so, i'm sure most of you music loving peeps remember sufjan stevensbold proclamation a few years back on how he was going to record an album for each state in the US - but, after the releases of michigan and illinois, the concept stalled with stevensclaiming, "I have no qualms about admitting it was a promotional gimmick." the idea may be kaput with stevens, but another artist has recently taken up the mantle, tweaking the concept so that it's more of a 50 songs, 50 states project (rather than producing 50 albums worth of content). this is still a rather lofty and heady challenge for any artist, and so far, psychadelic-pop musician netherfriends is doing a great job of it.
netherfriends has been on the road continuously since april 2010 and writing and recording as he tours with many songs are recorded in the houses that he stays in. he's in the home stretch of the tour, having just announced that hawaii will be his last stop in april, making the tour a year long experience. a blog has been erected, keeping track of his progress (go HERE to check it out - there are also updates HERE).
despite being crazy busy, touring the entire country and writing a song per state, netherfriends has also recently released an improv drone album of relaxing mood music entitled alap. a departure from his normal sound, alap consists of seven songs named after the days of the week. best yet, it's offered for free on netherfriends'bandcamp site.
check out wednesday:
shawn rosenblatt, the man behind netherfriends, was kind enough to answer some questions for me about his current projects:
have you met heather: what inspired you to create the 50 songs, 50 states project?
shawn rosenblatt: I got tired of just touring and needed to do something creative. I call it killing 2 birds with one stone. Recording a song and playing a show in each state in one year is keeping me sane on the road.
hymh: any interesting stories to share from your travels so far that may make it to future songs?
shawn: I will just give you some themes of the songs based off of experiences: Seeing the Northern lights, living with a hooker, a Best Western hotel bathroom, and almost getting in a fight, leaving a girlfriend of 5 years to pursue touring full-time, going to a Waffle House for the first time, getting free mushrooms, and many many other odd themes.
hymh: your latest EP, alap, is very different from what you normally record. do you see yourself doing more of this type of improv music in the future?
shawn: Yes, I guess when I start go a little crazy again from working on the 50 states songs. I will do another improv release. I think Alap is coming out on my friend's cassette label, but it seems to be taking a little too long...
thanks, shawn!
check out the videos for two songs off of last year's barry and sherry: breteaston ellis novel and lead you through the misty fog of milwaukee ave. - love the use of stop motion:
i really dig the following song (lead you through the misty fog of milwaukee ave.) - be warned, it only does the first two minutes of a five minute + song...
so, i think i've mentioned before that when i was in my undergrad years in college, tori amoswas pretty much my muse. i knew every word, every note off of little earthquakesand under the pink. i bought every single i could get my hands on, imports included. i played a huge amount of money (for a poor college student) for y kan't tori read(and for anyone who has heard it, you know that means devotion). but, as these things often naturally happen, i outgrew tori and for years didn't listen to her at all.
recently, though, i dug out some of my old cds and gave them a listen again and marvelled at how good tori's early stuff was (when it wasn't being obscure for the sake of being obscure). she's a pretty fab piano player, and that's part of what drew me to her (having been a piano nerd for most of my life myself).
i swear, this isn't a non sequitor - but for years and years (even during those college years when i was worshipping tori's music), my favorite song was U2's running to stand still. it totally spoke to me. i saw it as the greatest anthem for anybody trying to find themself in what can be a confusing world - until, that is, my U2 obsessed boyfriend (and now husband) flatly declared: IT'S ABOUT DRUGS. that, of course, is his answer to any song i say has deep meaning ("DRUGS. HEROINE. COKE. DRUGS.") to the point i have to wonder, WHAT SONG IS NOT ABOUT DRUGS? but the truth is, i don't care if running to stand still is about drugs, even though i can see that now, lyrically. i'm standing pretty firm on my interpretation on how it's about someone deperately trying to navigate growing up because that's how i saw it. and that's the beauty of music. it may mean one thing to one person, but a totally different thing to another, and THAT'S OKAY.
i recently stumbled across tori amos doing a version of running to stand still (see? connected!). and i like it. i really, really like it. i think had i heard it in college, i just might have listened to it somewhere around five hundred times. the quality of the recording isn't the best - it's live, and there are people talking (WHY DO PEOPLE TALK IN SHOWS LIKE THIS? stay home and listen to the cds, peeps, if all you want to do at a show is gossip with the people you came with). but it's worth your listen. maybe even a few of them. me? i've got it on repeat.
