The half remembered wild interior of an animal life

"Put down the knife. The night is here
but still is spinning out stars in it's wake
and that stubborn light pools in your heart
warm and nacreous baby
the milk of sighs and dreams"

Shearwater "Backchannels"

If you've known me for a while you know that I periodically find a band to latch onto with the fervor of a thousand kittens in a tuna cannery. So a while back I was listening to Welcome To Nightvale and it came time for "The Weather" which is when they feature a song, usually by an indie artist. The song was "Quiet Americans" by Shearwater and it filled me with a burning need to buy everything they've ever recorded (still working on that; turns out I'm about 18 years late to the party).



This is another one of those bands that has a revolving cast of musicians but always the same primary songwriter. I kind of hope the current crop stays together for a while.

Rumor has it that's Jonathan Meiburg's actual barber in the video, shaving his head at the end. Wonder what that phone call was like: "Can you cut my hair quickly in a weird location?"

Jonathan Meiburg is that very thing that is most important to me in music, a stellar lyricist. If you like that quote at the top of the page, all the lyrics are like that. Listening to them is like rolling around on velvet, but the velvet is socialist, environmentalist and very angry. But still velvet. So... kind of like reading a Cat Valente book but in music form. Also, the dude is an enormous nerd who is super excited about birds. Here he is waxing rhapsodic about grackles:



The lovely voice reading the question is Emily Lee, the keyboard player. She is omnipresent on twitter, a joy to talk to and shares my love of youtube natural history series The Brain Scoop. It's nerd all the way down in Shearwater.

You should listen. Yes you.

A few years ago I bought an album. It instantly went into heavy rotation in my car and in my house. Sometimes I'd listen to it back to back to back all day. Then, somehow, I lost the CD.

Yesterday I decided to bite the bullet and purchase it again off itunes. Once again I found myself listening to it over and over. I haven't really put anything else on since the download finished.

The album in question is "Winter Pays for Summer" - the second solo album by Glen Phillips, better known as the frontman of Toad The Wet Sprocket. Toad was one of my favorite bands in high school and college. I saw them live just in time; the band split a few months after that concert (though rumour has it they are touring again but not releasing new music, they just tour with their old stuff). Glen has put out 4 solo recordings. I have three of them and am trying to locate the fourth. Even if I find it, I doubt it will usurp "Winter... " as my favorite. Its one of a handful of recordings that invariably instigates a good mood. Much like SJ Tucker's "Mischief" and Patrick Wolf's "The Bachelor" it seems to restore my sense of faith in humanity. Here for your perusal are a couple of videos. The first is my favorite song off the album: "Cleareyed" - this is the album version with a montage video because I could not find a decent live performance



And now a live performance of "Thankful" - no embedding allowed so click the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDoms_25Qc0

For those who care, the man's geek cred is undeniable; he wrote an EP about space travel which, if I am not mistaken, suggests sex in a space elevator.

I'm on an Arcade Fire kick so I present to you an amazing live performance of "We Used to Wait" from their new album The Suburbs:



I heartily recommend this album, especially if you came of age in a suburb.

Also, Win Butler (front man) is my new imaginary boyfriend. If this is not your inclination, perhaps his wife Regine (keyboards) can be your new imaginary girlfriend.

Today marks the release of S.J. Tucker/s00j's new album "Mischief." I have owned it for about 5 hours. I'm listening to it for the third time. You need this album. You don't know it yet but you do.

I greatly enjoy s00j's music and have for several years so take it seriously when I say this is by leaps and bounds the best thing she has produced. All the great songs from the various solo albums and the Tricky Pixie record were just a warmup.

Buy it now: http://www.skinnywhitechick.com
Listen to it with headphones on so you don't miss a single amazing detail.

I have been to surprisingly few concerts/live performances for someone as fixated on music as I am. However I've made an effort in recent years to remedy that. Below is a list of all the live performances I have been to and a list of artists I haven't seen that I must see before I die. Artists I have seen also have a one word review. Reply in comments with your lists and, if you so choose, post it in your own LJ with a similar request.

