so, it's the end of yet another year, and i swear, i'm frustrated because 2010 is a b l u r. doesn't it feel like every year goes faster and faster when all you want to do is make it crawl - so you can wrap yourself up, warm and snug, in each and every precious moment with those you love while doing the things you love or, maybe nothing at all. sometimes, nothing is really, really nice because (shh...) it's really something special (right?) goodbye 2010, i will look back on you fondly - (because i'm determined to only see the good) hello, 2011 i look forward to discovering what it is you have to offer but if i could ask you one thing, could you be one of the longer years this time around?
so, when neko caseisn't wowing us with her solo albums (the latest, middle cyclone, is beyond fabulous), she's the lead singer of the new pornographers. the band, which is made up of a bunch of people who also crank out quality solo albums, such as a.c. newman (whose cover of take on me is lovely), kathryn calder, dan bejar, and others, is ecclectic, poppy, and highly listenable. case in point: crash years. this song, which for some bizarre reason feels to me like it belongs in a john hughes movies, makes you want to whistle along with it. so, so fun. so, so easy to put on repeat. a most excellent song to crank up on loud and sing at the top of your lungs while driving. and those, friends, are the best sorts of songs.
the skirts go up before the war among the madding crowds they're ruined like the rest of us ruined rest of us ruined you are a living doll riding a circle tracks behind the walls of clocks and you ruined like the rest of us ruined rest of us ruined
traffic was slow for the crash years there's no other show like it 'round here as a rule windows were rolled for the crash years there's no other show like it 'round here as a rule
light a candle's end you are a light turned low and like the rest of us you got those old eternity blues eternity blues your fingers raised, you're looking for the word what you want is accident another drag spectacular view what you can lose
traffic was slow for the crash years there's no other show like it 'round here as a rule windows were closed in the crash years honey child you're not safe here as a rule
traffic was slow for the crash years there's no other show like it 'round here as a rule windows were rolled for the crash years there's no other show like it 'round here as a rule
the ruins were wild the ruins were wild tonight will be an open mic
so, with the top 10 favorite songs post finished, i thought i'd trot out my list of favorite books for 2010. included within are urban fantasy, dystopian fiction, YA, and contemporary fiction (sorry, i just can't do a lot of non-fic. for a girl who loves history, non-fic can bore me to tears).
in no particular order, excepting the last two:
the demon's covenant bysarah rees brennan i can't say enough good things about the demon's series by rees brennan. the demon's covenant, the second in the trilogy, made me bawl my eyes out at the end. at its core, it's a study of two brothers and what family means. beautiful, precise writing infused with humor and heart, rees brennan is setting the bar high for urban fantasy. i am very much looking forward to the finale next year. (peeps who have already read this, head on over to rees brennan's blog - she did a special novella as a christmas gift to her fans! HERE is part 1, HERE is part 2)
He limped the few steps toward his brother, then reached out. A shiver ran all the way through Nick, as if he was a spooked animal about to bolt, but he didn't bolt. Alan's hand settled on the back of his brother's neck, and Nick bowed his head a little more and let him do it.
"No, no, no," Alan said in his beautiful voice, turning it into a lullaby, soothing and sweet. "Nick. I would never leave."
Mae had no place being there right now, so she closed the kitchen door softly and walked home.
Outside it was still dark, but the tattered storm clouds were curling around one another almost gently, the storm calmed, the sky full of possibility.
guardian of the dead by karen healey part of why i loved this book so much was that the heroine - ellie - was overweight, knew martial arts, and could take care of herself. she was no helpless cookie-cutter pretty that so many books churn out nowadays. sure, there's love, an intriguing (yet suspicious) hero, and plenty of intrigue set among new zealand's maori legends, but ellie is the one who gets things done in the end.
He shot me a grateful look, then stared at the blood on his fingertips as if it were an interesting puzzle.
I looked away. "Why didn't you fight back?"
"I don't know how."
"Not even with magic?"
I'd scored a hit; he ducked his head and sighed. "Maybe I hoped you could beat it out of me. But it seems you can't. So. We're done here?"
heart of the matter by emily giffin told in two perspectives - present tense first person and past tense third person - it's a story of two women whose lives intersect when one's husband cheats with the other. thought provoking (initially you want to hate the other woman, but you can't. you just can't) and heart wrenching, giffin does what giffin does best: she writes books about women that all women can relate to.
Words that my mother heard, more than once. Words that women debate. Whether you can forgive and whether you should trust. I think of all the judgment from society, friends, and family, the overwhelming consensus seeming to be that you should not grant someone who betrayed you a second chance. That you should do everything you can to keep the knife out of your back, and to protect your heart and pride. Cowards give second chances. Fools give second chances. And I am no coward, no fool.
mockingjay by suzanne collins the last book in the hunger games trilogy, mockingjay was possibly the most stressful book i've read all year. katniss and company do not get any free passes in the resolution to the series. they're put through the wringer, making the reader stay on the edge of their seat. i cried a lot in the last third of this book. some may resent the "tidy" ending, but not me, because i don't see it as tidy. i see it as bittersweet.
I use a technique one of the doctors suggested. I start with the simplest things I know to be true and work toward the more complicated. The list begins to roll in my head....