and so she woke up and so she woke up and so she woke up from where she was, lying still and said "i gotta do something about where we're going." step off a steam train stepped out of the driving rain, maybe run from the darkness in the night singing, "la la la de de, ah la la la de, ah la la de"
sweet the sin bitter taste, in my mouth i see seven towers but i see only one way out you've got to cry without weeping talk without speaking scream without raising your voice you know i took the poison from the poison stream then i floated out of here singing, "ah la la la de de, ah la la la de de, ah la de de"
she runs through the streets with her eyes painted red under black belly of cloud in the rain and through the doorway she brings me white gold and pearls, stolen from the sea she is raging, she is raging and the storm blows up in her eyes oh, she is raging, she is raging and the storm blows up in her eyes suffer the needle chill she's running to stand still
so, when i first saw this post over on the bff's blog, i thought to myself: what in the holy hell is this? because, let's face it friends, it's a crazy ass video (you can see for yourself below). AND it's also crazy fun. which of course, made me want to know more immediately and share it.
here's what you need to know about prisencolinensinainciusol: * yes, that's the real title * it was written and performed by adriano celentano, an italian singer, comedian and tv show host * it's from 1972, but has a sound that's hard to pin on any date * the lyrics are pure gibberish. celentano once said, "having just recorded an album of songs that meant something, I wanted to do something that meant nothing." * and speaking of the lyrics, they're to represent what english sounds like to foreigners
haha! how can you resist? and it's italian! which makes it all the more irresistible. and it's got a harmonica.
so, i've talked before about ben cooper before - the guy fronts a ton of different cool music projects, including radical face(which i lovelovelove). he's also part of a duo, along with alex kane, that calls themselves electric president.
they've got a really interesting sound - very singer-songwritery, with just enough of a likable indie pop vibe to twist the songs into pieces of stories that soak into you, stealthy-like. they, themselves, dub the band "healing & easy-listening," which i like, because honestly? they are sort of like that, despite having songs called eat shit and die (although, didn't you just laugh reading that? knowing that there is a song out there called that?). today's song is, in fact, a song about healing - safe and sound tells the story of how someone will be there for a friend, no matter what. it's realistic, and honest - no flowery "you're the wind beneath my winds" crap. instead, this is what true friends really say to one another when push comes to shove.
you took your hits, wear the bruises on the soles of your feet
well, who's to say if they're deserved?
but you're turning reckless now, I hear you saying through your teeth,
that you'll take them down first
but I saw you flinch when the doctors got their claws in you
I saw your smile start to crack
it's not so funny when you're sunk and there ain't nothing you can do
when your options are all dead ends
when there's no way out
I'll let you build your home in me until the clocks run down
when your luck's run out
call me and I will come and fix you, get your feet on the ground
when there's not way out
call me and I will come and bury you, all safe and sound
all this time, you've been drifting out with the tide, my friend
but you can have what's mine, if it helps you stay afloat
if I close my eyes, it's 'cause I can't watch you drown anymore, my friend
but I'll tell you lies if it helps you sleep at night
and the more we fight, the more we don't get right, my friend
the more we fight, the more we don't get right
I heard they broke you, that you gave in
that you dropped and the the fight had left you
but don't you worry, it makes no difference
from the start your options were all dead ends
when there's no way out
I'll let you build your home in me until the clocks run down
when your luck's run out
call me and I will come and fix you, get your feet on the ground
when there's not way out
call me and I will come and bury you, all safe and sound
so, today's song features a HARMONICA - another one of those instruments that can make or break a song (you know what i mean - there are some that make a song a zillion times better, like accordions or banjos, but done wrong? *shudder*). it takes a subtle touch - not too much, but just enough to highlight a melody. a harmonica done right can make a song feel so intimate.
ocean carolinadoes just that. the band, who hails from brooklyn, has a bit of a ryan adams alt-country vibe to them. and blue, which is warmed golden by it's harmonica, is a little slice of musical happiness. check it out:
everything will be alright darling, blue even if it burns out bright i have you when the blue skies fade gray one of us will never say goodbye
so, a friend recently turned me onto the appletons, an alternative band of self-described "working class rockers" from los angeles. they've got this really eclectic sound that combines classic rock, blues, jazz, retro, and indie, giving it a very unique, highly-likable vibe.
markus law, the drummer for the appletons, was kind enough to answer some questions from me about the band and their music.
how you met heather: you guys have a very retro feel to your music, and yet also sound very distinctive, which I find refreshing in today's all-too frequent cookie-cutter-sounding music environment. what are some of your influences and inspirations for your music?
