Huh. Well, I may not have a post up this week. This week has kicked my butt as far as work goes, and tonight I'm going out with some friends.
I know. I'm a shirker.
I have part of the day off tomorrow (doctor--my favorite...yeah, right), so I might try to get something up.
Meanwhile, here's a video I like. It's Joan Osbourne doing a version of the 90's song "Cathedral" by Jump Little Children. I liked that song then and I like this version.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Episode 63, Still No Theme Song
I'M GOING TO BE A FEW DAYS LATE WITH MY BLOG POST. I'LL HAVE IT UP HOPEFULLY BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT. I APOLOGIZE FOR THIS; I JUST GOT INUNDATED WITH ERRANDS TO DO. FOR INSTANCE, OUR STOVE FUSED ITSELF TO A POT SO NOW WE HAVE TO BUY NEW STOVE COILS.
Podcast Page
Direct Link
RSS Feed
Peachcake, "Stop Acting Like You Know More About The Internet Cafe" (I forgot to actually name this song on the podcast. I apologize.)
Purevolume
Myspace
Timbre Timbre, "Demon Host" (Got permission from the label to post this)
Label Site
Myspace
Mariee Sioux, "Old Magic"
Website
Myspace
We Landed On The Moon, "Re: Your Letter"
Website
Myspace
Maus Haus, "We Used Technology (But Technology Let Us Down)"
Myspace
(No website listed)
Anya Marina, "Move You"
Website
Myspace
Kris Angelis, "A Few More Coins" (Didn't get permission to post the song)
Website
Myspace
Her new ep is available in hardcopy through paypal and digitally through cdbaby and itunes.
Down The Lees, "Talk Is Not Cheap"
Website
Myspace
More MP3s
Runaway Dorothy, "Caulfield" (Not a direct link--the entire album is available for download)
Website
Myspace
Timbre Timbre, "Lay Down In The Tall Grass"
Label Site
Myspace
Podcast Page
Direct Link
RSS Feed
Peachcake, "Stop Acting Like You Know More About The Internet Cafe" (I forgot to actually name this song on the podcast. I apologize.)
Purevolume
Myspace
Timbre Timbre, "Demon Host" (Got permission from the label to post this)
Label Site
Myspace
Mariee Sioux, "Old Magic"
Website
Myspace
We Landed On The Moon, "Re: Your Letter"
Website
Myspace
Maus Haus, "We Used Technology (But Technology Let Us Down)"
Myspace
(No website listed)
Anya Marina, "Move You"
Website
Myspace
Kris Angelis, "A Few More Coins" (Didn't get permission to post the song)
Website
Myspace
Her new ep is available in hardcopy through paypal and digitally through cdbaby and itunes.
Down The Lees, "Talk Is Not Cheap"
Website
Myspace
More MP3s
Runaway Dorothy, "Caulfield" (Not a direct link--the entire album is available for download)
Website
Myspace
Timbre Timbre, "Lay Down In The Tall Grass"
Label Site
Myspace
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By
In-Flight Safety, "Actors" (MP3 courtesy of their promo company)
Buoyed by silky sound reminiscent of the 80's New Romantics (Spandau Ballet and Roxy Music come to mind), it would be easy to blithely coast on the safe, warm feeling one might get on first listen to this song. However, if you listen to the lyrics (which some people don't...ignorance is bliss...), you will realize that coasting is not what this song is about. For all the seeming romanticism of the song, the lyrics are really about a small, very personal romantic death--the death of a self-made fantasy. It's about finally looking around and seeing that everyone is faking it--the world is conspiring in a gigantic web of delusion. You're the only one who sees the self-deception. Are you ready to perceive the world as it is, or will you willfully keep playing along, knowing it's a ruse? Will you stop being a pawn and start being a participant? Are you capable of being yourself? If you aren't, then you may have no choice other than to keep playing along.
Website
Myspace
(Thanks to Largehearted Boy for directing me to the mp3)
"Actors" video
The Secret Society of Unknown Officers from Unknown Branches of Service
Neko Case, "People Got a Lotta Nerve"
I recoil anytime I hear about an animal being hurt. I will jump at the chance to do something to help end the torture. This time I didn't have to jump far--the opportunity is right here. Featuring this song wasn't a particularly difficult decision, anyway--I've been a fan of Neko Case for years. She embodies the sauciness, the determination and the fiery personality of the older generation of women country singers--Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and a little Dusty Springfield (ya can't get more country than being in love with the son of a preacher man). The fire and the determination is firmly in place here: anger over severe mistreatment of animals is the fuel running this song. The lyrics explicitly state the situation these animals are in--to the point where I can't pay attention to the lyrics closely, or else I might break down a little. Innocence isn't bliss in this case, but I need to tune out the lyrics to save my sanity. How she can sing the lyrics over and over is a mystery to me--that's part of that fiery determination. She'll keep singing until the cruelty stops.
