard to put a distinction on it.*

Glasvegas get the award for the best epilepsy inducing website ever.
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Video

*Of course, if they meant this as a serious ode to the work and challenges of social workers the world over, that's cool too. I know their job ain't easy, but it's sadly needed.


I think Caroline McKay of Glasvegas is staring at the ceiling, wondering if the land of Glasvegas is made entirely of glass. And if so, how does anyone get any privacy?


Marissa Nadler, "River of Dirt" (Thanks to Filter Magazine for the link)

Marissa Nadler's voice feels filtered through 50 years of country music's ghostly past. I would say it was fueled by the ghosts of female country's best, but most of them are still alive (except Patsy Cline...perhaps she's the one I hear). There is certainly a morbid overlay to Nadler's music; I could hear this playing at the end of a David Lynch movie--maybe Wild at Heart. Maybe a song that would play on that deserted, dusty, darkened road as Sherilynn Finn stumbles from the car wreck, pulling her sopping, blood-soaked hand from the back of her head. Or maybe Twin Peaks, as we see Laura Palmer meet her fate. There's something lonely about this song, but it's a noble, purposefull lonesomeness. She's the storyteller, hovering above whatever sad, human story is being told. Recounting and lamenting the events--the first and last one to convey the remorse of whatever regrettable scene has just occured.

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Marissa Nadler's blog


Marissa Nadler is wearing an awesome dress

Amy MacDonald

I'm going to try to find some mp3s for her. In case I don't, though, here's a video. I like this song a lot.

Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By

Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By

I'm sorry about last week, folks. It was a bad week. I had intended to post something Thursday, but I got mad at my doctor (I HATE corporate physician offices. I didn't know the office was part of a corporation before I went, though). I had a question after the doctor left me, and they wouldn't let me ask her. They didn't even offer to take my name down and have her call me) so I spent most of the day in a state of seething. Yesterday I had fun, though. I went to a Medieval Faire in Gainesville. If you ever get a chance to see the acrobatic act Barely Balanced, do it. They are phenomenal. Or, buy one of their DVDs. The cool thing is they're not as those big time troupes. They're "one of us". They're funny and personable, in addition to being very disciplined and talented.

Ex-Norwegian, "Something Unreal"

I love Scandinavian music of all kinds: The Swedish, The Norwegian, and since the Icelanders originally came from that area, we'll lump them in with the Scandinavians. But an Ex-Scandinavian? Why would anyone want to be ex-Norwegian? Norway rocks! (Sweden, I love you too...)

But wait...what is this their Myspace says? They're from...Miami? Is that a little known town in Norway? I know there's a town in my state called Miami. But surely an outfit calling itself "Ex-Norwegian" wouldn't be setting up its operation in the home of Miami Vice and Making Mr. Right? (Okay, I really loved Making Mr. Right). Why on earth would a group of people from the cold north come to the heat-stroke center of America?

Oh. Maybe it's cause they're not actually Scandinavian. Maybe they're actually from Miami and just got the name from a Monty Python sketch. D'oh! Well, that's alright. Monty Python is awesome, and you know what? This band's music is as hopping as any of my favorite Scandinavian musicians: I could see Jens Lekman recording a slower, more reflective version of this song, but in his version something tragic would happen. Someone would lose an appendage or get kidnapped by a nefarious cab driver. The more I listen to this song, though, the more I hear British influences: The Kinks pop to mind--I'm reminded particularly of the brilliant, but un-complicated "You Really Got Me". Ex-Norwegian weaves several British invasion influences from the 60's: The Turtles (they did the song "Happy Together", coincidentally featured in the movie Making Mr. Right), The Beatles' poppier moments, and maybe a little of The Moody Blues, without the psychedelia ("Tuesday Afternoon", for example). It's one of those songs that'll be timeless. If you hear it in 20 years, it'll sound as fresh as it does today, much like those songs from 40 years ago.

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Even their cover art is timeless. (Photo by Flavia Molinar)


The Old Ceremony, "Til My Voice Is Gone"

I love the orchestral start-up of this song, and the way it morphs into a very Arcade Fire-like co-mingling of instruments. What stands out the most, though, is the singer. He strongly asserts each note, in a straight-forward, but emphatic style. Each word is clear--no fussy, ornamental vocal stylings (which in a world with American Idol, this is a welcome change). The no-fuss attitude of his singing supports his message. He sings about hard times coming "one after another", "wave after wave". He won't give in, though: he won't "ask for help or run away " from the problem. His mantra is he "will sing [his] tune until [his] voice is gone". It's a song about standing your ground, knowing you're doing the right thing, and being proud of yourself, despite how other people try to run you down. Words to live by, most days...

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"Dude...I told you. Despite our suits and our hair styles, we are not the Beatles. But that would be kind of cool to be The Beatles..."


Anathallo, "Cafetorium"

An Anathallo song is more of a project than a "song". An Anathallo song sounds built--constructed out of gymnastic vocal jumps, latched to the other vocal pieces at oddly synched angles. The groundwork is constructed of a series of staccato guitar and bass rails, with some brass for, well, brass. They mostly stabilize the high-wire vocals that often reach into the falsetto, but occassionally they assert their own piece of the structure. Deconstructing this complex puzzle would bring the whole thing tumbling down. An Anathallo "song" is a piece of architecture: not just a piece of music, but a three dimensional experience.

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Anathallo stage an intervention for the camera. The band is worried about the camera's drinking. In retaliation, Camera refuses to light their pictures properly.