markus law: One small reason for the different vibe we have is the range of influences we came into the band with. Besides having some common musical influences such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and U2; each individual member brings an array of influences that are quoted in our music. Some of these influences include: Lush, Radiohead, Queen, Cocteau Twins, The London Suade, and Joy Division as well as individual influences ranging from Art Blakey, Buddy Rich, The Edge, Bob Dylan, and Jimmy Hendrix, which are compounded by music genres that include jazz, blues, electronica, and classic rock.
hymh: the LA music scene is very eclectic yet exciting. what has it been like for the appletons "growing up" as a band in this area?
markus: Although we feel that we have not fitted into a particular phase since the inception of the band, we have welcomed the idea of standing out from many bands we have played with. We have never felt the need to sound like other bands nor the desire to separate ourselves from any scene. We bring what we like to play into rehearsal and allow everyone to add to the music as we like without limitations of guidelines of a particular sound. We like what we play.
hymh: the band is in a transition right now, looking for a new lead singer, as jeanette (the current lead singer) is going on maternity leave. what can listeners expect from the appletons in 2011?
markus: While we look for a replacement, we continue to write and play the same as we have done for years. The great thing about playing with The Appletons is that we are fans of our own music and of each other’s playing, as corny as that may sound. We plan on polishing our music and most important, have fun. We want to share our music with people and besides playing on stage, we get a tremendous joy when people approach us after shows to compliment our music.
thanks, markus!
i really dig their album, also entitled the appletons - it's the perfect sort of music to listen to when you want to hang out with friends and relax. at times bright, others times breezy or even a bit dark, it's filled with personable songs that highlight great guitar lines and sweet, retro-y vocals. some highlights from the album:
* half my time - slow and easy, with a bit of lo-fi goodness stuck in the middle. half the time i spent it chasing friends/while half the world was waiting for the end/and half the gods i knew i had to pay with pain
* summer days - reminds me, in a way, of being by a pool in palm springs or las vegas while drinking a mai tai. i totally could see this one being played in an aloha bar. mahalo! do you remember my name/because i remember yours was summer days
* a minute of hope - dark and bluesy with a sliver of sweetness in the chorus. you're holding to things you'll regret/you're asking the questions nobody gets/you're breathing the air that people infest/to make sure you're right and wrong
* for your listening pleasure, here's even when. my favorite off the album, its guitar hook is beyond catchy. love this song:
love is a story of all the things you ever wanted to feel right and even when the world was not in tune you always found it right love is a worry for all the things you never wanted in your life and it can sometimes seem so useless and sometimes vile and when your arms entwine the edge of solace and all the things you've done just fade and no one seems to realize that loving causes so much pain remember that i'll never leave, know that i will carry on even if the things in life just never seem to match the things you've done before remember that i'll never leave, know that i will carry on be strong don't you worry you make a better world by being who you are even when the answers that we find don't seem to be right love is all we go, love is all we are...love
so, is there anyone out there who isn't listening/talking about/buying radiohead's new album this weekend? or, for that matter, thom yorke's mad dancing skills?
learn more about radiohead HERE. buy the king of limbs, the album lotus flower is off of, HERE.
so, today i want to introduce you to dënver, a cutesy pop-surf duo from chile. comprised of mariana montenegro and milton mahan, dënver is the equivalent of ice cream - sweet and fun. think of this band as techno meets beach jams, and get ready to put them on your summer playlists.
i really dig los adolescentes - it's almost schizophrenic in its sounds. there's the grating surf guitar lines, cheesy 80's synths, the sounds of a tennis ball being hit back and forth, a super sweet soprano voice, and a head-bobbing drum beat.
un día me dices bueno, al otro me dices no sé un día me dices quiero, al otro me dices tal vez un día me dices luego, al otro me dices ya ves un día me dices corto, al otro déjalo crecer
te queda mal ser tan fatal...
and here's an english translation: one day you tell me good, next day you tell me i don't know one day you tell me you love me, next day you tell me maybe one day you tell me later, next day you tell me you see one day you tell me short, next day you tell me let it grow
so, when i first heard today's song, verb noun by the seedy seeds, i got all sorts of happy joys, because it's so darn adorable. plus! it's got a banjo done right!
the seedy seedsare a really likeable band who write, in their words, "süperfolkelectroindiepop." here's what they have to say about themselves on their facebook page:
The Seedy Seeds don’t know you, but they already like you. With a completely original sound and presentation, including banjo, accordion and toy keyboard beats, The Seedy Seeds create positive, melodic, danceable Indie music that is equally at home alongside pop-punk, alt-country, and lo-fi.