My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old. My home is District 12. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped. The Capitol hates me. Peeta was taken prisoner. He is thought to be dead. Most likely he is dead. It is probably best if he is dead....
nevermore by kelly creagh love at first sight? hell no. isobel and varen totally dislike each other when they're paired up for a school project. she's a popular cheerleader, he's a surly goth. but then they actually get to know each other and slowly, slowly, things change. heavily influenced by edgar allen poe's writings, this first story of a trilogy had a lot more than met the eye.
He nodded in that way of his, like he had some sort of private understanding about the way the gears in her mind must work. Like he'd expected as much of her. It made her feel small again, and simple, like he was packing her back into that little box of prejudgments.
switchedand torn by amanda hocking these first two books of a trilogy were like crack candy to me. intriguing in that they were about trolls (who are not ugly, squat, or foul) who live amongst the human population, it's a twist on all of the faerie books flooding the market nowadays. wendy finds out she's a troll, and a princess to boot, and her sheltered life goes into a tailspin.
"You're telling me that I'm a troll?" I raised my eyebrow, and finally decided that he must be insane.
Nothing about me resembled a pink-haired doll with a jewel in its stomach or a creepy little monster that lived under a bridge. Admittedly, I was kind of short, but Finn was at least six feet tall.
"You're thinking of trolls the way they've been misrepresented, obviously," Finn hurried to explain. "That's why we prefer Trylle. You don't get any of that silly 'Billy Goats Gruff' imagery. But now I have you staring at me like I have totally lost my mind."
the sky is everywhere by jandy nelson gorgeous. told in both found bits of scattered poetry and regular narration, this is a story of a girl who has recently lost her sister and her sense of direction in life. lennon is trapped in her grief until she meets someone who helps her discover that life can go on.
The morning of the day Bailey died, she woke me up by putting her finger in my ear. I hated when she did this. She then started trying on shirts, asking me: Which do you like better, the green or the blue? The blue. You didn't even look up, Lennie. Okay, the green. Really, I don't care what shirt you wear. Then I rolled over in bed and fell back asleep. I found out later she wore the blue and those were the last words I ever spoke to her. (Found written on a lollipop wrapper on the trail to the Rain River)
da-ta-ta-da! my favorite 2010 release of the year: anna and the french kiss by stephanie perkins in short, i adored this book. loved it. squeed over it. it's a story about a girl who's (unwillingly) sent to paris (i know, i know - who would hate that?!) for her senior year of high school and the journey of self-discovery she goes through. on the surface, it's a romance (in paris! city of love and light!), but what i really dug about it was that anna and étienne are best friends first. so many books have the couple fall in love instantaneously, but perkins gives you an entire book of her characters getting to know each other, rely on each other, and trust one another. am i saying it'll win a pulitzer or somehow go down in history as better than that book by jonathan franzenthat i refuse to read? nope (although i'd probably argue it is better). but i don't care. books, to me, are all about enjoyment, and i loveloveloved this book. two companion books are up in the next two years. I CAN HARDLY WAIT!
I look down, and I'm surprised to find myself standing in the middle of a small stone circle. In the center, directly between my feet, is a coppery-bronze octagon with a star. Words are engraved in the stone around it: POINT ZÉRO DES ROUTES DE FRANCE.
"Mademoiselle Oliphant. It translates to 'Point zero of the roads of France.' In other words, it's the point from which all other distances in France are measured." St. Clair clears his throat. "It's the beginning of everything."
I look back up. He's smiling.
"Welcome to Paris, Anna. I'm glad you've come."
and my favorite non-2010 release find of the year: looking for alaska by john green miles "pudge" halter is on the search for the "great perhaps" - and hopes to find it at a boarding school during his senior year of high school. shocking at times and heart-wrenching at others, this is one of those books that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.
"So this guy," I said, standing in the doorway of the living room. "Francois Rabelais. He was this poet. And his last words were 'I go to seek a Great Perhaps.' That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeing a Great Perhaps."
And that quieted them. I was after a Great Perhaps, and they knew as well as I did that I wasn't going to find it with the likes of Will and Marie. I sat back down on the couch, between my mom and my dad, and my dad put his arm around me, and we stayed there like that, quiet on the couch together, for a long time, until it seemed okay to turn on the TV, and then we ate artichoke dip for dinner and watched the History Channel, and as going-away parties go, it certainly could have been worse.
bonus video connecting my two favorite books this last year! in a weird twist of fate, the above brilliant john greenALSO loves anna and the french kiss!watch him gush like a little fangirl below (props also go to the fact he listens to music on repeat TOO. i knewjohn greenwas awesome):
here's hoping that 2011 will have another excellent batch of books! go to an indie bookstore and BUY YOURSELF SOME BOOKS!
so, i love audrey hepburn. i know that's such a typical girl thing to admit, but it's true. she was elegance personified, a fashion muse and icon, beautiful inside and out. her tireless work with UNICEF is still admirable and inspiring. and, of course, her movies were and still are a delight.
she was also unabashedly girly-girly. two quotes of hers that i adore:
"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."
and
"For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others."
so, favorite! songs! of! the! year! this is, of course, a purely subjective topic, and if you throw a rock out into the music blogosphere, you're sure to hit at least fifty different lists. which is fabulous! i love these lists.
recently, the husband and i were discussing this (again, yes. we're nerds like this) and he was talking about the need to do the top 10 albums released in 2010. and i was sort of mind-boggled, because i don't know if i could come up with ten albums (being a singles girl and all). two...three? maybe four? but definitely not ten.
so! i have decided to merely hand over my favorite songs of the year. get ready for a monster post, in no particular order, excepting the last two...
