The Watson Twins have decisively stepped out from behind the shadow of an album called Rabbit Coat Fur, on which they sang back-up for Jenny Lewis, a.k.a. the female indie force of 2006. They've proven that they're equals, musically and vocally, with the best of the indie world. The voice is rich, expressive and clear--perfect for a song such as this: modern, but very remiscent of the girl group songs of the 60s (songs I loved). A love-lorn message, background "ooh ooh"s and bright, sparse music put to mind that time when a beautiful voice was gold and a message could be simple but applicable across humanity.
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Only one of the Watson Twins knows it's not raining
Bon Iver, "Re: Stacks" (Not a direct link--live from Daytrotter)
Oh, melancholy. I invite you in, yet I always feel the urge to take a million B vitamins once you're here. This song has a wintery, melancholic thread to it, familiar to someone such as myself who dreams whole days away and certainly engaging to those of us who occasionally like to (for fun; never profit) rumenate on sad subjects. I can't tell you what the lyrics are about, but I can point out some of the more isolating phrases. Early on, he says "All my love was down in a frozen ground". Still later he's taunted by a bird and he asks "Whatever could it be that has brought me to this loss?" I'm not sure of the inspiration for this song: I can only imagine part of it came from the expansive Northwestern Wisconsin scenery. In a location such as that it's natural to look inward to try to find a match for the poetry and beauty you see outside. Or maybe the wistful brush to the song was a product of too many days alone in a remote cabin, a la Walden, Or Life In The Woods (but luckily less like Into The Wild). I've always been drawn to songs that take me close to the frozen lake but don't take me close enough to fall in.
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Bon Iver's Blogotheque Take-away show
Bon Iver reminds us that the best horror movies take place in remote, beautiful locations
Au, "RR Vs. D"
I count at least three distinct parts to this song. There's the roiling, tinkling, classically-inclined piano. There are odd, ghostly female vocals that slide up and down an invisible scale, later slipping into the most catchy refrain: "Get it, one, two, three" and finally the especially odd carnivalesque break inserted into the middle. The only part that seems like it should be part of different song is the carnival portion, but in a tapestry like this, there's always going to be one part that the listener doesn't think fits as well as the others (and since I'm not the composer, it doesn't matter what I think). Otherwise, the piano, handclaps and tipping vocals belong together, complementing each other while retaining very different identities.
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Au are as happy as a van (isn't that the expression>)
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