The concept for the band was born of a casual conversation in late 2005, in which the founding members hypothesized performing as a group with the instruments they owned but hadn’t yet learned to play. The Seedy Seeds began writing, performing, and recording music shortly thereafter.
verb noun is the single off their upcoming new album of the same name. it sort of reminds me of the cadences found when riding a horse - steady yet exhilarating (okay, truth time here - i hate riding horses, but i am assured by others it is exhilarating). the use of violin and banjo are done just right, and margaret darling's vocals are pitch perfect to match the fun.
i'm compelled, compelled to make i am compelled, compelled to make good
when this part of vowel i can see where it goes but not why it ends is it any less than if i make it with force than if i was forced to make it
just for a noun you'll agree but i don't want to do just anything
want to see the seedy seeds? check 'em out on one of their tour stops in march and april:
2/26 // newport, ky TSS VN CD Release Party 3/2 // pittsburgh, pa @ The Brillobox 3/3 // baltimore, md @ Golden West Cafe 3/4 // philadelphia, pa @ North Star Bar 3/5 // brooklyn, ny @ Union Hall 3/6 // providence, ri @ Club Hell 3/7 / boston, ma @ Great Scott 3/8 // new york, ny @ Piano's 3/10 // atlanta, ga @ Drunken Unicorn 3/11 // orlando, fl @ BackBooth Bar 3/12 // jacksonville, fl @ Jack Rabbits 3/13 // hattiesburg, ms @ Thirsty Hippo 3/18 // austin, tx @ SXSW 2011 3/19 // austin, tx @ SXSW 2011 3/20 // denton, tx @ Rubber Gloves 3/22 // santa fe, nm @ Corazon : 3/23 // tempe, az @ Yucca Tap Room 3/24 // upland, ca @ The Wire Music and Art Venue 3/25 // los angeles, ca @ The Mint 3/27 // san francisco, ca @ Hotel Utah 3/29 // seattle, wa @ High Dive 3/30 // portland, or @ Mississippi Studios 3/31 // boise, id @ The Reef 4/2 // salt lake city, ut @ Bar Deluxe 4/3 // denver, co @ The Summit Music Hall 4/4 // colorado springs, co @ Triple Nickel Tavern 4/6 // chicago, il @ Beat Kitchen 4/7 // lansing, mi @ Mac's Bar 4/8 // columbus, oh @ The Treehouse
go HERE to the seedy seeds' bandcamp site to listen/buy more songs. verb noun will be released soon.
so, up for listen today is a song called sore spots by bobby. it's a bit mystical, a bit folky, a bit psychedelic, a bit of a tall tale, and a whole lotta original.
Bobby first attempted to make contact with Tom Greenberg (Twiglet) at college, but no one really noticed Bobby until everyone had already graduated. He had, in all likelihood, been there since early ’09--a stowaway on Uncle Marth’s back chunk--soaking up all the sick milk he could stick his soft little hands into. When Tom finally did meet him face to face in the Spring of 2010, Bobby became nervous and got sick all over his little brown tap shoes and turned into a mist. He was naught but vapor for a whole month, but soon after that, they fell in together; Tom making tunes to accompany Bobby’s sad dances.
After a few shows put on for the local ghouls down at the rotary club, it was clear Bobby had talent, and Tom started making plans for a BIG SHOW. A group was to be assembled. He got together a few of his college buds that he knew played music. He put Martin Zimmermann (Chunk) on the cans, Paolo Menuez (Pillow) on thweedles, Julian Labat (Crumbles) on low-end, Roby Moulton (Moldy) on wisps and got Molly Sarle (of Mountain Man) to contribute vocally, at the request of Bobby himself. The resulting sound was a swollen lump of blooming, techni-color spores cast adrift on a warm bed of foam.
bobby will be touring with the low anthem and DOM. check 'em out here:
Feb 24: Sixth and I Historic Synagogue- Washington, DC* Feb 25: First Unitarian Church Sanctuary- Philadelphia, PA* Feb 26: Brillobox- Pittsburgh, PA* Feb 28: Lincoln Hall- Chicago, IL* Mar 4: Old South Church- Boston, MA* Mar 5: Iron Horse Music Hall- North Hampton, MA (with DOM) Mar 7: Space Gallery- Portland, ME* Mar 8: The Bowery Ballroom- New York, NY*
so, i've talked in the past about the excellence that is the new pornographers. today i want to highlight kathryncalder, one of the members of that diverse band.
