I'm still exhausted. I've gotten over the illness, but being sick made my back much worse than it's ever been, and I'm still in pain because of it. I'm also tired because this was a tough week. I was in a skit at work Thursday. I wrote and performed a poem and I also wrote the outline of the skit and the bits in between. All of my concentration went to that--by the time Friday came I was almost crying with exhaustion. Yesterday, even though I was tired, we went to the Highland Scottish games. We got there late, though, and missed the actual games.
This is my roundabout way of saying that I'm only going to do two songs this week. I've written the blurbs for both of them, but I think I need to take a nap now. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Bon Iver, "Blood Bank"
This is by far the prettiest blood bank song I've ever heard. And there are so many...okay, so I know of none. No songs about blood banks, or hooking up with people at blood banks (unless its vampire related). This song is a snapshot in time: two people going to the blood bank together (who really wants to go there alone?). The girl* remarks that the guy's blood looks like his brother's blood. They go out to the car to eat candy bars and recuperate. Recurperation leads to kissing...then kissing leads to the guy admitting to himself that he loves the girl ("loves [her] honor, loves [her] cheeks", and presumably the secrets that he knows she has.) I get very faint when I give blood, but if I knew it could lead to a little sumpin' sumpin' I might've donated blood more. Of course I would probably be too faint to get the little sumpin' sumpin'...
*he says it's a girl in the song. Just letting ya know I'm not assuming.
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Bon Iver appears on the charity album Dark Was The Night. It's from the Red Hot organization, and if you're my age or older, you may remember the original Red Hot and Blue album. I loved that dang thing. I played it every day for months. From the playlist, it looks like this new album may be just as good (if not more).
Justin Vernon of Bon Iver lives in a mirror. Little known fact.
Neko Case, "Middle Cyclone"
I know--I just posted a song from her a month and a half ago. How could I say no to this, though? This song is a gem. Soft, trudging guitar strumming, light piano notes (that actually could be a xylophone--I'm not sure) and Neko's sad, lush voice all relay a lullabye that will cause any stoic being to cry him or herself to sleep. The way she puts her predicament is not typical, though the predicament is one of the oldest known: She asks if someone made a fool of her, because she "can show them how its done", implying, of course, that it's been done many, many times before. She wants to "ride the bus to the outskirts of the fact that [she] needs love". She sees her need for love as a place. Probably a place she's visualized many times in her head. Maybe a broken down, lonely, isolated place. Probably has a faded, old "Coca-cola" sign falling off its hinges. Lots of spiderwebs on the benches. Or maybe that's just what my place would look like. That's her power, though--we empathize because we've felt it before. We really connect with the song, though, because we recognize the strength of her emotion. The bonding is even stronger because of the feelings of isolation. Maybe listening to a song like this can bring all of us poor, isolated sods together.
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Neko Case and friend
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