the pogues // fairytale of new york

aimee mann // calling on mary

waitresses // christmas wrapping

the hives & cyndi lauper // a christmas duel

darlene love // christmas (baby please come home)

john lennon & yoko ono // happy christmas (war is over)

_

bonus:

oscar the grouch // i hate christmas

_

With the holiday season approaching and encroaching upon us, you would think that I would have better things to do than to sit around and write album reviews. (Judging by my recent output, which has been minimal, you’d be right in that assumption.) But I like to take a breather every now and then, to sit back, relax, and listen to some holiday music to cheer myself right on up.

The urge to tune to B 104.5 – which inundates the Philadelphia area with saccharine-sweet renditions of ‘Here Comes Santa Claus’, ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’, and, horror of all horrors, ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ the week of Thanksgiving, and pummels the eardrums and the delicate human psyche for eight solid weeks until the bruised and battered listener is begging for mercy – has never been all that strong with me, but I like to listen to some sort of Christmas music around this time of year, and often go out of my way to find some more off the wall music.

Perhaps the best time to listen to a Christmas album is when it’s snowing, and as I drove 90 minutes to a destination that should normally take only half that time, I was amused by the juxtaposition that unfolded before me: Aimee Mann’s One More Drifter In The Snow was the ideal mood setter for the peaceful serenity of the snow falling hard and fast, and would have been perfect for curling up on the couch with a loved one, enjoying the elements from behind a thick pane of glass, perhaps a crackling fire nearby, mugs of cocoa in hand … yet I was undertaking a white knuckle ride on unplowed roads that consisted entirely of sharp hills and hairpin turns. My concentration was on other things – namely, not dying, as I was informed that my friend would be “very cross with me” if I did so – but this gentle ode to the holidays served as a calming soundtrack to a nightmarish crawl that helped brighten my mood and make the ride bearable.

I find a lot of Christmas music to be maudlin and bland, which may be very Ebeneezer Scrooge of me, but it’s true: having grown up listening to my dad’s 4-disc Time Life collection of Christmas music, with the standards being crooned by some of the most famous and respected musicians of our time, I felt like it had all become predictable. Even the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was stale to me, but I credit that to my decreasing fascination of prog-rock; I needed something to kickstart the holiday season and not leave me a cynical bastard. (A Grinch, if you will.) One More Drifter is that album: it’s a delightful blend of her silky-smooth voice set to a gentler musical accompaniment, and while I hesitate to use the terminology “easy listening”, for that’s become synonymous with the likes of Barry Manilow and Kenny G, One More Drifter is more of a mood piece, suitable for background noise on Christmas morning while unwrapping presents, than something that can be played alongside the remainder of Mann’s catalog and expect to stand up as a meaningful artistic statement. (It’s my belief that no artist should ever have a Christmas album be a meaningful artistic statement. In fact, my first reaction to finding One More Drifter was, “Oh no, now even Aimee Mann has released a holiday album? Is there no decency left in this world?”)

For the sake of brevity – which, yes, is moot this far into the review – I’ll forgo reviewing the actual songs, except for the two original compositions: Mann’s husband, Michael Penn, contributed the jangly and sprightly ‘Christmastime’, rife with mandolin, banjo, and upright bass, and the Penn/Mann cowrite ‘Calling On Mary’ is a delicate, piano-based ballad thanking the Virgin Mary for her son (and giving the album its title). These two sit alongside other standards as ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’, ‘Winter Wonderland’, and ‘The Christmas Song’ (for years I was under the impression this was actually titled ‘Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire’) remarkably well, but it’s the vaudevillian approach to ‘You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch’, with narration by Grant-Lee Phillips – no match for Thurl Ravenscroft, but he certainly gives it his best. Mann’s no slouch either, turning in a sleazy and seductive delivery that’s a nice departure from the otherwise dulcet performance elsewhere.

And that, faithful readers, will be my final album review of 2009. Whatever you celebrate (to paraphrase Clark Griswold), have the hap-hap-happiest holidays since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fuckin’ Kaye – oh, and don’t shoot your eye out. See you all in 2010. Feliz Navidad, and Happy New Year!

They’re all still on their honeymoon
just read the dialogue balloon
everyone loves you; why should they not?
And I’m the only one who knows
that Disneyland’s about to close
I don’t suppose you’d give it a shot
knowing all that you’ve got

Are cigarettes and Red Vines
just close your eyes, ’cause, baby
you never do know, and I’ll be on the sidelines,
with my hands tied, watching the show

Well, it’s always fun and games until
it’s clear you haven’t got the skill
in keeping the gag from going too far
So you’re running ’round the parking lot
’til every lightning bug is caught
punching some pinholes
in the lid of a jar, while we wait in the car

With cigarettes and Red Vines
just close your eyes, ’cause, baby–
you never do know, and I’ll be on the sidelines,
with my hands tied, watching the show

And tell me, would it kill you
would it really spoil everything
if you didn’t blame yourself
do you know what I mean?

Cigarettes and Red Vines
just close your eyes, ’cause, baby
you never do know, and I’ll be on the sidelines,
with my hands tied, watching the show, watching the show

PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK TO READ MORE ABOUT THE SONG

…eu estava vivendo, mas só conheci essa versão agora.
tudo bem que hoje acho coldplay um saco, mas aimee é aimee.
ficou linda.