calder has one of those super sweet voices that can lull you into a false sense of complacency. surely something so lovely and delicate couldn't be talking about such harsh emotions, could it? but that's what calder does - her songs are bits of poetry interlaced with devastating emotions, and her voice is the sweetness that dulls the sharp edge that threatens to overwhelm the listener.
arrow is just such a song - disillusionment, dysfunctionality and bitterness are found within. but with calder's light voice and steady piano beats, you can't help but be swept away in the story.
a hollow metal arrow fell to the water it must have come down from the blast i gave it to you and i watched as my sandcastle slowly was turned into glass
it lit up like a beacon the shine was so strong that it took me awhile to adjust it took up my house and split me apart so i found a place on the grass
fire away, i'm still here in phantom waves fire away, i still have my better days fire away, what more can i do but say fire away, fire away
a shallow river by the road smoothed the tensions and turn them to skipping stone and me by the shore i noticed that day made me older than i was before you say i'm too sad, well i happen to like it i happen to like you too
fire away, i'm still here in phantom waves fire away, i still have my better days fire away, what more can i do but say fire away, fire away
fire away, i know all your tricks and your foul play it won't work on me anymore fire away, what more can i do but say fire away, fire away
so, today's song is possibly one of the most flat-out romantic songs i've heard in years. solstice, by the unwinding hours, is quiet, unassuming, and pitch perfect in every aspect, from craig b's vocals to the piano and guitar. only those with the deadest, most embittered of hearts will be able to resist this one.
have a listen and then go tell the person you love how much they mean to you.
i'm old well, i'm cynical but not enough to let you go
and what is this? i dare not name it we move in secret ways
so don't tell a soul don't say a word falling asleep on my chest is enough and when morning comes i'll walk you halfway home
i'm old and i'm speechless as we undress without a sound
i don't know what to say or i don't know how to say it but i can't walk away from this right now
so don't tell a soul don't say a word falling asleep by my side is enough and when morning comes we'll make love we'll make love when morning comes
so, as of today, i have 246 plays of this song on my itunes. this does not include how many times i've played it on either iphone i've owned, on the husband's iphone, or various now-dead ipods we've had. I AM STILL NOT TIRED OF IT. I DOUBT I EVER WILL BE.
so, today's song isn't a traditional love song - well, to clarify, it is about love, but it isn't the shining example of sunshines and rainbows and happily ever after. instead, peace and hate, by the submarines, talks about real-life love: it's messy, complex, and sometimes hard work.
the inspiration behind this song was the real-life relationship between the submarines band members john dragonetti and blake hazard - they'd broken up, but realized they were, in the end, stronger together. today they're married and still creating lovely and meaningful music.
have a listen to this very honest, raw song:
behind the sweet summer fade and on a coast not far away.
sometimes we glide sometimes we fall and there are times we don't get up at all.
you had your doubts we had our rows said our goodbyes but now we're taking vows
behind the sweet summer fade you'll knock me down like a tidal wave.
i should be gone cast away but still i'd love you through all peace and hate
in light of all darkest things the fire glimmers and the darkness sings....
if you should go i won't have you to blame for my unhappiness for darker days when will i learn it's not your fault breaking down could not be cured by breaking up.
i should be gone cast away....
forever more peace and hate love and war declare a new state....
yell and shout and kick me out then forget what we fought about but don't give up these storms are passing
so, as we all know, love doesn't just mean romance - sometimes it means genuinely being there for a person. this is an aspect, i think, a lot of music tends to forget when waxing poetic about the more flashy and heart-racing aspects of this addictive emotion. but in all actuality, it's one of the more important parts of being in a relationship.
alexi murdoch, one of my favorite singer-songwriters, crafted the beautiful song for you, which is all about being there for someone he loves. it is so sweet, so heartfelt, that i can't help but adore it.
so today i wrote a song for you 'cause a day can get so long and i know its hard to make it through when you say there's something wrong
so i'm trying to put it right 'cause i want to love you with my heart all this trying has made me tight and i don't know even where to start
maybe that's a start
'cause you know its a simple game that you play filling up your head with rain and you know you are hiding from your pain in the way, in the way you say your name
and i see you hiding your face in your hands flying so you won't land you think no one understands no one understands
so you hunch your shoulders and you shake your head and your throat is aching but you swear no one hurts you, nothing could be sad anyway you're not here enough to care
and you're so tired you don't sleep at night as your heart is trying to mend you keep it quiet but you think you might disappear before the end
and it's strange that you cannot find any strength to even try to find a voice to speak your mind when you do, all you wanna do is cry
well maybe you should cry
and i see you hiding your face in your hands talking bout far-away lands you think no one understands listen to my hands
and all of this life moves around you for all that you claim you're standing still you are moving too you are moving too you are moving too i will move you
so, i have a lot of warm fuzzy feelings for today's song because it's one of the songs that remind me of when the husband and i first fell in love. we listened to yo la tengo's our way to fall a lot in those early days (we're still big YLT fans) - and each time i hear it now, i can't help but think it's the perfect love song, because it's so spot on with what happened between us.