*** there is something about kaiser cartelthat proves irresistible to me. maybe it's how courtney kaiser and benjamin cartel sing in tandem. maybe it's because their songs are easy on the ears, or maybe it's because their lyrics are meaningful without being brassy. whatever the reason, their latest release, secret transit, is a keeper - and brave enough is the shining star. mary is walking down silver lake road/these days her old friends don't feel at home/glamour and flash go through her as she goes/but someone to talk to she doesn't know/are you brave enough speak your mind/is it safe enough this time?
read my original post about this song HERE. buy secret transit, the album brave enough is off of, HERE.
*** yeah, yeah. i know. it comes from the how to train your dragon soundtrack. and as this is a kid's movie, some may say it's a kid's song. does this detract from the sheer awesomeness of sticks and stones? nope. this is all because of jónsi(of sigur rós fame) and his ability to make pretty much everything awesome. and boy, is this song that. eyes open wide, blinded by the sun now/orange and white, dark red, green and yellow/rainbow colors! do not hide, see the view!/step aside, go through!
*** another song from another soundtrack. anti-twilighters, ignore the fact that this came from a movie featuring a sparkly old vampire falling for a teenage girl (i know, i know - the more you think about that fact, the ickier it sounds, right?). instead, focus on how good beck and bats for lashessound together in let's get lost. but then again, beck pretty much always sounds great. let me come closer, i'm not your shadow/with our eyes shielding from the oncoming counts/it's not hard for us to say what we should not/just for tonight, darling/let's get lost
buy the eclipse soundtrack, the album let's get lost is off of, HERE.
*** like the wheel is an easy song to fall in love with. simple guitar chords, plaintive vocals, meaningful lyrics...the tallest man on earthsings auditory beauty. breathtaking. and in the forest someone is whispering to a tree now/this is all i am so please don't follow me/and it's your brother in the shaft that i'm swinging/please let the kindness of forgetting set me free
read my original post on the song HERE. buy sometimes the blues is just a passing bird, the EP like the wheel is off of, HERE.
*** kid canaveralreally kicked it with good morning, but i've gotta admit, i like this song better. hyper, cheery, and addictive, left and rightis the perfect pick-me-up song. and hello! the band is scottish, so obviously you know i'm going to love them.
buy shouting at wildlife, the album left and right is off of, HERE.
*** a million plays on my ipod (plus writing playlists) and i still adore it just as much as the very first listen. josh rittercreated a masterpiece here: change of time is nuanced, insightful, and timeless. swoon! i had a dream last night/and when i opened my eyes/your shoulder blade, your spine/were shorelines in the moonlight/new worlds for the weary/new lands for the living/i could make it if i tried/i closed my eyes/i kept on swimming
read my original post about this song HERE. buy so the world turns, the album change of time is off of, HERE.
*** lo-fi brilliance. crank resolutions taunts its listeners with elusive vocals cloaked behind filters and driving beats - and while this can be frustrating in other songs, here it only adds to the allure. listen to this song by meursaultat top volume and revel in it's beauty and mystery. now everything gets older the further that i go/and i hope that someone is praying for me out there at home./ and i never saw you waving./at least that's what i'll say/when they carry me away.
read my original post about this song HERE. buy all creatures will make merry, the album crank resolutions is off of, HERE.
*** loud, distorted, messy, and FUN, sleigh bellsis my go-to music of the year when i want noise. and infinity guitars is my fav by far off their debut album treats. deaf chords, dead ends/sling set can't meet their demands/dumb whores, best friends/infinity guitars, go 'head
read my original post about this song HERE. buy treats, the album infinity guitars is off of, HERE.
*** i am such a matt berninger fangirl. honestly? the guy has a voice of a god. and the nationalis such an amazing band that they rarely ever makes duds (um...honestly...can't think of one right now). high violet is a remarkable album, filled with so many good songs it makes your head want to explode. conversation 16, though, really stands out. i'm a confident liar/had my head in the oven so you'd know where i'll be/i'll try to be more romantic/i want to believe in everything you believe/i was less than amazing/do not know what all the troubles are for/fall asleep in your branches/you're the only thing i ever want anymore
buy high violet, the album conversation 16 is off of, HERE.
*** now for my favorite 2010 song of the year! man. this was a tough one - i mean, i knew it would be afrightened rabbitsong, because HELLO, frabbit=awesomeness. but i've had so many song crushes off of the winter of mixed drinks, it's ridiculous. in full disclosure, i almost chose things, nothing like you, and not miserable, too. butfootshooter... yeah. it's pretty bloody brilliant. plus! scottish! I LOVE THIS SONG. in the stark and the sobering dry sunlight/i will blink my eyes and hope the blink can erase/all the shit that I said and did
read my original post about this song HERE. buy the winter of mixed drinks, the album footshooter is off of, HERE.
so, have you ever wanted to play a christmas song during a non-christmasy time of year? c'mon - it's okay. i won't tell. you can admit it. i've got a couple - and i think, secretly, i've always assumed it's okay because they don't outwardly scream holiday song. you know what i mean - jingle bells in the background, choirs, soaring vocals? not that there's anything wrong with that (if that's your cup of tea), but in july, even as little as five seconds can tip someone off that you've got the holiday tunes on. and if you're around peeps like the husband, who feels it's a crime against humanity for christmas tunes to play earlier than the day after thanksgiving and after you finish christmas dinner, then you have to be stealthy.
