Who likes pop music? Of course you do, don’t talk stupid. Do you want to go to bed without any supper? You’ll miss Tomorrow’s World…right, that’s it. Fetch the plastic spoon, I’m going to smack your bare legs…

…sorry. Strange flashback there. And now, some records…

20. Regina Spektor – “Eet”

There’s few words I can say to sum up the affecting and beautiful music of Regina Spektor, a woman who continues to get better and better which each LP. Whilst her album takes on a variety of styles, all backed by her trademark piano, “Eet” is undoubtedly the record’s bona fide pop anthem.

All I need to hear is the soft drawl of “It’s like forgetting the words to your favourite song” and I fall in love with this track all over again. If anything should’ve been able to break Regina properly in the UK after the headway made by the smashing “Fidelity” and “On The Radio” (from 2006’s “Begin To Hope”) it was “Eet”.

Of course, no fucker bought it but sometimes the pop charts are no real place for something as beautiful as this.

19. Glee Cast - “Dont Stop Believin’”

I make absolutely no bones about my adoration for the new US teen drama “Glee”, soon to be no doubt dragged through dog-dirt by E4 when they start showing it in 2010. Superficially, it’s a simple cash-in on the High School Musical brand of singalongs with added acapella and teen pregnancies.

But thanks to a terrific set of actors, the characters they inhabit manage to avoid the potentially obvious tag each is awarded (The Jock, The Cheerleader, The Gay One, The Black One, The One In A Wheelchair etc) and of course, every single one of them has to sing, which is where the show will either win or take a dump on your heart. The song selection has been so far pretty well chosen with a serious of pop classics, modern chart hits and musical staples making up the bulk.

All of which works out pretty well for Journey who are for some strange reason making a real resurgence in the charts at the moment, specifically with their 1981 hit “Don’t Stop Believin’” which is given the soaring vocal treatment here and sends a little shiver down my spine every time I hear it. Yes, it’s a licence to print money and the songs are released immediately onto iTunes the second an episode finishes but in these X Factor times, we can all see behind the curtain anyway so why not enjoy the spangly, shiny-toothed product within?

[Naturally, its sodding non-embeddable so click here for a moving version]

18. Plushgun - “Let Me Kiss You Now (And I’ll Fade Away)”

The band so adored by myself, I used the title of one of their singles as the name of my topical podcast series. I first heard Plushgun via one of the many indie torrents that crop up on various naughty download sites and fell in love instantly, playing their demo EP to death and praying that they wouldn’t fuck it up when given the chance (by Tommy Boy no less!) to record an album.

Thankfully they did a sterling job (as the inevitable albums of the year list will bear out) creating an LP full of fractured little pop bubbles which could’ve conquered the world given the right wind. Then again, there’s a charm and feyness to Plushgun that simply might not be able to exist in the wider world with all its noisy Kings Off Of Leon and dirty Lady Gagas.

Sadly, videos don’t exist for the majority of the record (and it felt wrong to include the re-released “Just Impolite” in this list after it topped 2008’s chart) bar this one for the beautiful ukulele-led love song “Let Me Kiss You Now (And I’ll Fade Away)”. Even more impressive is the fact it was made for $99 although by the current exchange rate it probably means we owe them money for watching it.

Oh so very worth it though.

17. Mika – “We Are Golden”

Some might say it’s been an oddly muted return for the curly-haired chart molester of 2006 with less than impressive sales of his not at all bad second LP “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” and an almost forgotten lead single, despite reaching No.4 in the charts just two months ago. So, of course that would naturally be the one song where it finally clicked properly for me with Mika.

Its no great secret to discover that there might just be a little bit of Queen fandom in Mika’s repertoire and no more so than this spirited, cheering number which continues the slightly naïve teen drama themes of the first album with a stomping piano-backed chant of “Teenage dreams in a teenage circus / Running around like a clown on purpose / Who gives a damn about the family you come from? / No giving up when you’re young and you want some…”

And I think we all know the “some” young Mika is referring to. That’s right, its “some copy of the new QI Annual” (now available in all good bookshops, £9.99)

[Another fucking non-embeddable file. Don't record companies want people to share these fucking videos about? Isnt that surely the point of spending thousands on them? Hey ho, its over here if you want to see Mika leaping around like a twat in his underpants. Really not compulsory.]

16. MJ Hibbett And The Validators - “Being Happy Doesnt Make You Stupid”

Best known for his b3ta-fuelled love letter to the early days of home computing “Hey Hey 16k” around 2004 (although the song was recorded some four years earlier), MJ is no slouch when it comes to bedroom balladeering, putting out scores of singles, albums and videos. This was the lead single from Regardez, Ecoutez et Repetez which is the eighth full length release to bear the Validators name and also contains the brilliant “My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once” and “Do The Indie Kid”.