I know that’s a lot of tags. Sorry, blame it on me. (Okay, my fault, no more Akon references. Gosh.) Up to this point, I’ve written on and off about any and all kinds of music. Most notably, I’ve contributed a number of entries to the official Rhodes Radio blog, covering everything from Kid Cudi to the Dirty Projectors. This post is an archive of my previous writings.

2009 09 12 “The Pursuit of Happiness“

2009 09 11 “Empire State of Mind“

2009 09 10 “Enjoy a video today, part six“

2009 09 09 “The British Re-Invasion“

2009 09 08 “We’re still here… and so is Talbot Tagora“

2009 08 26 “Let This Beat Ride“

2009 08 26 “awesome authentic autumntime video #259,978“

2009 08 25 “awesome authentic autumntime video #259,977“

2009 08 24 “Who the f*%# is B.o.B? (Who the f*%# is Bobby Ray?)“

2009 08 24 “Enjoy a video today, part cinq“

2009 08 23 “sweet sweaty summertime video #259,976“

2009 08 23 “Enjoy a video today, part quatre“

2009 08 23 “13 Sunny Songs for a Summer Afternoon“

2009 08 22 “ba de ya, dancin’ in September“

2009 08 21 “Enjoy a video today, part trois“

2009 08 20 “New Music: Tegan and Sara do it up with Tiësto“

2009 08 10 “sweet sweaty summertime video #259,975“

2009 08 10 “Jay Reatard documentary: Waiting for Something“

2009 08 07 “Internat’l Correspondence“

2009 07 31 “oh!9 jamz, pt. II“

2009 07 31 “Enjoy a video today, part deux“

2009 07 26 “Artist Spotlight: the Avett Brothers“

2009 07 24 “oh!9 jamz, pt. I“

I’d like to note that, while I do my best to be meticulous in my blogging — often going back and checking links, etc. — some content may not be available at this point. Websites like YouTube don’t own the rights to things like music videos, so they’re occasionally removed. You know this. While we’re on the subject of YouTube though, here’s one from the (Epitaph Records official YouTube page — it’ll stick around) archives called “First One On the Blog.” Huh.

I first heard of Aimee Mann this past summer when my uncle played me a song of hers from the Magnolia soundtrack. I was instantly intrigued, and wanted to hear more. I had the wonderful opportunity to watch Magnolia this semester for a philosophy class and found myself constantly focusing on the music. Her voice was a perfect backdrop for the movie, proven by the multiple Grammy Nominations for the soundtrack, including the nomination for her original song “save me.”

The movie is really wonderful, telling the story of multiple characters simultaneously. While at first it is confusing, the characters’ lives eventually tie together to create a seamless film. In the opening credit sequence of Magnolia we are introduced to the multiple characters that will be followed throughout alongside the intentional song choice “One,” as in “one is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.” How perfect. (And what a wonderful cover too!)  It was a tip-off straight away telling us that all these characters that we’re being so quickly introduced to have some sort of tragic loneliness that ties their stories together. They’re all quite damaged beings trying to find some peace from each of their lives and from all the regret that weighs them down.

So there you go, an example of how an intentional song choice can not only set the tone, but also create a deeper meaning. I highly suggest giving this movie a watch!

In a previous post I wrote about my picks for the best popular music albums of the decade.  Today is devoted to my favourite songs of the decade.  In some cases they are drawn from those favourite records, in some cases not.  I have no idea if these songs received radio airplay and were bona fide commercial hits.  I can only be sure that they were well beloved in my house.

I have tried to put them into some sort of ranking, with the best ones first.  Where possible I link to the music itself so that you, should you be so inclined, can listen.

“The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!” (from Sufjan Stevens — Illinoise [2005]): I cannot get enough of this terrific song.  It’s a miniature pop symphony, moving from a gentle innocence to a joyful alleluia to a poignant lament.  It is a song about childhood and friendship.  If you do decide to click below and listen, don’t give up too soon.  This song cannot be judged without hearing it through to its finish.

“The Modern Leper” (from Frightened Rabbit — The Midnight Organ Fight [2008]): I wrote about this record in my album picks.  “The Modern Leper” is the lead track, and it captures most of the good qualities that I find in the record as a whole, most notably a disarming honesty and plenty of urgent rock ‘n’ roll.  There’s nothing pretentious here, just straightforward music from the heart.  (Be forewarned that there is vulgar language in the first stanza of the song.)

“Intervention” (from Arcade Fire — Neon Bible [2007]): Arcade Fire were critical darlings during this decade, but I must admit that for the most part I just didn’t get it.  There were a few exceptions to that rule, and “Intervention” is one of them.  (Another is their terrific song “Rebellion (Lies)” (listen)).  From the massive opening chord on the organ, “Intervention” goes from strength to strength, building like a tidal wave.

Here is a live performance from the Rock en Seine festival.  It is amazing for me to see them playing before this huge audience; it wasn’t so long ago that I saw them give a concert in somebody’s living room in Montreal.  Anyway, the song begins about 1 minute in. (The studio version is here.)