( music-y goodness )

Among my purchases at Arisia this year I bought a copy of Mythcreants by Tricky Pixie. Tricky Pixie is one of SJ Tucker's (s00j) projects along with Betsy Tinney and Alexander James Adams.

I am fairly certain that this CD is actually genetically engineered to entertain me specifically. It contains all of the following elements:

1) SJ Tucker singing
2) prominent use of cello
3) british isles mythos
4) CRAZY FIDDLING AWESOME!

It is also a creature filled album. Alligators, raccoons, cats, satyrs, fauns, fae, dryads...

Also Alexander James Adams has quite a lovely voice. I was not familiar with him until I met s00j and learned about Tricky Pixie but I think I'll have to hunt down some of his stuff.

If you like any of the stuff I just mentioned, grab yourself a copy of Mythcreants.

Recently my favorite radio station (also known as the only one I ever listen to) started playing a song called "Sweet Disposition" by Temper Trap. It's the most exciting thing I've heard on mainstream radio since the first time i heard Airborne Toxic Event. Absolutely gorgeous piece of music.

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No way I can come up with an order but I can list 10! Note these are MY favorite albums. I am not making any sort of commentary on what is or is not good music. I merely state that these are albums I enjoy, never get sick of, that speak to me in important ways.

1. This is the Sea (The Waterboys)
2. Without You I'm Nothing (Placebo)
3. Broken Bride (Ludo, and its technically either an EP or a mini rock opera but whatever, its great)
4. The Wind In The Wires (Patrick Wolf)
5. The Alternative (IAMX)
6. The Green World (Dar Williams)
7. Hounds of Love (Kate Bush)
8. A Rock In The Weary Land (The Waterboys)
9. Violator (Depeche Mode)
10. Us (Peter Gabriel)

Other albums I considered for the list: Death Cab For Cutie - Plans, Placebo - Sleeping with Ghosts, Pink Floyd - The Wall, Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion, The Indigo Girls - Swamp Ophelia, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Good Son, The Soul Cages - Sting (the last time he did anything interesting IMNSHO), Fear - Toad the Wet Sprocket

Most love songs are crap. I'm not being mean, its just true. I have a clear recollection of the moment I realized this fact. I was in some sort of store, supermarket or some such, and some generic lame pseudo-R&B track (it had neither rhythm nor blues) featuring an overwrought male vocalist (OMV) was playing. There was this HUGE swell in the music, tons of electronic string like noise and then the OMV blurted out the words that were intended to be the climax of his statement of devotion: "WoooOOOOOOOOOO BABYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!"

Right. So most love songs are crap but sometimes someone gets it right. I have a few nominees for best love song ever written, but I'm also curious what other people think on the subject. Incidentally love song includes "life sucks cause wonderful person and I are no longer together" songs. Here's some of my favorites:

"In Your Eyes" - Peter Gabriel - The classic. I woulda TOTALLY done John Cusack if he was outside MY window. Then again I'd do him under most circumstances. Still, great song.

"Sometime Around Midnight" - Airborne Toxic Event - Brand new band, heart wrenching breakup song. I cried. No really.

"What a Good Boy" - Barenaked Ladies - what I love about this one is that it makes room for the existence of fundamentally flawed people falling into imperfect love.

"When Ye Go Away" - The Waterboys - again I actually cried. almost every time I hear it even after a few hundred listens

"Still the Only One" and "Clare Island" - The Saw Doctors - they're really good at this so they get 2.

"Carousel" - S.J. Tucker - s00j captures the desperate need to beat back time that grows out of intense connection.

"1952 Vincent Black Lightening" - Richard Thompson - crying again. saddest song ever written.

"Bluebells" and "Get Lost" - Patrick Wolf - these are opposite ends of the spectrum, utter despair and NRE respectively

Nick Cave has a BUNCH. "Into My Arms", "Loverman", "Breathless", "The Ship Song"

So what are some of yours?