Learn how to help the Best Friends Animal Society just by liking this song and this artist.
Best Friends Animal Society
Neko's website
Neko's Myspace
This look says "You better not hurt any animals. I'll come after you".
Amanda French, "All My Internet Friends"
When I first heard this song, I really thought it was an old Joan Baez or Judy Collins song. Then I was all "Wait. Is she talking about a board meeting? How very Mad Men!" Then the lyrics got more prescient: Sarah Palin getting smacked down? Sarah Palin was barely a travesty waiting to happen in the 60's. How could a 60's folk singer know all this? Could I be listening to the Nostradamus and the Papas? (Pause for laughter). Then I remembered I was listening to Buzz Out Loud, the most culturally savvy tech podcast I subscribe to (that ain't saying much, folks--tech podcasts aren't known for being culturally savvy. Some of the tech pundits I listen to still think "Max Headroom" is on the air.) Then I realized it must be a modern take on those old folk songs. Amanda French mimics the style well. She's got the trilly, meandering, vulnerable vocal delivery of Judy Collins. The guitar isn't showy and adds a good backdrop to her vocals. There isn't a lot of clutter here: No overpowering electric guitar solos, no keyboards, no heavy drum beats. For a song about tech, it's very untechy. This seeming disparity adds to the dichotomy: The subject of the song is completely at odds with the style of the music (unless you can picture Joni Mitchell with an iPhone...iPod maybe...probably a Nano or a Shuffle), but this is what makes the song interesting. If it were just a neo-folk song it might get lost in the coffee shop clutter. If it were overly electronic it probably wouldn't appeal to me (unless it were more 80's New Wave synth than Techno). This marries two parts of my personality: the Folky Bohemian who's waiting on her HTC Fuze to come in the mail (it better get here soon).
Website (with lyrics)
Myspace
Amanda French strikes the folk-singer pose
Buoyed by silky sound reminiscent of the 80's New Romantics (Spandau Ballet and Roxy Music come to mind), it would be easy to blithely coast on the safe, warm feeling one might get on first listen to this song. However, if you listen to the lyrics (which some people don't...ignorance is bliss...), you will realize that coasting is not what this song is about. For all the seeming romanticism of the song, the lyrics are really about a small, very personal romantic death--the death of a self-made fantasy. It's about finally looking around and seeing that everyone is faking it--the world is conspiring in a gigantic web of delusion. You're the only one who sees the self-deception. Are you ready to perceive the world as it is, or will you willfully keep playing along, knowing it's a ruse? Will you stop being a pawn and start being a participant? Are you capable of being yourself? If you aren't, then you may have no choice other than to keep playing along.
Website
Myspace
(Thanks to Largehearted Boy for directing me to the mp3)
"Actors" video
The Secret Society of Unknown Officers from Unknown Branches of Service
Neko Case, "People Got a Lotta Nerve"
I recoil anytime I hear about an animal being hurt. I will jump at the chance to do something to help end the torture. This time I didn't have to jump far--the opportunity is right here. Featuring this song wasn't a particularly difficult decision, anyway--I've been a fan of Neko Case for years. She embodies the sauciness, the determination and the fiery personality of the older generation of women country singers--Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and a little Dusty Springfield (ya can't get more country than being in love with the son of a preacher man). The fire and the determination is firmly in place here: anger over severe mistreatment of animals is the fuel running this song. The lyrics explicitly state the situation these animals are in--to the point where I can't pay attention to the lyrics closely, or else I might break down a little. Innocence isn't bliss in this case, but I need to tune out the lyrics to save my sanity. How she can sing the lyrics over and over is a mystery to me--that's part of that fiery determination. She'll keep singing until the cruelty stops.
Learn how to help the Best Friends Animal Society just by liking this song and this artist.
Best Friends Animal Society
Neko's website
Neko's Myspace
This look says "You better not hurt any animals. I'll come after you".