“Cattle and the Creeping Things” (from The Hold Steady — Separation Sunday [2005]): The record from which this song is taken is an ambitious concept album that only just missed making my “Best Of” list.  It weaves together the stories of a group of down-and-out drug addicts and prostitutes as they try to live another day of their troubled lives.  The band’s singer, Craig Finn, is a talented and sensitive songwriter, and his songs, while honest in their portrayal of the damage these characters do to themselves and one another, is also compassionate and humane.  You get the feeling that these people are loved anyway, and that they are not without hope.  It’s a feeling that seems justified by the album’s closing track in which Holly, a prostitute, “crashed into the Easter Mass / with her hair done up in broken glass” and asked, “Father, can I tell your congregation how a resurrection really feels?“  But the song I love most from the record comes earlier on.  “Cattle and the Creeping Things” is threaded with Biblical allusions, as two of the characters are reading the Bible and finding echoes of the events of sacred history in their own lives on the street.  It’s a great song.  Craig Finn has developed a kind of New York City sprechstimme, the better to get all the words of his rather wordy songs in.

“Down There by the Train” (from Tom Waits — Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards [2006]: I have loved this song since Johnny Cash included it on his 1994 album American Recordings.  We had to wait until 2006 to hear Waits’ own take on it, and it remains a wonderful song — one of his best, I think, and that is saying a lot.  The song moves against the backdrop of the American folk, blues, and gospel traditions, conjuring up memories and shadows, with a few of those inimitable touches that set Waits’ songs apart.  Over the years he has written a few “gospel” songs that were spoiled by a bit of sarcasm or irony thrown in, but I believe that this one can be taken straight.

“Wise Up” (Aimee Mann, from the soundtrack to Magnolia [1999]): I am cheating a bit here, but only a bit.  In the last week of 1999 the film Magnolia premiered at the box office.  It was a film that made unusually effective use of music, and one of the crucial sequences was set to Aimee Mann’s song “Wise Up”.  The song is unavoidably tied up in my mind with that moment in the film, and its context in the film makes it a better song, but I think (I think) it is still a good song without those associations.  Anyway, it has been one of my favourites these past ten years.  The song’s final line is open to various interpretations.  One might consider it a counsel of despair; I believe it conveys real moral wisdom.  Here is the sequence from the film in which the song plays.  I cannot take the time here to explain the situations of all the characters, but suffice it to say that the use of this song at this point in the film is really brilliant:

“Set Out Running” (from Neko Case — Furnace Room Lullaby [2000]): Neko Case wrote a lot of great songs during this decade, but this is the first song I ever heard her sing and it has remained a favourite.   My goodness, what a voice this woman has!  It makes my skin tingle and my hair stand up.  She’s pretty too.

“Bridal Train” (from The Waifs — Bridal Train EP [2004]): I love a good story song, and this is the best one I have heard in a while.  “Bridal Train” tells about a group of Australian women who, having married American soldiers, are embarking by ship to the United States to join their husbands.  It is a tear-jerker, so have a hankie handy if you decide to listen to it.

“Sweetest Waste of Time” (from Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson — Rattlin’ Bones [2008]): Ever since Tammy Wynette and George Jones recorded their classic albums together, the country music duet has been a high-stakes genre.  There have been some great duos over the years: Emmylou Harris with Gram Parsons, and Iris Dement with John Prine come immediately to mind.  In the 2000s I give the palm to Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, whose album of original duets is really excellent.  They sound great together, and they have an ear for the classic country sound.  This is sweet, sweet music to my ears.

“Roots” (from Show of Hands — Witness [2006]): The Chestertonian song of the decade must be this one, from a relatively obscure British group.  It’s a song about loving one’s own land and country, and a lament for the erosion of British culture because of political correctness and mass entertainment.  It’s a simple song, but sincere and effective.

That rounds out my Top 10.  Here are a few runners-up:

• “Keep Your Distance” (From Buddy and Julie Miller [2001]) [listen]
• “The Beauty of the Rain” (From Dar Williams — The Beauty of the Rain [2003]) [listen]
• “Aint’ Talkin’” (From Bob Dylan — Modern Times [2006])
• “American Girls” (From Counting Crows — Hard Candy [2002]) [listen]
• “The Man Comes Around” (From Johnny Cash – The Man Comes Around [2002]) [listen]

Hot ticket Aimee Mann brings her annual Christmas show to Largo at the Coronet Theater in Los Angeles for the fourth year running and typical for these celebrations it promises to be a star-studded event.

Singer/songwriter Mann and husband Michael Penn will be joined on stage by songwriting couple of the moment, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) and Zooey Deschanel (She & Him).

Mann has been lauded for styling her Christmas review after the 60s and 70s variety shows she grew up watching as a kid blending music and comedy into the sets. Special appearances in past years have been made by Patton Oswalt, Fred Armisen, Jackson Browne, Ben Lee and Josh Ritter.

A follow up to Mann’s 2008 %#@* Smilers album is expected in 2010.

The 4th Annual Aimee Mann Christmas Show will be at Largo, Los Angeles Dec 13, 14, and 15 with special guests.