by the fire sidewith you, by ellen and the escapades, is just such a stealthy song! it's adorable - sweet, simple, and easy on the ears. more importantly, it made me want to find more from this band (in a non-christmas capacity, of course!)
merry christmas to you here's a greeting for the old and the new children out playing in the snow laughing and singing with their cheeks all aglow and snowflakes were falling on my shoes so i said i'd rest up by the fire side with you and snowflakes were falling on my shoes so i said i'd rest up by the fire sides with you
so, YES! another band from france (to piggyback on last week's francopalooza of music offerings), but this time, it's extra fun because it's a CHRISTMAS SONG to add to your collection! can you believe it's almost christmas? NO? me either. gah, it totally crept up on me this year.
anyways! this is a fun little song for you by the band the bewitched hands on top of our head, a group that blend harmonies, vocals, and poppy melodies that are sure to get your knee bouncing. their debut LP, birds and drums, is set to be released next year (i am looking forward to hearing all they have to offer!). until then, enjoy this treat:
so, in anticipation for searchlight'snew release in january, only sonhas released another video - this time for the song, it's a boy. directed by peter sand and starring only son's jack disheland boardwalk empire's aleksa palladino, it's a dark story which pokes fun at and questions society's obsession with designer babies and raising the perfect child.tinged with tom petty influences and beats which mask the severity of the lyrics, it's a thought-provoking song, not to mention a disturbing but excellent video.
jack told the huffington post, in response to the video: "I've always been interested in the way that technology and human beings relate to one another. It seems that those roads are definitely converging and its only a matter of time before it makes its way into our bodies permanently. I tried to imagine what life would or could be like if people were able to design their children piece by piece, adding or deleting attributes as they pleased. Since the world is so divided economically I thought that would definitely play a role in what happened--sort of like a DNA arms race. The abuse of power could actually make its way into us. This is gonna be the party jam of the winter!!! And for the record, I've never seen Gattaca but now I want to..."
go HERE to read my interview with jack dishel. learn more about only sonHERE.
good. (if you said yes *AHEMSCROOGEAHEM* then go ahead and stop reading now)
how would you like a free album with plenty of nifty artists who won't warble, shriek, or make your ears bleed?
excellent.
here are the deets: a bunch of indie acts got together and recorded hey, it's christmas! even better, they're giving it away to anyone who wants it. sweet!
so, you may recall a recent post i did on discovering mile marker, a lovely piano-based gem by singer-songwriter amy seeley. captivated, i sought out other songs by her, and discovered that i pretty much loved them all, too. amy was kind enough to answer a few questions about her new album, plum coulee, for me:
have you met heather: plum couleeis a beautiful, and at times, heartbreaking album. what inspired you to write and record it?
amy seeley: thank you . initially i was taken with the stories of pioneers in the early days of montana (where i was born and raised) . the more i read about these early explorers, the more i felt my own story resonated with theirs : notably, the struggles and the discoveries . so really the album was born from this place of being drawn to history, both on a larger scale and a more intimate exploring/writing about my own personal past . the common threads between their internal landscapes and my own i would say for the most part were the wrestlings and losses, times of heartbreak .
hymh: i’m interested in your writing/creative process – could you describe it?
amy: the creating process is exactly that - a process . i see it much like the simmering of a stew in a kitchen ... there's the gathering of ingredients and then the patience of letting those ingredients take time to blend together in just the perfect way .
for me writing is a gathering of emotions, words, something i see ... simply being attentive to what is around, near me in a given day and taking note of what strikes me . i've learned over the years that being attentive is absolutely one of the most valuable things you do as a writer . i carry a notebook with me always and scribble down anything that spurs a tinge of fascination . it's that initial fascination for me that sparks a song, in time . and when a song is ready to be seen/heard, all the gatherings come together, coincide, spill all over the piano .
hymh: part of what drew me to your music was your use of piano, which nowadays (at least to me) seems to be unfairly neglected far too often. what has your journey as a musician and pianist been like so far?
amy: the piano for me is a sort of lifeline .. since i was a child it has felt like it's pulling strings inside me, like nothing else i experience . the piano for me is much more than just an instrument, but a sound of solace, a harbor .
there've been times i've wished i played the guitar.. i mean, gosh . the guitar is such a dreamy thing isn't it ? but i've tried a few times and i'm pretty terrible . it doesn't draw from me the way the piano can .
being a musician has involved plenty of navigating as things come ... it too is a process . from playing my first show when i was 26, to making my first EP, to years later, making plum coulee . i'm learnings as i go . it's certainly a journey, one i'll be learning in and from for my lifetime . . and ultimately, i'm ever grateful i'm sharing it with the piano .
thanks, amy!
plum couleeis, put simply, a gorgeous, quiet album. i loved it - it's not glossy, overworked within an inch of its life, or so bland that you'll want to forget it immediately. it can be, at times, though, a hard album to listen to because it's so, so honest and can strike close to home to anyone who has ever struggled with the loss of something (and more importantly, someone) well-loved. but it's also worth the listen, and the dozens of listens after that, because with that loss comes beauty and, afterwards, growth and hope. some highlights:
* mile marker (read my initial review HERE): chronicles the destruction of a relationship and the sense of blame and acceptance one has to take in the aftermath. if you stole from me/i blame myself/i gave too long/didn't i?/it's no mystery.