Utterly joyful from start to finish, at one level this is indie pop at its most basic and therefore moving, with references to comic book heroes and villains as a metaphor for not being such a miserable sod. The lyrical content is, as usual with a Hibbett original – a treat. I mean, how can you not love a line like “Like Black Bolt with a cob on, you sit there in a sulk while everybody else is down the pub” or the insanely catchy middle eight “Hey there Emo Boy give us all a smile”?

Maybe you can resist, maybe this sort of track isn’t for you. But as the man said: “Being happy doesn’t make you stupid / Being clever shouldn’t make you sad / Having fun will never turn you daft”. Maybe there’s something in that…

TOMORROW: Robots! Rabbits! Symphonies! And FEAR!

In last month’s Q magazine, I read with some surprise and not a little disappointment, their (rather early) list of the top 50 albums of 2009. Although these lists are by their very nature incredibly subjective, I found myself taking issue with the vast majority of their choices. Florence and the Machine at number 2? Kasabian at number 1? The Decemberists skulking around just outside the 50? All quite laughable.

But at least it prompted me to start thinking about my own choices, and encouraged me to compile my list. At the outset, I will explain that it contains several albums that were not released this year – in fact, in at least one case, not even this century. However, they are all albums that are new to me this year, that I had not previously heard until 2009. In the interests of fairness I did try to keep the older ones out of the top 20, and in fact only one managed to sneak in.

I will present the list in full, without comment, and maybe revisit that decision and add a brief note to each one when I have more time.

I’d be more than happy to receive your thoughts on my choices, and your suggestions of glaring omissions.

In the interests of suspense, I will present them in ascending order of merit, from 50 to 1.

50)  Staff Benda Bililli – Tres, Tres Fort

A group of paraplegic street musicians who live in the grounds of Kinshasa Zoo in Kenya, including a 17 year-old performing incredible guitar-like solos on a one-string electric lute he designed and built himself out of a tin can. What’s not to love?

49)  Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

My introduction to the wonders of Wilco – the American Radiohead, according to some.

48)  Vetiver – Tight Knit

One of many new bands I discovered this year, and a pleasant record, but probably not their best. Enjoyed their set in the Big Top at the End of The Road Festival in September.

47)  The Low Anthem – Oh My God Charlie Darwin

If more of the songs were as good as the title track, this could have been a top 20 contender. An odd mix of lo-fi nu-folk (a la Fleet Foxes) and growly mad stomping blues (like Tom Waits let loose in a potting shed).

46)  The Broken Family Band – Welcome Home, Loser

One of three of theirs in the 50, and full of very fine songs with the trademark BFB witty lyrics and a fab cover photo and title to boot.

45)  The View – Which Bitch?

Lots of tracks, most of them very good and a step up from their quite listenable debut.

44)  Taylor Swift – Fearless

Stands out from the rest in this list as rather poppy and young, but Ms Swift does write a fine tune and lyric. Although this was purchased for Mrs Cook’s birthday the sheer catchy-ness of these songs has infected me too.

43)  Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass

Undoubtedly the best album title in the list, and packed with some fantastic songs. As ever with Yo La Tengo, they manage to sound like at least five different bands over the course of the same record. Never a dull moment.

42)  Cat Power – The Greatest

Spurred on by her great version of ‘Amazing Grace’ on the ‘Dark Was The Night’ compilation, I got this for a half price itunes bargain and was not in the least disappointed. Great voice, great piano, and a number of fine songs.

41)  Great Lake Swimmers – Great Lake Swimmers

Haven’t had time to listen to this one as much as the other two in the list by this fine Canadian band, but their debut showed signs of the huge promise that has been fulfilled on the subsequent records. Folky acoustic songs of the highest order.

40)  Great Lake Swimmers – Ongiara

This one had me from the opening seconds of the opening song ‘Your Rocky Spine’, discovered on Spotify on my birthday using my new laptop speakers. Was enthralled by this album for most of that afternoon. Sounded even better with the backdrop of the Canadian Rockies that inspired it on our trip in June.

39)  Woodpigeon – Songbook

Another Canadian band, and one of my first Spotify discoveries. ‘Death by Ninja (a Love Story)’, ‘A Sad Country Ballad For A Tired Superhero’ and ‘A Hymn For 2 Walks In Different Cities’ are all quite brilliant songs, in very different ways. Fast becoming a favourite band of mine.

38)  The Broken Family Band – Please And Thank You

Their most recent, and sadly their last album as they split up in October. The usual reliably great tunes, combined with the occasional barbed lyric, this would have been higher but for the fact I haven’t listened to it as much as my favourite of theirs, ‘Balls’, that appears further up the list.

37)  Band Of Horses – Cease To Begin

So much fuss is made of the Fleet Foxes, but I actually much prefer their Sub Pop label-mates BOH: there is more to the music, the instrumentation is better and the songs are a bit more interesting than the Foxes pastoral by numbers. For me, not as immediately satisfying as their debut, which appears higher up, but definitely worth a listen or several.

36)  John Martyn – Solid Air (Remastered)

Sadly I’d never heard any of John Martyn’s music until after he died earlier this year – this remastered version of one of his most popular records was a great starting point. ‘May You Never’, ‘Over The Hill’ and ‘I’d Rather Be The Devil’ are all stand-out tracks and I love his distinctive guitar playing style.

35)  The Acorn – Glory Hope Mountain

Checked this out after a very good set they played at the End Of The Road Festival: intriguing acoustic rock – a bit of a grower.

34)  Cage The Elephant – Cage The Elephant

Brash, noisy, full of energy and highly enjoyable.

33)  Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Love the cover, love the title, love his voice, adore ‘Rococo Zephyr’ and this would have been higher except one or two tracks are a bit too weird for my taste.

32)  Bat For Lashes – Two Suns

Think I need to give this more time, especially as many people have raved about it, but it is a step up from her debut and contains some great moments.

31)  She Keeps Bees – Nests

Another itunes bargain following a sterling closing set at the EOTR Festival, this is well worth checking out. A band to watch out for.

30)  The Decemberists – The Crane Wife

My ultimate discovery of the past year, as regular readers will know, Portland, Oregon’s finest are very much my favourite band these days. This was the first album of theirs I heard and there are a number of outstanding tracks here, such as ‘Crane Wife 3′, ‘The Shankhill Butchers’, ‘O Valencia’ and ‘Yankee Bayonet’. A good starting point for new listeners, but not my favourite, as will become apparent.

29)  The Decemberists – Picaresque

28)  The Broken family Band – Balls

27)  Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

26)  Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band – Outer South

25)  First Aid Kit – Drunken Trees

24)  Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

23)  Band Of Horses – Everything All The Time

22)  The Duke & The King – Nothing Gold Can Stay

21)  The Airborne Toxic Event – The Airborne Toxic Event

20)  Loney Dear – Loney, Noir

19)  Regina Spektor – Far

18)  Joyce, Nana Vasoncelos & Mauricio Maestro – Visions Of Dawn

17)  Great Lake Swimmers – Lost Channels

16)  Woodpigeon – Treasury Library Canada

15)  Muse – The Resistance

14)  Slow Club – Yeah So

13)  Monsters Of Folk – Monsters Of Folk

12)  Wilco – Wilco The Album

11)  The Leisure Society – Sleeper

10)  Emmy The Great – First Love

9)  Joe Gideon & The Shark – Harum Scarum

8)  Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

7)  Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs

6)  Various Artists – Dark Was The Night

5)  Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

4)  The Cave Singers – Welcome Joy

3)  Loney Dear – Dear John

2)  Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

1)  The Decemberists – The Hazards Of Love

This is how it works
You’re young until you’re not
You love until you don’t
You try until you can’t
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breath

Its that time again, Neil and Pegi Young again have hosted an amazing line up of artists for this year’s non-profit Bridge School Concert, benefiting the unique learning complex which assists children with severe physical impairments and challenging communication needs. The Bridge School Collection, Vol. 4 is now available on iTunes and the proceeds from the iTunes digital downloads will be donated to the Bridge School, where one of the thrusts of their learning program is the use of advanced augmentative and alternative communication systems and assistive technology. The amazing track listing is below:

1) Ministry – Here They Come – 11/2/94
2) Ministry – Paisley – 11/2/94
3) John Mellencamp – Jackie Brown – 10/29/05
4) Jerry Lee Lewis – Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On -10/30/05
5) Trent Reznor – Fragile – 10/22/06
6) Trent Reznor – Hurt – 10/22/06
7) John Mayer – Heart Of Life – 10/27/07
8 ) John Mayer – Waiting On The World – 10/27/07
9) Regina Spektor – Ain’t No Cover – 10/27/07
10) My Morning Jacket – Gideon – 10/28/07
11) My Morning Jacket – Just One Thing – 10/28/07
12) Tegan & Sara – Dark Come Soon – 10/28/07
13) Tegan & Sara – Like Oh, Like H – 10/28/07
14) Tom Waits & Kronos Quartet – What Keeps Mankind Alive – 10/28/07
15) Tom Waits & Kronos Quartet – The Part You Throw Away – 10/28/07
16) Band of Horses – Marry Song – 10/25/08
17) Band of Horses – The General Specific – 10/25/08
18) Norah Jones – Jesus Don’t Cry – 10/25/08
19) Death Cab For Cutie – Cath – 10/26/08
20) Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart – 10/26/08
21) Josh Groban – Changing Colors – 10/26/08
22) Josh Groban With Neil Young – Harvest Moon – 10/26/08

Here is some additional information about Bridge School. Please check it out!