[Holly Jolly Burl Ives Count: 13]

In my fair city today, the snow falls and the wind howls, as the weather folk tell me is the case across much of the country. The college where I work is pretty much the only institution that did not shut down for the day, much to everyone’s disappointment. Mine too. I was looking forward to a day of shoveling out the driveway, frolicking with the dog, then curling up on the couch and watching last night’s “Glee”* over and over again. That, or movies. Holiday movies!

What are our favorites, friends? I already mentioned The Family Stone in one entry, and want to propose that it get a spot fairly high on the list of classic holiday movies. Also high on that list for me would be Home for the Holidays (about Thanksgiving, but whatever) and, of course, the incomparable Meet Me in St. Louis.

In terms of music, The Family Stone has some nice moments that center around holiday songs. I have already written about how one of the daughters watches the scene in Meet Me in St. Louis where Esther Smith (Judy Garland) sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to her little sister Tootie (Margaret O’Brien). There’s some parallelism at work here: Esther sings to calm her cah-razy younger sister; elder Stone sister Susannah watches this scene as her crazy younger sister Amy lies curled up next to her. In MMISL, the family is about to celebrate their last Christmas in their hometown before moving to New York City. In TFS, the Stones are about to lose their mother to breast cancer. Ohhhh, the poignancy, all the way around.

TFS also features a small but lovely moment of “Joy to the World” and an antic one set to the “Trepak” piece from The Nutcracker. Trust me, people—it’s a movie worth seeing.

And while Judy cannot be beat, there are quite a few lovely versions of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” out there. James Taylor’s, for instance — normally I can scarcely abide him**, but I do love his rendition of “HYAMLC.” Aimee Mann’s is good too.

Yet none are for the faint of heart. Saddest. Christmas. Song. Ever.

*OH MY GOODNESS I won’t spoiler it here but wasn’t that an AWESOME episode last night? How will we survive until the show returns in April? I do not rightly know.

** I have to admit that JT is growing on me. Slowly. Also I recently saw Funny People, in which he has an excellent cameo, and I found him all handsome and funny.

This was much harder than the “My 50 Favorite Television Shows of the 00s” list. When I started the television list, I singled out 70 shows or so and cut it down to 50. It took me three days to come up with a first draft of albums and I ended up with 185! I was going to just do a list of 100 but I like consistency so I whittled the list down to 50.  The closer I got to 50, the sadder I got as I had to delete albums I loved off the list. After how depressing it ended up being bringing this list down to 50, a) I won’t even try to single out a top 10 (although I think “Kid A” would be my favorite album) and b) sorry, Karen, I won’t even attempt a 50 Favorite Singles list.

A couple of notes:

• Just a reminder, I am not saying these are the 50 BEST albums in the last decade, these are the ones I am most fond of
• Apparently my best years for music was 2000 and 2002 as nine albums from each year made the list.
• Nothing released this year made the list and only two albums from 2008
• Only Jay-Z and Radiohead have more than one album on the list (unless you count Jenny Lewis twice for her solo and Rilo Kiley)

In Alphabetical Order:

1. About A Boy by Badly Drawn Boy (2002)
2. Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo by Aimee Mann (2000)
3. Back to Black by Amy Winehouse (2006)
4. The Black Album by Jay-Z (2003)
5. The Blueprint by Jay-Z (2001)
6. Colour the Small One by Sia (2004)
7. The Con by Tegan and Sara (2007)
8. The Crane Wife by The Decemberists (2006)
9. The Documentary by The Game (2005)
10. Donuts by J Dilla (2006)
11. Fantastic, Vol. 2 by Slum Village (2000)
12. Fever to Tell by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)
13. The Fix by Scarface (2002)
14. FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake (2006)
15. Gang of Losers by The Dears (2006)
16. Heavier Things by John Mayer (2003)
17. Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack by Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
18. Hold on Now, Youngster… by Los Campesinos! (2008)
19. In Between by Jazzanova (2002)
20. In Rainbows by Radiohead (2007)
21. In Search Of… by N*E*R*D (2002)
22. Instant Vintage by Raphael Saddiq (2002)
23. Kid A by Radiohead (2000)
24. Late Registration by Kanye West (2005)
25. Lewis II by Lewis Taylor (2000)
26. Like Water for Chocolate by Common (2000)
27. The Listening by Little Brother (2003)
28. Lord Willin’ by Clipse (2002)
29. Mama’s Gun by Erykah Badu (2002)
30. Marry Me by St. Vincent (2007)
31. More Adventurous by Rilo Kiley (2004)
32. O by Damien Rice (2002)
33. Once soundtrack by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová/Interference (2007)
34. Philadelphia Freeway by Freeway (2003)
35. Plans by Death Cab For Cutie (2005)
36. Rabbit Fur Coat by Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins (2006)
37. The Reminder by Feist (2007)
38. Restless Times by Clara Hill (2004)
39. Rock Me by Platnum (2005)
40. A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay (2002)
41. Silent Alarm by Bloc Party (2005)
42. Simple Things by Zero 7 (2001)
43. Stankonia by Outkast (2000)
44. Subject by Dwele (2003)
45. Supreme Clientele by Ghostface Killah (2000)
46. Third by Portishead (2008)
47. Urban Legend by T.I. (2004)
48. Vespertine by Björk (2001)
49. Voodoo by D’Angelo (2000)
50. Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 by Jill Scott (2000)

Now the hardest of them all: 50 Favorite Movies

Aimee Mann’s sixth album of original material, 2008’s @#%&*! Smilers, is her best work yet. It’s the first since Bachelor No. 2 to work as a simple collection of songs and not a concept album and perhaps it was that freedom that allowed her to produce such a consistently great record.