* home without you: there are a lot of emotions in this song that really pull at your heartstrings. love, bewilderment, sadness, and acceptance - what life is like when somebody you thought would be there forever no longer is. i wander this town/best i can/on my own two feet/wish i had your hand/to hook onto/it's incomplete/this home without you.
* wreckage of a great ship: this is clearly about divorce and the percieved inequities of heartbreak. raw and honest. the wreckage of a good ship/you and your life jacket/i was holding on for dear life in my party dress/you're so put together/i'm on another planet/a planet now unsure of finding new oceans.
* hem me in: so, so beautiful, told in piano notes and guitar chords. i was overwhelmed by this song and its emotions, i think, because i could relate so well with a past experience. can't we all? throw me overboard/i'll do my best/sink or swim, they say/gotta keep running/it's not enough/legs are failing/still you wrap around/to hem me in.
plum couleeis only available for digital download. buy it HERE. and then go and check out the rest of amy's music (also available in her store). you won't be sorry. also check out her websites (both general and album specific). they are among the best artist sites i've seen so far.
for those of you who missed the initial post, here's a link to the single:
so, i'm pretty sure most of you out there know who carla bruniis (if you don't...umm...what isolated rock are you living under? she's married to france's president), but there are still a lot of people who aren't aware of what an amazing singer she is.
i first heard quelqu'un m'a ditin the movie 500 days of summer(loveloveLOVE that movie - and the soundtrack is brilliant). so beautiful, so magical - and so poetic. i love the line: they tell me that time that slips by is a bastard. so true, right?
the lyrics, translated:
they tell me that our lives are not worth much they pass in an instant as roses wither they tell me that time that slips by is a bastard, that of our problems he makes coats however, someone told me...
that you still love me it was someone who told me that you still love me could it be possible then?
they tell me that destiny makes fun of us, that it gives us nothing and promises all it seems that happiness is within reach, so you reach out and find yourself mad however, someone told me...
(chorus)
but who was it who told me that you still loved me? i don't remember, it was late at night, i can still hear the voice, but can't see the features any more, "he loves you, it's a secret, don't tell him i told you!" you see, someone told me...
that you still love me. did someone really tell me... that you still love me, so could it really be possible?
they tell me that our lives are not worth much, they're over in an instant, as roses wither. someone told me that time that slips by is a bastard, that from our sadnesses he makes coats. however, someone told me...
so, apparently, this is turning into french week! it's probably because i'm plotting my way to paris next year (woo hoo!).
today's singer is the most lovely coeur de pirate(aka, béatrice martin), a french-canadian singer-songwriter who almost exclusively sings in french. she plays the piano (and, as documented, i love me the piano music!) and has a sweet voice that enchants.
the song i'm sharing today, comme des enfants, is wonderful. it's got an artsy, sweet video (see below) and an intriguing story about a girl, despite being in a relationship, who falls for her good friend. i love her chorus: "and he loves me, and i love you just a little bit more."
here's a rough translation (again, not done by me!). want to see the original french lyrics? go HERE to do so.
so you see how it all gets mixed up and from your heart to your lips, i become a headache you laugh calls out to me to let you go before losing control and giving up ‘cause i will never ask you for so much especially since you already treat me like a child we no longer have anything left to lose other than our lives that we left behind
and he still loves me, and i love you just a little bit more but he still loves me, and i love you just a little but more
that’s enough of this two-timing it’s harder to do than any other way ‘cause joking aside, it’s easier to dream about what we can never touch again we take each other’s hands a little artlessly like children with happiness on our lips and we walk together with a resolute step whereas our heads are telling us to stop everything
and he still loves me, and i love you just a little bit more but he still loves me, and i love you just a little but more and despite this, he still loves me, and i love you just a little bit more but he still loves me, and i love you just a little but more
so, to piggyback on yesterday's post about a french band, today i'm introducing you to julie peel. originally from cannes, and now splitting her time between new york and france, julie is a singer-songwriter who draws influence from joni mitchell, neko case, and aimee mann. she's got a beautiful voice and a bit of a lo-fi sound (intentional, natch), plus lyrics that really cut deep.
the song below, unfold, is just such a song. it's all about a person shell-shocked over the end of a relationship they weren't ready to let go of. i think what i like best about it is how it completely captures the sheer agony that comes in the early stages of just such an event. hope and life resumes, yes - and more importantly happiness - but as we all know, these concepts seem lost in the beginning of a break. julie words it perfectly: i can't unfold.
i walk these streets and I think of you all along i can feel you still but your love is gone i know
and i feel lost lost like i've never been before i can't unfold and my dreams are all gone and buried
my eyes are shredding tears the noises are filling my ears as i go you didn't say a thing you just looked at me and i knew
now i feel lost lost like i've never been before i can't unfold and my dreams are all gone and buried
yeah i feel lost lost like i've never been before i can't unfold and my dreams are all blown and buried
so, here's the thing. i love foreign languages: love listening to them, love trying to figure out what the words mean, love seeing the script and writing associated with them. the only thing is, i suck at learning them.
for example, i took five years of spanish in junior high and high school, and then two years in college. can i speak it? no. do i wish i did? absolutely. and then, i went off and took three sessions of latin (yes, latin - at the time, i was hoping to be an archaeologist who studied medieval england), despite knowing i had a shaky grasp on spanish. can i remember anything? sure - vis vobiscum means "may the force be with you." anything else is lost.
