La Moretta

Icelandic Artist: Sigur Ros

Before I even decided to go to Iceland, I had taped a special of this group performing at MOMA. 

I had to go to All Music to find a way to describe the sound they produce, and I have opted for insular, soothing, spacey and theatrical. All Music also uses the word wintry but I think that is a default word they use to describe all Icelandic music. All I can say is that I have never heard music like this before. 

Their sound is most often described as post-rock, so I'll go with that. But it is wonderful and calming without being in any way sweet. The lead singer uses a falsetto, too. Much of his singing is gibberish, or, as they call it, "Vonlenska." They stand very still and don't make eye contact while they are performing, and the MOMA show was all lit in blue tones. 

Sigur Ros means "Victory Rose" in Icelandic. Isn't that beautiful?

It's Nouvelle to Me

I'm listening to Nouvelle Vague's eponymous debut album, which came out in 2004. I guess the best way to describe it is as bossa-nova remakes of New Wave classics, but that would be oversimplifying greatly. The singers put an ethereal but playful spin on the lyrics. It could have turned into a joke, but instead it gives the familiar tunes a haunting beauty. In other words, it doesn't sound like Shatner singing Mr. Tambourine Man.

I would say it's something that could be played at a rather casual dinner party -- as long as you remove the Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk to F**k" from rotation. 

Their version of Public Image Ltd.'s "This is Not a Love Song" is brilliant. 

In case you haven't heard it, I totally recommend it.

Thank you, Marc Bolan, for dying

I think I mentioned that I have the somewhat improbably good Starbucks "glam rock" CD. And, of course, you can't have glam rock without T.Rex. 

So I was listening to Jeepster and 20th-Century Boy, and those songs are still so awesome, in large part because Bolan is not an aging, fright-wigged pedophile like Gary Glitter.

Earlier today I was in the supermarket stocking up on water, bread and milk because of the threat of mild precipitation (AKA a "storm" in my area), and I was listening to the Jackson Five sing some sort of lively Christmas carol, and I remember hearing Michael Jackson's strong youthful voice and thinking, "God, what happened?" 

There are some transgressions you can't come back from. I haven't been able to listen to Pete Townshend without wincing since he was found with child pornography (actually before that -- his pomposity really irked me), and even MJ's early music is laden with all sorts of other meanings to me now ("Of course Billie Jean is not your lover, and the kid is not your son...")

I have to admit that although there were a few Pete Townshend/Who songs I really liked, I was more of a Stones fan, and I definitely preferred Prince to Michael Jackson. I don't know how I would have reacted if comparable news came out about my true faves -- would I be able to listen to Satisfaction knowing that Mick Jagger had been caught with farm animals?

Wow, I'm really digressing here. The point is, Marc Bolan still rocks. No kids or livestock. Which is really important when you are dealing with lyrics that are high on style and lower on substance:

"I move like a cat, charge like a ram, sting like a bee, babe I want to be your man..."

The lost verses from the Song of Songs?

I was running errands yesterday and listening to Blossom Dearie while doing so. Her voice is very clear and slightly wry, so the lyrics really stand out (I imagine she was a lyricist's dream).  Imagine my delight and surprise when I heard this from "Everything I've Got" by Rodgers and Hart:

I have eyes for you to give you dirty looks.
I have words that do not come from children's books
there's a trick with a knife I'm learning to do
And ev'rything I've got belongs to you.
I've a powerful anesthesia in my fist,
And the perfect wrist to give your neck atwist.
There are hammerlock holds,
I've mastered a few,
And ev'rything I've got belongs to you.
Share for share, share alike,
You get struck each time I strike.
You for me- me for me-
I'll give you plenty of nothing.
I'm not yours for better but for worse,
And I've learned to give the well-known witches' curse.
I've a terrible tongue, a temper for two,
And ev'rything I've got belongs to you.

Now I've never felt that way, of course...

West End Story

For some reason I can't get this particular song out of my head. It must be the intense gang rivalry in my neighborhood. Tonight's block party could be a bloodbath, especially if choreographed dancing breaks out.

A boy like that who'd kill your brother,
Forget that boy and find another,
One of your own kind!
Stick to your own kind!

A boy like that will give you sorrow,
You'll meet another boy tomorrow,
One of your own kind!
Stick to your own kind!

In Praise of Bjork

Today in the car I was listening to Bjork's album, Post. I haven't kept up with Bjork's most recent music -- the last album I own is 1997's Homogenic -- and this re-listen reminded me that I should catch up with her, stat.

I use the Web reference site Allmusic.com these days to research albums. It is one of the most impressive Web databases I have encountered, and I don't say that lightly. They have categories such as Genre, which assigns a broad, well, genre to each music type (for Bjork, that genre was rock). Then they have "styles" which, as you can probably guess, goes into a more specific area of music (for Bjork, alternative, trip-hop, club/dance, electronica and others). I'm often at a loss to figure out how to find "more of the same" when I really like a certain artist. The "style" category provides an immediate list of likely candidates (much better than those lame computer-generated referrals you find on other sites). But here are the sections that I adore, both as someone who enjoys writing and as someone who is very interested in harmony and atmosphere. These are the "moods" and "themes" categories. For Homogenic, which focused on Bjork's breakup with a boyfriend, the moods are:

• Cold
• Stately
• Complex
• Organic
• Wintry
• Brooding
• Innocent
• Sophisticated
• Theatrical
• Quirky
• Tense/Anxious
• Trippy
• Confident
• Sentimental
• Passionate
• Freewheeling
• Fun
• Intense

And the themes of the album are:

• Empowering
• The Creative Side
• Winter
• Reflection
• Introspection
• Breakup

If you were a really passionate music and database lover, you could get hundreds of good referrals and dozens of great adjectives for those times when you run out. Admit it, wouldn't you just love to use the word wintry more often?

Revisiting Percy Heath

I have been listening a lot to Percy Heath's CD, A Love Song. This is the one that my friend Jana recommended. A few months ago when I first heard it, I was impressed by its elegance and grace. Now that I have listened to it passively (while working), I have been able to appreciate the nuances, the elegance and the occasional moments of poignancy. Even if you don't like jazz, I strongly recommend purchasing this CD and giving it about a half-dozen passive listens (as background while you're working, while you're cleaning the house, etc.). I'm sure you'll be impressed.