This is one of those albums that feels like it’s always one step ahead of you, taking unexpected turns that seem perfectly obvious in retrospect. It’s the rare album about which you can say “There isn’t a moment on this record I don’t love.”

Or at least, it’s an album about which I can say that. @#%&*! Smilers received critical acclaim, but I recall seeing it at the top of only one best-of-2008 list aside from my own. It’s an eternal mystery why somebody’s “pretty good album” is somebody else’s masterpiece… I guess the lucky artists release enough albums that at least something they do will be received as a masterpiece by somebody.

‘Medicine Wheel’ is a lovely piano ballad with typically provocative lyrics. It seems to be about medicating children and, um, a homeless guy? The production here is fabulous… listen to how the horns and drums enter the mix at the start of the second verse, and what sounds like an electric piano solo at the bridge. Mann makes such great use of layered instrumentation in her songs.

So this concludes my trip down Aimee Mann Lane. Hope you’ve enjoyed it.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! It’s appropriate, I suppose, that Aimee Mann’s discography positions her Christmas album, One More Drifter in the Snow, on this neighboring holiday.

Mann and Christmas might seem like an odd mix, but hearing her versions of the classics on this album it’s clear that both share an underlying mood of lovely melancholy. Songs such as ‘Christmas Song,’ ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’ and ‘White Christmas’ are far from merry but they’re certainly evocative of the season. And so too is this album.

Don’t get me wrong, though. One More Drifter in the Snow has its share of light moments, too, including a fabulous version of ‘You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch’ (with Grant Lee Phillips providing the voice of the Grinch-ly narrator between verses) and a gently jaunty ‘Winter Wonderland.’ Mann adds two original songs, her own ‘Calling on Mary’ and a tune called ‘Christmastime,’ written by her husband Michael Penn.

But today I can’t resist featuring my favorite Christmas song, ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.’ Mann performs this song just about as well as I can possibly imagine. It doesn’t get much better than this.

While Lost in Space was an unofficial concept album, Aimee Mann’s next release, 2005’s The Forgotten Arm, was the real deal. Set in the 1970s, it’s the story of an alcoholic boxer and Vietnam vet, John, and the woman he loves, Caroline. The songs track their ups and downs and explore the destructive nature of alcoholism on a relationship.

The album’s packaging is particularly lovely, the song lyrics presented in chapter form alongside beautiful colored sketches of John and Caroline. And though the songs are traditionally structured, the lyrics are written out as prose. Regardless of sound, this is one of the best looking CDs in my collection.

But the music is just as impressive. The evolution of Mann’s sound continued with The Forgotten Arm, moving toward a more piano-based, earthy sound without abandoning the elegant production of her previous work. This album finds her more confident than ever in her songwriting and, though the songs are best heard alongside one another, this is some of her best work.

‘Little Bombs’ was the first song from this album to leap out at me and it remains one of my favorites. I love how it’s quite busy musically — with layers of atmospheric percussion, a propulsive acoustic guitar and the piano and electric guitar trading off accent notes — but somehow feels achingly intimate. And I love the metaphor of a person’s life as an unexploded shell.

Speaking of metaphors, the album’s title is a boxing reference to the punch an opponent holds back until it’s least expected. This album is about dealing with the forgotten arm of life, laying in wait to deliver that knockout blow.

Two years after Bachelor No. 2, Aimee Mann released her second album on her Superego label, 2002’s Lost in Space. The record is unofficially a concept album exploring self-destructive behavior of all sorts — the perfect Christmas gift for your favorite messed-up friend.

Typical lyric: “Get out while you can, baby, I’m pouring quicksand and sinking is all I had planned.” And: “You paint a lovely picture but reality intrudes with a message for you… and it’s real bad news.” And: “Nothing fuels a good flirtation like need and anger and desperation.”

But despite the downbeat subject matter, Lost in Space is a terrific sounding album and the favorite of many Aimee Mann fans. I rank it a bit below Bachelor No. 2 because it lacks that album’s variety but it’s certainly a worthy achievement.

Today’s Song of the Day, ‘It’s Not,’ is the final track on the album and maybe the most depressing. It ties together a lot of the album’s themes and imagery, including a reference to the title song, and ends on a seriously downbeat note: “I believe it’s you who could make it better… though it’s not.” Not only is this person caught in a downward spiral, she is clinging to the false hope of redemption on the way down. Yikes.

There are certain films that seem so wide in scope and epic in proportions that they kind of make other films seem a bit pale in comparison.  I don’t want to necessarily say that they are “the best movies there are,” but they certainly make you contemplate your life, as well as other movies and how you view those.  Magnolia was easily one of those films.