Please see YATM’s previous post to see some clips of this year’s performances by Wolfmother, Fleet Foxes, Coldplay, more..

Appena in tempo per (500 giorni) insieme, in uscita oggi nelle sale italiane. Commedia romantica post femminista dove i ruoli di coppia sono invertiti: lui, Tom, innamorato cotto e alla fine mollato; lei, Summer, pragmatica e da “ogni lasciata è persa”. Film indipendente dello stesso produttore di Juno, in arrivo dal Sundance Film Festival, costato meno di 8 milioni di dollari, ne ha incassati 32. Le recensioni promettono bene. E davvero bella la colonna sonora. Dagli Smiths a Simon & Garfunkel fino a Regina Spektor, i Feist e gli australiani Temper Trap. Non sorprende che il regista sia Marc Webb, autore di videoclip musicali alla sua prima prova cinematografica. Dedica un bell’articolo al soundtrack  Pop & Hiss, il blog di musica del Los Angeles Times.

Regina Spektor.

Den 8 december är jag och min vän på plats på Cirkus i Stockholm för att se den här damen uppträda. Den ryskfödda singer-songwritern Regina Spektor från USA har fångat mig med sin melodiösa popmusik framförd med mycket hjärta.

The 8th of December my friend and me are on a concert to listen to this lady sing and play. The Russian born singer-songwriter Regina Spector from the USA has captured me with her easy listening pop music performed with heart.

What are you thankful for?

Me?

Today, I’m thankful for R.E.M.

For Elbow.

For Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

And for Regina Spektor.

Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the little things.  But that doesn’t mean I ever forget.

It’s like forgetting
the words to your favorite song.
You can’t believe it;
you were always singing along.
It was so easy
and the words so sweet.
You can’t remember;
you try to feel the beat.
- Regina Spektor, “Eet”

When I think about religion now, it feels as though I’m missing something. I’ve forgotten something, or something once familiar is now foreign to me. I think I’ve let the things I felt most strongly about, when it came to religion, slip into the fog. It’s the fog of another life, I guess. The old Christian me seems like another person now, practically a stranger. Who was that girl? What did she do, again?

I no longer seem to care as much as I did about defending myself from the evangelical/conservative answers. I no longer feel torn up about the idea of telling my mom that I’ve shucked off religion like yesterday’s pants.

I no longer feel driven to clarify the image of God that I do have.

I found myself praying for a miracle, though, the other night. My uncle beat colon cancer last year but found out this year that there was now cancer in his liver. It’s treatable, but not curable; he’ll have to be in chemo for the rest of his life.

Treatable, but not curable. The perfect situation for a miracle, yes?

I prayed to God for a miracle for my uncle. I can do that because I still believe in an all-powerful God who cares, even though I am perfectly aware that I could be wrong; I pray for a miracle, anyway. And I pray not because I want God to prove himself to me–I already believe in him, and even if I didn’t, God would have nothing to prove–but because I told my uncle that I would pray for him, and because there is the chance that I am right, that God exists and is all-powerful and also caring.

#9: Far

via Amazon.com: Bestsellers in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Albums on 11/26/09

Far
by Regina Spektor
119 days in the top 100
(59)

Download: $5.00

(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Bestsellers in MP3 Albums list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)

Posted via email from Top 10 MP3 Music Downloads and Reviews

Regina Spektor – “The Calculation”

This is the opening song on Regina Spektor’s latest album, Far, and it’s by far my favorite track on the album (heehee). I included it on a mix CD I made for my Dad, and driving his car around this weekend, I listened to it twice. Then tonight, as I sat down on the couch with my Mom, the tune was featured on the ABC show, Castle (my Dad shouted “REGINA!” from the kitchen). It’s got an extremely fun, upbeat tone to it…with some playful lyrics that touch on a sensitive subject:

“You went into the kitchen cupboard
Got yourself another hour
And you gave
Half of it to me
We sat there looking at the faces
Of these strangers in the pages
‘Til we knew ‘em mathematically

They were in our minds
Until forever
But we didn’t mind
We didn’t know better

So we made our own computer out of macaroni pieces
And it did our thinking while we lived our lives
It counted up our feelings
And divided them up even
And it called that calculation perfect love

Didn’t even know that love was bigger
Didn’t even know
That love was so, so
Hey Hey Hey

Hey this fire it’s burnin’
Burnin’ us up
Hey this fire it’s burnin’
Burnin’ us…

So we made the hard decision
And we each made an incision
Past our muscles and our bones
Saw our hearts were little stones

Pulled ‘em out they weren’t beating
And we weren’t even bleeding
As we lay ‘em on the granite counter top

We beat ‘em up
Against each other
We beat ‘em up
Against each other
We struck ‘em hard
Against each other
We struck ‘em so hard
So hard until they sparked

Hey this fire it’s burnin’
Burnin’ us up…”

Here’s Regina performing “The Calculation” on The Interface:

Regina Spektor
MySpace
My blog about the album Far

Regina Spektor writes the kind of crazy-quilt confessionals we used to hear a lot from 1990s alt-rockers but don’t get enough of these days. The Russian-born Lower East Side piano punk has the European yelp of Björk, the loopiness of Fiona Apple, the too-much-information torridness of Tori Amos and the slanted critical eye of Liz Phair. But none of those girls ever interrupted a song about long-term commitment to uncork a flurry of dolphin noises, as Spektor does on “Folding Chair,” one of the stranger — and catchier — moments on her excellent third major-label record.

The 29-year-old singer-songwriter’s 2004 disc, Soviet Kitsch, flaunted her exotic Old World accent on stark, ranting torch songs that followed a boozy logic. 2006’s Begin to Hope had fuller production and great one-liners about being a doomed New York romantic, like a Joni Mitchell for the post-Strokes era. Produced by Jeff Lynne, Garret “Jacknife” Lee, Mike Elizondo and David Kahne, Far matches Kitsch’s rococo flow with the follow-up’s pop smarts. On the jaunty, hip-hop-tinged “Dance Anthem of the 80’s,” she wanders lonely streets with her slip hanging out, “like a drunk, but not.” “Laughing With” begins as a meditation on God’s wicked sense of humor and ends collapsing in an existential freakout over a soft beat and weeping cello. Spektor is a woman who doesn’t need much excuse to have an emotional Chernobyl (in one song, it’s finding a wallet with a Blockbuster card in it). But she’s also the rare screwball who gets more universal as she gets weirder.

• Eet
• Laughing With
• The Calculation

Lars Winnerbäck var toppen.Verkligen. Jag fick rysningar när Lasse kom in helt själv på scenen med sin gitarr och sjöng Hugger i Sten och alla i publiken sjöng med. Detsamma hände ungefär när han kom in och sjöng Elden endast ackompanjerad av piano. Det var så fint att jag gick lite i bitar. Och det var värt vartenda krona. Lasse under en sommarhimmel en ljummen kväll hade varit ännu bättre.

Igår var såklart Tegan & Sara också sjukt grymma! De var så roliga i mellanpratet att man kände sig så bekväm. Och de spelade min älskade älskade back into your head. Jag älskar Tegan & Sara.

Nu? Nu sitter jag och lyssnar in en annan brud. Regina Spektor. Hon har ju en sån fantastisk röst. Är avundsjuk. Hade också velat ha en sådan röst!

Every time a 0 is involved with the turning year, people tend to go crazy over “the best _____ of the decade”. Lists come out about music and movies and tv shows and whatever. Well, I decided to do that. Because I’m a dork. What I ended up doing is a list of things for every year since the year 2000. I will talk about some of them and leave links to others that I think are fantastical and that I belive you (whoever you are) might enjoy. So. Here we go. Expect to see some bands that repeat, and some that you know I like, if you like me:

2000
Does anyone remember how fantastically catchy ‘Bohemian Like You’ was? The silly video with the karaoke-thing, etcetera? There was a lot of decent music coming out around this time, and I remember being consistently barraged by good albums. This wouldn’t continue through the rest of the decade. Californication would be the last time I would enjoy RHCP as a band.

Dandy Warhols (song – Bohemian Like You); Red Hot Chili Peppers (album – Californication); Smashing Pumpkins/Foo Fighters/A Perfect Circle(show – Summersault – Winnipeg Stadium); Nine Inch Nails (video – Into the Void)

2001
In 2001 I succumbed to sexy pop for a favorite song. Seriously. That song is awesome. Frusciante’s album was magical, and I think my video of the year is really the only choice.

Kylie Minogue (song – Can’t get you out of my head); John Frusciante (album – To Record only Water for Ten Days); Tragically Hip (show – Winnipeg Arena); Fatboy Slim (video – Weapon of Choice)

2002
Dave Grohl makes the list twice as a drummer in this year, and probably would have taken the album too, but from out of nowhere came what would change my mind about Canadian music in that I ended up following almost every project that Broken Social Scene had outside of it’s main band after hearing the album and seeing them live.

