Audiography Collaborative Music Blog

epistolary songs: at the junction of summer and autumn

2011-09-06T16:28:41Z

All these audiography posts make me happy....I used to pick up so much new music from here.

Here are my contributions to the potluck:

Good Old War - Coney Island

I found a letter in the mail box today
and I said thank you for your thoughts but I'm done
I said that I would never build this up right here
He said that's why I can't work with you son

But I can't let this go I'm on my way
And you can only hold my diamond ring
I'll go crawling back to the city I love
Cause it's already taken everything

Okay, so technically not about letters, but it perfectly describes the way I felt about DC when I first moved there. Good Old War is catchy and with descriptors such as "people with their cotton candy eyes" wins over the poet in me. They're a Philly band with New Jersey leanings. Embrace them!

Gary Jules - No Poetry

there's no poetry between us/said the paper to the pen

Best known for his entrancing and emotionally wrenching version of Tears for Fears' Mad World, this song highlights his poetic lyrics.

Monsters of Folk- Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F)

In proper epistolary fashion, M.O.F includes both a salutation and a valediction. It asks the questions millions before have, " why do we suffer?" The best part about this song is definitely the soulful start. For those of you unfamiliar with Monsters of Folk, it's what happens when Conor Oberst (& Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes), M Ward, and Jim James from My Morning Jacket. It is simply amazing. Check out their other songs, Magic Marker and Whole Lotta Losin' for some sad music that will make you feel upbeat.

The Roots - Dear God 2.0

The Roots double the lyrics of the MOF song but manage to cut the song time in half. The background melody remains the same, but each has its merits.

Rando off topic song, slash if anyone's interested we can start a new theme for celestial bodies:

Neko Case - I Wish I was the Moon

I'm pretty sure I downloaded this song after it featured on Trueblood this season. But actually, it is fabulously ethereal. A shoutout to those of us tired of the situations we find ourselves in.

Nickel Creek - Jealous of the Moon

The one reminded me of the other. I'm pretty sure that lunar related songs would be much easier for me to collect than letters...

Letters

2011-08-16T15:10:10Z

Fun theme! I just have a few to add:

No Aphrodisiac by The Whitlams
An odd letter, but a letter nonetheless.

Chain Letter by The Billys
Ah the curse of the chain letter, back when folks shared these banes via snail mail.

Letter from Belgium by The Mountain Goats
I'm including this mostly because I just watched Band of Brothers and am kinda thinking of this letter being during that time, although it's not. It also has one of the weirdest lyrics, "That's good, we can always use some more electrical equipment."

Mother Mother by Tracy Bonham
Okay, technically a phone call rather than a letter, but sounds like a letter to me. The kind of letter a parent dreads!

i should be asleep...

2011-08-16T00:47:09Z

...but here are some songs anyway.

a letter from home - ulrich schnauss
floaty swooping soaring electronic landscapes, perfect for lying on your bed in the dark with the windows open, or driving through the countryside in the sunshine.
buy a strangely isolated place

strawberry letter 23 - shuggie otis
another floaty song, but sparklier this time. wikipedia says 'Otis wrote the song for a girlfriend who used strawberry-scented paper when she wrote letters to him' which is pretty darn cute if you ask me.
buy some shuggie otis

you are invited - the dismemberment plan
not really a letter, but an invitation is close enough right? i haven't listened to this song much recently but it's always been a personal anthem of sorts, just a little a reminder that i am invited, by anyone, to do anything. and now you are too!
buy emergency & i

young shields - casiotone for the painfully alone
this was the first CFTPA song i ever heard, and it's still one of my favourites.
buy etiquette

good night!

Letters

2011-08-15T16:27:06Z

I'm away for a few days and what do I find? Not only does this community have new posts, but an actual THEME for the first time in years! I of course can't resist joining in on this rare occasion. :P

In order to post quickly though, I haven't really had time to scrutinize my music library and find every song about letters. So, I wrote down a quick list of the ones that came to my head, from rock to folk to country.

1. My Chemical Romance - Mama
Okay, so, starting off with an emo band probably isn't a good sign. But this was the first song that popped into my head when I was thinking of this theme, due to its opening line: "Mama, we all go to hell. I'm writing this letter and wishing you well..." And despite my distaste for emo bands, this is one of the few songs in the genre that I actually appreciate. For starters, Liza Minelli has a guest verse! Short, but she's still on there! Which is pretty impressive. Secondly, whatever the real meaning behind the lyrics, I am a crazy history major three years into my degree, and thus, I equate this song with the murder of Rasputin, of all things. I'm not going to go into the story because I will ramble on, and because Rasputin still seems to scare some people, but basically, he foresaw his own death and wrote a letter to the Tsarina telling her that if a member of the royal family killed him, all of the Romanovs would fall. (Which is exactly what happened.) I find it adds a more interesting setting to the song. Thirdly, the guitar work in the middle of the song is just awesome. :P Buy The Black Parade.

2. Bob Dylan - Desolation Row
Those with short attention spans, be warned: This song is 11 minutes long. But to me, it's eleven minutes of calm bliss, in which Bob transports you to a sort of make-believe carnival world of electric violin players, fortune-telling ladies, and a thousand other strange characters. I realize now the irony of posting this right after a My Chemical Romance song, as they disastrously covered this, but I honestly didn't make the connection when I was thinking of songs for this theme. The song doesn't really fit the letters category, until the very last verse: "Yes, I received your letter yesterday, about the time the dawn a-broke. When you asked me how I was doing, was that some kind of joke?" Buy Highway 61 Revisited

3. Janis Joplin - Dear Landlord
Another amusing juxtaposition. This is a Bob Dylan song, recorded by Janis during her sessions with the Kozmic Blues Band for her second album. It was left off, but comes on the CD as a bonus track. I've heard from many people that her version is too rushed, too mumbled, etc... but I find Bob's version just too slow and boring. Janis's version is funky and rollicking, even if it doesn't really match the song subject. Buy I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!

4. Jamie O'Neal - Arizona
Now this is a random one. Warning, the link above goes to a youtube video, as I don't think I ever had this song on my computer. This song was a minor hit from a country artist about ten years ago whom I think only ever had one album or so. However, I just happened to be going through a country music phase at that time, so I saw this video on CMT many times. And it just popped into my head while searching for songs to fit this topic. Despite it mostly being a cheesy country song, I do hold a soft spot for it - it details a very painful long-distance/unrequited romance, in which the man is a traveler, promising he will come back for the woman or move her out to his paradise, once he finds it. However, his letters come less and less frequently, he forgets her on the road, and she has to come to terms with the fact that all of his promises were empty. Definitely a feeling I can relate to. Buy Shiver.

5. Dixie Chicks - Travelin' Soldier
And now on to a slightly more well-known country song, and one much more focused on letters. A young girl in the 60s meets a soldier about to part for Vietnam, and agrees to let him send her letters. She falls in love with him, but as in every country song, he is killed. Buy Home

6. The Beatles - Please Mister Postman
And now onto something just more slightly uplifting. A classic rock and roll tune about waiting for love letters in the mail. Fun to do the twist to. :P
Buy With The Beatles

7. Simon & Garfunkel - Why Don't You Write Me?
Sort of a passive-agressive tribute to a friend/lover who doesn't seem to care that they are neglecting someone who really cares for them and wants to hear from them. The lyrics are spiteful, and by the end, incredibly depressing, but the tune is laid-back and mellow. Buy Bridge Over Troubled Water

8. Hello Saferide - Long Lost Penpal
And to finish, a song which I probably found from this community in the first place, but I really can't remember. The song mostly speaks for itself - it really sounds just like letters written between old, long-lost friends, sung out. Amongst the lyrics are regret over the lost connection, and a desire to atone for some previous errors. The chorus somehow makes a line as simple as "I have to admit I sometimes lied in those letters, tried to make life better than it was" soar. The whole thing is a tender, heartbreaking portrait of teenage angst, a reflection on what the coming of adult life has brought, and coming to terms with small lies that spiral out of control and continue to haunt us. Buy

My Favorite Songs of 2010

2011-03-20T19:00:05Z

A bit late, but as I just remembered I have a LJ and have long loved this community, I thought I would share my top 40 favorite songs of 2010, accompanied by vintage photographs that capture the mood of the songs:

I've put free and legal downloads where available.