The movie is long and wandering, and yet intimate and precise.  It deals with every day, real life issues, but tackles them as one might approach an epic journey, as well as adding on aspects of unreal, magic, and abstract vignettes.  It is a film of contradictions, both in plot and production.

The film begins by discussing three classic urban myth coincidences, all shot beautifully and interestingly.  Unfortunately, I don’t think the movie itself quite tied back to those original ideas.  I was expecting some sort of major payoff, where everything converged nicely.  Like real life, there were minor coincidences and unexpected relationships, but never the magical dues ex machina i was expecting.  I understand why thematically  that wouldn’t have been necessary, but I still felt a little misled.

I don’t know if I loved all of the less realistic aspects of the film.  In one memorable scene, all of the characters, in their own private worlds, sing along to an Aimee Mann song.  The song was pretty and relevant, but… why?  I don’t know if the movie really gained anything from that sing-along session.  We get it: all of these characters lives and stories are interweaved, and they are all going through oddly similar things.  We don’t need to hear them singing a song like this in order to recognize that.  On the other hand, I thought the frogs were actually kind of interesting.  And the only reason it really worked was because of the way the characters responded to it.  People didn’t start freaking out or thinking that the world was going to end.  It was just something that was happening and they dealt with it accordingly.  They noticed it and took it in, but didn’t over-react or completely lose it.

Is it weird that one of the most interesting factors of this movie (to me) was its pretty strict adherence to Aristotle’s Unities?  Everything takes place in the valley in one day.  The unity of action has always been a bit fuzzy to me, but I think it could easily be argued that Magnolia adhered to this as well.  For a movie of its scope, Magnolia is also intimate and small in its own way.

Not really sure what else to say about it.  I’m still thinking about the connections and relationships, which is impressive no doubt.  The performances were all stellar, with special mention going to the old and the young.  PTA does a great job of managing this ensemble cast.  The recognizable stars did an awesome job of playing against their types, which is always fun to watch.  The movie doesn’t so much end as go on and on, like life.  It often feels like story lines are being neglected, but there is just so much going on at the same time (like real life), it is impossible to give the appropriate amount of focus to any one thing or person.

So, if you couldn’t tell, I really did love this movie.  It is FAR from perfect, but if anything I appreciate it for it’s ambition and unavoidable imperfections.  Probably the seminal PTA film, although I may still like There Will Be Blood more.  I’ll have to keep thinking about that one, though.

The Magnolia soundtrack changed Aimee Mann’s career. Saddled by a record company that refused to release her third solo album because it wasn’t commercial enough, she was suddenly in a position to buy back the rights to that album and release it herself.

So that’s what she did, forming Superego Records and selling that album, Bachelor No. 2, through her own Web site. Critical reception was very strong and sales were brisk enough that she eventually was able to get distribution in record stores. She’s released every album since through her label, becoming a poster child for successful self-distribution.

Listening to Bachelor No. 2 highlights just how out of touch the record company was. Sure, maybe it doesn’t contain a “single” in the traditional sense, but it’s jam-packed with smart, elegant music — the sort of thing Elvis Costello, say, has been putting out for decades (without many hit singles). That a corporation would work to prevent the release of such wonderful material is depressing.

Bachelor No. 2 contains some of the songs that appeared on the Magnolia soundtrack, most notably ‘Deathly’ (the song that inspired the movie in the first place) and the closing ballad ‘You Do.’ But the nine new songs are among the best Mann has ever written or recorded.

One of my favorites is ‘Red Vines,’ today’s Song of the Day. I’m curious to hear interpretations of the lyrics as I’m sort of at a loss. I’ve read that the song is about Paul Thomas Anderson, but even with that clue I can’t quite piece it together.

Doesn’t stop me from loving the song, though. (Red vines are the Twizzlers of the West Coast, incidentally).

Paloma bought me an early birthday present yesterday, a copy of Andre Agassi’s new autobiography Open.

The book has caused a bit of an uproar in the sports world for some of its revelations and even rippled beyond as the man’s celebrity transcends the tennis court.

As a reformed jock, I played a fair amount of tennis growing up, but a lack of self-discipline – I smashed more than a couple rackets – hindered any natural ability I might have had. Ironically, the player I most admired was Bjorn Borg, the cool, unflappable Swedish great.

I was playing less tennis by the time Agassi began rising through the ranks. I was in college and other things were occupying my time. I wasn’t even following the sport as much.

In fact, I first really took note of Agassi when I was mistaken for him while traveling in Southeast Asia. It was 1989 and I had a mullet-like hair, a bit spiky on the top that was similar to his. In Singapore, some German tourists wanted an autograph. In Thailand, some local tried to dupe me into a common ruse to purchase worthless jewels – “You wealthy tennis player.”

I’ve read plenty about Agassi over the years inclduing an amazingly poignant piece in Sports Illustrated a few years back which I wish I could find. Driven from the time he was a small child to be a tennis machine by a father who had boxed for Iran in the Olympics, his tale reminded me of that of Michael Jackson.

I’ve also read excerpts from Open, including Agassi’s admission that he used crystal meth in an attempt to destroy/escape from a career that he, for the most part, never wanted.