for those of you who aren't into yo la tengo, i can't urge you enough to check them out. head HERE to download a bunch of songs by this fabulous band for free - but not, of course, until you've already found yourself swooning to this brilliant, brilliant gem:
i remember a summer's day i remember walking up to you i remember my face turned red and i remember staring at my feet i remember before we met i remember sitting next to you and i remember pretending i wasn't looking
so we'll try and try even if it lasts an hour with all our might we'll try and make it ours 'cuz we're on our way we're on our way to fall in love
i remember your old guitar i remember I Can't Explain i remember the way it looked around your neck and i remember the day it broke i remember song you sang i remember the way you looked tonight and i remember the way it made me feel
so we try and try even if it lasts an hour with all our might we'll try and make it ours because we're on our way we're on our way to fall in love
so, ask any gen-xer what are the most iconic, romantic scenes in movies from their childhoods, and inevitably, they will tell you the boombox scene in say anything. john cusackholds up one of those antique contraptions that used to be necessary to listen to music and blares peter gabriel's in your eyesto the object of his affection. girls swooned, guys thought it cool, and peter gabriel'ssong rushed to the forefront of all gen-xers love song lists.
the former genesis frontman is more than that song, however, and has, over the years, built up an impressive catalogue of music. last year, he released a compilation of cover songs he did entitled scratch my back - and on this album, he recorded a sublimely gorgeous version of the magnetic fields' the book of love. simple as it is lush, the book of love is the sort of love song that won't give you a cavity.
the book of love is long and boring no one can lift the damn thing it's full of charts and facts and figures and instructions for dancing but i i love it when you read to me and you you can read me anything the book of love has music in it in fact that's where music comes from some of it is just transcendental some of it is just really dumb but i i love it when you sing to me and you you can sing me anything the book of love is long and boring and written very long ago it's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes and things we're all too young to know but i i love it when you give me things and you you ought to give me wedding rings and i i love it when you give me things and you you ought to give me wedding rings and i i love it when you give me things and you you ought to give me wedding rings you ought to give me wedding rings
so, what with valentine's day quickly approaching, i thought i'd interject the next week with a number of fabulously romantic songs. please do not be horrified - you will not be getting any ridiculous slices of cheese that mariah carey or brit-brit or any of their ilk churn out - i'm talking legitimately beautiful and worthy songs of listen.
up today is fragile and hopeful fragment by trespassers william. it's a quiet song that highlights anna-lynne williams' ethereal vocals and takes a look at the early stages of a relationship. equal parts wistfulness, trepidation, and longing, fragment truly enchants.
if i lean, if i lean in so close to you can i breathe, can i breathe i don't know so far from home i'm tired of, i'm tired of being cautious oh it aches and the only thing cautious now's my hand not to break you
i cannot promise any of the things i want to but i could not want this any fragment more than i do
i don't know, i don't know how to read what you give me say "i'm tired, i'm tired of being lonely" spell it for me
if i lean, if i lean in so close to you i want to know there's no space between me and you
i cannot promise any of the things i want to but i could not want this any fragment more than i do
oh, what to call this tell me how i'm supposed to touch you i could not want this any fragment more than i do and you could not want this any fragment more than i do
so, i got an email from the best friend a couple weeks back now that urged me to check out a song from lissie. "it reminds me of your book, codename: amof," i was told, so of course, i had to go and check it out.
and omigosh, peeps, i was sort of stunned, because in sleep could've been written about what goes on between a couple of my characters. i was also a bit disgruntled, because had i known this song was out there in the wild, i might've listened to it while writing a certain chapter.
anyway! for those of you out there who are my beta readers, you might recognize a certain similarity between c & j here. for those of you who are like, what the ef? get to the music scoop already, here's the 411 on lissie - she's got a stevie nicks-like voice and an interesting mix of blues, folk, americana and pop in her songs .
i lay awake at night and pray not to see the light of day i wonder how to behave right he has left me such a mess counting to protest my mind can't get no rest
fast asleep where i keep my memories calling me out in dreams he visits me what will be will i see him again soon?
why am i so terrified of waking? he's gone and i feel i've been forsaken in sleep is the only place i get to see him, get to love him
the scene, a city after dawn becomes a field of corn and i've had this one before
fast asleep where i keep my memories calling me out in dreams he visits me what will be will i see him again soon?
why am i so terrified of waking? he's gone and i feel i've been forsaken in sleep is the only place i get to see him, get to love him
i know that when the story ends the one that's in my head well, i'll be alone again
why am i so terrified of waking? he's gone and i feel i've been forsaken in sleep is the only place i get to see him, get to love him be with him i love him
here's another song by lissie, called little lovin'. very cute, with a 70's groovy southern vibe:
so, nico staiis a spanish born, LA based indie singer-songwriter whose songs have been featured on chuck (which, by the way, has a kickass music scout, because that show has also featured frightened rabbitand many other amazing bands that inspire musical love and not bleeding ears). he's got a gritty sort of voice that i really dig because it sounds so bloody honest, rather than polished like so many artists out there on the radio today.
i want to share today a song by nico that i just adore. one october song is so quiet and simple, just nico's raw vocals and a guitar and a little tambourine, and yet - it's incredibly powerful. it's the sort of song that sinks into your bones and stays a long time after the last note is played.
i like that it's ambiguous. i honestly have no idea what nico meant it to be about, and i like that. because now it can mean something specific to me.
you know that thing that you say you sometimes dream of well i think it's happening to me you know they say that time will take a hold of you well you kill the voice or it kills you
oh no you shouldn't really speak about it oh no you shouldn't really speak about it
and you look thin well the drugs will make you thinner still the sort of thing you'd never see look up and up and up and up above and up above now and count your lucky stars
but oh no you shouldn't really speak about it you shouldn't really speak about it
you know that thing that you say you sometimes dream of well i think it's happening to me
nico will be performing at austin's SXSW festival this march. go HERE to buy park los angeles, the album one october song is off of, as well as other nico stai albums.
so, a number of years ago now, i used to torture the husband with mandy moore's candy. being the hipster music snob he is, he would give me these deep, long looks of despair and disapproval and mutter things like, "i thought you had taste," and "my respect for you has slipped some."
he was mostly kidding.
but the plain truth of it is, candy was so cheesy it was FUN. it wasn't going to win a pulitzer for deep thoughts (not that music wins, but you know what i mean), but it made me happy to listen to it. it made me feel bouncy and want to laugh and enjoy myself.
so, i couldn't help but remember that song when i first heard kamikaze heart by kat mcgivern. the two songs sound nothing alike - don't misunderstand me here - but they both give that sort of feeling of fizzy drink in your tummy, car windows open, singing it loud with your best friends while having a great afternoon kind of vibe.
here's what mcgivern, a self-described "bohemian judy jetson with a bad attitude" (HELLO, who can resist that description?), has to say about the song: “I dropped out of college so I could record my first album. Then I quit music for two years to bartend and go back to school. I realized that I couldn’t walk away from music. So I recorded My Kamikaze Heart, about my inability to walk away from the things I love.”
get ready to chew some bubblegum, peeps, and relish a straight-up slice of pop music fun:
i'm so fed up i just can't get up to go and leave i'm so broken i can't find another vein to bleed and i'm so sorry that you'll reap the benefit of this cus baby, i don't give a shit i've got a kamikaze heart, it keeps falling apart but that don't make me yours i've got a kamikaze heart and it keeps falling apart cus it don't know what i'm fighting for the truth is that i know that i can do much better cus all your excuses are really not that clever and my girlfriends say, you're just a storm i've got to weather and i'd be better off, staying home i've got a kamikaze heart, it keeps falling apart cus it don't know what i'm fighting for how could i not read the writing on the wall look deep before i leap, slow down before i fall i've got a fire bomb and it's beating in my chest this twisted little pilot, well he thinks he knows what's best i'm so fed up, you fucked up just get up and go, now leave i'm so fed up wit the truth is, i just can't believe i've got a kamikaze heart, it keeps falling apart but that don't make me yours i've got a kamikaze heart and it keeps falling apart cus it don't know what i'm fighting for
so, it's hard not to be impressed by danish singer-songwriter tina dico'scareer. she's in her early thirties and has already formed a record label on her own (early in her career, natch), won the equivalent of denmark's oscar for a soundtrack she wrote, and is a multi-platinum artist who has outsold acts like coldplay and U2 in her home country. In addition to being beloved around the world, she's also had the privilege to perform for the danish royal family numerous times.