40. Alcoholic Faith Mission - My Eyes to See

Founded by Danish musicians transported to Brooklyn, Alcoholic Faith Mission brings a fresh enthusiasm to the well worn music lament that "nothing ever really changes."
Listen

39. Jukebox the Ghost - Empire

A catchy, piano-driven song from the Philadelphia-based Jukebox the Ghost, who get bonus points for posing with one of the "Play Me I'm Yours" pianos that were installed around NYC this past summer.
Listen | Download (right click)

38. Miike Snow - Rabbit

Insanely fun dance music from the Swedish band (led by American Andrew Wyatt), that has a video which is, to quote a YouTube commenter, "crazy town."
Listen

37. Jamie Drake - Plumbline

"Plumbline" is a lovely, folk-inspired song from LA-based Jamie Drake, which is made unforgettable by her gorgeous, soulful voice.
Listen | Download (right click)

36. of Montreal - Coquet Coquette

Although I wasn't as into the new of Montreal album as their past efforts (tone down the sleaze just a little, Kevin Barnes), they're too good not to have a few moments of brilliance. Plus, I'm still a little obsessed with their guitarist, Bryan Poole.
Listen | Download (right click)

35. The Naked and Famous - Punching in a Dream

The Naked and Famous are adorable New Zealanders (I mean come on, their lead singer flies in a paper airplane in the music video), and if clubs actually played music as good and positive as this, I would be tempted to go.
Listen

34. Broken Bells - The High Road

I expected more from a collaboration between DJ Dangermouse and James Mercer of the Shins, but while a lot of their self-titled album was forgettable to me, I like the drifter chic moodiness of this song.
Listen

33. Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself

Two times I have seen Xiu Xiu: once at the most uncomfortably personal concert I've ever seen in a half-filled Oklahoma venue, another as they covered Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures this summer with Deerhoof before a huge summer crowd. Both times left me depleted, despairing. Dear God...
Listen

32. Fang Island - Daisy

At that same summer concert: an opening ray of guitar-driven sunshine from Brooklyn-based Fang Island! My spirits are restored. I want one of their hoodies.
Listen | Download (right click)

31. Junip - In Every Direction

The Swedish band Junip is led by José González, better known for his solo work, but I love how being with a band adds more texture to his enchanting voice.
Listen

30. Jónsi - Go Do

Now the opposite: a singer better known for his band work. Jónsi is the lead singer of the Icelandic Sigur Rós. Apparently he sings in English on this song rather than his made up Hopelandic language, but you could have fooled me. This video may give you nightmares, the song will make you thing of ethereal fantasy worlds. It will even out, I promise.
Listen

29. Moon Duo - Stumbling Down 22nd St.

Do you need to scare those shimmery fantasy worlds out of your mind now? Put on some headphones and zone out to this fuzzy sound from San Francisco-based Moon Duo. It's not a reincarnation of the Velvet Underground, but they are getting close.
Listen | Download (right click)

28. Blitzen Trapper - Heaven and Earth

Portland's Blitzen Trapper have refined their alt-folk down to a piano ballad, and it actually works quite well. I never thought I would call a song of theirs exquisite.
Listen | Download (right click)

27. Das Racist - Rainbow in the Dark

When I saw Das Racist play at Pianos this year, someone asked me if the group was "for real" as they did their dumb/smart rap spectacle on the tiny stage. Yes...and no. There are heavy doses of sarcasm and ridiculousness here (after all, they did get known by singing a song called "Combination Taco Bell and Pizza Hut"), but they are undeniably talented.
Listen

26. Beach House - Norway

I'm in love with the bent notes on this song. And this Baltimore band's dreamy pop is so "of the moment," I'm surprised it's not washing out every coffee shop in Williamsburg. Oh, maybe it is...I'll report back.
Listen | Download (right click)

25. Deer Tick - Christ Jesus

A Rhode Island band led by John McCauley's rough, wonderfully anguished voice, Deer Tick makes the kind of music that makes me want to do irrational things, like move to France or New York with just a suitcase...
Listen

24. Maps & Atlases - Solid Ground

Chicago-based Maps & Atlases seems to be composed entirely of urban woodsmen, and this song is so well structured and orchestrated, of course it's been on repeat.
Listen | Download (right click)

23. Hot Chip - Take It In

For their 2010 album, the English electropop band Hot Chip used the same bust of Hadrian I have on a t-shirt as their album art. So now I inadvertently have a Hot chip shirt. No, this isn't a complaint, especially if it puts their intelligent dance music stuck in my head all day.
Listen

22. Tobacco - Fresh Hex (feat. Beck)

Tobacco fits a lot into this minute and a half psychedelic dance track by starting right the hell away with Beck's dense lyrics about...concrete cactus cracking in the coliseum... Remember how good he was on Odelay? Okay, now just pair that with the wild noise of Black Moth Super Rainbow, which Tobacco fronts.
Listen | Download (right click)

21. Franz Nicolay - This is Not a Pipe

I was disappointed when I heard that Franz Nicolay was no longer with the Hold Steady, his wild stage presence will be missed, but I'm thrilled that his solo work is so good. Not the circus-keyboard music you might imagine, this is beautiful and vulnerable. Who knew the old Magritte surrealist reference could still have such emotional weight?
Listen | Download (right click)

20. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio

I admit to taking the National for granted, they are just so reliable in creating quality indie rock. High Violet is a great album, and although I haven't had it in rotation as much as their past work, I expect to be listening to this for years without it losing its luster.
Listen | Download (right click)

19. Ravens & Chimes - Division Street

Earlier this year, I saw Voxtrot's last concert ever, and Ravens & Chimes was the opener. I'm captivated by their breathtaking music and its honest intensity.
Listen | Download (right click)

18. Phantogram - Mouthful of Diamonds

There are things in this song I would love to say to certain people: "the world is not around because of you/you know I'm not around because of you." Except I can't say them in a way that's as direct, yet elegant, as Phantogram. Oh well.
Listen

17. Deerhunter - Helicopter

A summer night, I see Deerhunter perform on a pier in the Hudson River, ending their set with a building static that you think is going to turn into a song, and then realize that it is the song, and then let it absorb you. But don't worry, they make songs like "Helicopter," too.
Listen

16. Wye Oak - I Hope You Die

Unsurprisingly dark, "I Hope You Die" is still more sorrow than rage, and Wye Oak lets both smolder into ash. Put it under your eyes for the next battle.
Listen | Download (right click)

15. Mumford & Sons - White Blank Page

Technically released in 2009, I'm going with the US release of 2010 since that's when Mumford & Sons came into my life. Yes, they try to turn every song of theirs into a banjo-driven epic, but I love them for it. And of all the many listens I gave Sigh No More, this furious track got the most plays.
Listen

14. Destroyer - Chinatown

This is from an album that won't come up until next year, but I've been so obsessed with Dan Bejar, aka Destroyer, this year that I have to put something from him on this list. His voice is just so unique and perfect for the bizarre poetry that he sets to music. Here he borrows a tasteful amount of Kevin Barnes' sleaze to make a glittery track that is surprisingly dancey.
Listen | Download (right click)

13. Frightened Rabbit - Not Miserable

Seeing the Scottish band Frightened Rabbit play an acoustic set in a Brooklyn record store, I was able to hear some of their new album stripped to just Scott Hutchison's earnest lyrics and barely contained voice. This song stands out for me, with its slow build over basically one phrase, more and more desperate and unbelievable each time.
Listen

12. Rogue Wave - We Will Make a Song Destroy

No, Rogue Wave's Permalight isn't perfect. But this song is an example of their great songwriting full of surprising turns and Zach Rogue's heartfelt voice. And you have to admire a band that keeps going after kidney transplants, the tragic death of a member, and Rogue's own paralyzing injury. I hope that nothing ever stops them.
Listen

11. Dean & Britta - Knives from Bavaria

All of the music Dean & Britta wrote to accompany 13 of Andy Warhol's screentests has the perfect Silver Factory mood. This song stands out for me with the breathy vocals and newcomer to New York lyrics.
Listen

10. Kanye West - Runaway (feat. Pusha T)

Hey, did you know Kanye West put out an album? Yeah, I heard some people thought it was good. Well, I am definitely one of them. While it's not the godly perfection that some music sites think it is, it's his best album yet. Even if his lyrics are still ego driven and kind of awful. And yet the sampling and production is so brilliant, you can forget. I've had this song on repeat all week. And video bonus points for the ballet.
Listen

9. Owen Pallett - Lewis Takes Off His Shirt

When I saw Owen Pallett open for the Mountain Goats, I was amazed at how he mixed layers of violin into complex melodies. Not only is this a great song, but this live video is incredible. Pouring rain starts halfway into the song and just keeps getting more intense into a storm, but he refuses to leave the stage before it ends, willing to sacrifice his instrument, maybe anything, for this music. Seriously, if there is a better live performance video out there, I haven't seen it. Gives me chills every time.
Listen

8. LCD Soundsystem - I Can Change

I worry that finally "getting" LCD Soundsystem means I am getting old and disillusioned. I worry I will never be cooler than I am now, in my 20s living in Brooklyn. I worry that I will soon feel awkward going to concerts, that the bands will be older than me, that I will be irrelevant. I guess James Murphy makes me feel better about all of that. He understands.
Listen

7. Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

Good thing Yeasayer is here to pick me up from the floor of self-pity with unabashed optimism. And somehow they make it not annoying. Although this video...kind of creepy.
Listen | Download (right click)

6. Quadron - Slippin'

I just realized there is a lot of Scandinavian music on this list. Well, if they keep making music like this, I might have to move there (because you know, there's nothing happening in Brooklyn). Quadron is putting out the best soul music around and Coco's voice is just so smooth. I saw them play earlier this year and it was a killer performance. I'm hoping to hear a lot more from them in the future. This is from another album that was technically released in 2009, but I'm going with the US release.
Listen

5. Breathe Owl Breathe - Dog Walkers of the New Age

I was prepared to hate this band, from their twee name to the fact that the lead singer wears a cape while performing. I was so wrong. This song perfectly captures that mood of crossing the Manhattan Bridge on the train at night, thinking of all the living beings out there in the lights, in and under those tall buildings. Together, yet so alone.
Listen

4. Wolf Parade - Ghost Pressure

For about a month this year, I listened to all of Expo 86 on an endless loop at work. It kept me going. I'm so glad that Wolf Parade is back on track with the well-crafted indie rock that drew me to Apologies to the Queen Mary. I had a hard time picking a favorite from this album for this list, but went with "Ghost Pressure" for the way Dan Boeckner throws himself into it and the rest of the band follows without looking back.
Listen | Download (right click)

3. Caribou - Odessa

Oh Caribou, you've come a long way. While you've always been making great electronica, you have made a song that is just so insanely amazing, with so many driving hooks, no wonder this is topping so many people's lists. Keep doing what you're doing.
Listen | Download (right click)

2. The Hold Steady - The Weekenders

I didn't love their new album, but at least it had one of the Hold Steady's best songs yet. "The Weekenders" is a sort of sequel to "Chips Ahoy!," referencing the girl who can predict horse races to get money to get high. Now everyone is older, memories faded, but still there. It reminds me why I love the Hold Steady, the way their music is an evolving narrative, with characters and themes pulsing through if you pay attention. Plus, it has the best line of a song this year: "this theme of this party's the industrial age, and you came in dressed like a trainwreck."
Listen

1. Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait

I had a hard time deciding which song to put first, as my favorite song from 2010, and I ended up having to give it to the Arcade Fire. Not only did they release an incredible album with The Suburbs, they made an immersive experience to go with this song. "The Wilderness Downtown" takes you back to your hometown, to your home, using images from google resources to make a surprisingly emotional experience. It changed the way I thought about music videos, about the power of the internet for storytelling.
Experience It

my best of 2010

2011-01-05T20:07:04Z

Here are my favourites from last year - not all necessarily new releases, just everything that utterly dominated my playlist... plus descriptions so you know which ones are up your street!

1. Arms (While the Fire Dies version) – Seabear
World-softening, with lyrics that unribbon and wind around you. Divine.
... Buy We Built A Fire

2. Madder Red – Yeasayer
Bursts open gloriously like a call to arms, which makes the brutal honesty which follows all the more unexpected.
... Buy Odd Blood

3. If I Had a Boat – James Vincent McMorrow
If you like Bon Iver you'll appreciate McMorrow's soft-as-down voice; it's hard not to let this earnest, enchanting little song win you over.
... Buy Early in the Morning

4. The End of the World is Bigger Than Love – Jens Lekman
What can I say? It’s Jens Lekman, stepping straight from the doorway of his Maple Leaves days, and so you instantly throw yourself into his keeping, and let yourself fall, knowing this song will catch you, no matter what.
... Buy Jens Lekman

5. He Would Have Laughed – Deerhunter
In which you’re clearly hopelessly lost, and it’s probably going to rain, and you can’t find the people you came with, but maybe it’s not so bad – time is stretchy here, and you wander train stations and trackless forests and there’s something at the end of it all which feels suspiciously like courage.
... Buy Halycon Digest

6. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks – The National
Shattering, with a sadness underneath its skin that runs bone-deep. Sounds like a grand finale in every sense, and must be felt at full blast. All the very best of us string ourselves up for love.
... Buy High Violet

7. Excuses – The Morning Benders
A song to waltz with on the bedsheets; Excuses sparkles like champagne, dipping you down to your pillow and sending you spinning through the goosefeathers.
... Buy Big Echo

8. My Jeans – Jonathan Richman
Doo-wop cool-guy Jojo summer tune from 1985. Effortlessly entertaining.
... Buy Jonathan Richman

9. When Love is Dying – Elton John & Leon Russell
Which song is the odd one out? Elton John is rarely on my playlist, and if he is, there’s certainly no one on the piano stool with him. But the chorus here is something undeniable.
... Buy The Union

10. Zebra – Beach House
Plays the otherworldy, wounded love song even as the quiet accusation hangs in the air; don’t I know you better than the rest?
... Buy Teen Dream

2010 the music

2010-12-12T01:09:24Z

once a year, every year: the songs I listened to in 2010

1. Ring Ring – Sleigh Bells from Treats
Not Christmas music, nor are there bells present.

2. ‘39 – Queen from A Night At The Opera
I was at a New Year’s party where there was no TV or CD player, only a record player, so we listened to A Night At The Opera during the night and it was wonderful.

3. Alas I Cannot Swim – Laura Marling from Alas I Cannot Swim
I once made Evian listen to this song 30 times in a row and she still thinks it is pretty good.

4. Good Intentions Paving Company – Joanna Newsom from Have One On Me
A song for bad relationships and the end of them.

5. Do You Swear To Tell The Truth... – Amanda Palmer, independently produced (download for free from bandcamp also)
The song I was listening to when I got hit by a car.

6. Written in Reverse - Spoon from Transference
You don’t realize the energy in this song until you see it live and then it’s like a punch in the face.

7. Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons from Sigh No More
One of those songs I heard and immediately got all the rest of their music and bought concert tickets and listened to ten times in a row.

8. Brothersport – Animal Collective from Merriwether Post Pavillion
Let all of that time go

9. Dog Days Are Over – Florence and the Machine from Lungs
Something about the ‘happiness, it comes like a bullet in the back’

10. Be Calm – fun. from Aim and Ignite
The great tragedy of my year is that they were on campus for free a week before I heard their CD and I didn’t go see them.

11. Meantime – the Givers from The Givers EP
The great success of my year is that I went to the concert even though I hadn’t heard them yet.

12. The Chain – Ingrid Michaelson from Be OK
How many songs are sung in a round? NOT ENOUGH.

13. Madder Red – Yeasayer from the wonderful Odd Blood (download it, their website has a special offer)
Once a day, every day.

14. Camera Talk – Local Natives from Gorilla Manor
How many good concerts did I go to this year? So many.

15. The Sea is A Good Place To Think of the Future – Los Campesinos! from Romance is Boring
How many? So many.

16. Winter is Coming – Radical Face from Ghost
I couldn’t stop listening to this song. It feels like cold weather.

17. Thistle & Weeds - Mumford & Sons from Sigh No More
Their entire concert was a catharsis.

18. Love of an Orchestra – Noah & the Whale from First Days of Spring
I can’t think of a more hopeful song, and it starts with churchbells.

zip file of them all. If you're on my Christmas Card list you will get a physical copy! if not please enjoy them anyway.

OT: Bach and Chopin, 30 rare vinyl recordings by the Hungarian pianist Agi Jambor

2010-10-24T20:14:51Z

Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Chopin-Ballade_No.1.mp3 (21.19 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Chopin_Impromptu_in_A_Flat_Major.mp3 (10.76 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Chromatic_Fantasy___Fugue_2_2.mp3 (13.00 MB)
Download:		Bach-Partita_No.1_a__-__Agi_Jambor._piano.mp3 (16.42 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Chopin-Ballade_No.3.mp3 (16.23 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Italian_Concerto_1-Allegro.mp3 (9.30 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach-Partita_No.5_b.mp3 (12.22 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Toccata_BWV_916.mp3 (15.24 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Chopin_Impromptu_in_F_Sharp_Major_Op.36.mp3 (13.17 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Toccata_in_E_Minor_BWV_914.mp3 (18.56 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach-Partita_No._6_BWV_830__-_1_3.mp3 (20.57 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Chopin_Fantaisie_Impromtu.mp3 (13.02 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach-Partita_No._6_BWV_830__-_2_3.mp3 (22.83 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach-_Prelude_and_Fugue_in_E.mp3 (22.72 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Toccata_in_G_Minor_BWV_915.mp3 (23.60 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Fantaisia_in_G_Minor.mp3 (18.09 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Chopin_Impromptu_in_G_Flat_Major.mp3 (11.96 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Chopin-Ballade_No.2.mp3 (17.87 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach-Partita_No.1_b.mp3 (10.20 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach-Partita_No.3_a.mp3 (16.39 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Italian_Concerto_3-Presto.mp3 (8.56 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach-Partita_No._6_BWV_830__-_3_3.mp3 (13.11 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Chromatic_Fantasy___Fugue_1_2.mp3 (17.36 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Fantaisia_in_C_Minor.mp3 (10.60 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach-Partita_No.5_a.mp3 (19.31 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach-Partita_No.3_b.mp3 (13.10 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach-_Prelude_and_Fugue_in_A_Minor.mp3 (22.43 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Chopin-Ballade_No.4.mp3 (26.40 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Italian_Concerto_2-Adagio.mp3 (12.46 MB)
Download:		Agi_Jambor_-_Bach_Fantaisia_in_A_Minor.mp3 (13.89 MB)

"The Ballad of Robban's First Ride"

2010-06-28T22:10:57Z

Hi. I'm very new to LJ and just found an old post (2005-7-18) by singer_d , asking about "The Ballad of Robban's First Ride." As it's been so many years, I pasted part of singer_d's post below.

Malvina Reynolds did write this song about folksingers John Roberts and Tony Barrand and the baby born in the back of their car. Margaret MacArthur also recorded it on her album, The Old Songs. You can find the lyrics at http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/MALVINA/mr009.htm.

Note: According to Tony, the car was not second-hand, despite Malvina's lyrics.

@ 2005-07-18 14:11:00

Theme: It Really Happened! Well, mostly....

I tried and failed to find any documentation about this song online. The only performer I ever heard sing it was Margaret MacArthur, and this is my dim memory of her introduction at a concert many, many years ago, added to the skimpy liner notes of the ancient cassette I ripped it from. Tom and Mary Toleno were renting a little cabin from the MacArthurs, who were away on November 14th, 1972, when Mary went into labor during an early Vermont blizzard and they were trapped on the property by a fallen tree. Tom called a couple of other friends, and incidentally folk musicians, John Roberts and Tony Barrand, to meet them on the other side of the tree with their car and take them to the hospital. The next weekend, John and Tony were performing at a tribute festival for Malvina Reynolds at Cafe Lena, and of course were very excited about what had happened and told everyone. Master of Ceremonies Michael Cooney joked at the evening concert that Malvina was in the habit of writing a song before breakfast every morning, and wagered she couldn't complete a new song in time for her performance the next day. This is what she wrote the next morning before breakfast. Solo by Margaret.
The Ballad of Robban's First Ride (The Baby Was Born In the Car)

Looks like off-topic IS the topic these days.

2010-06-15T03:48:35Z

Having a party later this summer in which my backyard will be transformed into a fictional tropical island and looking for some good tropical/exotic sounding music.

You don't have to post tracks if you don't want to. I just need suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

off topic. two songs

2010-06-15T01:23:17Z

music. I was listening to the Format CD I got (I got the fun CD first, actually) and Dog Problems' (click that link, their website is super fun) titular track came on. When it was over, I said "again" and punched the back button on the CD player. And this got repeated about seven times. If you like fast/slow dynamics, tongue-in-cheek lyrics superimposed onto serious, heartfelt ones, horns, piano, a little bit of vaudeville, and Hush-Sound-esque lyrics and peppiness, then you should download Dog Problems. From the "you should see me, I smoke myself to sleep" to the cheeky "boys in swooping haircuts are bringing me down" and the heartfelt: "Was it worth it? when you slept with him? did you get it all out of your system?"

If you can figure out what he's trying to spell at the end of the song, please tell me. Her name...? BECA. it's really not a word. Someone speculated he started to spell out 'BECAUSE' but then says "I never finish phrases" and leaves it at that.

Also when I imported all my music in iTunes it kept all my old playlists and playcounts so thanks? but all the links are broken and so I have to manually go in and re-find my files for every song. (well, if I wanna keep my playcounts, I do. so for everything with >10 plays, yes.) So yesterday I was doing it for Regina, because she's my favorite, and I missed her at Bonnaroo's webcast, and stumbled upon A Canon and forgot how much I loved her unsold demos. Really, the only song I don't like by her is Aching to Pupate, and some of 11:11 is more forgettable than I would like. But this song is fantastic for its "I have given you love and I have given you anger and I meant them both" and the "I always knew a big boat would come and take me away, take me away," and the "they think I'm saying hello and goodbye, when what I'm really saying is---" so give it a listen.

also all the bonnaroo concerts I wanted to see webcast I've missed. Tori, Regina, Mumford & Sons. :(

OT: Trying to find a few songs

2010-06-04T22:05:05Z

First: What song is played during the newish AT&T ad for the Samsung and their wide coverage? The only specific thing I remember is that the ad focused on how awesome AT&T's coverage is and advertised a Samsung phone of some kind, and that the main image in it was a sort of orange-gold cloth--people running down a beach with a big banner of it, and...actually that's about all I can remember. No idea what song plays during it, because I can't find the ad itself anywhere online and can never catch enough of the lyrics to look them up.
ragingquietly found it! The ad is here and the song is by Nick Drake.

Second, another ad: Lincoln supposedly lists all their songs on their website, along with download links for the songs featured in said ads, but there's a new one...for the 2011 MKS, I believe (anyway I know it was the Lincoln MKS, and it wasn't any of the 2010 spots), and it's not on the website and I can't find it on Youtube. It's also not Shiny Toy Guns' "Burnin' For You" on the EcoBoost commercial; I'm 99% certain it was for a brand-new 2011 MKS. And I don't remember anything about the song because I haven't seen the ad in a while. >_<

Finally: I've heard this song a couple times on the radio but no one at the station ever said the name of the song or singer, and I thought I remembered enough of the lyrics to Google them, but nothing came up that looked right. It's a female singer, I think there's a steel guitar in the background of all or part of the song, and the lyrics I can remember go something like "I'm an acrobat, let me show you what these legs can do" and there's something about bending instead of breaking, I think...? I suspect it's by a fairly obscure singer since Googling the lyrics didn't help me any and it was on a college radio station. Sound familiar to anyone?

off-topic: music from recently

2010-05-27T01:21:02Z

I drive about 45 minutes to work each morning, so I have a lot of time to listen to music. And I drive the Hal Rogers Parkway, which is a sort of straight no-turnoffs interstate kind of road that you can safely drive at about 70 or 75 mph. And all the cars that pass me (which is most of them) usually drive at about 70 or 75mph. They don't seem to appreciate my efforts to drive my car in neutral for as much of the parkway as I possibly can, probably because this leads me to not care if I go the posted speed limit of 55mph. But I digress.

The point was that I get a lot of time to listen to music. I do this drive 6-10 times per week, which is about 5-7 plays of any CD and since so far I'm going at about a CD a week I thought I should say something about them or give you a song or something. So far it's been all ladies--

Kate Nash was the first week, and luckily I could fit both her CDs on one blank CD if I took the songs I didn't like from her first CD off. I loved Made of Bricks the first time I heard it, it's poppy fun and all that. But My Best Friend is You sort of went the other way? She could have gone two ways--the pop-star punk-rocker way or the Regina way, because her first CD was split about half and half between them, and she definitely went more pop-star punk-rocker. I really like Paris, which is the pop-star fun part with horns that sound like the audio equivalent of little starbursts on your powerpoint presentation. But I think my favorite is the regina-esque Pickpocket (have a download) because I had to stop and listen to it about a million times. Another one of those uncomfortably close lines--"get out, get out of town, before it catches up to you and you cannot withstand..." Mansion Song's spoken-word intro makes me really uncomfortable, but I never turn it off, so does that qualify it as art? I just have to keep listening for that Marla-Singer line:
"just another undignified product of society--
THAT GIRL SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MANSION"
and I don't regret it after that point.

Sleigh Bell's Treats (yes, I linked that, sorry) was last week and for all that I've been soooo excited and checking pretty much every day in may to see if this was leaked/out yet I'm not sure about it? The stuff that we've heard before is all fantastic--Infinity Guitars, Crown on the Ground, Ring Ring/Rill Rill (I'm really upset that they switched the pronouns on the "you're/we're just the weatherman, we/you make the wind blow" line, that was my FAVORITE and now it's backwards and I WANNA MAKE THE WIND BLOW) etc. But a lot of the other ones are just ehhhhh. And ever since that awful overplayed ahhhhh Boulevard of Broken Dreams I can't take that guitar effect seriously, the one at the beginning of Straight A's, I think it is. It's a bit like Japanese punk to me, too, am I the only on getting this vibe? Maybe the guitars + cute high girl singing just makes me think Japanese punk. It would be better in a movie, I think, with some badass action scene and a blonde chick wearing all black. You know, someone who goes from timid to badass in the course of the movie, and at the end there's a kind of Boondock Saints action/assassination/robbery/criminal/badass montage with Sleigh Bells playing. also lol and ditto on 10 Listen's "I want to rent out musical halls and destroy their PAs with this album. I want to see if this album can literally raise the dead. I think it can. I want this album to take my hearing because it’s the last thing I want to hear before I die and I don’t want to die yet." Preferably Riot Rhythm, kthxbai.

This week I'm listening to Basia Bulat's Heart of My Own. Do you know those bands that have no context? Some bands you hear about in blogs, or on the radio, or in magazines, or from friends, and you know what kind of music they're classified as, their label, the genre, where they fit: they have context. Basia Bulat has no context for me--I heard Go On on stereomood and immediately downloaded it, then heard Gold Rush somewhere and decided that getting the whole CD would be a good idea. So I did. And it still doesn't have much context. I like it, quite a lot--have this rollicking ditty (how often do I use the phrase rollicking ditty? I think this makes the first time, or the second if you count the use in this parenthetical phrase) called If Only You which starts out "I'm giving up, I'm going home" which is so much how I feel right now. Look out for fantastic lines like: "I've said hello to Jekyll and to Hyde / I still can't say who I want by my side / And truth be told / I love them both / and I'm no better half" ahhhhh look at that. Just look at that. And it's all good! you know, the sunny tree-covered parkway with sunglasses and windows down and all that and it's good for that. For real? All I know about her is that she's Canadian. And I'm okay with that. Music in a vacuum is easier to appreciate, sometimes.

Music Recommendation Post

2010-05-13T10:37:01Z

I keep meaning to do one of those music rec posts but somehow I always end up forgetting about it again. Not now, though, no sir.

The "Free-For-Grabs Online Music" Recommendation Post

I admit, I have become slightly obsessed with surfing for free *legal* music available on the world wide web. A few months ago I went through my music collection, remembering how awesome sites like mp3.com used to be, back in the days, when they were still offering free awesome tunes by musicians such as My Chemical Romance or Evanescence. Since mp3.com shut down its service, follow-up-sites have had a hard time coming even close to the level of awesome mp3.com used to carry. But there are some that are doing quite a fine job, and seeing as I frequent them regularly, I decided to pimp them.

( behind the cut )

Road Trip: Part II

2010-04-29T01:53:37Z

I decided to put a slightly different twist on this theme. I love that other people have picked up on it. I feel trendy and hip.

So, I have a whole playlist on iTunes called "Where in the world is..." where all the song titles reference real world locations.

Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis - Tom Waits [Buy]

Hey Charley, I'm pregnant
And living on 9th Street
Right above a dirty bookstore
Off Euclid Avenue

I used to find Tom Wait's voice vaguely frightening, but it's grown on me. The fact that this song, from a hooker to a former client of hers, is sung by a man lolarious.

Iowa - Dar Williams [Buy]

But way back where I come from, we never mean to bother,
We don’t like to make our passions other peoples concern...

I love this song because it's sound is so wonderfully....Midwestern. We're a strange people - proud, stubborn even, but hopelessly polite and obliging. We also have dozens of recipes for bar cookies.

Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John [Buy]

I used to be a rolling stone
You know if the cause was right
I'd leave to find the answer on the road

I have little to no idea what this song is actually about or what it has to to with Philadelphia, but it's just so darn catchy.

Punjab Paddy - Gaelic Storm [Buy]

Well, I said farewell to Erin only seven years ago
When asked were I was headed, I said, "Jesus, I don't know"
But I stepped ashore near Bangalore, not a tosser in my hand
By the time I hit Darjeeling, I was feeling mighty grand

Because sometimes you just need a change of scenery.

Boston and Saint John's - Great Big Sea [Buy]

I'm a rover and I'm bound to sail away
I'm a rover. Can you love me anyway?

Wholly Unnecessary Story Time: About a year ago I had to break up with my boyfriend because I was moving so far away and he has long outstanding issues about long-distance relationships. My room mate had our favorite band's music playing while my things were being loaded up. When it came time for my boyfriend to leave, this song was playing. Last December, he changed his mind and we've been managing well these past few months. I'll be glad when I can be back in the same city as him, though.

Bonus Track

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? - Rockapella [Buy]

I love this show and wish it was still on today. I'm a student teacher of a 9th grade world history class. Trust me, these kids need it. Revel in the very recently post-Cold War geography!

Two Themes

2010-04-28T19:15:23Z

Well, where do I begin? A little while ago someone else posted a short travel/driving playlist, and I figured I would post one of my own soon after. However, in the span of less than 24 hours, everything's changed. I got a call yesterday from my mom, saying that my grandmother who lives across the country is gravely ill, and I should try and see if my finals can be moved around, because I will probably be flying out for a funeral soon. I'm not horribly upset... I was never really that attached to her, and she's had a long and full life. But just the craziness of how quickly this has been sprung on me, and how all of a sudden my semester may now be finished tomorrow and I have to think of things to to pack, has led me to revisit a playlist I made years ago on my iPod to help me through tough situations.

1. Queen - Life Is Real (Song For Lennon) As the title suggests, this was written as a tribute to John Lennon after his murder. I am fond of it because it doesn't dwell on his death, or try to glorify him or anything like that. It's simply a meditation of getting through life. Best line "Life is real. Life is cruel. Life is a bitch." Buy Hot Space.

2. The Boomtown Rats - Fall Down "Put your head between your knees and breathe real deep/Let it in, let it out 'til it's over." One of the few songs that actually seems to help in that actual moment of breakdown, rather than talking about it after the fact. Short and sweet, but affective. Buy Mondo Bongo.

3. Tori Amos - God Tori lashes out at the man upstairs, seething "God, sometimes you just don't come through. Do you need a woman to look after you?" A good choice to channel your feelings in the "anger" stage of sadness. Buy Under The Pink.

4. James Blunt - Carry You Home Yes, yes, I know, James Blunt = cheesiness. But this song just seems so sincere, it always gets to me. Some of the lyrics seem more real to me than most other songs on this subject attempt... "As strong as you were/tender you'll go/I'm watching you breathing for the last time." So, my praise to Mr. Blunt for writing something so heartbreakingly beautiful. All The Lost Souls.

5. Cyndi Lauper - Unhook The Stars To whoever originally posted this song in this community about a year and a half ago, THANK YOU. I am basically forever in your gratitude. I would've expected an upbeat, lighthearted, dance-y number from Cyndi Lauper, but this finds her in a new voice: "Just when everything's in order and good, things fall apart." I couldn't even count how many times this song has gotten me through when the shit hits the fan. Buy Sisters of Avalon.

6. Dixie Chicks - Top of the World For lack of a better description, this is one of the most "beautifully depressing" songs I have ever heard. Originally written by Patty Griffin, the song takes the viewpoint of a man, who has neglected his wife and family and tries to explain why. The pain just seeps out of each verse, culminating in the instrumental bridge at the end of the song. I've always listened to it on rainy days, and it's absolutely perfect for this situation as well. Buy Home.

7. Kate Bush - And Dream Of Sheep This song appears to be a simple lullaby, but its lyrics actually get much deeper and more personal than that. My favorite line is "Let me be weak/Let me sleep." There are those moments when we are so stressed or overwhelmed, and just want to leave it all behind, but are obligated for one reason or another to keep going. "Let me be weak" has always been my silent plea in those situations... Let me break down, let me show how awful I'm feeling. The song helps to calm all of that for the time being. Buy Hounds of Love.

8. U2 - Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of And finally, when you're ready to move on and put everything behind you... or alternatively, when you know you should, but you just can't shake it off... this song comes like the comforting words of a friend. "It's just a moment, this time will pass." Sort of the 'light at the end of the tunnel' effect. Buy All That You Can't Leave Behind.

And as a bonus...
9. France Gall - Évidemment There's obviously a language barrier with this one, but I'll try to explain anyway. I first heard this song last year, when our French teacher played it for us during class. She described it as something like the French equivalent of "My Heart Will Go On," but neither the lyrics nor the music has ever seemed that overproduced/cheesy to me. The song was written after a close friend of the singer died unexpectedly, and the lyrics reflect those numb, uncertain feelings following a death. "On rit encore pour les bêtises, comme des enfants... mais pas comme avant." (We still laugh at silly jokes, just like children... but not like before.) The whole song takes an air of feeling different while the word goes on the same. Buy Babacar.

And I'm not totally abandoning the travel playlist idea, because I have a lot of flying and driving to look forward to in the coming week. Usually my travel playlists are very peppy and designed to make you excited about where you're going, but this one is obviously different. I know I'll be in somewhat of a fog... sort of like driving along, half asleep at sunrise. So that's what I've tried to select here.

1. Joni Mitchell - Amelia I can never get through a post without something from Joni, and I can never take a trip without listening to this song. Joni wrote the entire album it comes from on a trip she took alone across the country, and the results are some of the most evocative road songs ever written. This is an ode to Amelia Earhart, from one woman with "a dream to fly" to another, and it is absolutely gorgeous. Since I will actually be "driving across the burning desert" on this trip, I couldn't leave it out. Buy Hejira.

2. Arlo Guthrie - City of New Orleans I first heard this song, ironically, shortly after I'd gotten off a plane and was driving through the English countryside for the first time. I heard the lines "Good morning, America, how are ya?" and laughed, wondering if I'd even left at all. Ever since I've been attached to the song, and love playing it at the beginning of a long road trip, just as I'm waking up and anticipating all I'm going to see. Buy Hobo's Lullaby.

3. Bob Dylan - Desolation Row This is a long one, everyone. I remember groggily playing it while on a long drive through the mountains, as I'd been awake for 2 hours but the sun had been out less than one. The fog was retreating from the scenery and everything was bathed in pink and gold, and I just lost myself to the characters and setting of the song. Alternatively I've also played it late at night on a plane, while looking out the window at absolute darkness punctuated by a few glowing lights, and it seemed perfect then as well. Buy Highway 61 Revisited.

4. Bruce Springsteen - Devils and Dust No one can write road songs like Bruce. This one in particular seems to fit the uneasy nature of my upcoming trip, because while other songs like his, such as "The Rising" indicate a happy, optimistic trip, the uncertainty in the lyrics of Devils and Dust work so much better here. "We're a long, long way from home, Bobby... home's a long, long way from us." Buy Devils and Dust.

5. Led Zeppelin - Going to California A nice, sunny little song to help calm a racing mind. Every time I hear it I just imagine myself sitting in the grass somewhere, perfectly content and without a worry in the world. Additionally, the song was supposedly written about the singer of song #1 on this list, Joni Mitchell. Buy Led Zeppelin IV.

6. The Innocence Mission - Lakes of Canada Another song that has helped me through a lot of tough times. I don't know what it is about it... something in either the vocals or the lyrics just seems to reassure me, and remind me that whatever is going wrong is just a small episode in a much larger picture. Buy Birds of my Neighborhood.

7. Badly Drawn Boy - The Shining This is my absolute FAVORITE traveling song. It's never officially a trip unless I get to play it. It opens with a single cello, and seems to symbolize the road ahead and setting out on something. The lyrics go best with a sunrise, but I've found that the song works in just about every situation, including sunsets and airplanes. Once, I was humming the song to myself as I walked through an airport somewhere to my gate, and I heard it being played from a kiosk somewhere. That song didn't leave my head for the rest of the day after that. :) Buy The Hour of Bewilderbeast.

8. Simon & Garfunkel - Homeward Bound And finally, when it's all over, a song to help deal with the travel exhaustion and the jet lag by reminding you of where you're going. Buy Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits.

And there you have it! Hope you all enjoy them, and they come in handy when they're most needed.

OT: Homeward Bound!

2010-04-26T00:22:39Z

In 18 days I'll be done with graduate school and making the 10 hour drive home from Virginia to Ohio. Living in the South wasn't bad, but I'll be overwhelmingly excited to see it slip away behind me. Any way, here are some songs that I like to rock out to while driving. I just have 3 selections here because I am feeling lazy.

The Trail We Blaze - Elton John

The trail we blaze
Is a road uncharted
Through terra incognita to a golden shrine
No place for the traveler
To be faint-hearted
We are part of the sumptuous grand design

This is probably the ultimate driving song for me, especially because most of the time I'm going somewhere I've never been before (one of the hazards of moving out of state). The movie this song comes from is pretty fun, too, even if it makes my inner historian balk.

Buy The Road to El Dorado soundtrack here.

Piña Colada in a Pint Glass - Gaelic Storm

She wants a piña colada in a pint glass...
She wants to be where the summer won’t stop,
She wants gin clear water and milk white sand,
A sunburned nose and a drink in her hand
With a pink umbrella on top!

This song really hits home for me because it's all about not wanting to be where you are and working to change that. It also reminds me of my boyfriend - he's keen on Hawaii (wants to move there actually) and tropical shirts - we're celebrating King Kamehameha Day this year with a luau.

Buy How Are We Getting Home here.

And because I am weird and can't resist...

Oh, Virginia - Blessed Union of Souls

Oh, Virginia
All my friends are there to greet me
Just a smile down 64
and on the open road.

Because I do have friends in Yorktown, Williamsburg, Newport News, and Richmond whom I will miss getting to see regularly. I will be taking the "highway to the sun" on my way back home.

Buy Home here.

OT: Robots

2010-04-24T22:41:45Z

Twenty-five years ago Bowie sang "Loving The Alien". These days it would be "Loving the robot". Here are seven songs about robots and romance. If you're choosing just one song, take the Margaret one.

Robyn - Robotboy (original and superior ballad version)
Your batteries low
Did you crash again?
Robotboy, don't you need a friend?

Kraftwerk - Computer Love
Another lonely night, lonely night
Stare at the TV screen, TV screen
I don't know what to do, what to do
I need a rendezvous, rendezvous
Computer love

Gabriella Cilmi - Robots
What if we were made for wires and spare parts
What if there was only science is our hearts
Maybe we could love each other as robots

Margaret Berger - Robot Song
You're the only one who makes me feel a thing
You're the only one...
I'm in love with the robot
Come to get me when the stars die

Marina & The Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot
Can you teach me how to feel real?
Can you turn my power on?

Goldfrapp - Strict Machine
When you send me a pulse
Feel a wave of new love through me
I'm dressed in white noise
You know just what I want so please
Wonderful electric
Cover me in you

Robyn - Fembot
I got a lotta automatic booty applications
got a cpu maxed out sensation
looking for a joy to man my station

OT: i'm obsessed with this song

2010-04-22T04:22:10Z

...like it says.

Look, something not even remotely acoustic.

gackt; secret garden.
I've never flown in dreams. I imagine that if I do, it will be rather like listening to this song. My six-year obsession with Gackt could yield paragraphs of gushing, but suffice it to say--his voice is my favorite of all that I've heard--yes, ever. ♥ I pretty much learned to sing from listening to this guy. This is an excellent quality live recording from his 2001 concert Requiem et Reminiscence--the song is from Rebirth, one of his earlier albums. He's astoundingly versatile, so it's pretty impossible to pick one song that exemplifies his stuff, but I just found this one and have been listening to it nonstop all night...xD So here it is. Anyone who likes this, let me know, & I can recommend a few other things. Perhaps one day I will post 'Gackt: A (Quite Biased) Primer' here. For now, know that this song deserves all the superlatives at my command and then some.
Buy nine*nine or Rebirth.

audiography @ 2010-04-20T11:06:00

2010-04-20T16:06:42Z

I'm just posting up a storm recently, but I posted this song in my journal this morning so I thought I'd cross-post it here.

I woke up to listen to Kate Nash. She's got a new CD coming out, My Best Friend is You, and at first I was hesitant but it's growing on me. A bit more punk than I'm used to and prefer from her--Doo-Wah was so much Regina's That Time crossed with the 50s, but I'm easing into liking it. Ditto with the pseudo-spoken word Don't You Want To Share The Guilt? but the opening track Paris remains my favorite, so have it. It's all summer, sunshine and things going fast and a little bit of early 50s rock-n-roll vibe? That's the CD as a whole, though, not Paris necessarily, so take it and have a listen.

OT: moody dudes with acoustic guitars

2010-04-18T23:07:15Z

When I posted Jeffrey Foucault here a couple entries ago I was reminded of my abiding love for Moody Dudes with Acoustic Guitars--a genre of music that continues to flourish (and brood) the world over. xD Here's a small selection.

david wilcox; strong chemistry.
Was debating between songs of his to share, but picked this one in the end, because it's, it's got slink. Very understated, lovely dark tones in this one. Just him and the guitar and his easygoing tenor (which is naturally pretty gentle, and inclined towards softer songs than this one). I'd grown accustomed to his music being wistfully introspective, and then he sprang this on me. Creepy! (Also very fun to sing.)
a poppy flower is beautiful
gentle as a lover's touch
a touch is just a touch of strong medicine
and it's possible to take too much
we take it for comfort, to take away the pain for us
a poppy flower is beautiful
a thousand poppies is
dangerous
Buy Big Horizon. (Also would highly recommend How Did You Find Me Here. His cover of Buddy Mondlock's 'The Kid' is wooooonderful. *_*)

mike doughty; (when I) box the days (up).
Another difficult decision. It's all so good !Ever since I stumbled onto Mike Doughty--via this very community, actually, some time ago (whoever posted 'Rising Sign' has my everlasting gratitude!)--I've been devouring his discography with relish. His lyrics are always deliciously strange. Off-kilter vagrant poetry. Very restless stuff. This is from his new album, which features the fantastic Andrew 'Scrap' Livingston on crazy skittish cello doing circles around the guitar. ♥! I like listening to this song on public transportation.
well I dreamed I was a king in Phnom Penh
and I was giving up my throne
and all the people chatting on the muddy banks
said I'm an okay king and I sure can play the saxophone
then I woke up in a motel, I was
not so far from there
heard the shower running through a closed door
saw her dress laid across a desk chair
Buy Sad Man Happy Man.

frank christian; from my hands.
Another sly lyricist--and, damn, can he play guitar. Some iTunes biography describes him as 'virtuosic'. This is not an exaggeration. He makes it sound so easy to just dance all over the scale; he's fast, he's clever, and hard to get out of your head. I'm more sure of this song's attitude than its meaning, but the imagery gets across some dry, dark anticipation of...what. A chase? A less than healthy relationship's next stage? You be the judge (I have no idea). It's a terrific song.
don’t rebuke me with your blue-pencil words
it’s not some rumor I have overheard
or a passing bell at midnight delivering commands
I can wash you from my hands
mmmmm, you can watch me where I stand
Buy Follow That Road or From My Hands. This version of the song is from the former; the latter has a slightly slower, more produced take of it. Follow That Road's a compilation album from this songwriter's retreat on Martha's Vineyard, so the songs on it are all live and performed with much less accompaniment than their finalized counterparts.

nick drake; things behind the sun.
Where would a list of moody folk singers be without Nick Drake? The moodiest of them all. I listen to Nick Drake and I want to take rickety trains to unfamiliar forests and get there just before sunset so I get caught in long tree-shadows as the light moves through 'em. The melody is plain, but there's a lot of layers to this song. It's definitely an evening light song, and kind of a lonely, uncertain one. But all his songs sound lonely to me.
and once you've seen what they have been
to win the earth just won't seem worth
your night or your day
who'll hear what I say
open up the broken cup
let goodly sin and sunshine in
yes, that's today
Buy Pink Moon.

california guitar trio; punta patri.
Stepping back from lyrics for a moment, here's a slow-burning instrumental track from the versatile, prolific and yet bizarrely underrated California Guitar Trio. Nobody I know seems to have heard of them! This is my absolute favorite song of theirs (though nearly outmatched by another track from the same album, 'Waters of Eden'): mysterious, fluid, complex. It intensifies beautifully. This is a good song to listen to while trying to write an exciting scene in a novel, or gain momentum on something you're doing. Also, if you like this, you'll love The Senate's 'Harmonopticon' (and here it is)--if anything, it's even more intense.
Buy Rocks the West.

james keelaghan; I would I were.
A love song. James Keelaghan's voice. Asdlkjasd. It's so rich and sincere and simple. He does a lot of storytelling songs, and they're quite moving, but I've always been most attached to this one--it's so elegant and uncomplicated and, and, yeah I. I am a sap for this song, basically. If you are a sap too, then you will like it. It's one of those love songs where it doesn't matter whether it's requited or not, because that's not the point.
I wish the northern lights were of
a fabric apprehended
that from these earthbound human hands
those lights could be suspended
...and though this world is touch and go
I cannot but believe
of all the things that touch us first
love is the last to leave
Buy My Skies.

jeffrey foucault; secretariat.
This is the first song I ever heard of Jeffrey Foucault's, & it sent me scrambling for more. Irresistible! It's smooooooth and melancholy and (if you listen to the lyrics) lets longing war with weariness and cynicism to great effect. The singer (Foucault himself or some invention of his, I don't know) doesn't want to be alone anymore, but at the heart of the song confesses 'Love is patient, love is kind--but let's be honest; love is a catalogue of deadly sins.' The variety of comparisons--from Secretariat to Achilles to John Henry--give the singer an interesting character, too; like Doughty, a little bit of the poet-askew.
I need a woman with eyes like Rodin
to see the body caught within the stone
I'm going to take this bronze star heart
I've got; I'm going to melt it down
wait for love to cast the metal into bone
Buy Miles from the Lightning.

townes van zandt; highway kind.
The title track from the Jeffrey Foucault album from above is dedicated to Townes van Zandt, and you can see why the former was so fond of the latter--going from this song, at least, they have a lot in common. This song has much less hope than 'Secretariat', however: beware. Listening to it will not cheer you up. It's kind of devastating, in a quiet way. Sadness that's so certain and familiar it doesn't need to speak up anymore. if you want to be even more depressed by this song, glancing at van Zandt's biography will do it to you. |D But it's a beautiful song, one of the best of its kind, and well worth listening to--best, I think, after nightfall.
time among the pine trees
it felt like breath of air
usually I just walk these streets
and tell myself to care
sometimes I believe me
and sometimes I don't hear
sometimes the shape I'm in
won't let me go
Buy The Highway Kind.

nick drummond; man in the moon.
Ostensibly, the lyrics to this make their way towards a somewhat optimistic sentiment--one's eventual reunion with loved ones in the afterlife? 'my grandfather's waiting there/with a smile...and he says/I/I know/when you're ready, come find me', etc. But it's a lot more eerie than perusal of the lyrics would indicate. Nick Drummond mentions the moon in passing in a lot of his songs, most of them written for the aforementioned The Senate (my favorite local band, sadly on indefinite hiatus) of which he's the lead singer. This is the first song of his where it takes center stage, and the song's mood sets it up as a...hm, not ominous image, not like "doooom" but more in the sense of an omen. Tracking the shivery reflection of the moon on water up to its surer origin and thinking about death: that's what I get from this song. Nick is one of those guys who (like Andrew Bird) can just soar right up to high notes like it's nothing. Dude, I'm a soprano, and I can't always do that. :| Dang.
well I don't know where they've gone
but they're gone every day
when the living is over,
and the body breaks
well, some say we fly
won't you ease my mind
won't you ease my mind
Buy Where I'll Be.

ellis paul; king of seventh avenue.
Another find from Follow that Road, this is sort of the inverse of 'Man in the Moon' in that its subject--a man contemplating a leap from the twenty-seventh floor of a building in New York--seems depressing, but the song itself is actually very uplifting. I always feel better after listening to this song. Ellis Paul is a great urban storyteller; he strikes a great balance between lyricism/conversation/confession. All his songs are inhabited, if that makes sense.
in the window across from me
a man is committing a robbery
another form of the new york city lottery
his ears must be burning,
he drops his bag and he stares
I am the man out on the building
yes, there's no net down there

and there's a woman below that I see
her silhouette is quite beautiful
Buy Stories.

And, a bonus: a Dude with an Acoustic Guitar singing about how moody he's been and his method for ditching the moodiness. xD

buddy mondlock; magnolia street.
I defy anyone to stay woebegone after listening to this song.
take the lover's cross on up the hill
and push it off into the lover's landfill
we carry all this stuff around
we're not so deep; we're just weighted down
we should be nicer to our feet
and take 'em dancin' down magnolia street
Buy Poetic Justice.

april showers

2010-04-17T01:15:39Z

Two songs that I cannot, cannot, cannot quit listening to this month--they're connected by an uncertain thread in my mind, but nothing I can easily articulate. xD Perhaps all they share is my general April restlessness. Enjoy!

fleet foxes; icicle tusk.
What a weird little song this is! I've been a fan of Fleet Foxes for a long time, but this early self-titled EP had completely missed my attention until recently. I can't figure out what the title's 'icicle tusk' is referring to, but there's something about the tone that suggests a very interesting story. No 'I' in a Fleet Foxes song seems to lack some strange (often lonely, & perhaps a bit dark) narrative beneath the surface. As a side note, I've started associating this song with the webcomic Goodbye Chains, though I can't quite say why.
beneath the icicle tusk
you and me among the flattering dusk
in my haste I draw my weapon
designing your final lesson
as you recede to the floor
all is silent but the fluttering door
twenty-five grand on the table
of the high wall street stable
Buy Fleet Foxes EP.

jeffrey foucault; buckshot moon.
I inherited a thing for Moody Dudes with Acoustic Guitars from both my parents. Of this company, Mr. Foucault is one of the best! He has one of those impossibly warm, simple voices, here accompanied only by guitar and the soft sound of a crackling fire near the song's beginning. Ever sit in front of a fireplace or a woodstove and find yourself just staring into it and wondering? While the weather's outside against your window, & you're by yourself? That's this song.
and the snowfall comes with nightfall black
ice on the banks dust in the tracks
sere and gray as embers and cold
but burning the branches are dreaming of gold
how long, how long
'til anything sets me on fire?
how long, how long
until I know possession
from desire?
Buy Miles from the Lightning.

Laura Marling, top artist ATM

2010-04-16T23:59:24Z

I think someone here posted Laura Marling's Alas I Cannot Swim. Whoever did, I owe you a debt of gratitude--it's my #1 played song in iTunes. This version is live. The original song is a hidden track after a few minutes of birds chirping on her first CD, Alas I Cannot Swim and it's much more down-beat version of this song. Work more, earn more, live more, have more fun what more do you need?

Her second CD, I Speak Because I Can, just came out. I was ambivalent at first but over the past few days the first track, Devil's Spoke, has been in my head the past few days. The line, the whole little quick stanza of but the love of your life lives but lies no ore, and where she lay a flower grows followed by the but I am your keeper, I turn your face away from the light. ahhhhh. Take your devil by the spoke and spin him to the ground more excellent advice from Laura Marling.

Summer!

2010-04-10T22:25:28Z

Making yet another CRE (Community Revitalization Effort)... I don't know about where you live, but in the Philadelphia area, it got ridiculously warm, sunny and nice this week, to the point where everyone on my campus was lying out on the soccer field and treating it like it was a beach. (And then it rained and got cold all over again... but anyway.) So when this phenomenon first started, I eagerly took my iPod and speakers out to sit on the grass with my friends, blow bubbles, and listen to some feel-good music. But what to play? Since then I've been putting together my perfect summer playlist, and I figured I'd share a few of the tracks with you.

1. George Harrison - Got My Mind Set On You
Everyone has that one feel-good, poppy song to kick off the summer and a party. This is mine. Buy Cloud Nine.

2. Desmond Dekker - 007 (Shanty Town)
I'll apologize in advance that this link is actually to a youtube video, not an mp3. When my sister gave me her old iPod, this was on it, so I've never actually had the song on my computer. Anyway, when I first heard this, I really had never heard reggae at all, so I thought it was kind of strange. I kept it on my iPod however to remind me of my sister's odd taste in music, and it grew on me, to the point that now I blast it all the time and wish it was so much longer. Even if you're not a big fan of the genre, in time you'll find yourself singing along to "'Dem a-loot, 'dem a-shoot, 'dem a-win." ;) Buy Israelites: The Best of Desmond Dekker.

3. The Avalanches - Since I Left You
Got this one as a free iTunes download through a Rolling Stone promotion a few years ago. Another feel good party song, that in my opinion is enhanced by the fact that the actual band who put it all together never says a word throughout the entire song... the whole track is a big mashup of samples from a myriad of sources, creating some retro, disco-esque bliss. Buy Since I Left You.

4. The Offspring - Why Don't You Get A Job?
And then a nice little dose of 90s nostalgia for you all. :) I actually never heard this song until last summer, when I couldn't escape it whenever I was home due to my brother's discovery of it. I couldn't resist how catchy it was, and made it a part of my summer tradition as well. Of course, the tune is basically a giant ripoff of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, but I love it anyway. Buy Americana.

5. The Boomtown Rats - Living In An Island
I love this song because it seems like it has a nice, tropical rhythm, a normal little summer song... but if you listen to the lyrics, it's actually talking about all the different ways an island dweller can commit suicide. This fact doesn't make it any less fun to dance to, however. Buy A Tonic For The Troops.

6. Simon & Garfunkel - El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
This has always been one of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs. It's just so pretty and calming. I could lie out for hours, just listening to this and looking up at the sky. And of course, summer is the perfect season for this particular activity. Buy Bridge Over Troubled Water.

7. Big Brother & The Holding Company - Combination Of The Two
A tour-de-force from Janis Joplin's first band, which unfortunately never gets the same recognition as other "classic" hippie anthems, despite its inclusion in the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967. The lyrics may be kind of hard to make out, but when Janis gives her trademark "Whoooaaa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa"s, you know it's a great song. Buy Cheap Thrills

8. Fairport Convention - Si Tu Dois Partir
A French cover of Bob Dylan's "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" done by an English folk band? Yes! This is another light, happy song, and I actually think it's more endearing in this language than Bob's English version, even if you don't know the language. Some of that probably has to do with the unusual instrumentation on the track, which utilizes things like washboards and glass bottles. One of these bottles actually breaks during the track and the band keeps going. Buy Unhalfbricking.

9. Dixie Chicks - Truth No. 2
I've always had a soft spot for country/bluegrass music, and since summer to everyone isn't tropical locales, I figured I'd include this sort of country alternative to "Hey, Soul Sister" as well. Buy Home.

10. Joni Mitchell - You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio
Well... herm. I thought I would have no problem uploading the live version for all of you, but it appears that I bought that in the pre-DRM-free days of iTunes, and I can't seem to find it on youtube either. So the studio version will have to do. Not that there's anything wrong with that, since it's still a great song, but for me the slightly slower pace of the live version just adds an extra sultry, summery quality that makes the studio version feel rushed and far less relaxed. Anyway, this basically a cute little love song, and as an added bonus, in my youtube searching I discovered that it was recently covered by She & Him as well, which makes me extra happy. Buy either the album version from For The Roses or the live version from Miles of Aisles.

And there you have it! Enjoy them. :)

two atm.

2010-04-06T23:37:14Z

So Joanna Newsom's CD Have One On Me did the whole new-CD thing and I really only listened to it a few times; in its entirety, the CD is good but a bit too 1700s-minstrel for me.

but this song I listened to 46 times! Good Intentions Paving Company. it's the end of my last relationship, basically. You know,the one that's still kind of continuing. The first time I heard it I thought she was a little bit Joni Mitchell and thought the song was much older than it was; it came out this year but sounds like a 60s or 70s ballad. I saw straight way that the road was steep, but I fell for you honey, easy as falling asleep--and that right there is the course I keep as well as the how I said to you honey, just open your heart when I've got trouble even opening a honey jar...
reupload (again)

The other song off the CD I fully appreciate is Soft As Chalk. There is no treason, there is only lawlessness watch for the soft funky piano bit about 2:50 in; it repeats again around 4:50. You left me stranded, howlin in the night calling out--who is there? who is there?
reupload (again)

and I liked them both so much I wanted to share. Good for fans of women and pianos: Joni, Tori, Regina, etc.