I won’t discount that his career has afforded him a life that most of us would envy, though I imagine few of us would have had the fortitude to achieve. That said, I find the ballyhoo surrounding his tome to be missing the point.

The man wasn’t driven by blinding greed to pilfer and destroy the economy, placing the lives of millions in a precarious position. He didn’t manipulate facts in order to launch an illegal war to invade a sovereign nation, treating the lives and treasure of millions as his own toy chest.

The man hit tennis balls and did so well enough to become one of the best to ever do so. His mistakes were his own and though those mistakes likely caused those around him hardship and pain, they didn’t cause the average person watching him perform his athletic feats hardship or distress.

By all accounts, Agassi owns those failures in his book. There’s no, “Yeah, but…”

Since 1994, Agassi has been described as perhaps the most charitable athlete of his generation, founding a tuition-free charter school for at-risk children in Las Vegas as well as several other endeavors. And, as he played his final US Open match in 2006, he was arguably the most beloved US athlete.

In short, Agassi has travelled a star-crossed path from there to here, arriving a better person, an admirable person, flaws and all. If he’s to be held accountable for the hiccups along the way, he should also be applauded for rising above them.

It’s an interesting twist of fate that his book should arrive at the same time as another autobiography, that of someone who’s greatest attribute appears to be the ability to gut a moose, a woman who did quit when facing adversity, has no shortage of folks she blames for her failures, and apparently craves revenge more than redemption.

But, I suspect that Sarah Palin doesn’t believe in evolution.

Aimee Mann – Save Me
from Magnolia soundtrack

Sometimes it takes a while for the light bulb to go on. And, sometimes people need a hand. The closing scene of the movie Magnolia expressed those sentiments as powerfully as any film I think I’ve ever seen and Aimee Mann’s heartbreaking song Save Me was the perfect accompaniment.

Fiona Apple – Better Version Of Me
from Extraordinary Machine

Fiona Apple’s third album found the eccentric artist working with long-time Aimee Mann collaborator Jon Brion. The record had a troubled birth, rejected and held up by Apple’s label for a belief that it lacked commercial appeal.

It went on to be one of the most critically acclaimed releases of 2005.

Yoko Ono – Revelations
from Rising

Personally, I like Yoko’s music – not all of it, but there’s some compelling stuff in her catalog – and Revelations is simply lovely with lyrics that are words to live by.

Garbage – When I Grow Up
from Version 2.0

When I Grow Up is twisted fun from Shirley Manson and crew.

Augh, FML. Seriously. Why is there so much homework for me to do this weekend? Why is my freaking psych professor assigning the normal homework along with the gigantic semester paper? Totally unfair. I seriously should have made more time for this stuff during the week, but the thing is…even if I knew it was going to be like this, I guarantee I wouldn’t have worked on it before Friday at the earliest. I’m so lazy. Lol…it’s a “conditioned response.” THIS STUFF IS SO BORING. But at least I understand it a little better than some of the stuff in the textbook.

I am seriously a music downloading addict recently. Today I downloaded almost 300 songs! I got these albums off of various free (and probably illegal, l-lol) websites: Aimee Mann (Bachelor No. 2 The Last Remains of the Dodo, The Forgotten Arm, I’m With Stupid, Lost In Space, @#%&*! Smilers, and Whatever), Bob Dylan (Modern Times and Under the Red Sky), As Tall As Lions (You Can’t Take It With You), Dashboard Confessional (The Shade of Poison Trees), The Fall Of Troy (In the Unlikely Event), Franz Ferdinand (Tonight), Lenka (Lenka), Norah Jones (Not Too Late), Pat Benatar (The Essential), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood Sugar Sex Magik), The Rolling Stones (Emotional Rescue, Goat’s Head Soup, Some Girls, Sticky Fingers, Tattoo You, and Undercover), The Strokes (First Impressions Of Earth), and Tegan & Sara (Sainthood). HOLY HELL THAT’S A LOT OF MUSIC, AMIRITE? I’ve actually been keeping a music downloads log so I can keep track of all the stuff I download.

I’m hungry but I felt kind of sick earlier, so I’m hesitant to actually eat anything.

I finished all 900 and some pages of Penny & Aggie that are up so far yesterday after school, haha. I like it a lot otherwise I wouldn’t have kept reading all of that. But yeah, it took forever.

I’ve been wanting to color I picture I drew the other day for a few days now and I just haven’t had the chance. It’s been minimized on my desktop for at least two days. I’m really tempted to color it and leave the rest of my homework for tomorrow, but I’m worried I won’t be able to get it all done. I have a math test, a psych quiz, assignment, and discussion board thing, and of course the psych semester paper. I’m thinking I’m going to try to finish part I of the semester paper and possibly the math test and then get to coloring if I have time. It just sucks ’cause what I really want to do is color. But… yeah, I need to pass. OTL I’m supposed to register sometime soon, I guess. My parents keep bugging me about it and I just feel like OKAY HOLY SHIT I WILL GIVE IT TIME.

Lily is constantly in my room with me. It’s really sweet. Haha, actually, now that I think about I think Lily has a conditioned response to “bathie.” c: She’s such a sweetie.

Umm…what else? I guess that’s it for now. BBL, wish me luck on my horrendous homework load!

