"One" - what?

So one night when I couldn't sleep, which is every night, I decided to turn on MTV. Did you know that they actually play videos late at night? Yeah, me either. Maybe there's a good reason not many people know they play actual videos that late and it's not because most people are sleeping during that time. It's because the videos they play are like a bad dream. I really thought for a moment that I was having a bad dream, either that or the acid I took back in the 90's was creeping back up on me. I only watched two videos, well two and a half before I turned the t.v. off. The first video I saw was from a band called "One Eskimo" the song "Kandi', I honestly thought I was tripping, it was so confusing. Now, I'm one for experimental sounding music and all but this shit was just too weird, even for me. Does this band actually have a following? The next video was from "Neon Trees" yes, I said "Neon Trees", the song "Animal". What was worse than their 80's throwback sound was the lead singers hair. The last video that came on, that I didn't even watch all the way through, was "30 Seconds to Mars". Holyshit, is Jared Leto for real, really? The song was "This is War",it was more like "this is hell", if you ask me. Sorry for sounding so jaded, new music lately has left me a bit disillusioned. I added the video for "Kandi" so you can share in my flashbacks.

One Eskimo - Kandi

A Little Sugar In Your Bowl

To my many fans out there, all three of them, John, Ryan and Matt, I am back from my hiatus on blog writing. I've been listening to all sorts of stuff and I have lots to share but I wanted to kick off my return with a bit of a tribute to an artist and album that for many years has reminded me why I love music so much. The artist is the undeniable Miss Nina Simone and the album is The Blues
When I was nineteen I overheard a song in some British film that moved me instantly. I didn't know the name of the song or who sang it, but I knew that I had to do everything to find it and own it. The song was "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl" and when I heard it I thought the singer was male because of the deep throaty voice, which to the seasoned music lover, was recognizably Nina Simone. Thanks to the two guys at the Bop Shop in Rochester the very next day I owned it. I remember that when I first listened to the album, I couldn't believe how much I loved every single song.
The Bluesstarts off with a validation of lustful attraction with the song, "Do I Move You”, Where Nina asks "when I touch you, do you quiver, from your head down to your liver?" Then she goes on to demand "the answer better be yeah, that pleases me." This was certainly a new sound of expression, at nineteen, I never heard before. I instantly liked every feeling. "In The Dark", is another song of bursting passions, with lyrics like "in the dark I get such a thrill, when he presses his fingertips against my lips and he begs me to please keep still."
ThenThe Blues goes on to prove it's point with "My Man's Gone Now", a real cry out of heartbreak.
In the middle, the album turns to political protest, with "Backlash Blues." In this song, Nina sings about the hardships her race has faced at the hands of the "man" or "mister backlash." It's in this song that the strong piano presence begins to be heard. It's even more ever so present in the following song "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl", a slow surrender of longing. You can feel her deprivation for being touched.
Following a few more dead on blues songs comes the song, "The Pusher", a song about how there is a fine line between chasing a buzz and chasing a demon. Nina explains painfully, that the Pusher “takes your body and he leaves your mind to scream.”
The album winds down with some more traditional and equally telling blues songs until it reaches a testament of avail in "I Shall Be Released". This is one of my favorite songs on the album because it gives me a sense of triumph over adversity, "I seen my light come shinning, from the west down to the east, any day now, I shall be released."

Nina is a real blues artist, with true conviction and pain in her voice.


Nina Simone – Do I Move You

Nina Simone – In The Dark

Nina Simone – Backlash Blues

Nina Simone – I Want A Little Sugar

Nina Simone – The Pusher

Nina Simone – I Shall Be Released

Escape From Guyville

I haven't written in awhile, for many reasons. Sometimes I get caught up in these trivial phases of life and lose track of what’s relevant. I received a lot of suggestions for my next post but none of which I felt any connection to. I've been struggling with some personal issues lately and haven’t heard any music that has been significant, then I read an article in Magnet about how ATO records was reissuing Liz Phair's “Exhile In Guyville.” It has been 15 years since it's first release and about that long since I’ve heard it, I decided it was time to revisit the album. Immediately I remembered why in 1993 Liz Phair's poignant piece of work did not move me as it does now. I was nowhere in the same frame of mind with relationships as I am today. Although the album was a milestone for female artists of her genre it was also an example of raw emotion that to anyone who can relate, knows it was never meant for the world to hear out loud.
If I could sit down right now and get out all my frustrations with the opposite sex and my frustrations on how I handle them, it might go something like “Exile In Guyville”. Listening to that album this last week left me with some bittersweet reality; a sort of readjustment you might say. I know this posting is more personal than usual but a close friend had told me that my blog is "too impersonal", although I’m sure this approach was not what he implied.
Phair was recently quoated saying that "Guyville is the work of a confused young woman who wanted to claim power but didn't yet know how." It is that very lack of power never claimed by most woman that makes “Guyville” so enduring.

