4.21.10

i’ve eaten them baked, in their jackets and boots

I’m not a fan of Natalie Merchant, but my Dad promised that if I watched the first song of this performance it’d suck me in. He was right. I swear, the first song will have you thoroughly charmed. Natalie’s new album, Leave Your Sleep, is a collection of lost 19th century poems and nursery rhymes. This whole presentation/performance is a lovely mixture of delight and melancholy. The lyrics to these poem-songs can be found here.

Here are the lyrics to the first song/poem, The Sleepy Giant by Charles E. Carryl:

My age is three hundred and seventy-two
I think, with the deepest regret
How I used to pick up and voraciously chew
The dear little boys that I met

So now I contentedly live upon eels
And try to do nothing amiss
And I pass all the time I can spare from my meals
In innocent slumber like this
Innocent slumber like this

3.24.10

cosmic love

The stars! The moon! Those drums!
This song is epic.
Love how Florence sometimes has that Grace Slick warble thing going on.

3.20.10

cherry bomb

Check out the newly minted music video for “Cherry Bomb” cobbling together scenes from The Runaways movie. Thanks to the sweetest friend of mine (who knew of my obsession with The Runaways), we got to attend the premiere while at Sundance in January. I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed this rock n’ roll picture show. Kristen and Dakota are totally entertaining to watch as Joan and Cherrie. Floria Sigismondi (the director) nails the 70’s vibe/aesthetic. And Michael Shannon is electric as The Runaways sleazy manager. While the film won’t revolutionize the rock n’ roll biopic, it definitely pays fitting and stylish homage to a noteworthy slice of rock history!

After the screening there was an “all-star” Q&A. Some kid asked Joan Jett how she felt about times changing since the 70’s when young girls were still an anomaly in the rock industry. With her raspy, Pennsylvania accent Joan asked the kid, “Times have changed?” Which begs the question, why are there so few girl rock bands? So few female rockers? Where are all the Suzie Quatros out there? Is rock n’ roll really a man’s world? Survey says, yes.

Behold, the untouchable original:

11.11.09

in the realm of the icon

Creepy and kooky, GaGa brings it (several times.) I can’t help but love this gutsy chic! She writes her music and has her own conceptual vision (with help from the Haus of GaGa, a small group of friends.) This Italian Yonkers chic is self made. Ever since The Fame came out last year, I’ve been trying to convince several friends that GaGa would be the first *original* pop icon to emerge from the Millennial generation. If you look back over the last 10-15 years, not one original pop icon has emerged. (Record company contrivances like Britney do not qualify as original. Multi-platinum top 40 singers do not count as iconic.) I’m talking about self-made icons who rise up from a grass roots scene into the realm of the iconic due as much to their persona as their music (Cher, Bowie, Michael Jackson, Madonna, etc.) Can you name one truly original iconic pop star since Gwen Stefani came on the scene in the 90’s?? GaGa is the first. She is the next big iconic star and not just a meteor as proclaimed by Ms. Tori Amos (who doesn’t get that comparing GaGa to Neil Young is like comparing apples to kumkwats!)

Yes, these are the things I think about.

9.29.09

whip it

Two choice tracks off the Whip It soundtrack, which R.O.C.K.S. It’s good to be excited about a movie again. There was a dearth of good movies this summer.

“Pot Kettle Black” by Tilly & The Wall (who gave one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen.)

“Boys Wanna Be Her” – don’t watch (just listen) if you don’t want to see Peaches doing her thing and some hand banging bloody heads…

9.26.09

annie & andrew

Spent a lovely breakfast this morning in a Paris apartment listening to an intimate concert given by Andrew Bird – the highlight of which (for me) was Annie Clark singing “What Me Worry?” There seemed to be a little chemistry bubbling during their performance… the way he was eyeing her, Andrew looked a little smitten. And who wouldn’t be? Thank you so much for sending, Bob!

(Annie’s song begins on the fourth dot.)

8.31.09

heavy cross

I’m falling under Beth Ditto’s spell. This song on heavy rotation. It fits my intense, shadowy mood as of late.

Has the best remix of the year.

4.2.09

sacrifice

Last week, Marraine’s put up the gorgeous music video for Lisa Gerrard’s “Sanvean” (which I’d never seen) and it inspired me to pull out some of my old Lisa Gerrard albums and soundtracks. As an encore, here’s an epic live performance of Ms. Gerrard singing “Sacrifice” from The Insider soundtrack. The woman could wring tears from a stone! Although, one youtube commenter writes, it’s only sad if you make it sad…

No. It’s most definitely sad. If this isn’t the sound of bone-deep sadness, I don’t know what is.

10.8.08

ms. clark

My friend Bob sent this link because we’re both cArazy for Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent.) Watch her rock out like Hendrix as she covers “Dig a Pony” in front of the MFA in Boston.

(Most excellent photo of Annie in teal dress with red guitar taken by Ryan Dombal)

9.5.08

sarah barracuda

Nancy Wilson said she felt “completely f—ed over” after Heart asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use their music and the GOP used it anyway. This comes a week prior to Van Halen insisting they not use their song, “Right Now.” In fact, there’s a running list of artists who are saying no to the GOP.

(Also, I just came across this list of Obama and McCain’s top ten favorite songs which speaks volumes.)