Amanda French, "All My Internet Friends"
When I first heard this song, I really thought it was an old Joan Baez or Judy Collins song. Then I was all "Wait. Is she talking about a board meeting? How very Mad Men!" Then the lyrics got more prescient: Sarah Palin getting smacked down? Sarah Palin was barely a travesty waiting to happen in the 60's. How could a 60's folk singer know all this? Could I be listening to the Nostradamus and the Papas? (Pause for laughter). Then I remembered I was listening to Buzz Out Loud, the most culturally savvy tech podcast I subscribe to (that ain't saying much, folks--tech podcasts aren't known for being culturally savvy. Some of the tech pundits I listen to still think "Max Headroom" is on the air.) Then I realized it must be a modern take on those old folk songs. Amanda French mimics the style well. She's got the trilly, meandering, vulnerable vocal delivery of Judy Collins. The guitar isn't showy and adds a good backdrop to her vocals. There isn't a lot of clutter here: No overpowering electric guitar solos, no keyboards, no heavy drum beats. For a song about tech, it's very untechy. This seeming disparity adds to the dichotomy: The subject of the song is completely at odds with the style of the music (unless you can picture Joni Mitchell with an iPhone...iPod maybe...probably a Nano or a Shuffle), but this is what makes the song interesting. If it were just a neo-folk song it might get lost in the coffee shop clutter. If it were overly electronic it probably wouldn't appeal to me (unless it were more 80's New Wave synth than Techno). This marries two parts of my personality: the Folky Bohemian who's waiting on her HTC Fuze to come in the mail (it better get here soon).
Website (with lyrics)
Myspace
Amanda French strikes the folk-singer pose
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By
Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By
(Podcast show notes are in the post before this one)
Padre Pio, "Madeline"
The Fanatic Promotions bio for Padre Pio is not being hyperbolic when they call this music "Roxy Music-esque". If I didn't know who this was, I would swear it was a long-lost Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry recording. David Mosey's singing is pleading without being pathetic. It's passionate and romantic--the kind of voice that made young New Wavers in the 80's swoon (not talking about me, or anything...). Of course when you start picking apart the lyrics, it's a little less ideally romantic. As you listen to the song, you realize he's comparing Madeline to a holy figure...if your religion is cheap sex. She's the Mary in the Church of Las Vegas. She accepts "communion under {her] red skirt". He tells her to be aware, though, because her "church is burning". There's a true sadness in the line "He reminds you of dad, so you're going home with him tonight." Like any good romantic poet, Mosey sees the truth and the tragedy all as aspects of a greater romantic story. One of the values of bands like Padre Pio, Roxy Music and Something For Rockets (another nouveau New Wave band) is that they can find the beautiful, the romantic and the yearning in even "questionable" places. Even Madeline, as she's accepting her flesh communion, needs someone to appreciate her as a person.
(No website listed)
Myspace
The cover for The Madeline EP
Johann Johannson, "The Rocket Builder"
It's fitting that this song was created in Iceland. Like Iceland, this song has many depths that rise to many plateaus. It starts off hesitantly, as if it's testing its feet on the ice to make sure it's steady. It builds confidence, and the strings begin to move more fluidly, developing a cohesive, and uninterrupted melody. Then a second part takes over, creating a winterscape plateau of bell sounds, slightly hushed so as not to rattle the ice. But then a loud crashing barges in, like a giant's footsteps. The whole topography threatens to go. Tension seizes the songs as all three characters vie for dominance. The song is courting an avalanche. The three parts begin to twist and intertwine, and the snap seems inevitable, but soon the giant's footsteps tread away and the strings gently lead us out.
Website
Myspace
The description Johannson gives of this song is fascinating
Johann Johannsson actually looks like a guy who would read Guidelines For A Propulsion Device Based On Heim's Quantum Theory (which also happens to be the sub-title of the 10th song on his album, Fordlandia)
Ian McGlynn, "Memorial Day Parade"
This is Pop in the best possible sense. The way pop music's supposed to be. It's buoyant, but it's not treacly. It's not false (though he does sing part of the song in falsetto). The piano is as beautiful as anything Alicia Keys does on the radio, yet for some reason he doesn't have her exposure (er, well, he could wear her clothes, then he would have her exposure...but that would perhaps turn awkward.) The music is light-hearted, but not overly frothy. I feel a little lighter as I'm listening to it...a little less burdened. Good pop music is supposed to do that. Bad pop music makes you feel like you have indigestion. Like you ate Taco Bell three times in a row.
Website
Myspace
His blog
C'mon...give Scarecrow a hug. You know you wanna!