and it makes me sad, because i so wish i could hold onto these languages. in fact, it's silly, but one of my goals for the next year is to learn italian. why? because i want to. do i have anyone to talk to, other than my kids' preschool teacher? nope. but i still want to try!
to make a long story short, i also have a thing for songs sung in foreign languages. i've posted a few here on the blog over the years, but i thought i'd share another one today.
for those of you who don't know, noir désirwas, before their breakup, one of france's most popular bands. the following song is incredibly poetic. i've put a (rough) translation into english up (uh, no, i most certainly wasn't the one to translate) because, while i often feel it's not necessary to know explicitly what a song is about, in this instance, i really feel it enhances my appreciation of what the band is trying to do.
le vent nous portera/ the wind will carry us
i’m not afraid of the road we must see, we must taste meandering in the hollow of your kidneys there, everything will be ok the wind will carry us away
you message to ursa major the trajectory of the race and instant of velvet even if it’s not useful the wind will take it away everything will disappear but the wind will carry us away
the caress and the rifle this wound that tears us apart the palace of other days of tomorrow and yesterday the wind will carry them away
the genetic shoulder-belt chromosomes in the atmosphere taxis for galaxies and my flying carpet the wind will take it all away everything will disappear but the wind will carry us away
the perfume of our dead years what can come knocking at your door infinite destinies we lay some but what do we retain? the wind will take it away
while the tide rises and everyone is counting their dues i bring to the crease of my shadow dusts of you the wind will take them everything will disappear but the wind will carry us
first off, i want to explain that i HATE wham!'s version. i find it...trite. boring. uninspiring. i know, i know - a ton of you love it. this is obvious considering it's played on the radio ALL THE FREAKING TIME alongside mariah's hideous all i want for christmas (is you).
i nearly skipped this song when i got the cd, thinking i'd hate this version just as much. but i didn't and then...suddenly...i realized OMG, I AM IN PARIS AND I AM LOVING IT. yes, that's right. this version is a slice of parisian heaven. ooh-la-la!
i love how the puppini sisters(italian marcella puppini and english stephanie o'brien and kate mullins) do that with their songs - how they transport you through time and space to different places: this song with paris, mele kalikimaka with hawaii, and all i want for christmas with new orleans and dixieland. so, so wonderful!
stephanie o'brien, the redhead of the group, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me!
have you met heather: your sound is very retro and yet unique in modern music. what led to the creation of the puppini sisters?
stephanie o'brien: The inspiration behind the group came from the discovery of a film called 'Belleville Rendezvous'- a French animation set to a 1930s gypsy jazz Django-esque soundtrack (ed. note: belleville rendezvousis the UK title for the triplets of belleville). Three of the featured characters were based on The Andrews Sisters, following their lives from their hey day as Vaudeville performers to when they are old ladies. The fusion of the retro elements, exciting rhythms of swing and that type of jazz, set to a dance beat and married with The Andrews Sistersin style and image was the catalyst that led to the creation of The Puppini Sisters.
hymh: your christmas album is so much fun. how did you come to choose the tracks you did to cover?
stephanie: Thank you! We certainly had a lot of fun making it. Deciding which tracks we wanted to record was an easy process. We began as a group in December 2004 so some of the very first of our performances were Christmas shows, singing true classics like Santa Baby and Winter Wonderland. We wanted to capture the love we have for that time of the year and were all agreed which our favourite Christmas songs were. We went for lunch to an oyster bar in Soho early in the year and with a pen and paper and a glass of prosecco and we made our track listing there and then!
stephanie: Next year we will be performing with The Pasadena Roof Orchestra, which we're really looking forward to. We are also going to be making a new album which we'll be announcing soon and we aim to be returning to the States with a tour. We have a lot to look forward to! Thanks and Happy Holidays from Stephanie x
thanks so much, stephanie! i am looking forward to hearing about the new album. on that note, seriously, friends. you MUST get this album!
so, for those of you who don't live in socal, there's a radio station here called kroqwhose morning team, kevin and bean, occasionally puts out christmas cds. these typically have alternative bands singing christmas songs as well as comedy sketches. and, i'm sorry, but i just can't help myself, but my favorite kevin and bean christmas tribute has to be jimmy kimmel'sversion of karl maloneexplaining kwanzaa.
i get that some of you out there might not know who karl maloneis (and if that's the case, seriously - what cave have you been living in?!). karl maloneis the mailman, one of the greatest basketball players of the last couple decades. yet, while his mad court skills are undeniable...um...sometimes when karl malonetalks...um...you can't help but giggle. (YES, YES, I KNOW HE'S A SUPERSTAR AND AWESOME AND ALL THAT. BUT ANYONE *AHEM, RICKEY HENDERSON AND BOB DOLE, AHEM* WHO REFERS TO THEMSELVES IN THIRD PERSON IN HILARIOUS IN MY BOOK. DEAL.)
to clarify, peeps, this is not REALLY karl malonetalking. it'sjimmy kimmel. i challenge you to try not laughing while listening.
so, you've probably never heard of today's band, market. in fact, they're pretty hard to track down, even online (i only have my collection of songs thanks to a demo tape the husband got from one of their shows in the '90s), but friends, that doesn't mean you ought to ignore them - especially when they have a song as fabulous as kawasaki.
i think the best way to describe kawasaki is hypnotizing. its irresistable, seductive trip-hop beats (sounding like a cross between morcheeba and portishead) lull you into the song, leading you to dark clubs, hazy blue lights, warm nights and cold drinks.
