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