(Podcast show notes are in the post before this one)
Padre Pio, "Madeline"
The Fanatic Promotions bio for Padre Pio is not being hyperbolic when they call this music "Roxy Music-esque". If I didn't know who this was, I would swear it was a long-lost Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry recording. David Mosey's singing is pleading without being pathetic. It's passionate and romantic--the kind of voice that made young New Wavers in the 80's swoon (not talking about me, or anything...). Of course when you start picking apart the lyrics, it's a little less ideally romantic. As you listen to the song, you realize he's comparing Madeline to a holy figure...if your religion is cheap sex. She's the Mary in the Church of Las Vegas. She accepts "communion under {her] red skirt". He tells her to be aware, though, because her "church is burning". There's a true sadness in the line "He reminds you of dad, so you're going home with him tonight." Like any good romantic poet, Mosey sees the truth and the tragedy all as aspects of a greater romantic story. One of the values of bands like Padre Pio, Roxy Music and Something For Rockets (another nouveau New Wave band) is that they can find the beautiful, the romantic and the yearning in even "questionable" places. Even Madeline, as she's accepting her flesh communion, needs someone to appreciate her as a person.
(No website listed)
Myspace
The cover for The Madeline EP
Johann Johannson, "The Rocket Builder"
It's fitting that this song was created in Iceland. Like Iceland, this song has many depths that rise to many plateaus. It starts off hesitantly, as if it's testing its feet on the ice to make sure it's steady. It builds confidence, and the strings begin to move more fluidly, developing a cohesive, and uninterrupted melody. Then a second part takes over, creating a winterscape plateau of bell sounds, slightly hushed so as not to rattle the ice. But then a loud crashing barges in, like a giant's footsteps. The whole topography threatens to go. Tension seizes the songs as all three characters vie for dominance. The song is courting an avalanche. The three parts begin to twist and intertwine, and the snap seems inevitable, but soon the giant's footsteps tread away and the strings gently lead us out.
Website
Myspace
The description Johannson gives of this song is fascinating
Johann Johannsson actually looks like a guy who would read Guidelines For A Propulsion Device Based On Heim's Quantum Theory (which also happens to be the sub-title of the 10th song on his album, Fordlandia)
Ian McGlynn, "Memorial Day Parade"
This is Pop in the best possible sense. The way pop music's supposed to be. It's buoyant, but it's not treacly. It's not false (though he does sing part of the song in falsetto). The piano is as beautiful as anything Alicia Keys does on the radio, yet for some reason he doesn't have her exposure (er, well, he could wear her clothes, then he would have her exposure...but that would perhaps turn awkward.) The music is light-hearted, but not overly frothy. I feel a little lighter as I'm listening to it...a little less burdened. Good pop music is supposed to do that. Bad pop music makes you feel like you have indigestion. Like you ate Taco Bell three times in a row.
Website
Myspace
His blog
C'mon...give Scarecrow a hug. You know you wanna!
Episode 62, Dancin' The Jig of Slurs
Podcast Page
Direct Link
RSS Feed
Padre Pio, "Common Day"
Myspace
The Great Outdoors, "Under The Sun" (The artist gave me permission to post this. This link only lasts 7 days)
Website
Myspace
NQ Arbuckle, "Postcard From Princess" (The label gave me permission to post the song. The link will only work for 7 days)
Website
Myspace
Whitley, "The Piece"
Website
Myspace
Gin, "These Roses"
Website
Myspace
Jane Vain and The Dark Matter, "C'mon Baby Say Bang Bang" (thanks to Fingertips)
Website
Myspace
Lali Puna, "Fast Forward (Flowchart Remix)" (Once you get t the page, left click on "download")
Website
Myspace
The Break and Repair Method, "You Won't Be Able To Be Sad"
Website
Myspace
Tannahill Weavers, "Geese in the Bog/The Jig of Slurs"
Website
Myspace
Direct Link
RSS Feed
Padre Pio, "Common Day"
Myspace
The Great Outdoors, "Under The Sun" (The artist gave me permission to post this. This link only lasts 7 days)
Website
Myspace
NQ Arbuckle, "Postcard From Princess" (The label gave me permission to post the song. The link will only work for 7 days)
Website
Myspace
Whitley, "The Piece"
Website
Myspace
Gin, "These Roses"
Website
Myspace
Jane Vain and The Dark Matter, "C'mon Baby Say Bang Bang" (thanks to Fingertips)
Website
Myspace
Lali Puna, "Fast Forward (Flowchart Remix)" (Once you get t the page, left click on "download")
Website
Myspace
The Break and Repair Method, "You Won't Be Able To Be Sad"
Website
Myspace
Tannahill Weavers, "Geese in the Bog/The Jig of Slurs"
Website
Myspace
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By
Shoot Yer Wads, "The Shoot Yer Wads Anthem"
Okay, I'm just trying to figure out if I can play this at work. As long as I don't scream the name of the song, I should be okay. Well, then again the chorus is "shoot yer wads". Maybe I should play it quietly. You can't really tell what lyrics like "purple helmut" and "the full salute" are referring to, can you? Oh, you can? Huh. I guess it's not as veiled as I think. Ha ha! "Veiled"! Get it? Like "hooded". Hee hee. I just want to dance to this song. I love any song that refers to traveling the galaxy, regardless of the otherwise "dirty" nature of the song. I might put this on my podcast next week, too.
(No website listed)
Myspace
Shoot Yer Wads has wads...of hair.
Elizabeth Willis, "4 A.M." (Zip File)
Elizabeth Willis' classical training is on display in this song: the violin is absolutely gorgeous. It dances around and shimmies through the equally gorgeous vocals. Her voice is also as professionally polished. The command she holds is only obtained through years of study and practice. This ain't a girl who's been singing into a hairbrush the whole time. Elizabeth is truly a musical master: she composes these beautiful hybrids of classical and modern pieces and plays most of the instruments. She also shows a business acumen which may be the catalyst to a truly successful career. She's set up a publishing company under her name and a record company called Little Blackbird Records, LLC. This is a woman who not only knows how to control her music, but also her direction. It's that type of discipline that aids not only her music, but will set the stage for a longlasting and fruitful career.
Website
Myspace
Elizabeth Willis is ready for the expedition
Little Joy, "No One's Better Sake"
I've missed The Strokes for a long time now. I was a total convert when their debut came out. Their releases since them have been few and far between, but that doesn't mean they're gone. Albert Hammond Jr. has been releasing albums, and most recently, the drummer, Fabrizio Moretti has collaborated with two other musicians to record the self-titled album Little Joy. Though only 1/3rd Stroke, the vocals in this song are reminiscent of the hazy, loungy stylings of The Strokes. Well, a Ska version of The Strokes. The Bossa Nova influence of band member Rodrigo Amarante is in play also. His band Los Herminos plays Brazilian Bossa Nova. Their song "Alem do que se ve" has the same sense of joy (big joy, too--not little) and brashness. Whatever the Brazilian is for "Joy de Vivre", that's what they share.
(No website listed)
Myspace
No. It is not at all evident from this photo that Rodrigo Amarante, Binki Shapiro and Fabrizio Moretti got the name Little Joy from a bar. (Photo by Autumn de Wilde).
Okay, I'm just trying to figure out if I can play this at work. As long as I don't scream the name of the song, I should be okay. Well, then again the chorus is "shoot yer wads". Maybe I should play it quietly. You can't really tell what lyrics like "purple helmut" and "the full salute" are referring to, can you? Oh, you can? Huh. I guess it's not as veiled as I think. Ha ha! "Veiled"! Get it? Like "hooded". Hee hee. I just want to dance to this song. I love any song that refers to traveling the galaxy, regardless of the otherwise "dirty" nature of the song. I might put this on my podcast next week, too.
(No website listed)
Myspace
Shoot Yer Wads has wads...of hair.
Elizabeth Willis, "4 A.M." (Zip File)
Elizabeth Willis' classical training is on display in this song: the violin is absolutely gorgeous. It dances around and shimmies through the equally gorgeous vocals. Her voice is also as professionally polished. The command she holds is only obtained through years of study and practice. This ain't a girl who's been singing into a hairbrush the whole time. Elizabeth is truly a musical master: she composes these beautiful hybrids of classical and modern pieces and plays most of the instruments. She also shows a business acumen which may be the catalyst to a truly successful career. She's set up a publishing company under her name and a record company called Little Blackbird Records, LLC. This is a woman who not only knows how to control her music, but also her direction. It's that type of discipline that aids not only her music, but will set the stage for a longlasting and fruitful career.
Website
Myspace
Elizabeth Willis is ready for the expedition
Little Joy, "No One's Better Sake"
I've missed The Strokes for a long time now. I was a total convert when their debut came out. Their releases since them have been few and far between, but that doesn't mean they're gone. Albert Hammond Jr. has been releasing albums, and most recently, the drummer, Fabrizio Moretti has collaborated with two other musicians to record the self-titled album Little Joy. Though only 1/3rd Stroke, the vocals in this song are reminiscent of the hazy, loungy stylings of The Strokes. Well, a Ska version of The Strokes. The Bossa Nova influence of band member Rodrigo Amarante is in play also. His band Los Herminos plays Brazilian Bossa Nova. Their song "Alem do que se ve" has the same sense of joy (big joy, too--not little) and brashness. Whatever the Brazilian is for "Joy de Vivre", that's what they share.
(No website listed)
Myspace
No. It is not at all evident from this photo that Rodrigo Amarante, Binki Shapiro and Fabrizio Moretti got the name Little Joy from a bar. (Photo by Autumn de Wilde).
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