Liz Phair - Canary

Liz Phair - Fuck and Run

Commercials For Your Consideration

My brother left me a comment the other day, about how in this day and age; new music is being introduced to us via commercials more than any other medium.
Somehow the counter-culture became okay with hearing the Clash in a car commercial and Iggy Pop in a cruise commercial.
Then there are the group of new artists that are gaining major popularity by subliminally convincing people to buy a product with their catchy jingle, earning them the distinction of becoming the artist with the #1 downloaded song on iTunes for a few weeks. In reality they are just a new version of the 80’s one hit wonders that carried the music of that decade into extinction.
Does this approach really drive business? Does it really help the artist? I’m not really sure yet how I feel about this movement, what I will say is that I think it makes music less sacred.
I’m interested in your thoughts on the matter; please leave me a comment or complaint.
Here is an example of commercialism at it’s finest.

True Love

I’ve been listening to a lot of music lately, trying to find something to write about, in the mist of a very busy time at work. There have been few things I liked, one that has stood out the most is the new album by Spiritualized - Songs in A&E.
Lead singer Jason Pierce aka Jason Spaceman has been writing music for over 20 years, starting with the band Spaceman 3 in the early 80’s, then when the band split up in 1990 Jason went on to forge the critically acclaimed band Spiritualized.
Songs in A&E is the first new album in five years from Spiritualized. It greatly reflects vocalist Jason Pierce’s brush with death from double pneumonia, which in turn kept him from finishing the album for two years.
On his way back to good health, Jason started working on music for the soundtrack to Harmony Korine’s new movie Mr. Lonely. On Songs in A&E there are six short instrumental pieces that are tributes to Harmony for his inspiration to help Jason finish the album. Simply titled Harmony (1 – 6), they are focal points to the delicate story Jason narrates on this album. I can’t honestly say which song or songs I like most because there cannot be one without the other. Each song carries the other effortlessly from beginning to end. It’s very compelling. Listen to samples from each song off the album on Amazon:
Amazon-Spiritualized

In doing my research on the band I came across a recent cover that Spiritualized did of "True Love Will Find You In The End" by Daniel Johnston. This is one of my favorite songs off a compilation from my brother. Funny side note, I also found an mp3 of my recent infatuation, Basia Bulat, covering the same song…
True Love - Spiritualized

True Love Will Find You - Basia Bulat

Pilgriming State Of Mind

Just a little extra treat....this is my new obsession.

Pilgriming Vine

Dazed and Confused

I got into my car this morning and decided I would listen to the radio since I'm either listening to my Ipod or one of six cd's my car stereo plays. Before you ask "why would you listen to the radio?" let me explain. My car is also equipped with Sirius Satellite and I will occasionally listen to the Indie Rock station Left Of Center, but just like commercial radio those jackasses are obligated to play what the studios pay them to play. It's usually the same 14 radio friendly, newly released, Indie songs on heavy rotation i.e. The Ting Tings, Vampire Weekend, Band of Horses or some bad 80's throw back electronic band etc, etc.
So this morning I quickly scrolled down the set stations on my radio in search of a righteous song...1st Wave (Old School Alternative), Alt Nation (New "Something" Alternative), Coffeehouse (30's Something Alternative) and then CLASSIC VINYL (Real Classic Rock).
I was just about to turn off the radio and then Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused" had come on. Sigh of relief. As I listened to this song for the duration of my ride to work I realized just how fucking dazed and confused popular radio has become. Where's the revolutionary, groundbreaking, history setting music of the Zeppelin days? How did we end up with Katy Perry's "I kissed a Girl" as the most requested song on popular radio? (And now the #1 song on the Billboards top 100) Yahoo News
This really set me off today and I'm sure I'm not alone. Do the record executives really believe this is what we want to hear? Who is signing this shit and why? Where are the protesters to overrule these judgments?
In case you have forgotten, here is something to remind you of what popular music today is not nor will ever be.

Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused