Pues abrimos una sección nueva, con listas de canciones.

Ahí va una lista de 7 canciones, para empezar bien cada día de la semana…

Lunes: Something good this day comes (Seeing things) – Jakob Dylan

Martes: La luna debajo del brazo (Daiquiri Blues) – Quique González

Miércoles: Días Sin (La ciudad de las agujas) – Amaro Ferreiro

Jueves: Jet Lag (Mentiroso mentiroso) – Ivan Ferreiro

Viernes: Street lights (Nashville) – Josh Rouse

Sábado: Can’t sing straight (A piece of what you need) – Teddy Thompson

Domingo: Our song (Civilians) – Joe Henry

Feliz semana

:electricalkid:

He de dir que aquesta última setmana m’he trobat en un núvol (tot i que aquest anés carregat de pluja) i m’ha costat esforços poder tornar a baixar. Primer perquè la tardor ens premia amb unes tardes de pluja inacabables que provoquen en mi una reacció d’hibernació permanent. I quan no és la manta és la universitat (i jo que pensava que veure pel·lícules em faria la vida més fàcil) que em té tota absorbida amb el meu treball sobre James Dean. Però tot estava salvat perquè l’Adela fa un treball excel·lent amb els seus posts informatius i que em deixen meravellada de com n’arriba d’estar sacsejat el món musical americà. Però bé, ja tocava que jo fes el meu usual post, aquell en que explico coses que més que no tenir substància (que per mi són d’allò més sucosos) potser no tenen tan de ressò cultural. O en aquest cas potser sí.

El cas és que dia 20 vaig anar a veure a Sir Elton John al palau Sant Jordi i bé, com que per desgràcia (bé, no) Sir Elton no canta Country el meu resum d’impressions del concert acaba aquí (guardo tota la meva eufòria en un petit calaix juntament amb les fotos del concert). Però va ser allà on vaig conèixer a Teddy Thompson, un xicot britànic del qual la seva veu m’era familiar. El noi va sortir sol com a teloner i va tocar, de manera suau i enèrgica, la seva guitarra, fent que l’espera de Sir Elton fos molt curta –realment vaig disfrutar molt d’en Ted. Però com que la curiositat va matar el gat i va dotar de coneixements al savi vaig anar a l’spotify a escoltar més cançons, que per cert em sonaven molt. I oh! Jo que havia pensat “aquest noi té un rerefons molt country” i sí!.

Tampoc és que es dediqui al country 100% però té aquella base que el fa apte i que s’apropa bastant als ritmes als quals estem acostumats (Si Taylor és country ell també, perquè ens entenguem). Però encara em vaig quedar més de pedra quan oh! Thompson posa veu a dues cançons de la banda sonora de Brockeback mountain, precisament dues de les cançons que més m’agraden –perquè jo tinc el CD. Les cançons en qüestió són:  una versió de King of the road que canta juntament amb Rufus Wainwrigth i I don’t want to say goodbye.

Així que us deixo amb la segona cançó i amb una seva que m’agrada molt. I recordeu que mai us aneu a dormir sense saber una cosa més o sense escoltar una cançó nova.

I don’t want to say goodbye

In my arms:

Maria

]]> http://timeslikethose.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/best-albums-of-2008/ Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:41:50 +0000 Colleen http://timeslikethose.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/best-albums-of-2008/

I’ve had some lists kicking around for a while, so I figured I’d share some of my favourite albums from the past few years with you here. And what better place to start than last year? I don’t think 2008 had quite as many releases that I loved as 2007 did, but there were still some very worthy albums put out there. A lot of new artists proved themselves in a big way.

20. Bring Me Your Love – City and Colour

With his stunning voice and beautiful, simple melodies, Dallas Green’s music never fails to move me. His follow-up to 2005’s Sometimes sticks close to the style that has made him so beloved by indie and mainstream audiences alike, but why try to fix something that isn’t broken? “The Girl” is a fantastic, tender love song, and I love his duet with Gord Downie on “Sleeping Sickness”.

19. Oracular Spectacular – MGMT

MGMT burst onto the scene with hyped-up hits like “Time To Pretend” and “Kids”. Those are two of the standout tracks on their debut album, but so is “Of Moons, Birds & Monsters”, which comes closer to the end. I’m not sure that I want to know what these guys do in their spare time, but their music is pretty infectious.

18. Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst

I think that if Conor Oberst wants to be taken more seriously as a “grown man”, and release mature music with a different vibe to it, like he does on Conor Oberst, I think he’s making the right decision to move away from the Bright Eyes name. Considering he’s only thirty, this guy’s had a long, consistent career, and Conor Oberst just keeps the tradition going.

17. A Piece of What You Need – Teddy Thompson

Ranging from reedy to rich, Teddy Thompson’s voice adapts easily to the diverse line up of songs on A Piece of What You Need. And while the album’s penultimate song, “Turning the Gun on Myself” is every bit as melancholy as the title would suggest, I like that Thompson manages to keep things sparse and haunting, rather than melodramatic.

16. Elephant Shell – Tokyo Police Club

They were one of the most buzzed about new bands before they even had a full-length album out, and Tokyo Police didn’t disappoint (much) with Elephant Shell. Their sound really grew on me, and even though I think a few of the songs could be a bit stronger, it’s an incredibly promising debut effort. And they put on a mean live show, too.

15. Narrow Stairs – Death Cab for Cutie

I like Transatlanticism and Plans more for the sake of sheer listenability, but Narrow Stairs has some great songs (“Cath…”has to be one of their best yet), and overall it does not tarnish Death Cab’s badge of consistency one bit.

14. Only By The Night – Kings of Leon

Sell-outs or not (and look at that picture of them – they’re clearly sell-outs), Kings of Leon released a batch of great songs on 2008’s Only by the Night. There are good songs beyond the hits, but I’m still not sick of hearing “Sex on Fire” or “Use Somebody”. And my favourite radio station has been playing them consistently for over a year.

13. Terminal Romance – Matt Mays & El Topedo

Matt Mays is one of Canada’s best kept secrets, and he’s been putting out great work for a while. Some might compare him to Ryan Adams or even Bruce Springsteen at times (but really, who isn’t compared to Springsteen these days?) but he’s definitely worth listening to on his own merits. Great sound, great voice, great songs.

12. Evil Urges – My Morning Jacket

Evil Urges is probably the best summer album released in a while. It’s impossible to pin it down to one style, but I think that most people could find something on here that they like. It’s all a little twisted, but it’s also a lot of fun. The anthemic “I’m Amazed” is just one of the many great tracks here.

11. At Mount Zoomer – Wolf Parade

These indie favourites disappointed some with their latest disc. I’m not familiar with much of their older music, but their quirky style sure impressed me here, and according to me, Mount Zoomer was the best Canadian release of 2008. Side note: why do I find Dan Boeckner (far right) so attractive, when he is so clearly nothing but trouble?

10. Modern Guilt – Beck

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Beck Hansen. (Perhaps I should say, with his music. It makes me sound less crazy.) It’s pretty much what it sounds like. Sometimes I love his music, and sometimes it bores me to tears. But when he teamed up with Danger Mouse (The Grey Album, anyone?) the result fell drastically towards the “love” side of the spectrum for me.

9. Gossip in the Grain – Ray LaMontagne

Ray LaMontagne can do no wrong, in my eyes. Gossip in the Grain is packed with a slew of great little songs (including the much-discussed “Meg White”). All three of his albums have been good, and LaMontagne will surely earn himself a reputation for being one of the most consistent singer-songwriters around.

8. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends – Coldplay

Flame me all you want (who am I kidding? No one reads this blog), but I love Coldplay. After a bit of a misstep with 2005’s X&Y, they returned in fine form with their fourth album, Viva La Vida. If it’s possible, they’ve amped up the theatrics, and written some of their best songs yet. Viva la Vida, indeed.

7. Accelerate – R.E.M.

Before Accelerate came along, R.E.M (arguably) hadn’t made a great album since 1992’s Automatic for the People. So when they came back with a concise, (mostly) filler-free set of songs, it’s understandable that their fans reacted in such a big way. But Accelerate isn’t just good by “new R.E.M.” standards. It’s just really, really good.

6. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend

I know that every blogger and their mom loves Vampire Weekend (literally – my mom and dad listen to their album frequently!) But this album was just way too good to pretend to hate. Time will tell if they become a one-album-wonder (remember when the The Strokes were the next big thing?) but what an album it is.

5. Consolers of the Lonely – The Raconteurs

I’m probably going to like anything that Jack White is involved in, and The Raconteurs’ debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, introduced me to the wonderful world of Brendan Benson. So the odds were pretty high that I’d like the sophomore effort from this “side-project”. But they actually surpassed my expectations and released an album that I know I’ll be listening to for a long time.

4. Made of Bricks – Kate Nash

One of the year’s most surprisingly fantastic releases came from this plucky Brit. Comparisons to Lily Allen continue to run rampant (for pretty good reason), but I might actually like Kate Nash more. She goes from sassy to melancholy in the blink of an eye, and Made of Bricks is one of the most listenable female singer-songwriter albums I’ve heard in a long time. Quirky, but not self-indulgent.

3. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

I feel a little bit guilty about succumbing to all of the buzz bands from 2008. But they put out such great new work, that it’s impossible to ignore. Fleet Foxes was no exception. Their shimmering, earthy folk is beautiful, and I find myself finding new favourite moments every time I listen to the album.