Queens Of The Stone Age (song – Go With the Flow); Broken Social Scene (album – You Forgot it in people); Broken Social Scene – (show – Pyramid Cabaret); Tenacious D (video – Tribute)

2003
I remember the moment I fell in love with Sit down Stand up. It was on the eve of the album coming out, and Radiohead played a live show that was broadcasted to Silver City theatres in Canada. When that song reached the crescendo into the fast ‘raindrops’ part, I was almost on the edge of my seat. Which I could also say about the Metric show. They were second on a bill of three that featured Hot Hot Heat as the main act, and were still relatively new, but downright sexy and exciting to watch. I’ve since seen them six more times.

Radiohead (song – Sit Down, Stand Up); Mars Volta (album – De-Loused in the Comatorium); Metric (show – Pyramid Cabaret); Buck 65 (video – Wicked and Weird)

2004
The second time a John Frusciante album makes my favorite albums. This album is widely regarded as his most ‘mainstream’ and is a fantastic, great-amazing thing, just like the Bowie concert, which was the last concert I ever saw at the ol’ Winnipeg arena.

Secret Machines (song – Nowhere Again); John Frusciante (album – Shadows Collide with People); David Bowie (show – Winnipeg Arena); DFA 1979 (video – Black History Month)

2005
I’ll never forget how many phone calls I got when Nine Inch Nails annouced that they’d be coming here. It was the first time I was going to see them, after being a fan since 1994. My phone rang off the hook, and for one song during that show, so did my emotions. I kinda quietly, completely lost it, and felt like a dummy. Ha! By the way, that Esthero video’s freakin’ hot, and I agree with every sentiment in it.

Sufjan Stevens (song – Come On! Feel the Illinoise!); Fantomas (album – Suspended Animation); Nine Inch Nails (show – MTS Centre) Esthero (video – We R in Need of a Musical Revolution)

2006
I saw Wintersleep by myself in front of about 30 people, and skipped work to get there. When I talked to the singer about this, he dedicated a song to me. How nice. As far as Nausea goes, I don’t know what it is about that song, but something in it drives me nuts. It’s way too good and it doesn’t even realize it.

Beck (song – Nausea); Regina Spektor (album – Begin To Hope); Wintersleep (show – The Collective); Eagles of Death Metal (video – Boy’s Bad News)

2007
National Anthem of Nowhere has become my most listened to track on last.fm, and I think the Wintersleep album has since become one of my most listened to albums. They will both continue to rise in numbers. If I did a song by song and album by album breakdown, these two would make somewhere within the top three. And it’s pretty cool that I got to see Mike Patton in any of his 34i83902439024 bands, but Peeping Tom blew me away.

Apostle of Hustle (song – National Anthem of nowhere); Wintersleep (album – Welcome to the Night Sky); Peeping Tom (show – Trocadero); Feist (video – 1234)

2008
God, In Rainbows is great. And Secret Machines live, that’s something so completely underrated, I don’t even know how to describe it to you. The power that they have to get an audience going, is a sight to behold and yet there were so few people there that I was kind of disappointed in the turnout. Oh, and yes, I realize that Feist gets the video 2 years running for the same album, but they’re both great videos.

Kaki King (song – Montreal); Radiohead (album – In Rainbows); Secret Machines (show – Pyramid); Feist (video – I feel it all)

2009
I know, it hasn’t been that long, but Them Crooked Vultures was exactly the album I wanted it to be. So there.  And as far as Spookey’s song goes, this is the second time I’ve talked about it in my blog. Previously appeared in my “songs you won’t see in Guitar Hero or Rock band“, and it’s just something to behold. Metric’s video was perfect, it was the video that I wanted them to have. Something sweet and cute instead of overtly dorky like all of their other videos. As far as Leonard Cohen’s concert goes, I hadn’t been a huge fan beforehand, but was introduced, and BECAME a large fan because of how amazing that concert was. Everything he did was perfect. The singing, the sounds, the engagement with the audience was fantastic. Top five concerts in my life, that one.

Spookey Ruben (song – Mechanical Royalty); Them Crooked Vultures (album – Them Crooked Vultures); Leonard Cohen (show – MTS Centre); Metric (video – Gimme Sympathy)

I axed Bunkarina to pick out a video or two for this week’s video trainwreck, and she chose this. From Drew Carey’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” here’s “Butterstick.”

Bunkarina likes this video by Regina Spektor, and so do I.

The Tubes were the late 70’s equivalent to FZ’s Mothers of the late 60’s.  MockRock at it’s best. “Stand Up and Shout” covers a lot of ground while featuring Fee Waybill as druggie frontman “Quay Lewd.”

The late Jerry Reed pickin’ with the late Chet Atkins. This one’s for Aussie Phil.

