Mon, 20 Aug 2007

Fri, 17 Aug 2007

I wasn't expecting it, mind. Seeing two lions humping on the cover of Aberfeldy's first album didn't exactly fill me with anticipation, or at least not the good kind. But I guess that was their little joke. Or maybe lion sex has a different implication in Scotland, from whence these folks hail. Because if I had to pick one word to describe them, it would be something like "sunny". Which hardly ever makes me think of lions, caught in the act or otherwise. Maybe that's my problem.

Wed, 15 Aug 2007

Mon, 13 Aug 2007

So here I sit, considering the album of the episode. And the first thought that arrives is the one that most of the reviewers on iTunes point out: who's gonna be stupid enough to pay ten dollars for the audio of an episode they can have for two? Which, you have to admit, is a pretty good question. And it did get me to buy the episode, if only to show my contempt for Hollywood Records' attempt to get another eight. Huh. And now I've paid for something I could have seen for free. Maybe they're not the stupid ones here.

Fri, 10 Aug 2007

I like covers. And I like most of the songs Arden performs here. Maybe that's the problem; each track reminds me of how much better the originals are. From California Dreamin' to At Seventeen, I wondered why she thought she had anything to add. But it's downhill from there: Love Is a Battlefield, You're So Vain and Downtown shouldn't be attempted by somebody so, well, uninspired. I think I'll listen to an oldies station for a couple of hours until the horror subsides.

Wed, 08 Aug 2007

The new album, entitled Tainted Love: Mating Calls and Fight Songs, is a collection of covers. But to my shame, I know almost none of the originals. Maybe if I did, I'd enjoy it more. But vocalist Ambrosia Parsley (and isn't that the most perfect name for a lead singer?) has such a distinctive voice that I just had to hear more. That led me here, to the group's third album. And perhaps because I don't know any of these songs and didn't expect to, or perhaps because the performances are more accessible, I found here the kind of listen experience I almost but didn't quite get on the new album.

So I'd suggest you listen to both and decide for yourself. Maybe you'll like one; maybe you'll like the other. And maybe your musical knowledge is better or at least more current than mine, and you'll appreciate Shivaree's way with a cover.

Mon, 06 Aug 2007

Fri, 03 Aug 2007

And a big part of the magic of this particular fantasy is the music, here performed by full orchestra some forty years after The Quiet Man. It's movie music of a particularly compelling style, which works rather well without the movie. That's not always the case, as I discovered a few years back at a very special concert by (I think) the now shuttered San Jose Symphony. They chose selections from films, playing scenes on a screen behind the orchestra and then performing the accompanying music. It was kind of awkward, I thought. Maybe it's better this way.

Wed, 01 Aug 2007

I've been a Car Talk fan for years, ever since I first discovered Click & Clack during my regular Saturday morning grocery run. I know nothing about cars, and cared even less, but with these guys it doesn't much matter. They're classic proof that the right teacher can make anything interesting. And now they're a podcast!

So what's with that "their loss" business? Well, when NPR first got wind of podcasting, there were two approaches. Some shows like On The Media and Wait Wait... Don't Tell me! got into the spirit of the thing and began offering their episodes for free download. Others thought there was money to be made from their content and went the pay route. Well, as I say, their failed experiment in capitalism is now one more reason to love the web, podcasting and your MP3 player of choice. Heck, I even know a little more about cars. Okay, a very little.

Mon, 30 Jul 2007

So it's with a sense of both nostalgia and head-shaking that I approach Songs. It's supposed to evoke those tinny tunes that once brought such joy on the hot summer days of my youth. (Now it's Tanqueray & tonic.) In truth, I hear more videogame soundtrack than joy of summer in these selections. But that's me; your mileage may vary.

Fri, 27 Jul 2007

Right?

Wed, 25 Jul 2007

Mon, 23 Jul 2007

So much for the defense. (Defensive, am I?) Now to the album at hand. String Theory is jazz, which usually doesn't involve any harps. It's a dancing bear kind of album, the impressive thing about a dancing bear not being that it dances well, but that it dances at all. Adding a harp, even one as good as hers, to Puttin' On The Ritz can't make me forget what Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle did to it. Fly Me (AKA Come Fly With Me) isn't really any different with a few more strings, although I grant that Misty isn't half bad. (Clearly, Jessica Walter terrorizing Clint Eastwood didn't scar me the way Mel Brooks did.) But Hang 'Em High? That's just creepy, with or without the harp. Then again, that was the point.

Fri, 20 Jul 2007

Wed, 18 Jul 2007

Mon, 16 Jul 2007

I mention this because I think I have another candidate. It was the end of the second week of my trip to Australia and New Zealand (what, is he on about that again?), and I turned on a television for the first time that trip. Flipping the channels, I came upon an MTVish show. And after a few minutes I was assaulted with Mika's song, Love Today. Before it had reached the chorus I was in pain; by the time it ended I realized that life as I knew it was over. I hated that song, and I couldn't wait to hear it again. And again. And again.

I suffer for his art. Now it's your turn.

Fri, 13 Jul 2007

Wed, 11 Jul 2007

I don't mention this to make you jealous, although I quite understand if you are. (Unless you're an Aussie or Kiwi, in which case you're wondering what the big deal is.) No, I'm just trying to explain my next few musical selections, for which I must thank my host on Waiheke Island.

Strange thing, that; for some reason my travel agent thinks I have both money and taste. At least that's the conclusion I drew when I arrived at the most amazing little B&B on the island, a half hour's ferry from downtown Auckland. Among the delights of the place was an impressive collection of CDs in my room, which I enjoyed over the next few days. This was the first disc I put on, and the one that left the most lasting impression. It reminds me of Waiheke: lush and rich and full of subtleties, but also warm and inviting and relaxed. Which is making me wish I was back there, if it weren't for the fact that I have you here, waiting for more blog posts. Oh, and that thing about having to make money so I can take more trips. There's that, I suppose.

Mon, 09 Jul 2007

And now they're doing a podcast. It isn't their shows; it's more meta than that. But hearing stories from the road, and the method to their madness, and meeting the players is a whole lot of fun too. And they do include bits from their various shows, two of which I was pleased to note will be playing later this year in San Francisco. Okay, so they're not the originals. Then again, considering what all the intervening years have done for me, is that a bad thing?

Fri, 06 Jul 2007