2. Nouns – No Age

Refreshingly different from a lot of the stuff that I was listening to last year, these California punks are apparently leading their own movement (Canada’s own Japandroids are similarly great). Nouns is raw and fuzzy, but also has a great pop sensibility, which is key for me.

1. For Emma, Forever Ago – Bon Iver

I know, I know. But I couldn’t help it! There’s a reason that For Emma appeared at the top of just about every blogger’s list last year. It’s that good! I think Justin Vernon is one of the most promising new artists around. “Skinny Love” is already a classic, and the rest of the album is gorgeous, too.

   Un amigo me recomendó que oyese a Teddy Thompson con especial vehemencia. Encontré esta versión de la canción de Leonard Cohen y supe al instante que tenía razón. Así que esta noche todo estará bien, al menos por un rato.

A friend introduced me to Teddy Thompson saying to me: “Just hear him!” Then, I found this version of Leonard Cohen’s and I knew my friend was right about him: I just love Teddy Thomposon. So, tonight will be fine, for a while.

I just have to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE <3!!! Spotify. And I finally got around to making an open play-list. So if you do have access to Spotify and like the music you find in this blog you can now find a “mixtape” of some of my favourite songs here:

http://open.spotify.com/user/musicwhilewebreathe/playlist/0w7loUPVNsizJ5IAQEymSi

In case you don’t have a Spotify account you can see the track listing here:

Musikk mens vi puster/MusicWhileWeBreathe – MixTape 1

1. I Think She Knows – Kaki King
2. The Reeling – Passion Pit
3. Searching for Pearl – Marie Modiano
4. Tainted Love – My Brightest Diamond
5. Where Do We Go – Sandrine
6. Bodyguard – Dawn Landes
7. Worms – Beth Orton
8. King of the Road – Teddy Thompson & Rufus Wainwright
9. X telling me about the loss of something dear, at age 16 – Hello Saferide
10. Carmensita – Devedra Banhart
11. If I was a Boy – Eartha Kitt
12. The Worrying Kind – Maia Hirasawa
13. Islands In The Stream – Feist & The Constantines
14. Cross Your Fingers – Laura Marling
15. I Will Possess Your Heart – Death Cab for Cutie
16. My Delirium – Ladyhawke
17. Back for Good – The Concretes
18. Vi kommer att dö samtidigt – Säkert!
19. I Heard Of A Girl – Miss Li

And btw … I am very curious about who my readers are – my stats tells me there must be some lurkers out there – and especially if you’re not Norwegian but visit this blog regularly I would love to hear you say “Hi!” or whatnot.

Se også:

Musikk mens vi puster – MixTape 1

She Turns My Radio On – Jim Ford

Beatboxing fascinerer meg. Og ikke minst er jeg opptatt av de kontekster den kan settes i. Her er en framføring av “Walk Like An Egyptian” med Teddy Thompson (myspace) og Shlomo (myspace) fra Concert Against Knife Crime i desember 2008.

For en utgave med The Bangles (myspace) se her (og videoen til låten kan ses her).

PLAN A: Matt Sheehy and the Menders @ Soda Bar. Still waiting for the new Sufjan release? Andrew Bird’s new album just too wordy? Drown your sorrows in the Menders’ beautiful, elaborate folk. PLAN B: Gary Louris and Mark Olson, Teddy Thompson @ Belly Up. Louris and Olson practically invented alt-country with their band The Jayhawks. Teddy is the golden-voiced offspring of ’60s folk duo Richard and Linda Thompson. Put ’em together and you have the makings of an unforgettable show. BACKUP PLAN: Jinx @ Air Conditioned Lounge.

Quick Picks:

The Tightenups, Shayna and the Bulldog @ Bar Pink

“Too Many Creeps”–DJ Mario Orduno @ Whistle Stop

Run With The Hunted, In The Grey, A Better Hope Foundation @ Che Cafe

Whereabouts: Philadelphia, PA

Word: abrogate (request from Marc Schuster) [ab-ruh-geyt] verb 1. to abolish by formal or official means; annul by an authoritative act; repeal: to abrogate a law  2. to put aside; put an end to

Birthday: Gloria Swanson (1899), Pee Wee Russell (1906), Sarah Vaughan (1924), Michael York (1942), Tony Banks (1950), Quentin Tarantino (1963), Kevin Corrigan (1969), Mariah Carey (1970), Nathan Fillion (1971), Fergie (1975)

Occurrence: 1998 – The FDA approves Viagra. On a related note, someone recently told me that someone they knew was an orderly at some retirement village and that the number of cases of STDs in that retirement village had skyrocketed in recent years due to drugs like Viagra. I know. Not the prettiest picture. But the truth is not always sunshine and rainbows. In fact, most times it’s not.

Standpoint: I talk to a lot of people over the course of the day. I enjoy conversation with different types of folks. As I view it, every new conversation is an opportunity for undiscovered knowledge. There are, however, certain phrases that I hear that immediately make me want to walk away. Below, I’ve listed a few of them:

“I could care less.” – Often erroneously used by someone attempting to inform another of how much they don’t care about an issue. Literally, it means that they do care. What they want to say is, “I couldn’t care less.”

“It is what it is.” – Usually used after discussing a problematic situation. The speaker usually means either (a) “I’m unwilling to do anything about this,” or (b) “I’m not creative enough to find a way to fix this.”

“I’m just saying.” – Constantly used as a weak ending after making a (normally) weak point.

“At the end of the day…” – Frequently employed to sum up a conversation. Sure, that might be the case “at the end of the day,” but there will be another day tomorrow, right?

How about you? Do you have a phrase that annoys you? Please share.

Quotation: What I have dreamed in one hour is worth more than what you have done in four. – Lorenzo de’ Medici

Digit: 21 – In the State of Missouri, if you are under 21 and disposing of empty alcohol containers, you can be arrested. I wonder how many times that law has been enforced.

Tune: If you’re like me (and why wouldn’t you be?) you think that XTC is a pretty good band. It’s a shame that Andy Partridge’s paralyzing stage-fright keeps us from ever seeing these guys live. We’ll just have to watch clips like “Yacht Dance” instead. Enjoy.

Link: Boxee – I don’t use this site, but it might be helpful to those of you with a large collection of movie files. Looks pretty cool.

Weekend Philadelphia (only on Fridays): Tonight (3/27), why not head down to The Academy of Music to take in Happy Days: A New Musical? Showtime 8pm…Teddy Thompson, son of Richard and Linda Thompson, plays a show Saturday night (10pm) at The Tin Angel…Also Saturday night; Projects Gallery’s Obama-rama exhibit comes to a close. Check it out while you still can…What about Sunday, you ask? How about checking out the Give & Take Jugglers at The Central Library? Starts at 2pm.

Gallimaufry: Just to reiterate from a post a few weeks ago: Nadya Suleman is a bad person…For many reasons, I consider myself lucky to not live in Iran. Here is one more reason. I think I’d definitely fall into the category of “offensive blogger”…I can’t decide. When I was Rory McIness’ age, if I did what he did, would my parents be as cool as his, or would they’ve sent me to some really awful military academy? I don’t think there would’ve been an in-between…Here’s a transcript of President Obama’s Tuesday night press conference, in case you’re interested…That’s it for me this week, come back Monday for some more.

4. mars arrangerte Rufus Wainwright (myspace) konsert i New York som del av hans Blackoutsabbath-prosjekt (jeg blogget om det her). Det kan virke som om de hadde det morsomt. Noe som kan ses her, der Teddy Thompson (myspace) synger en cover av ABBAs “Super Trooper” (ABBAs original kan høres ved å klikke på tittelen):

Det er litt mye publikumsstøy på videoen, men det synes jeg vi må leve med i denne sammenhengen. Det er ellers et kort referat, og flere flotte bilder på BrooklynVegan her.

I forbindelse med en konsert i Hoboken leste jeg i Village Voice om Butch Walker (myspace). Kory Grow beskriver hans siste cd, Syracuse Meadows, slik: “bounced between Tom Petty-like rock for rock’s sake, syrupy Jakob Dylan pop, and lush, Rufus Wainwright-worthy ballads (not to mention Pink cameo)” (jeg har lagt til linkene i sitatet). Med en slik beskrivelse måtte jeg sjekke det ut. Referansen til Pink kommer fra “Here Comes the…”

Denne er tatt opp live på Ellen DeGeneres Show. Og forbindelsen til Pink er også at Butch Walker har produsert hennes to siste plater (Funhouse [2008] og I’m Not Dead [2006]).

Walkers siste video, også fra Syracuse Meadows, er “Weight of Her”:

Og for et litt lengre historisk riss, her er en live-utgave av “Cigarette Lighter Love Song” (fra Atlanta i 2003). Låten er fra hans tid med Marvelous 3 (fra 1997-2001).

Etter å ha hørt disse låtene, samt diverse annet på YouTube (det er eksempelvis flere interessante coverlåter, av et bredd spekter av låter, men dessverre stort sett med dårlig lyd), er jeg ikke helt uenig i beskrivelsen fra Village Voice. Dog synes jeg nok Teddy Thompson – og muligens Ben Folds – er like logiske referanser. Og har altså innlemmet enda en singer/songwriter jeg må holde litt øye med.

I recently had the pleasure of seeing Tift Merritt in concert a few weeks back at one of my favorite venues in Atlanta, Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points.  Tift’s opening act was Teddy Thompson, which really meant nothing to me at the time.  In fact, even after having been on stage for fifteen minutes, I still really wasn’t feeling this guy.  There was nothing wrong with his live act, but the audience and the artist weren’t sparking off each other and things just seemed to fall flat.  The songs kind of plodded along, and, even though his personality seemed to help him immensely, I just couldn’t connect the way I wanted to.

After the concert was over and I was able to say in hindsight that I enjoyed the evening (and how could I have not?  Tift Merritt singing live is an occasion not to be missed),I decided to give the guy a second chance and I picked up A Piece of What You Need, which, in all seriousness, turned out to be exactly what I needed.  The songs, the voice the lyrics, everything, it’s a great CD that deserves to be heard.

From the gentle strumming of the first track, “The Things I Do”, with the slightest bit of electronic flourishes to the end of the final track which slowly unwinds and dismantles itself, there’s not a filler to be heard.  Teddy’s voice is engaging, defiant, angry and curious.  On “What’s This” he catches himself in a happy moment only to reply “Oh shit” , while on “Turning the Gun on Myself” he sings about doing just that.  The highlight “In My Arms” should be blaring out of everyone’s cars.  It’s a great mid tempo rocker about what he has and has to offer in his arms.  And the chorus just soars…

words in edgeways with tift merritt

OK, so, picture the scene. You’ve been performing alone on stage for the past half hour. You’ve nearly finished your set and all is well. The crowd are warm and settled. You’ve overcome the annoyance of inconsiderate chat, the venue blowing porn smoke onto the stage and idiotic security guards oblivious to the noise of their radios. It’s time to end with the title – and best – track from your latest album and you plan a neat dovetail into the main act by inviting them sing with you on stage. You thank the audience, you thank the main act for having you along and look to the wings: “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr Teddy Thompson!”

But there’s nothing. No one. Silence. Teddy is nowhere to be seen. The silence continues, with obligatory laughter. It’s hard to ride the awkwardness. Left with no alternative, we are given the benefit of another song and then finally, finally, Teddy steps onto the stage. He doesn’t even have the decency to look sheepish. In fact, as he ends the song he gives the audience a cheeky grin. What a rascal, eh? What a loveable rogue! What a jerk. It’s not the best of finales for Tift Merritt’s latest London show, but the mood mercifully changes as, together, Tift and Teddy sing the song and it’s pretty magical: Tift on main vocals and piano, Teddy harmonising beautifully. He’s gracious with his vocals if not with his manners.

It’s not the first time Tift and Teddy have toured together. Last year, he opened for her on her autumn US tour. This time, in a quaint, if little unexpected, role reversal, Tift is the support. She’s without her band, alone on stage with just a piano, harmonica and guitar; the latter is visibly well-worn, hardly surprising given the vigour with which she strums. Refuelling on a hot and cold caffeine cocktail of espresso and Coke, she tells me why this touring arrangement suits her just fine. ”Living within a van with five boys and travelling the way that you travel is really hard. I mean, it’s really hard,” she says. “And you think, ‘Wow this isn’t really what I pictured I would be when I grew up! Can I have another Budweiser, you know?”

She laughs. “I think that fame and being in the spotlight, or wanting all that, is a really superficial thing. And I think it’s bad and it’s vain and I don’t want that.” She’s really very adamant. “Being on tour is this very false world of everything centering around you. And everyone around you is working for you or taking care of you and people come and they clap for you and…it’s kind of sick. It’s not where you find things to write about that are quality, that are really human.”

Tift’s current set consists mainly of material from her third and most important album, Another Country, the end product of a period in her life that began with her contemplating giving up music altogether and became a time she describes as the happiest she’s ever been. As she starts to tell me about it she’s so hushed and contemplative she’s almost tearful. I feel like I’m leaning right over the table, straining to hear her timid voice. It’s an incredible contrast to the way she is on stage, her voice so effortlessly strong. Physically worn out from relentless touring for her second album Tambourine, she had also hit a personal emotional low. ”It was very hard; I didn’t quite know how to cope with everything I was feeling. I felt like I’d tried so hard and yet I felt like such a failure you know. I guess that’s the pressures of commercial success in this business.”

It was at this point, in 2005, that she began having serious doubts about the direction her life was going “I was just at a point where I thought this is so silly. I don’t see the people that I care most about; I give so much of my energy away to people who don’t really know me…It just was a downward spiral. And at the time it just seemed like I couldn’t make sense of all of it, and maybe the best thing to do would be to walk away.”

She took herself off to Paris for a much needed vacation, thinking the only thing she might miss was her piano. So she literally googled Paris + apartment + piano, and that was where it began. “I got there and I was only gonna stay for 2 weeks and I just started playing this piano and writing, and I was really happy. I woke up in the same place every day and I just called home and said ‘Yeah, I’m not coming home for a while!’” Tift’s whole Paris experience is like something out of a novel. She literally turned her back on everything in her life, other than the bare basics. By her own admission it was her own version of a (very early!) mid-life crisis. Filling her days with nothing but cafés, churches and endless wandering had the desired cleansing effect, and eventually she started writing again.”There wasn’t anything on the books, there was nothing pressing, and I think at that point I was like, maybe this isn’t going to make me happy, maybe this whole game is really silly; trying to sell records, being in the spotlight, maybe it doesn’t bring out the best in people. Maybe it’s not the best thing to do.

“I thought I’d just give myself a little time to think, and I just started writing all the time. Writing, writing, writing. And I was taking pictures, I was writing a journal, and I was tinkering on the piano. I didn’t really know what I was doing and that’s what was so lovely about it. There was no thought of ‘I will write a hit and I’ll take it back to the United States and get everything back on track’, it was like ‘I don’t know this is totally for me’ and I think, in a way, writing this record was a process of me making sense of my life at that point again. And it wasn’t really for anybody else.”

A self-confessed Francophile, Paris was an obvious choice for a vacation, but its pace and its values also suited Tift’s frame of mind. “It was a very tender, intimate time, and it was a place that I found really appreciates the small things and the detail,” she explains. “You know, here are 18,000 kinds of cheeses and I can tell you exactly the origin and the process of making it. It’s very special, and it’s very specialised, and that’s so different from being on the road in the United States where every town looks the same, where the ultimate commercial thing is to sell five million CDs from Walmart. And my point of view on life is a lot closer to theirs. You know, you sometimes feel a little foolish that you’ve spent all day working on one line, but in France everybody kind of understood that! It was really nice – it was a weight off my shoulders!”

So against this backdrop, the songs on Another Country started to take shape. After about 3 months away, Tift decided against giving it all up and staying in Paris teaching English, but to return to the US and “take care of these songs.” Not surprisingly, given the epiphany of Paris, the songs are significantly different to her earlier material. They’re simpler, more stripped down and, crucially, there’s far less studio layering on them than has been at work on its two predecessors. Yet at the same time, they songs are deeper and more sophisticated than ever before. Many of the songs have stayed on the piano, where they started. Tift says she has always written as much on the piano as on the guitar, but in the past her songs have moved on from the keys. This time around she was determined not to give up the piano parts so readily. “We just kept things at the point of origin the best we could,” she explains. “I think that was a good thing. It sounds a little corny but I felt like my job with these songs was to stay out of the way, just to protect them, you know? Like you’re the conduit, not the dictator.”

In essence, then, she’s been more faithful to her songs and more faithful to herself. I ask her if she felt she had lost her control on her work in the past? In the same way that the touring process had become her Frankenstein’s monster, did she feel she wasn’t calling the shots when she was recording too? “Yes, I think I did have to contend with a lot of pressures before. And maybe the change is that I know how to handle this better. Not so much that they’ve disappeared or that anyone was at fault. But I was really protective of these songs, really protective. And I think you have to follow through in the studio and say, ‘No, this is what I want this to be’. Even if the language is not in your vocabulary, you have to find it. I don’t know…” She reflects for a moment, sighing slightly. “I’m glad I’m not green anymore.”

Keeping a hold on the songs really paid off. Another Country has been heralded as her best album to date and has just been given a re-release in the UK with five additional tracks, previously released as a digital EP. Three of these songs are just Tift and the piano, and it’s worth the purchase for these alone. Tift’s version of George Harrison’s ‘I Live For You’ is as beautiful as you’d expect, but the real treat is an acoustic version of ‘Tell Me Something True’ which is just sublime in its simplicity. It’s far more melancholy than the album version, and subsequently more interesting in that it represents both sides of the post-Paris period.

We’ve heard it was a happy time, but it was also a time of dejection and betrayal. Despite all her success with the first two albums – Tambourine scored a Grammy nomination – Tift was somewhat inexplicably dropped by her label Lost Highway at the end of 2006. And she split with her management shortly afterwards. Tift is very philosophical about it, but it can’t have been easy. “I think I’ve made my peace with it…I think it was all a good thing, and I think probably a lot of things I felt when I was in Paris were foreshadowing what was going to come. It obviously wasn’t really working for anyone.” She laughs. “I think both parties were fine; we weren’t surprised.”

Now signed to Fantasy Records, Tift seems to benefit from a higher degree of compatibility and greater independence. Unlike Lost Highway, Fantasy believed in Another Country and are subsequently reaping the benefits of its success. It’s an all too familiar story though. An artist spends years feeling manipulated and misrepresented by industry forces and ultimately loses control of their own product; the creativity is sucked out of the process as songs and performances are literally taken out of the hands of artists, reworked, repackaged and delivered to audiences. I talk to many artists who simply want to be back in control of their own work, to deliver it directly to those who wish to share it. And many are starting to do that, directly, for free or by voluntary donation. In this vein, Tift decided to make a live recording of all the songs from Another Country, and the venue she chose was in, of all places, Buckinghamshire, England.

The venue in question is The Radcliffe Centre in Buckingham, which is not exactly on the touring map. ”It’s just this beautiful little church,” explains Tift. “It only holds about 200 people and it has this beautiful Steinway piano. It just seemed perfect to go there and do that all stripped down by myself. It was really my favourite venue that I’d played by myself this year.”  It’s another example of Tift finally doing things her own way: forgetting about the ends, just getting on with the means. And as for delivering it to her audience, she’s been selling it at shows, directly from her hands into those of her fans. That said, having done all that off her own back, Fantasy liked it so much when they heard it that they’ve just released it properly over in the States.

The whole experience of the last few years has also seen Tift branching out to explore different creative avenues, perhaps indicative of how her music career wasn’t fulfilling every part of her. Most interesting of these ventures is her radio show, The Spark. She has a slot on an NPR station KRTS, based in Marfa, Texas, a town Tift refers to as the modern art Mecca of west Texas. She began interviewing people as a way of finding an antidote to her own insecurities. Drinking wine with a friend one night, she became convinced that if she could hear other artists revealing their very own doubts and fears it would enable her to overcome her own. She explains further: “I thought maybe I could just talk to other artists about what they’re doing and if they feel like, you know, tremendously insecure people too sometimes. And then I realised how little there is, oftentimes, about the real people behind what’s being made. You know, you get this kind of quick presentation of ‘here’s a work of genius, perfectly formed, sprung forth’ and it’s all this kind of marketing campaign to say ‘Look, we look great, we’re cool, we never have doubts or fears’.”

She wanted to record it so that she could literally use the interviews as a resource to refer back to for her own reassurance, like a kind of aural security blanket. It’s clearly great fun for her too, and there’s no pressure, no deadline, no control from the radio station. She has a totally free rein. “People go ‘What do they tell you to do?’, and I’m like ‘There is no they! There is no they on this programme at all. Nobody tells me who to interview, I edit the show myself.” She beams. “I love that little self-containedness. It’s my little escape hatch.” It’s a great listen too; you can find it here.

On top of all this, Tift is about to put on an exhibition of her photographs. She’s sweetly self-effacing about the prospect. “God, I sound like a dilettante!” she shrieks. “I thought about not doing the photo exhibit now. I thought I could do it down the road. But so many of the photos were taken when I was making this record that I felt like it kind of needed to happen while this record was still in its life cycle. I’m really excited about it but I’m really scared it’s gonna get bad reviews!” She laughs, adding that’s she’s really quite proud of the pictures.

I ask her whether these outlets contribute to her songwriting process or whether they sit separately. ”The Spark is my psychiatrist [whereas] taking a photograph is really how I wrote some of that record. You know, ‘cos you’re looking, looking. If you’re not looking at the world…How do you put that into words if you haven’t seen it? So I think taking a good picture and writing something good are really the same exercise.” Her exhibition, entitled Other Countries, opens on the first day of May in Raleigh, North Carolina.

As you’ve probably gathered, things are really looking up, and this year is looking just as rosy as 2008, a year that began with the relief and jubilation of Another Country’s release and ended with Tift playing her very own part in the phenomenon that was the election of Barack Obama. Having done some volunteering and playing some fundraisers for his campaign, she was asked to sing the US national anthem at his rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. As you might expect she’s delighted to tell me about it. “There were secret service everywhere! They would tackle you if you did something unexpected,” she giggles excitedly.

“[Obama] just has such a powerful presence. When he got there he was really late and you saw the motorcade drive up and he walked down this really long hill. And everybody was just crying! And I didn’t think that I would get to meet him, I thought there was just too much going on, but somebody tapped me and said ‘come back’. There were maybe 10 people in a row and he went down and shook everyone’s hand, and he was just so at ease. And just wonderful. Somebody else took a picture and I had to wait a few days before I got it and I couldn’t remember what I did. I was like ‘Did I touch him? Did he touch me? Where did I put my arm? What happened?’ And then I got the picture…I threw myself into his arms!” she laughs. Anyway, hopefully this year she’ll get him on The Spark; I don’t think he’s got much on.

Next for Tift is going on vacation – I mean working – for a week as one of the performers on the Cayamo 2009 Caribbean cruise alongside Patty Griffin, Kathleen Edwards, Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin. She bats away my jealousy saying she wasn’t sure about it at first and was worried she was going to get cruise flu. “But everyone says it’s really nice and Patty Griffin loves it, so if she loves it, it must be fine, right? Actually, I’ve just ordered some bathing suits online!” Well, my heart bleeds…

And then, almost to her amusement, she’s going to get married to her longtime partner Zeke Hutchins, the drummer in her band. I ask her if she’s going to get married on the cruise and she reacts with horror. “No! We are not doing that! No! We’re having a teeny little dinner…no big hair, no bridesmaids, no, no, no. So low-key. I get freaked out with those kinds of things!”

So a small and stripped down wedding, just like her small and stripped down radio show and her smaller and more stripped down career. So I assume we can take ‘I Know What I’m Looking for Now’ at face value? “Absolutely. [In Paris] I felt so happy and simple. My life was really free and uncluttered while I was there and the simple things really made me very happy. I wish that every day I got up and I had that kind of day no matter what was going on. That’s what I want.”

Sacha Whitmarsh

‘Broken’

But, enough about books … Other things have words, too, right? Like … songs! If you’re anything like me, there are songs that you love because of their lyrics; writers you admire because their songs have depth, meaning, or just a sheer playfulness that has nothing to do with the tunes.

So, today’s question?
What songs … either specific songs, or songs in general by a specific group or writer … have words that you love? Why? And … do the tunes that go with the fantastic lyrics live up to them?

While this week’s Singing Booking Through Thursday question justifies me to deviate from book-related topics, it’s not an easy one to answer. I cannot quote many lyrics as eloquently and infallibly as I do books. A glance at my music library reveals that the two genres that make up my playlists are classical music (no lyrics) and Chinese pop music. I’m not attuned (in sync) with the American pop scene, let alone the artists after 1990.  After much searching, I present you the longlist of songs that either speaks to me in different walks of my life and or carves out a special niche in my heart:

1 | I Have Nothing, Whitney Houston [1992]
“Share my life, take me for what I am
Coz I’ll never change all my colors for you
Take my love, I’ll never ask for too much
Just all that you are and everything that you do”

2 | The Winner Takes It All, ABBA [1980]
“I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence
Building me a home
Thinking Id be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules”

3 | All I Have To Do Is Dream, The Everly Brothers [1958]
“I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Dream, dream, dream, dream
Dream, dream, dream, dream”

4 | The One You Love, Glenn Frey [1982]
“When you remember those nights in his arms,
You know you gotta make up your mind
Are you gonna stay with the one who loves you
Or are you goin’ back to the one you love?
Someone’s gonna cry when they know they’ve lost you
Someone’s gonna thank the stars above”

5 | Ocean Deep, Cliff Richard [1984]
“Ocean deep, I’m so afraid to show my feelings
I have sailed a million ceilings – in my -
Solitary room”

6 | Home, Michael Bublé [2004]
“And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
‘Cause this was not your dream
But you always believed in me

7 | Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, The Platters [1958]
“Now laughing friends deride
Tears I can not hide
Oh, so I smile and say
When a lovely flame dies
Smoke gets in your eyes”

8 | That’s My Goal, Shayne Ward [2005]
“I’m not here to say I’m sorry
I’m not here to lie to you
I’m here to say I’m ready
That I’ve finally thought it through
I’m not here to let your love go
I’m not giving up oh no
I’m here to win your heart and soul
That’s my goal”

9 | More Than Words, The Extreme [1990]
“Saying I love you
Is not the words I want to hear from you
Its not that I want you
Not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel
More than words is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me
‘Cos I’d already know”

10 | My Favorite Things, Julie Andrews [1965]
“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things”

11 | You Are Everything, The Stylistics [1971]
“Today I saw somebody
Who looked just like you
He walked like you do
I thought it was you
As he turned the corner
I called out your name
I felt so ashamed
When it wasn’t you
Wasn’t you”

12 | I Don’t Want To Say Goodbye, Teddy Thompson [2005]
“I don’t want to say goodbye
Let the stars shine through
I don’t want to say goodbye
All I want to do is live with you
Just like the light of the morning
After the darkness has gone
The shadow of my love is falling
On a place where the sun always shines
Don’t you know that’s where our hearts both belong?”

13 | You’re the First, the Last, My Everything, Barry White [1974]
“In you I’ve found so many things,
A love so new, only you could bring.
Can’t you see if you,
You’ll make me feel this way,
You’re like a first morning dew on a brand new day”

14 | Making Memories of Us, Keith Urban [2005]
“I’m gonna be here for you from now on
This you know somehow
You’ve been stretched to the limits but it’s alright now
And I’m gonna make you a promise
If there’s life after this
I’m gonna be there to meet you with a warm, wet kiss”

15 | The Rose, Bette Midler [1979]
“It’s the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It’s the dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance.
It’s the one who won’t be taken,
who cannot seem to give,
and the soul afraid of dyin’
that never learns to live.”

16 | Here I Am, Air Supply [1981]
“Here I am playing with those memories again
And just when I thought time had set me free
Those thoughts of you keep taunting me
Holding you, a feeling I never outgrew
Though each and every part of me has tried
Only you can fill that space inside”

17 | Desperado, The Eagles [1973]
“Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can’t get”

18 | Best of Me, Sum 41 [2002]
“I’m sorry
It’s all that I can say
You mean so much
And I’d fix all that I’ve done
If I could start again
I’d throw it all away
To the shadows of regrets
And you would have the best of me”

19 | You’re So Vain, Carly Simon [1972]
“You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye on the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte
And all the girls dreamed that they’d be your partner
They’d be your partner, and…”

20 | Take A Bow, Madonna [1994]
Take a bow, the night is over
This masquerade is getting older
Lights are low, the curtains down
There’s no one here
[There's no one here, there's no one in the crowd]
Say your lines but do you feel them
Do you mean what you say when there’s no one around [no one around]
Watching you, watching me, one lonely star”

Happy 2009!  I realized the other night that this was the last New Year’s Eve that people can wear glasses made out of the new year. I mean, that impaired vision from the 1 in 2010 plus alcohols spells trouble, if ya ask me.

To get a little nostalgic for a moment, ten years ago, New Years Eve 1998-99 was spent at Roscoe’s. It was my first New Year’s Eve in Chicago, and I hung out with Raul, Franz, and the rest of my Roscoe’s gang. Somewhere I have a Polaroid that was taken that night. At midnight, I was on the stage–I’m pretty sure with Raul–at the back of the dance floor. Prince’s “1999” blasted and balloons filled with cash fell from the ceiling. I got $5. Sweet. That was the night I bumped into my friend Eric in town with his boyfriend (also Eric) and friends from Ann Arbor.  If I remember correctly, as the night evolved, I hung out with them and we may have gone elsewhere? Not sure. That was also the night it started snowing. Real hard. ‘Twas Chicago’s worst blizzard in 20 years. I think I could see out of 3 inches of my garden apartment bedroom window. My roommie, Sarah, and I marched through the snow to meet the Erics and Co at the Boystown I-HOP. Our waiter’s name was Sugar Tits. It was a bitch getting downtown to my office job that Monday. All the Red Line cars were packed by the time it reached Addison. I took the Clark bus instead. Good times.

So, like my new sweatshirt?  Ernie’s folks gave it to me for Christmas.  Cool.  This photo is from my 365 Flickr project.  Click the photo to get over there.

Enjoying the break from school.  I’ll start thinking about the next semester maybe Monday.  Not before.  Catching up and forging ahead.  Organized some writerly things on my computer and in my head.  Like breaking up the short story collection that was my unfinished NaNo project.  Now they have their own folders and I can give them some individual love and attention.  Now  I just gotta give them that love and attention.

Photo stuff, thinking about life, watching movies, thinking about dusting but not quite getting to it.  Contemplating whether to buy the physical CD of the new Killers album or downloading the delux version from iTunes.  I’m a little old school, still, so it’s not a no-brainer like it might be for some of the “kids” out there.   Probably will download.  Extra songs and the new video.  Also need to acquire (somehow…)  Teddy Thompson’s new album, A Piece of What You Need.  I’ve fallen in love with his 2006 album, Separate Ways, this fall.  I want to be his voice some times.  Have I mentioned that here?

Hey, so just saw that my UnAbridged Bookstore in Chicago (where Ernie and I met once upon a time…) started up their own WordPress blog.  Check it out!

More musings in the works….  Enjoy the down time.

So, January, yeah. Rubbish, isn’t it? Dark, cold, still bloated from Christmas, the annual humiliation of failing to keep your resolutions for longer than a fortnight, nothing to do…wait! Nothing to do? The gig year doesn’t usually heat up properly until March or so but there’s plenty worth seeing. We’ve trawled the listings to pick out something to warm your cockles for every black, freezing night of the month, starting Monday.

* * *

05

Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump
Durrr @ The End, London

10:30pm | £6 (£4 before 11) 

Named after an 18th century painting by Joseph Wright, raucous London trio Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump play a thumping live set to promote their debut EP These Sins at legendary (and soon to be demolished) club venue The End. Regular Durrr DJs, including Rory Phillips, will be on hand to turn Monday into fun day, even if it’s the first day back to the hideous reality of work for many of us.

www.myspace.com/anexperimentonabirdintheairpump
www.myspace.com/durrrclub

06

Melodica, Melody & Me
Club Ugly @ The Social, London

8pm | FREE! 

With their debut EP Stones (produced by Gorillaz bassist Al Mobbs) about to be unleashed on the world, this folk-meets-reggae quintet have a promising year ahead. And with this gig costing nil pence, zero pounds, we can’t think of a reason to miss it. If dancing ’til your feet fall off at Durrr sounds a bit too energetic for this early in 2009, Club Ugly is the perfect way to ease yourself gently into the gig-going year.

www.myspace.com/mmmelodic

Also playing: Captive State, The Housewives, We’re Not Cool (DJ Set)

07

Samantha Whates + Helen McCookerybook + Cris Tanzi
Monkey Chews, London

8pm | £5 

Samantha Whates may not have properly released any recordings but even her demos have attracted interest from tastemaker radio stations such as KCRW in California. The Brit folkie is joined by the fabulous Helen McCookerybook, who will be playing songs from her recently released album Poetry & Rhyme (review), and by Italian singer-songwriter Cris Tanzi, whose Showers Of Love EP was released back in August 2008.

www.myspace.com/samanthawhates
www.myspace.com/helenmccookerybook
www.myspace.com/cristanzi 

Also playing: School Of Imagination

08

Julia Nunes + Rebecca Worthley
The Slaughtered Lamb, London

8pm | £5

YouTube teen sensation Julia Nunes made quite a name for herself with her ukulele covers of other people’s songs, which she neatly capitalised on by swiftly writing two albums of her own and supporting the likes of Ben Folds (one of her musical idols). Her latest album, pointedly titled I Wrote These, was released in October. Exeter-based singer-songwriter Rebecca Worthley will be playing songs from her second album Morning Comes To Those Who Wait, released in September.

www.myspace.com/jaaaaaaa
www.myspace.com/rebeccaworthley 

Also playing: Greg Holden, Charlie Calleja

09

Shrag + The Duloks
+ Betty & The Werewolves
Twee As Fuck @ Buffalo Bar, London

9pm | £5 

Hotly tipped Brighton band Shrag launch their self-titled debut album in style at the always entertaining Twee As Fuck, inviting along their cohorts in joyful noisemaking The Duloks (who we also saw at Ladyfest Manchester in November – see review) and Betty & The Werewolves. Expect the unexpected, and verbal abuse.

www.myspace.com/shrag
www.myspace.com/theduloks
www.myspace.com/bettyandthewerewolves

10

Rolo Tomassi + PENS
No Pain In Pop @ The Lexington, London

8pm | £5 

There’s nothing like a good bit of thrash and primal screaming to boost the circulation during these cold January days, so if that’s your thing you won’t want to miss Rolo Tomassi tearing up The Lexington with fellow hot-blooded screechers PENS. Going deaf has never been so fun.

www.myspace.com/rolotomassi
www.myspace.com/penspenspenis

Also playing: Male Bonding

11

The Duke Spirit
100 Club, London

7:30pm | £12.50 

The glamorous Liela Moss and the Duke Spirit boys need no introduction as they make a brief but welcome stop at one of London’s most famous small venues before heading off on their Red Treasure Tour of Germany. It’s been a while since last album Neptune dropped, so maybe we’ll hear some new tunes.

www.myspace.com/thedukespirit

12

Ora Cogan
Electroacoustic Club @ The Slaughtered Lamb, London

7:45 pm | £5

Expect wonderful old-timey sounds from Be Good Tanyas associate Ora Cogan, who makes this one-off return to the UK after playing a bunch of dates here late last year. The Vancouverite folk and blues singer will be playing songs from her latest album, Harbouring, as well as tracks from her sublime 2006 release Tatter. Highly recommended.

www.myspace.com/oracogan

Also playing: Puzzle Muteson, Emil Brynge

13

Jill Sobule
Cobden Club, London

8pm | £? 

The woman who wrote the original ‘I Kissed A Girl’ – which, unlike the Cobden Club website implies, shares only its title with Katy Perry’s infamous hit – returns to the UK for a low-key show as part of the 4Sticks Live showcase. Expect her easy stage manner to charm every single person in the room and to part with your cash as you feel compelled to snap up all her albums at the merch desk. The latest, Prozak & The Platypus, is songs from a musical play co-written by Jill. More info here.

www.myspace.com/jillsobule 

Also playing: Jon Harrison, Chris Jones, Joe Woodham

14

Camille O’Sullivan
The Roundhouse, London

6:30pm | £20 

You’ve probably seen her on the telly, or seen posters for her latest cabaret extravaganza plastered all over the tube. Yep, there’s just no escaping the glamorous Camille O’Sullivan this year as she kicks off 2009 in style by bringing her titillating new show ‘The Dark Angel’ to London for a two night residency at The Roundhouse in Camden. Featuring the songs of Nick Cave, Jacques Brel, Tom Waits, David Bowie and more.

www.myspace.com/camilleosullivan

15

Damon & Naomi + The Left Outsides
Track & Field Winter Sprinter @ The Luminaire, London

7:30pm | £7

Former Galaxie 500 members Damon & Naomi have been making their own particular brand of noodly dream pop for almost 18 years now as a duo and are always worth catching live. They recently put out a limited Christmas single, but they probably won’t play that. Console yourself by picking up one of their brand new self-released live DVDs, filmed in Japan in January 2008, from the merch desk (assuming they bring some with them, of course). South London dreamers The Left Outsides (formerly two members of The Eighteenth Day Of May) support, playing tunes from their debut album And Colours In Between and more.

www.myspace.com/damonandnaomi
www.myspace.com/theleftoutsides

16

Cara Dillon + Sharon Shannon Band
Celtic Connections Festival @ Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow

7:30pm | £18–22

The annual Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow seems to just get bigger and bigger year on year. The 2009 line-up is impressive, and this double bill of two of Ireland’s finest folk acts is irresistible. Cara’s new album, Hill Of Thieves, is out on January 26th, and features a duet with her brother-in-law Seth Lakeman. As an aside, you have one more day to enter Play.com’s competition to win exclusive tickets to an industry show at Bush Hall in London on January 29th. See here.

www.myspace.com/caradillon
www.myspace.com/sharonshannon

17

Caroline Weeks + Doghouse Roses
Celtic Connections Festival @ Òran Mór, Glasgow

7:30pm | £12.50

With her long awaited debut solo release Songs For Edna pencilled in for March, sometime Bat For Lashes member Caroline Weeks may well give Ms Khan a run for her money when the year comes to a close and list mania besets the blogosphere once more. This special gig finds her playing support for “the Scottish Bob Dylan” Jackie Leven as part of Celtic Connections 2009. Vintage folkies Doghouse Roses, with their luminous singer Iona McDonald, are also on the bill.

www.myspace.com/carolineweeks
www.myspace.com/ukdoghouseroses

Also playing: Jackie Leven

18

Karima Francis
The Junction, Cambridge

8pm | £5 | FIRST NIGHT

We named her debut single ‘Chasing The Morning Light’ our favourite of the week back in December, so it will be interesting to see how young Blackpool-born singer-songwriter Karima Francis fares on her first headline tour of the UK and Ireland, which kicks off at this show in Cambridge. Known for silencing large rooms of people with her showstopping soulful voice, you’ve got to admit the odds are in her favour.

www.myspace.com/karimafrancis

19

Grace Jones
Symphony Hall, Birmingham

7pm | £35 | FIRST NIGHT

What can we say about the genius that is Grace Jones? It hardly needs mentioning that her stage show is phenomenal, with ribcage rattling beats and eye-poppingly peculiar outfits. It’s just the waiting for her to bother to turn up that’s the worry. This Birmingham show is the first night of an 8-date UK tour that looks set to seal her comeback as one of the most triumphant in recent memory.

www.myspace.com/gracejonesofficial

20

Wallis Bird
Soho Revue Bar, London

7:30pm | £8.50 

Irrepressibly cheerful, possibly deranged, but oh so lovable Irish folk-pop upstart Wallis Bird returns to the London stage to whip yet another audience up into an adoring frenzy with her powerful acoustic guitar riffs and cheeky onstage antics. This two-night residency at the Soho Revue Bar should see her showcase a few new songs from album #2, which she says is coming together nicely. Fingers crossed for a late spring/early summer release!

www.myspace.com/wallisbird

Also playing: Steve Appleton

21

Anaïs Mitchell
The Luminaire, London

7:30pm | £8 

Having toured Europe with Bon Iver and label boss Ani DiFranco, the fabulous Anaïs Mitchell brings her brilliantly written, poignant songs of love, loss and political turmoil back to the UK for this one-off show at The Luminaire in Kilburn – the former cinema a perfect setting for her captivatingly intimate performances. Expect to hear songs from her forthcoming album Hadestown – exclusive information coming soon in our fantastic in-depth interview.

www.myspace.com/anaismitchell

22

Tift Merritt
Concorde 2, Brighton

8pm | £11

With her third album Another Country proving to be her most personal, and not coincidentally her best, to date, Tift Merritt rides back into the UK on a wave of critical acclaim and an all-new Tour Edition of said album to promote, with five bonus tracks lifted from the previously US-only, digital-only EP, Please Break The Silence Of The Middle Of The Night – two reworkings, two new songs and a cover. Kicking off in Nottingham on the 19th, this support tour with chart-bothering Teddy Thompson should do very nicely at raising her profile.

www.myspace.com/tiftmerritt

Also playing: Teddy Thompson

23

Françoiz Breut
Café Oto, London

7:30pm | £10.50

It seems like forever ago since we last heard the name of Françoiz Breut, although really it’s only been about 3 years. Back then her album Une Saison Volée created quite a stir, even among non-French speakers like me, and the live performances – particularly at ATP – only underlined her unique power. Her latest release, À l’aveuglette (“blindly”), is a little less all over the place stylistically, focusing her muse and playing to her strengths, so expect an emotional performance with real punch. Françoiz kicks off her tour on the 19th in Nottingham. For the full itinerary, see her Myspace.

www.myspace.com/francoizbreut

24

Sharleen Spiteri
Music Hall, Aberdeen

7pm | £25–27 | FIRST NIGHT

Sharleen Spiteri’s debut solo album Melody may not have displayed an awful lot of innovation, but it was a decent enough spin through a potentially disastrous minefield of retro clichés. This Aberdeen show marks the opening night of her first ever solo tour of the nation, and it’s not exactly risking much to say that she’ll be sure to get a warm reception from her fellow Scots. Tickets are still on sale for other dates; see her Myspace for more details.

www.myspace.com/sharleenspiteri

Cerys Matthews + Harem Scarem
Celtic Connections Festival @ ABC, Glasgow

7:30pm | £15

With a wordy new album Blue Betty, The Not So Torrid Affairs Of A Reluctant Housewife in the works for this year, Cerys Matthews joins the Celtic Connections line-up alongside Scottish folk band Harem Scarem, who feature various members of Aberfeldy, The Poozies and the Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart touring bands. They were featured as Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s backing band on his recent live album Is It The Sea?, and their third album Storm In A Teacup was released in October.

www.myspace.com/cerysmatthewsofficial
www.myspace.com/haremscaremscotland

26

Stonefoxx + Grace Obika
The Spotlight Project @ Soho Revue Bar, London

7:30pm | £6 

The Spotlight Project is a new live showcase dreamt up by experienced promoter Rob Cooper and promises to bring London “brilliant multi-genre live unsigned music”, but the emphasis on this launch show is firmly on pop. Why are we recommending this? Purely because it looks like such a car crash (and there’s nothing else on, honest, we looked everywhere). Featuring sets from the embarrassing Stonefoxx, ‘X Factor’ loser Austin Drage and two generic boy bands, only Grace Obika – cousin of ‘Fame Academy’ wannabe made good Lemar – shows any real promise.

www.myspace.com/stonefoxxmusic
www.myspace.com/graceobika

Also playing: Austin Drage, Lexi Joe, Sketch

27

Nancy Wallace + Autumn Grieve + Ellen Mary McGee
Electroacoustic Club @ The Slaughtered Lamb, London

7:45pm | £6 (£5 concessions)

The Memory Band member Nancy Wallace’s debut album Old Stories has been a long time coming but it’s finally out on January 26th through Midwich Records (home to Nancy’s other band The Owl Service and fellow multi-instrumentalist Ellen Mary McGee, whose debut album The Crescent Sun is out in March). This all-female line up promoted by the reliably excellent Electroacoustic Club promises a night full of enchanting folk yarns and top acoustic musicianship. Canadian singer-songwriter Autumn Grieve’s two EPs are well worth picking up at the merch desk, with new recording Parlour Sketches on the way soon.

www.myspace.com/nancywallace
www.myspace.com/autumngrieve
www.myspace.com/thecrescentsun

28

Liz Durrett + Pumajaw
Green Note, London

7pm | £8 

This fantastic double bill is yet another triumph by the ladies who run the Green Note venue in Camden Town. Liz Durrett is one of the most engaging singer-songwriters to emerge from the US in recent years, and here she’ll be playing tracks from her latest album Outside Our Gates, released back in September (review). Bewitching psych-folk purveyors Pumajaw (aka Pinkie Maclure and John Wills) will also be on hand to play songs from last year’s Curiosity Box. Their entire back catalogue is about to be released digitally through Fire Records, so look them up on iTunes if you enjoy this.

www.myspace.com/lizdurrett
www.myspace.com/pumajaw

Sky Larkin
ICA, London

7:30pm | £9

One of this year’s most eagerly anticipated debuts, Sky Larkin’s The Golden Spike is out on February 2nd through Wichita and is preceded by a 9-date UK tour that kicks off in Bristol on the 22nd and stops by London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts as part of Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens’ latest Introducing… jaunt. For uncomplicated fun with catchy indie would-be anthems on a Thursday night, look no further friends.

www.myspace.com/skylarkinskylarkin

30

Carmen Souza
Green Note, London

7pm | £10

In the words of the Green Note proprietors, “Carmen Souza has created a new and unique sound in her ancestors’ dialect, Creole, that mixes traditional African and Cape Verde rhythms like Batuque, Morna, Cola Djon, with her jazz/soul contemporary influences. The result is beautiful, poignant and inspiring songs, in a totally intimate and acoustic vibe.” What more can we add? This will be very very good.

www.myspace.com/carmensouza

31

Emmy The Great
Academy, Oxford

6:30pm | £7.50 | FIRST NIGHT

To say that we are just a little bit excited to finally hear Emmy The Great’s long-promised debut album First Love is a tiny bit of an understatement. It’s out on February 2nd, and The Great one herself is heading out on the road to promote it. This Oxford show is the first night of a mammoth 27-date tour of the UK and Ireland that will keep her busy ’til early March. For the full itinerary, visit her Myspace.

www.myspace.com/emmythegreat

Marianne Faithfull
Easy Come, Easy Go ••••
Naive 

From Soho street corner to the Salzburg Festival, with more than 20 albums behind her and acting roles encompassing Ophelia and the Devil, Empress Maria Theresa and, most recently, an elderly masturbatrix, Marianne Faithfull’s progression from Andrew Loog Oldham-tailored ready-made muse to respected elder stateswoman of rock remains one of contemporary music’s most singular and surprising trajectories. It’s a compelling survivor’s story, no doubt about it. But the more sensational aspects of Faithfull’s rockstar myth (stoked by her own highly self-regarding autobiographies) have arguably had the effect of obscuring her creative output, which, while not exactly consistent in terms of quality, has at least been of consistent interest and ambition since the release of her watershed ‘comeback’ album Broken English in 1979.

Across her many covers records Strange Weather (1987) and 20th Century Blues (1996) and albums of original material such as Kissin’ Time (2002) and Before The Poison (2005), Faithfull has proved herself a versatile song interpreter and, sometimes, a skilled lyricist, as comfortable performing Coward or Cole Porter, Hollander or Brecht and Weill as she is hanging out with the likes of Beck, Blur, Etienne Daho, Nick Cave and Polly Harvey. Depending on your perspective, Faithfull’s pick-and-mix approach to collaboration can seem an admirable endeavour to broaden her musical horizons or a strained attempt at contemporary relevance. But however mixed the result – and some of her big-name artistic liaisons have, frankly, promised rather more than they’ve actually delivered – this approach has allowed Faithfull to build up a vast, generation-spanning repertoire to mine in live performance, an arena in which she still excels. Erratic and unpredictable she may be, but Faithfull brings a unique, highly intellectual perspective to bear on the songs that she writes and records, and you certainly can’t fault her for a lack of drive or an unwillingness to experiment.

Easy Come, Easy Go ranks as perhaps her most elaborate project yet. It’s a mighty 18-track double album of covers that encompasses material from most of the 20th century (and earlier). Reuniting Faithfull with her Strange Weather producer Hal Willner, the record feels like a continuation and extension of that classic album as it blazes through genres, passing from blues and jazz through country to cutting-edge contemporary rock. Looking for an album that finds space for songs by Dolly Parton, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Judee Sill, Duke Ellington Morrissey, Merle Haggard, and The Decemberists? Well, look no further than Easy Come, Easy Go.

Stylistically, the album alternates between spare and lush, classical and contemporary, with sensitive and supple arrangements based around strings and horns, combining with the gravitas of a full rock band made up of Marc Ribot, Greg Cohen, Rob Burger, Jim White and Faithfull’s longtime collaborator Barry Reynolds. As on her most recent releases, Faithfull once again brings a strongly collaborative, big-name guest artist ethos to bear on this recording, reuniting with previous co-conspirators Nick Cave and Jarvis Cocker, and recruiting some fresh voices, including Chan Marshall, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Rufus Wainwright and (inevitably) Antony Hegarty on various tracks. (Indeed, given Vanity Fair’s memorable description of her as the “den mama of indiedom” it’s interesting to note just how many scions of the famous turn up on the album – not only Wainwright but also Jenni Muldaur, Teddy Thompson and Sean Lennon.) Inevitably, some of the song choices and guest voices fail to gel as well as others. But even so, Easy Come, Easy Go is never less than compelling.

Proceedings kick off with Faithfull’s take on one of Dolly Parton’s darkest songs, ‘Down From Dover’. I’m not sure that the jazzy makeover works exactly, but it’s an intriguing, valiant effort that offers a fresh and original perspective on a track that’s fast becoming a country standard. The cover of Neko Case’s ‘Hold On, Hold On’ actually rocks harder than the original, culminating in a superb electric guitar part. Chan Marshall’s harmonies add little but Faithfull’s variously harsh and tender vocal carries the day. A sublime version of The Decemberists’ ‘The Crane Wife’, with a sympathetic Nick Cave on backing vocals, is an immediate standout and easily one of Faithfull’s finest ever moments on record. The same goes for an intense, slow-burning rendition of Espers’ ‘Children Of Stone’ with Rufus Wainwright, though the draggy duet with Antony on Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ ‘Ooh Baby Baby’ fails to ignite. A cheeky take on the Bessie Smith song that gives the album its title lightens the mood, while, elsewhere, Faithfull chillingly turns Randy Newman’s ‘In Germany Before The War’ into something resembling an undiscovered gem from the Brecht–Weill canon. Merle Haggard’s ‘Sing Me Back Home’ – with Keith Richards! – also gets a sensitive reading.

Highlights of the second disc (only available on the special edition) include a superlative ‘Black Coffee’ and touching low-key versions of Judee Sill’s ‘The Phoenix’ and Jackson C Frank’s ‘Kimbie’. In contrast to the stripped-down approach to these songs, Faithfull and the musicians pour passion all over Morrissey’s ‘Dear God Please Help Me’ for a histrionic but oddly effective performance. The album closes with its oldest song, the traditional ‘Flandyke Shore’. Even with the McGarrigles trying their best in the background, this overly stately version doesn’t quite take flight, and certainly doesn’t come close to rivalling Nic Jones’s definitive rendition of the song on Penguin Eggs. Indeed, throughout, it’s not always the most likely material that works best: Faithfull sounds much more commanding and convincing on Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s ‘Salvation’ than on a fairly lugubrious ‘Solitude’.

But say what you will about its technical limitations, Faithfull’s smoky croak can be a fabulously expressive instrument and she certainly knows how to get it working dramatically. With an actress’s sense of timing and delivery, she can convey folky intimacy, punky defiance or Dietrich hauteur, all with a distinctively English twist. Check out her appropriately scalding, bitter delivery on ‘Black Coffee’, or the wonderful increasing stridency with which she delivers the “I will hang my head low” refrain in ‘The Crane Wife’. At her weakest, though, she can sound plain awkward: the worst offender here is a bizarrely funereal take on ‘Somewhere (A Place For Us)’ with an oddly sinister sounding Jarvis Cocker. Surely the cover version of Bernstein and Sondheim’s nightmares, it’s one of the grisliest duets in recent memory. But, overall, the mix of material generates its own special excitement. And if Faithfull just occasionally comes off like a slightly tipsy aunt tearing through a particularly eclectic karaoke machine then the hit-and-miss approach ultimately adds to the cumulative charm and appeal of the album.

In fact, given the stylistic diversity of the songs that it contains, Easy Come, Easy Go is a remarkably cohesive listening experience, a testament to the shared vision of Faithfull and her excellent musicians. This is one of Faithfull’s most consistently engrossing albums and what she does with it live – a planned European tour will see her “recreate” the record with the band – should be fascinating to witness.

Alex Ramon
EU release date: 08/12/08, UK release date TBC

‘Hold On, Hold On’ [Neko Case cover]

‘Salvation’ [Billie Holiday cover]

‘How Many Worlds’ [Brian Eno cover]

Granted, this isn’t original, but I wanted to get my favorite releases from the year posted. A few disclaimers: these may NOT be the best albums of the year. I’m not a critic or a musician. I’m just a fan, so these are simply the 2008 releases that seemed to find their way into my CD player or onto my i-Pod more than others.

Old 97’s – Blame it on Gravity.

Blame it on Gravity

The Old 97’s delivered their first new studio albums in several years, and they delivered a real gem. I’ve grown to really love Satellite Rides and Too Far to Car. And I enjoy Fight Songs. This newest release is becoming my favorite. I might not have selected Dance With Me as the first single, but this song has really grown on me – much like the whole album. My Two Feet, The One, No Baby I, and Here’s to the Halcyon are all really great songs. The Old 97’s headlined Twangfest here in St. Louis this year, and they played a blistering, rousing and wonderful 28 song 2+hour show. They featured this record, and this is a band truly worth seeing live. In the meantime, this is a terrific release, and it’s pretty easily my favorite of the year.

Tift Merritt – Another Country

Another Country

I have no idea what this lady is like, but her music is extremely likable. Another Country features my favorite song of the year – Broken. It was nominated for Song of the Year by the Americana Music Association.  She has a great ear for melody, and this collection of songs has been a  delight since I bought it. In addition to Broken, Something to Me, Keep You Happy and Tender Branch are really nice songs. Here’s hoping Tift Merritt releases another album in 2009.

Teddy Thompson – A Piece of What You Need

A Piece of What You Need

http://www.teddythompson.com/home.aspx – is the URL to Teddy Thompson’s website, and I encourage you to explore it. You can listen to this terrific album, and you won’t be disappointed.  Teddy is Richard and Linda Thompson’s son, but he is not nearly as morose as his father. However, he is just as gifted. This collection of songs features really catchy hooks and melodies, great singing and excellent guitar fills and riffs throughout. In particular, I really like In My Arms and The Things I Do.

REM – Accelerate

REM Accelerate

Where have these guys been? Remember when REM was a really essential band? Every release used to be interesting, different and exciting. Well – they lost their way for several years – especially after they signed that big deal with SONY. Accelerate is a much welcome return to form. I was really surprised to read a very favorable review of this record in Esquire, and that piqued my interest. I listened to a few tracks, and bought the CD. This is one of my favorite REM releases ever. It may be due to my long held affection for this band more than the actual quality of Accelerate, but this is a really good effort. The first few tracks really hit you with a high level of intensity, and it never really lets up.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand

Raising Sand

I was so prepared to not like this record. I’d heard the hype, read the critical acclaim, yada, yada, yada. And then a friend got me a bootleg copy of them performing the old Led Zeppelin song Black Dog in concert. That cinched it for me – I bought the record. My first listen left me more than a little disappointed, but I kept hearing a different track here and there, and every time I heard a track, I really liked it. So – after making some time to really listen and absorb this record, I must admit – it’s really good. T-Bone Burnett put the project together, and it really works. I think the reason I needed some time to get into this record is that it’s very subtle. After repeated listens, it’s the subtlety I realy love about it. I also had the pleasure of seeing them at the Fox Theater in STL for an amazing show.  They’re great performers, it’s a great record, and it turned out to be my most pleasant surprise of 2008.

Hayes Carll – Trouble in Mind

Trouble in Mind

Speaking of pleasant surprises – Hayes Carll hit my CD player with a vengeance this year. He opened, with The Hubcap Stealers, for the Old 97’s at Twangfest at the Pageant Theater in St. Louis. I’m not always on top of new artists the way I’d like, and I’d never heard his music before that show. The band – the aforementioned Hubcap Stealers – was great. They were so polished and tight that is was a great way to get introduced to this very charming storyteller. He won Song of the Year from the Americana Music Association for She Left me for Jesus. It is a GREAT song! I still chuckle when I hear it, and if you aren’t familiar with it – hit his web page and give it a listen. I’ve backfilled my collection with Carll’s release – Little Rock, too. I am really looking forward t his next record.

John Hiatt – Same Old Man

Same Old Man

John Hiatt has been one of my favorites for years, so I’m not even going to pretend to be objective. He’s got a distinctive voice that is getting more expressive with age. He still puts on a great show, and this record certainly won’t disappoint fellow fans. I think part of why I like him so much is that so many of his songs are personal and are about “stage of life” things I really understand.

Lucinda Williams – Little Honey

Little Honey

She’s odd, quirky, weird and any other similar adjective you want to use. She’s also hugely talented, and this is a good record. I really love her voice, but I recognize it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But this is a worthy effort, and it’s getting some attention from even mainstream music press like Rolling Stone.

Shelby Lynne – Just a Little Lovin’

Just a Little Lovin'

This is a very nice tribute to Dusty Springfield. Shelby Lynne takes a pretty big risk re-recording some of these tracks, but it works. I really like I Only Want to be With You. I heard an interesting interview with Shelby Lynne on NPR around the release date, and she had some cool things to say about recording The Look of Love. It was a bit intimidating, according to Lynne, but she really treats the song well.

The Derailers - Guarantied to Satisfy

Guaranteed to Satisfy

I’d agree with this title. This IS a very satisfying record. Here is another band I truly like. These guys – twangy thought they are – really play fun, interesting music. The first track – Bad, Bad Girl is country music exactly as it ought to be played. Ignore that over-produced pabulum Nashville keeps hoisting off on the public, and try something really authentic sounding. These guys are good, and I’m really looking forward to their next release, too!

here is my list, in alphabetical order…

alejandro escovedo – “real animal”
ben sollee – “learning to bend”
bob dylan – “tell tale signs – rare and unreleased 1989-2006”
carrie rodriguez – “she ain’t me”
cat power – “jukebox/dark end of the street”
cowboy junkies – “trinity revisited”
david byrne & brian eno – “everything that happens will happen today”
johnny cash – “johnny cash at folsom prison: legacy edition”
kathleen edwards – “asking for flowers”
kris delmhorst – “shotgun singer”
over the rhine – “live from nowhere volume 3”
ray lamontagne – “gossip in the grain”
rodney crowell – “sex and gasoline”
ryan adams and the cardinals – “cardinology”
shelby lynne – “just a little lovin’ “
teddy thompson – “a piece of what you need”
tift merritt – “another country”
the waifs – “sundirtwater”

*and i’m combining cat power’s “dark end of the street” [ep] with “jukebox.” they are out of the same sessions and it is just like an extension of that project.

and here is “Rolling Stone’s” top 50 albums of 2008:

1 | TV on the Radio: Dear Science
2 | Bob Dylan: Tell Tale Signs — The Bootleg Series Vol. 8
3 | Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III
4 | My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges
5 | John Mellencamp: Life, Death, Love and Freedom
6 | Santogold: Santogold
7 | Coldplay: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
8 | Beck: Modern Guilt
9 | Metallica: Death Magnetic
10 | Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
11 | Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
12 | Guns n’ Roses: Chinese Democracy
13 | Blitzen Trapper: Furr
14 | Ryan Adams and the Cardinals: Cardinology
15 | The Black Keys: Attack & Release
16 | Randy Newman: Harps and Angels
17 | B.B. King: One Kind Favor
18 | Lucinda Williams: Little Honey
19 | Erykah Badu: New Amerykah: Part 1 (4th World War)
20 | Kings of Leon: Only by the Night
21 | Kaiser Chiefs: Off With Their Heads
22 | Jackson Browne: Time the Conquerer
23 | Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst
24 | Girl Talk: Feed the Animals
25 | The Magnetic Fields: Distortion
26 | Mudcrutch: Mudcrutch
27 | Brian Wilson: That Lucky Old Sun
28 | The Knux: Remind Me in Three Days…
29 | Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
30 | Duffy: Rockferry
31 | MGMT: Oracular Spectacular
32 | Jamey Johnson: The Lonesome Song
33 | Ne-Yo: Year of the Gentleman
34 | Stephen Malkmus: Real Emotional Trash
35 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
36 | The Hold Steady: Stay Positive
37 | Nine Inch Nails: The Slip
38 | Ra Ra Riot: The Rhumb Line
39 | Taylor Swift: Fearless
40 | Jonas Brothers: A Little Bit Longer
41 | AC/DC: Black Ice
42 | David Byrne and Brian Eno: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
43 | Nas: Untitled
44 | The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely
45 | Be Your Own Pet: Get Awkward
46 | The Academy Is…: Fast Times at Barrington High
47 | Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping
48 | Raphael Saadiq: The Way I See It
49 | Hot Chip: Made in the Dark
50 | No Age: Nouns

Marianne Faithfull har kommet med ny plate, Easy Come, Easy Go (naïve), og den er fantastisk flott. Det er coverlåter tvers gjennom det hele, i et rikt spekter, fra Duke Ellingtons “Solitude” til Brian Enos “How Many Worlds,” fra Bernstein/Sondheims “Somewhere” til Dolly Partons “Down From Dover,” fra Morrisseys “Dear God Please Help Me” til Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “Ooh Baby Baby,” og mange flere.

I tillegg til at det er coverversjoner over det hele er det et fantastisk band som spiller. Det er Hal Willner som har produsert, og som på de fleste prosjekter han er involvert i er det et who’s who i orkesteret. Mange av låtene er også duetter. Og Faithfull har fått med seg mange av mine favoritter. Vi nevner i fleng: Antony, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Sean Lennon, Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power), Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Keith Richards, Teddy Thompson, Rufus Wainwright. Jeg er enig med Svenn i at Faithfulls stemme likevel kommer i forgrunnen, men det er noe med hele sammenhengen her. Som det som enn så lenge er min favoritt, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “Ooh Baby Baby” med Faithfull og Antony, og et band med fire tenorsaxofoner, to gitarer, to keyboards, bass, trommer og glockenspiel. (Lytteprøver her og på myspace).

Martha Wainwright er på turné for tiden, i etterkant av hennes plate med den fantastiske tittelen I Know You’re Married, but I’ve Got Feelings Too. Her er et liveopptak fra Utrecht for fire dager siden, med “Tower Song.”

Men hun har også spilt både i Oslo og i København, og i forbindelse med Københavnskonserten, i Vega, kom jeg så over anmeldelsen i Information. Og jeg stusser litt. “Martha Wainwrights ben” er tittelen, og anmeldelsen handler ikke minst nettopp om hennes ben. Jeg tar meg i å lure på om noe lignende kunne vært skrevet om en mannlig artist, for eksempel om hennes bror Rufus Wainwright? Og da kommer jeg jo så på hans “Between My Legs” fra fjorårets Release The Stars, her i en liveutgave med special appearance av Jake Gyllenhaal (legg også merke til de fantastiske sitatene fra Phantom of the Opera som kommer helt mot slutten).

Så kanskje er det mulig å fokusere på ben, lår og legger også selv om man driver med musikk? Men ellers er Martha Wainwright også god med coverversjoner, og når hun så har en sang kalt “Tower Song,” hva er mer logisk enn hennes cover av Leonard Cohens “Tower of Song”? Her live fra David Letterman.

Se ellers Cohen live med samme her (også med allestedsnærværende David Sanborn på sax). “Tower of Song” er ellers en sang med noen riktig flotte referanser til stemmer, særlig “I was born like this / I had no choice / I was born with the gift of a golden voice.” Og endelig, som avslutning, en duett: Martha Wainwright og Teddy Thompson med (Lennon/McCartheys) “We Can Work It Out” live i Abbey Road.