Suzy Boggus‘ & Chet Atkins’ excellent version of  “After You’ve Gone.” (Ignore her stupid outfit, she’s a great singer.)

Šī vīkenda songs man viennozīmīgi ir šis gabals

Regina Spektor – eet

I love her music..

Music that’s been on my mind this week, aside from Belle and Sebastian’s, Sukie in the Graveyard, is Regina Spektor’s Machine – hauntingly melodic and stuck in my head. I like the mechanics of this, the repetitive chorus reminiscent of a machine at work and the gripping piano intro.

The most annoying part of music for me is that I can never remember more than two lines of any song (except for Santeria by Sublime, and Passchendale by Good Books) so I’ve been wandering around singing hooked into machine over and over again until I piss even myself off.

Amelia

I like words. A lot.

Speed scrabble  (like normal scrabble, only it’s a race and you build your own board in front of you) is my all-time favorite game. Every summer at Little Eden, a camp in Onekama, Michigan, my aunts dedicate one night to tortilla chips and dip, playing speed scrabble until midnight. It’s something everyone can be a part of, from my Aunt Stacy who teaches elementary school, to my cousin Allison who is in elementary school, to the boys who are too cool for school (but not nerdy word games), to me. I like the community that is built as we yell at each other to spell things slower, to pass the chips, to take more tiles.

Crosswords are a close second to speed scrabble.

My senior year of high school, study hall periods were spent sneaking off to an English teacher’s office to do crosswords with my friends. Others would come and go, but there were two of us who were constants in Shreiner’s back room, telling stories and laughing and occasionally getting upset with each other as we filled in the blanks.

I really miss those mornings, sometimes. I’m not sure what it was about them, but the more I think about it the more I’m realizing it wasn’t really about the crosswords at all.  Solving crossword puzzles just gave an excuse to spend time together, something we never -because of friends, interests, and classes- would have done ordinarily.

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“You can tell a lot about people by how they do crosswords,” a college friend said.

She’s right.

I always say what I think the answer is even if I’m not sure I’m right, I don’t like filling in the blanks with pens but I’m okay with it if other people write, I need a solid dose of words every day, and I think crosswords are best done in small groups.

Same goes for real life.

Current Sounds: Dance Anthem of the 80’s -Regina Spektor
Current Words: Hunting for Hope =Scott R. Sanders

One thing that I’ve always found strange as a child was the attitude of some parents towards the toys they buy for their children. I remember when I went to the birthday of one of my friends her room was full of untouched toys. They were all ‘new and beautiful’, some even in the box. She wasn’t actually allowed to play with them, they were to beautiful and precious to take the risk of breaking them. She had to be happy with the simple fact of having them..and she believed she was. Whenever I entered in that room mixed feelings invaded my mind. I was feeling pity, jealous ( mine had always a ‘error’ after a while-a hand, a leg, a dress, a hair-cut:)), guilty for the way treated them and willing to taste the forbidden. I was always half convinced that this should be the way to treat dolls and other toys.

This memory came to me yesterday while I realised that I have so many beautiful ‘things’ that I don;t use for the fear of a possible risk. I simply don;t dare to take out things from the shelves. they are all mine but should not be damaged, neither enjoyed nor damaged. Let them be, let them give me a false sense of security. Then I see the others playing my early age role, a mix of feelings which sometimes end up in blaming, misunderstanding or the worst of all silence…

Lately I am trying to catch up with universal literature that I think I did not read at the right moment. However I feel that despite all odds there is no such thing as right moment when it comes to lecture. I believe that what I lost was more a certain way of perceiving a fact at a particular moment in the past. Anyways, yesterday I finished the ‘Frenchmens Creek’ and there I refound the incredible power and   courage to empty the shelves that I just described, to completely use the resources you have, the beauty surrounding the risk and the tranquil manner of accepting the consequences.

On a recent family holiday I found myself at the beginning of a 3 hour car ride. To my left sat my 2 year old brother, his hand reaching out eager to share his half eaten tiny teddies. Behind me my 6 year old brother, a constant murmur “How much longer?” coming from his direction. Brothers’ aside, my iPod was my preferred choice of company and despite a rather large catalogue of songs I was replaying 3 songs by Melbourne’s Kate McMahon.

Upon my return it became apparent 3 songs was not enough, fast forward a few weeks and Kate McMahon’s self titled EP had a new home in my CD player; its envelope (as the case) just one of the charms. 

Although she lists influences such as Holly Throsby, Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple, Kate McMahon creates her own style of indie/folk/pop as proved by the 6 songs on the EP; which take “you on a journey through her private fantasy world of six-car pile-ups, playdough, sleazy boys and snow-frosted toes.” Standouts include Six-Storey Caryard Apartment Block and Girls Like Sleaze. Kate’s honest and somewhat quirky lyrics bring to mind Lily Allen and Kate Miller-Heidke comparisons (it’s no wonder she was shortlisted for the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition) while her piano compositions prove she’s a talented musician. This self titled EP is one that is sure to grow on you, you may find yourself relating to the lyrics, or at least find yourself remembering them.  

Her bio states ”(Kate McMahon) can now be found playing around small bars in North Melbourne and in her bedroom” lets hope she plays more gigs than those in her bedroom, as these songs are too good to be kept inside.

For a sample of Kate McMahon’s tunes head to her Triple J Unearthed page and if you want a copy of the EP contact her on Myspace. Catch her live at the Big Night For A Big Cause on Thursday 26th November.

Saya kecewa tidak bisa menyaksikan perhelatan musik akbar cukup unik tahun ini, Jakarta Internasional Blues Festival 2009 tanggal 7 November lalu. Saya sudah membeli tiketnya, nitip Nyanya tapi apa mau dikata… Bedrest aja cyiiiiiin karena bengek. Komplit!

Padahal, bisa dibilang genre musik ini jarang banget diadakan besar – besaran. Sepertinya musik ini sudah mulai dilupakan dan mulai banyak bergeser pola permainannya atau mungkin bisa dibilang sudah terakulturasi dengan berbagai jenis musik lainnya. Tidak ada yang terlalu spesial dalam event ini sebetulnya karena sebagian nama mereka, kecuali musisi lokal, masih kurang akrab ditelinga saya. Hanya saja, saya memang tertarik untuk mengetahui musik ini lebih lanjut.

Dari yang pernah saya baca, musik ini adalah musik yang terlahir berbarengan seiring tumbuhnya musik Jazz oleh para Afro – Amerika pada dekade tahun 30an yang biasa dinikmati sebagai musik nongkrong – nongkrong selesai para buruh bekerja. Musik ini dianggap sebagai counter – attack bagi musik klasik eropa yang khas dengan instrumen piano, harpa dan biola. Blues cukup identik dengan permainan detail dari instrumen gitar dan lirik “penuh makna” yang dinyanyikan dengan gaya khas tersendiri. Jagoan di era awal lahirnya musik blues adalah Robert Johnson yang meninggal di usia 27 tahun namun tetap menjadi idola bagi para musisi blues hingga sekarang.

Robert Johnson

Sebut saja Chicago Blues, tempat kelahiran awal bagi generasi blues selanjutnya : electrified blues, yang dimulai dari daerah Chicago, Memphis, hingga St. Louis. Era ini tidak terlalu terdengar “gigitan” nada – nadanya. Mungkin dikarenakan di era ini sedang terjadi urbanisasi pasca perang dunia ke-2. Idola di era ini yang bisa diacungin jempol karena kesetiaannya pada genre ini adalah Willie Dixon.

Dekade 50-60an bisa dibilang sebagai generasi selanjutnya yang pengaruhnya cukup besar bagi perkembangan musik blues. Kebanyakan dari musisi lebih menyebutnya sebagai Rock and Roll Blues. Yang paling menjulang dimasa ini adalah Chuck Berry dan Elvis Presley. Peraturan musik Blues sudah tidak terlalu mengakar kuat seperti sebelumnya dan kaum Afro sudah tidak terlalu mendominasi.

Chuck Berry

You still got the blues di dekade 70an. Sebut saja Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall dan Eric Clapton. Bahkan musik mereka sudah banyak mengalami distorsi penekanan pada kata “rock” dan akhirnya di era ini menjadi perkembangan awal bagi lahirnya musik rock. Perkembangannya pun sudah bisa dirasa di eropa.

Terinspirasi dari era 70an, Aerosmith dan Led Zepellin memulai kecintaan mereka pada musik ini dan mulai menghipnotis era rock selanjutnya kepada para musisi di generasi berikutnya. Sehingga esensi blues mulai banyak bergeser ke arah rock.

Led Zeppelin

Setelah millenium? Masih belum banyak yang kembali ke “pure-blues”. Rata – rata masih meng-akulturasi blues dengan berbagai genre lain. Musisi yang masih bermain dengan musik blues di era ini seperti John Mayer, Norah Jones, India Arie, Corrine Bailey Rae dan salah satu penyanyi favorit saya, Regina Spektor. Blues pun sudah tidak sekedar dimainkan dengan gitar namun piano.

Regina Spektor

Jadi tertarik dengan blues setelah membaca ini? Saya sendiri… sangaaat!

Besok mulai mencari – cari tahu lebih banyak lagi dan sedikit – sedikit mempelajarinya.

Kemang, 19 November 2009

* Posting setelah bbq-an sama anak – anak kantor…