Aimee Mann’s record studio problems went from bad to worse as she worked on her third solo album. She turned her material in to Geffen and heard the classic line: “We don’t hear a single.” In fact, the studio shelved the album until she could produce something more commercial. She wound up writing a track called ‘Nothing is Good Enough’ about, you guessed it, evil record studio heads.

But then a funny thing happened. Mann’s close friend, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, was inspired by a line in one of her songs (‘Deathly’) to write and shoot the film Magnolia. And he intertwined Mann’s music into the film as well, using several existing cuts and asking her to pen a new one for the film.

That new track was ‘Save Me,’ a gorgeous ballad that earned Mann an Oscar nomination and the biggest audience of her career. The Magnolia soundtrack, which contained several of the songs on Mann’s shelved third album, became a best-seller. Without changing a note, she had delivered the commercial music Geffen demanded and perhaps proved there is an audience for smart pop music.

The most memorable track in Magnolia is today’s Song of the Day, ‘Wise Up,’ which features in the film’s emotional climax. As each character in the tale of intertwining lives is at his or her lowest point, they simultaneously break into song — this song. It’s a bold, crazy, half-bad idea that works because it’s so giddily unexpected and so emotionally charged.

And of course it works because this song is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever heard.

ლორდის პოსტმა შთამაგონა დამეწერა ეს პოსტი. მინდა გაგახაროთ, რომ ეს არის ჩემი ბოლო პოსტი, რომელიც ასე თუ ისე ეხება კინოს. ბოლო პოსტებს რომ გადავხედე სულ ფილმებია შუაში, თავში ან ბოლოში. ამიტომ გადავწყვიტე, რომ საკმარისია, წიგნების დროც დადგა. რამდენი ხანია საყვარელ და საინტერესო წიგნებზე არაფერი მითქვამს, ბოლო ზარატუსტრა და ოსტატი იყვნენ თუ სწორად მახსოვს. არადა მინდოდა დამეწერა ორიოდ სიტყვა დანაშაულზე და სასჯელზე, დორიან გრეის პორტრეტზე, დაკარგულ სამოთხეზე, ამაოების ბაზარზე, კლოუნის თვალთახედვაზე, აურზაურზე არაფრის გამო და კიდევ ბევრ რამეზე. მაგრამ ამის მაგივრად ვაკეთებ იმას, რასაც არ უნდა ვაკეთებდე და ვჯღაბნი ათასგვარ სისულელეს. ვდებ პირობას, რომ ასე აღარ მოვიქცევი :დამნაშავებავშვისსმაილიკი: (სულ იმის ბრალია ეს ყველაფერი, ოთხშაბათობით  დილის და პარასკევობით ღამის 12 საათზე რომ ვნახულობ და სხვაზე ვეღარაფერზე ვფიქრობ მერე მთელი კვირა). მოკლედ, ეს არის ბოლო პოსტი, რომელიც ეხება კინოს. პოსტი Lord Vader-ის აი ამ პოსტმა შთამაგონა და გადავწყვიტე გამეხსენებინა საყვარელი მუსიკა ფილმებიდან და მუსიკა საყვარელი ფილმებიდან. აი ისინიც (რაც გამახსენდა ის არის, რიგითობა უმნიშვნელოა)

სხვებსაც დავტაგავ თუ არ ეწყინებათ  <img src=”http://www.pic4ever.com/images/34efamg.gif” border=”0″ >

ვთაგავ:

კაპუჩინოს

ეკუსის

ქეთის

kevana-ს

Lord Vader-ს

თუ რა თქმა უნდა არ დაეზარებათ :დ

After the demise of Imago, Aimee Mann jumped to Geffen for her next release, 1995’s I’m With Stupid. Again, the album met with critical success but didn’t sell very well, eventually leading to problems with the new label (yes, a pattern is developing here).

Mann has always struck me as a great example of an evolving artist. Looking at her material through the years, the talent is always there and so is her melancholy tone and thematic focus on life’s losers, but her style is very fluid. After exploring new wave pop in her ‘Til Tuesday material, she moved to a more acoustic, organic sound on Whatever. On I’m With Stupid, Mann went electric, but with a minimalist production style that sharpens every song to a deadly edge.

‘Par for the Course’ is a 6-minute heartbreak epic bathed in grungy guitar under Mann’s repeated cries that “I don’t even know you anymore” — and I know that makes it sound awful, but it’s actually a beautiful ballad of a song. ‘Amateur,’ which found a home on a few 90s soundtracks, is a gentle waltz that showcases Mann’s aching soprano beautifully. ‘Choice in the Matter’ is a great breakup song containing this verse, a favorite of mine, that puts you right into the room:

Today’s song, ‘That’s Just What You Are,’ is the only one from the album that received some radio airplay and it briefly crept onto the modern rock chart. This was the first Aimee Mann solo song I ever heard, on a mix tape given to me by the same friend who introduced me to Dar Williams.

I fell for it right away, both the sound and the lyrics. I especially liked the use of metaphor in the bridge, an indication of what a clever wordsmith Mann is: “Now I could talk to you till I’m blue in the face but we still would arrive at the very same place, with you running around and me out of the race.”

It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.