Tonight I am re-reading the writing I did on this blog. For over a year it sustained me in a time of creative drought. It pains me that I haven't had the time to engage with this blog, but at the same time, I want to acknowledge that I have been investing my energy in other areas: getting involved in my Union, and trying to rally community engagement around issues in education so that we can take it back from the corporate interests that dominate the profession. I've also been trying my hand at other types of writing.
I'm not sure how long it will be until I return this way whole-heartedly, though it is never far from my mind. Therefore, I share with you the blog entries I am most proud of (in chronological order). Most of them relate music to my life on a personal level, a few of them are intellectual, analytical. All of them reveal a piece of my heart.
I get pretty excited when I hear a song and think, "I know who was listening to this!"
I've been spinning Dream Academy's first album (side 1 in particular) a bunch in the last month, and one day it just hit me...Jarvis Cocker must have listened to this singer!
While it's true that Pulp predates this 1985 Dream Academy song, Pulp's first album, "It", doesn't feature the vocal swagger and nuance of the more familiar "His 'n' Hers" material onward (Pulp's second album came out 1986) though you can hear that Jarvis is leaning in that direction.
Take a moment and listen to "This World" below. Note the breathy vocals that transition into a full-throated chorus, the way Nick Laird-Clowes plays with the rhythm of the words, making them staccato or stretching them. Nick isn't afraid to go for "whoa whoa whoa" bridge, either. These are all very BJE (before Jarvis era) Jarvis-sounding vocals.
Now listen to a bit of this track, and you'll hear what I'm talking about! Try not to get too distracted by Jarvis' dance moves ;)
As a footnote, the lyrics to "This World" have seriously Pulp-like lyrics as well. Great minds?
Also, I must now go watch Pulp videos...! 90s rock videos forever!
For the last six or seven years I've documented the prior year of music
listening on a mix CD. The rules I impose on
myself:
-One song max. from each album, and one song max. from each artist.
-Has to fit on one CD.
-Must mix well. I often end up with less than a CD's worth of material because of this rule.
There's no limitation on the year it was created; the song does not have to be from 2012.
Challenges this year:
-I didn't do as great a job of keeping track of what I was obsessed with this year. Most years I keep a little folder of music going on my computer, but tech issues interfered this time around and I realized at the 13th hour that I left off Coldplay (Paradise! Charlie Brown!) and Gotye. Poop!
1. "October" by The Helio Sequence from Negotiations
*Pacific Northwestern Soul*
Many of The Helio Sequence's tunes resonate with me on a visceral level, and they encourage and sustain me. I appreciate that people and connection are at the heart of their music.
In a perfect world
there would be no divide
In a perfect world
we could both open
and see the other side
2. "Life 'O' The Party" by Prince from Musicology
*You Can't Listen to it on the 'Net*
Party is right! It's impossible to remain still when this song is playing. Great grinding drum, single-note piano line, and Prince-tastic vocals, from overwrought to rap to screams to sexy-talk voice. Prince's sense of humor is on display throughout.
Favorite lines:
Twenty five years to life
The judge sentenced me to hard labor with a knife
makin cuts for y'all
*OOOHH!*
3. "The Keepers" by Santigold from Master Of My Make-Believe
*Goddess*
There is no one in the music business that's better than Santigold. She can make any genre of music she wants, and it's all compelling! Furthermore, her lyrics and album imagery have many layers. She's always thrilling to listen to: Santigold for President!
What happens when you get stuck
Get to the bottom of the illusion that you're in?
4. "Broken Promise" by New Order from Brotherhood
*Exercise Music*
I went through a New Order remaster renaissance in 2011, but somehow Brotherhood got left out of the bulk of my listening. I vowed I would take it on this year...and it went to the gym with me. This album rules for exercising! And Bernard's vocal/lyrical emotions match my sassy attitude when I'm working out and feeling good about how awesome my body is for doing what I want it to (someday we will be elderly [or injured] and unable to say that).
5. "Mother Protect" by Niki & the Dove from Instinct
*Turn the Lights Low and Dance*
Recent house guests unknowingly hummed along to this song during their first listen. It's that good. Enjoy!
6. "Rowena's Theme" by Edge from Captive soundtrack
*Soundtracks Rule*
Finally got around to listening to this LP I've had sitting around for a while #obsessiveU2 fanproblem. I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful/emotional the album is (kinda makes me want to see the movie), as well as by how awesome Edge is all alone. Edge could go solo. Bono knows.
I highly recommend folks checking this out if they like ambient or soundtrack music.
7. "Every Glance" by Jack Peñate from Everything is New
*Colleen's Most Listened Album of Year*
If I had to choose an album of the year according to how many times I played it, this would be the one. Everything is New is a short record, at about 35 minutes long. For a while I couldn't get past the first track (cause it was on repeat, yo!), but eventually this song emerged as my favorite. I had dreams about finding this album on vinyl before I ordered it from CD World...
This is a fun song to harmonize with and sing along to. Check out the choice ending to the track!
8. "I Go to Sleep" by Pretenders from Pretenders II
*A Band I Was Wrong About*
Alright, so I've never cared for Pretenders. Though I've been intrigued by Chrissie Hynde as a fellow animals rights activist/vegetarian, their radio-in-the-00's-played-singles cause me to change stations.
Turns out, I just hadn't heard the right album.
While I was researching songs for my F Horn player mix (which I will post here one day), I stumbled across this gem. I figured if "I Go to Sleep" is so dang good, I'd better give the album it was from a shot.
And now I can say: I like Pretenders (at least the albums from before half the band died off...sad!).
9. "Amanaemonesia" by Chairlift from Something
*Surpasses the Sum of Its Parts*
Something is an album it takes multiple listens to wrap the brain around. While it's immediately apparent that Caroline Polachek has serious singing chops, it can take a bit longer to disassociate the ear from the recognizable 70s/80s references and just enjoy the songs.
I love the old school keyboards/dramatic wordless singing on the bridge, as well as the Nina Hagen "singing in German" vocal reference right after.
Chairlift's lyrics can be very serious or very playful ("There's a dog in the yard with a manner that's ruff"), and the uniqueness of their sound is inspiring.
10. "Walking On a Dream" by Empire of the Sun from Walking On a Dream
*Pandora find of the year!*
I am a huge fan of this album, and I must add that there are rarely four single-worthy tracks in a row opening a record (Joshua Tree is the only other one I can think of). Empire of the Sun is onto something magical, and I can't wait to hear their second album sometime this year.
This track is a danceable, good vibes, love song. Their use of falsetto, flexibility about word pronunciation (for realz! in the chorus mostly), and use of the rhythm/texture of words hugely contribute to the appeal.
11. "When the Movie's Over" by Twin Shadow from Confess
*Great song for air keyboarding!*
Um, so yeah...I love dramatic music. While I still think that Twin Shadow's debut is superior, Confess is solid and well worth the money. I appreciate the self-effacement George sings with in these songs because the amount of confidence and sex he exudes can be overwhelming (and not always in an attractive way). I can sympathize with the characters in his songs...and wowza, confess, indeed!
Here you have a tasty slice of tortured love. The keyboard touches are what make this song.
12. "Make it Easy on Yourself" by Burt Bacharach from Make It Easy On Yourself
*Nothing like Burt Bacharach singing his own songs!*
As a band geek 4-ever, I can really visualize the recording space-- and I think it's the dynamics of the song, going from loud to quiet to mid, etc.-- the instrumentalists performed this song in. "Make it Easy on Yourself" is a masterful piece of group work; each instrument has its part to play, some very brief (F Horn! Cello!), and comes in to color just the right shade at the right moment. You can tell that Burt's a master songwriter who enjoys playing with the band when you listen to recordings like this.
Also, Ryan and I listened to a Burt Bacharach cd on our way to Portland last Spring and didn't realize the disc was skipping til we looked at the dash clock and noticed twenty minutes had passed and the same chorus + bridge buildup was still on! You're devilish, Burt! Devilish!
13. "After the Gold Rush" by Patti Smith from Banga
*Best Cover Song*
The perfect closer. Not many people can get away with covering a song as famous and dearly loved as this one, much alter lyrics!
Patti's cover retains the delicate sweetness of the original, and *spoiler* that chorus of kids at the end, dear reader, really brings it home for this teacher.
PS: Patti Smith has sung about aliens in other contexts (see
"Birdland"), so I think that makes Patti an even more righteous cover artist.
Cruising the international music mags (NME and The Guardian's music page) has brought good fortune: knowledge of two totally rocking bands that will be releasing their first full length albums this year.
If
I was a teenager I would build a shrine to this band. Not only does the
music rule, but the images of individuality, sisterhood (literally and
metaphorically), and confidence cuts me to the heart with joy. And
HAIM's having a blast, too! Rock 'n' roll!
Back in my single livin' days I had this sweet stereo with an alarm I could program to play the songs of my choice, for the length of my choosing. Not only that, but the volume would slowly fade in from zero to the volume I selected. A lot of times, this worked well: I picked songs that I loved so much I couldn't help but wake up (and feel happy about it!). Unfortunately, I missed a lot of 8 AM math classes because my alarm clock dj-ing choices failed at least 30% of the time...especially if didn't choose songs that were jarring enough, and my off-timer was set too optimistically.
After I started sharing an alarm clock with my husband, I learned the joys of the snooze button: he is a master, and I found that - just like coffee - beginning to partake later in life doesn't curb prolific use. Now a snooze button addict myself, it is abnormal for me to go without those blissful extra minutes of sleep, taken 3-5 times as necessary. This in depth study of sleeping as long as possible has revealed there are three musical occasions by which the space-bar sized button is rendered useless.
Occasion #1: So Terrible, You Find Yourself Alarmingly Awake
Hootie and the Blowfish @ 1:10 *blech* This happened to me this morning...and there is just something about the key, or the notes the guitarist plays...I don't know, but I was WIDE and unpleasantly awake.
The ultimate combination of bile-inducing pablum...Rob Thomas and Santana. This song has been dogging me since Spanish 3, and it just won't die...it's a Smooth Zombie. Rather than including the video (and the ear-gouging intro-guitar riff) I offer you Rob Thomas' dragon shirt as a visual metaphor for the song.
Occasion #2: Great Songs, Unfortunate Timing
Sometimes a great song just comes on at the unfortunate point in the music: in-context the section would be particularly moving, but out of context, just strikes the newly awakened eardrum as tortuous. My prime example of this experience is with Penny Lane coming on at 1:13 -- still makes me feel queasy whenever I hear it.
Occasion #3: They Are Playing What?!?!
I like to imagine there is a time-between-times that allows music from
parallel radio dimensions to filter through to us, like the first fingers of
morning sunlight. In these early hours, before radio djs' bosses have arisen from slumber, the poor, top 40 beleaguered music lovers get a moment to stick it to the man, and play sweet, sweet symphonies of pop music.
How else can I account for hearing things like...
Bowie's "Heroes", when ever since Jakob Dylan covered it for Godzilla, it's like the original never happened (boo!). *Great video, btw.*
Patti Smith's "Gloria"; while a landmark, I've only heard it on the radio one time...and it woke me right up! G-L-O-R-I-A!
The saddest thing about this last category is that my shock, like the tenor of a dream, is long remembered, but the song that caused it is not. Maybe next time?