he drove a kawasaki that night, and he was timely he drove, he pulled my head down that night, until we came down
can i go, can i go, can i go now?
you know he wore versace his name, it was iraqi we met at planet sixteen man, all they had was springsteen
can i go, can i go, can i go now?
he voted for pataki and all we drank was sake my my, you're fresh so high, distress can i go, can i go, can i go now?
and, because for some weirdass reason, some of my uploads won't actually play on the site (yet can still be downloaded), here's the video so you can hear the song if you want:
head over to the band's myspace page HERE to stream more music by market.
so, 'tis the season and all that, and by now, i'm sure you deathly bored by the current batch of christmas songs out there. you know the ones i mean - the ones that you hear on the radio EVERY FRICKING SINGLE HOUR. please, radio-folks. i beg you. enough with the mariah carey and the wretched jessica simpson song that was recently available free on itunes (god, why, itunes, why? do you hate your listeners? and this comes from a girl who will admit, with only about 85% shame that i thought simpson's come on over was fun).
SO! i am here to rescue you and set you on the course to christmas music bliss with a song that is beyond fabulous.
i've posted before about there will be fireworks, which is yet another gem from scotland (land of excellent music, thank you very much. and yes, i am the biggest fangirl of scottish music there is). last year they offered up this song for free to their listeners for the holiday season. and i thank you lads for it, because it's so beautiful that i even break it out to listen to in the summertime.
OMGSQUEE, peeps. this song is amazing! and so heartfelt. doesn't it make you feel all happy squidgy inside? when nicholas mcmanus sings, "i still can't sleep on christmas eve," i simply fall in love with him and his band all over again.
well i can't wait for christmas been buckle-knee'd and listless. and you say that you've been wishing weeks away
we hung the lights out in the street twisted round the bows of trees the choir sung it's holiest refrains
like gloria hosanna in the highest heaven knows this year's been black and blue but we're alright and this christmas could be white for me and you
i still can't sleep on christmas eve
and we'll never miss a beat scarlet faced from whiskey neat in the cold singing, dancing in the dark
oh i hope these words will do i've had my doubts but not about you. i'm drunk and hearing voices in car-parks
and this year oh, i've got love in me, i swear I hope you know
gloria in excelsis deo
if i should fall from grace if i should leave this dear green place and if christmas fades without a trace
but still when you're around there's magic in this old grey town you know you should chat among the flames
keep singing all the songs who cares if all the words are wrong who cares if it barely ever snows
but still the choir smiles the carol of the bells goes...
so, a few weeks back, i blogged about jesse harrisreleasing two new albums, including a purely instrumental one. i've gotten a chance to listen to both albums in-depth.
* little star - is, in fact, the star of the album: dreamy, sweet and romantic. there's another song here called wedding song, but frankly, this would be my pick. future brides, take note.
* somewhere down the road - smacks of the new york night scene to me (and no, i've never been there, but this is what i imagine it to be like). slow piano, mellow beats, jazzy tinges. perfect for a dinner party.
* wish i were a bird - delicate and wistful. the horns add a twist of melancholy to the song.
* dear dorothy - has a folky-country vibe to it. makes me think of warm grasses that perfume the air and lazy summer days. lovely.
* what am i doing out here - i love this song. it's got a light, fun beat which contradicts the lyrics. what am i doing out here?/i wish that i had known/that when I crossed the ocean/i’d never feel so all alone.
* gone without a sound - a song about overcoming difficulties in a relationship. beautiful guitar lines. is there nothing we can say?/we won’t always feel this way/so keep on trying till the end/till we crash on down/till we fly around the bend/gone without a sound. * trees in a fence - is all about coming to grips with the end of a relationship. the horns add something special to this one. it’s only rain i heard you say/and then you turned and walked away/i don’t belong/i don’t belong/is there a way to grow back down/and start all over from the ground? * dreams of the past - possibly my favorite off the album. it's very hard to resist the simple guitar lines and jesse's heartfelt vocals. you could say i was wrong/to believe it for so long/but wouldn’t you have done the same/or turned around and changed your name?/then where would you be?/somewhere lost at sea
jesse was kind enough to answer a few questions about his albums for me:
how you met heather: cosmo is your first full-length instrumental album. why the decision to go with an instrumental record?
jesse harris: Instrumental music has been around me all my life, both in the downtown music scene in New York and the musicians I play with from that scene, as well as the household I grew up in, where a lot of jazz was played. As a songwriter I've often tried to make songs with lyrics that could also stand as instrumental pieces melodically, so I've always wanted to make instrumental versions of them. The times I had recorded instrumental music in the past - a couple of tracks on two albums, Mineral and Watching The Sky, and a score for a film, The Hottest State- were really fun and I wanted to do a whole album that way. Then John Zorncoincidentally invited me to make an album for Tzadik, and that was the final push. The concept we decided on was that half the album would be new instrumental compositions and half new instrumental versions of songs.
hymh: i'm interested in your writing process. take little star, off of cosmo, for example. was that a song driven by a particular melody or line or did you first have a story which brought you to a specific sound?
jesse: All my songs start out as instrumentals in some sense, but the ones that don't turn into songs with words are the ones that seem to stand on their own instrumentally. Little Star and Cosmo are examples of that. Little Star reminded me, and was partly inspired by, the band Big Star, songs like Thirteen, so I wrote it for them. Cosmo I titled after the main character of Cassavete'sThe Killing Of A Chinese Bookie(I like the 1978 version better, by the way).
hymh: i've read in other interviews that through the night, your other new album, is said to be an exploration of night-time experiences. what was it about that time of day which drew your interest?
jesse: This theme was something I discovered ex-post-facto. Once all the songs were assembled I realized that each one said something about nighttime or dreams. In recording and arranging the music we emulated the mood of night - in peace and chaos.