tina dicoseems to have it all as an artist - genuine talent to write her own music (diane warren, no need to call), the ability to expand awareness of her music outside of scandanavia without the help of huge record labels, and consistent song recording that keeps her fans coming back for more.
she's recently recorded a two-disc set that is a mix of greatest hits, acoustic b-sides, and new songs. tina was kind enough to answer a few questions for me:
have you met heather: welcome back colour consists of the uptempo welcome up, including a number of fan favorites, and the acoustic welcome down. what inspired you to release welcome back colour this way?
tina dico: Welcome Back Colour is a kind of anthology and a paraphrase over these first ten years of my career and I wanted it to represent both sides to what I do: a disc with rocky band tracks and a disc with acoustic storytelling. I also wanted it to be both retrospective and pointing forward which is why there are a handful of new songs in quite different directions - which I had so much fun recording!
There's also a lot of new recordings of oldies, favourites and B-sides. I just felt like adding something extra and sitting down with my guitar to re-visit tunes from different corners of these past years.
hymh: what inspired the title, welcome back colour?
tina: I saw "Welcome Back Colour" written on the window of a department store in Seattle some years ago and although it was just something colorful and fun to lure people in to buy summer clothes it hit me quite hard and I stood there for a while, staring at these words. I found it quite melancholic, I guess. 'Cause where had the colors been? I struck a chord in my life at the time which in some ways had become quite "black and white". And with this record I wanted to consciously try and bring the colors back into my life and remind myself of how colorful my journey with music has been so far.
hymh: as this album includes a number of your greatest hits, which do you consider to be your personal favorites to perform and why?
tina: It depends on the kind of concert and in which country. In Denmark I play these huge rock shows where it's such good fun to blast out songs like On The Run, Nobody's Man and Welcome Back Colour. At my more acoustic shows I love to play storytelling songs like Friend In A Bar, He Doesn't Know and Magic and really play around with the nuances. My all-time favourites, I guess, are Room With A View and Count To Ten. I don't know why - they're very close to my heart...
thanks, tina!
i'm going to have to concur with tina on count to ten - it's probably my favorite of hers, too. here's a video of her performing it:
love it, love it, LOVE IT. the chorus is brilliant:
sometimes the fastest way to get there is to go slow and sometimes if you wanna hold on you got to let go i'm gonna close my eyes and count to ten i'm gonna close my eyes and when i open them again everything will make sense to me then
* welcome back colour - the title track kicks off the two-disc set with a plucky, driven guitar line that underscores a barely restrained urge to break free. the olden days are black and white on my tv/and nowadays the future looks the same to me/unless you and i remind each other/to welcome back colour
*warm sand - melancholy as much as it is bright at times, it's a look at things beyond one's reach and finally putting them to rest. warm sand underneath my feet/no promises left for you to keep/fortune smiling back at me/forgetting the things that couldn’t be
* goldhawk road - next to count to ten, my favorite off of the upbeat welcome up. it's all about coming home to where you started from after realizing your priorities. i never thought i would want to go back from goldhawk road/but friendship and root is much stronger than that/and here i go/i know i'm late/but babe, i've changed
* rebel song - i adore the guitar in this one; it carries the song almost by itself. could it be that i know nothing/about holding on to love/like you hold on to the thread/that your life hangs on
* room with a view - sweet and simple, romantic and heartfelt, this is a quiet song that serves as a lullaby. but what’s a man without a past/we love him for his lies/and then we try to break him down to make it last/’til they come true/thank god for this beautiful view
* break of day - an antique piano lends this one a bittersweet edge. lying back to back at 10 to 1/you’re awake, like me/trying to conceive that done is done/you made a mistake, i see/but i’m a little too tired, baby/it’s a little too late
Jan 30 - Ramshead Tavern - Annapolis, MD Jan 31 - Highline Ballroom - NY, NY Feb 1 - Smith's Old Bar - Atlanta, GA Feb 2 - 3rd & Lindsey - Nashville, TN Feb 3 - Schuba's - Chicago, IL Feb 5 - Stubbs Jr. - Austin, TX Feb 6 - Triple Door - Seattle, WA Feb 8 - Swedish American Hall - San Francisco, CA Feb 9 - Troubadour - LA, CA Feb 10 - Anthology - San Diego, CA
learn more about tina dicoHERE. buy welcome back colourHERE.