(ed: so, obviously, this is the season for gift giving and receiving but sometimes, it feels like a lot of people get lost in the receiving end. know what i mean? it's all about what can be snagged, rather than understanding the joys of giving. my friend tracy has a wonderful idea that helps bring these ideas into perspective. here's her story.)
A friend did the 12 days of Christmas for me 6 years ago. Being the type of person where gifts from the heart mean so much to me, I was touched (not to mention excited like a little kid) and looked forward to it every night. I saved the cards that came with each gift determined to spread this wonderful joy to others the following year.
Christmas seemed to take forever to arrive again. But, it did, and I made my picks: My grandparents since my grandfather was VERY ill, my grandparents neighbors who had been so good to our family during my grandfather’s illness, and then last minute I added my son's daycare provider when I heard that his father passed away.
About 5 days into it, I was delivering one of my packages in the wee hours of the morning when I saw a note on the daycare door telling me that this has given them something to look forward to each day and has made a difficult time easier. I thought I would cry. I decided that day I would do this for at least one family each year. With the help of family and friends I’ve been able to do this for 2-3 families a year.
The best reward for me is seeing those I have done this for give to others by continuing the gift. A few friends and I have developed a running list of ideas and websites to obtain our “favorite” things to give (via after Christmas deals of course!) which are listed below (this list was one done for adults).
In a nutshell, for the 12 Days of Christmas, a gift is anonymously left everyday on someone's door in line with the 12 Days theme. On the first day we usually leave pears (Partridge in a Pear Tree), etc. We tailor it to the person we are giving to. If some are children, we purchase children's toys/gifts. On the 12th day when we deliver the last package we reveal who we are!
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me: a partridge in a pear tree. So there’s no partridge, just enjoy the pears. (idea: fresh pears)
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me: two turtle doves. (idea: Turtle candies and Dove chocolates)
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me: three French hens. We hope you'll settle for one, not three, and let this hen, your supper be. And even though it is really not French, we expect this hen, your hunger will quench. (idea: a fresh chicken)
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: four calling birds. Could it be they are calling "Happy Holidays" to you? (idea: bird ornaments or bird soaps)
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: five golden rings. These golden rings, though not of gold, won't break your teeth or so I'm told. They're not your run of the mill rings, they happen to be tasty things. (idea: doughnuts)
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: six geese a lay'in. These geese flew south for the winter. But that our plans won't hinder. (idea: deviled eggs)
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me: seven swans a swimming. Well, they were swimming until things froze up. Bet they wish they'd gone south with all those other birds. (idea: chocolate swans 'swimming" in a bowl of blue jello)
On the eight day of Christmas my true love gave to me: eight maids a milkin'. The cows have done their best, the maids have done the rest, the results are, as you can see, cookies and milk to you from me. (idea: cookies & milk)
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: nine ladies dancing to beautiful Christmas music. (idea: Christmas music CD)
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: ten lords a leapin'. You see there's not ten, forgive me for fibbin', there's only three to leap around your tree. (idea: frog christmas ornaments)
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me: eleven pipers piping. Eleven pipers these are not but you can serve it "piping hot" (idea: chicken soup)
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: twelve drummers drumming. (idea: Drumstick ice cream)
* * * * *
thanks, tracy, for sharing with us your inspiring gift-giving treat!
seriously, friends - wouldn't you like to wake up to find these surprises on your doorstep? just imagine how someone else would feel - and how you'd feel knowing you made someone's morning.
so, to piggyback on the above post, which is all about the spirit of giving, i thought i'd add the following song.
for those of you not in the know, metric is a canadian indie new-wave band. i like 'em for their driving beats and pretty vocals, which make an interesting dichotomy. when i first heard gold guns girls, all i really heard was the beat. and then i gave the song a good listen and thought - i like this. i like what she's saying. some people think it's about relationships (which, admittedly, is the point of probably 99% of all songs out there - yes, i'm so scientific, i know this fact to be true!), and i guess you can see it that way, but, reportedly, emily haines, the lead singer, claimed the song was about "deep dissatisfaction in the material realm." which, when you apply that description to the lyrics, makes a hell of a lot of sense. does money buy happiness? sometimes. but it never buys love. never.
all the gold and the guns in the world couldn't get you off all the gold and the guns and the girls couldn't get you off all the boys, all the choices in the world
i remember when we were gambling to win everybody else said; "better luck next time" i don't wanna bend, let the bad girls bend i just wanna be your friend is it ever gonna be enough?
all the lace and the skin in the shop couldn't get you off all the toys and the tools in the box couldn't get you off
all the noise, all the voices never stop
i remember when we were gambling to win everybody else said, "better luck next time" i don't wanna bend, let the bad girls bend i just wanna be your friend while you're giving me a hard time i remember when we were gambling to win everybody else said uh-uh, uh-uh-uh
is it ever gonna be enough?
more and more, more and more... is it ever gonna be enough?
