A Bureaucracy of One

YIEMB - Caro Emerald

Yeah, one post after complaining about how YiEMB is getting too focused on music, and I am right back there with another all-music extravaganza!  That's okay though, nobody reads this blog anyway, and I have the stats to prove it!

The blog Ectoplasmosis! used to be a daily read for me, back when founders Brownlee and Gauger were posting new stuff all the time.  These days, despite having copious co-editors and hired drooglings to do the dirty work, updates have become somewhat erratic.  That is okay though, because one Ectomo feature has stayed consistently good, and that is the Noise du Jour.  Sometimes awesome.  Sometimes awful. But always music I would never have heard on my own.  Like the subject of today's YiEMB, for instance.

Caro Emerald is a Dutch jazz singer and that is all I know about her despite my proclivity for slinking over to Wikipedia every time I run across something I don't know.  This time, I just can't be arsed to look her up.  Probably because I'm too busy hitting "replay" on her Youtube videos.

Now, most of friends would be had pressed to say whether or not I like jazz, and the truth is that I don't much care for it.  But then, I've pigeon-holed jazz to all sound like that the smooth shite that Kenny G has been unloading like aural cleveland steamers for the last twenty years.  Caro Emerald reminds me that this is really not true.  Fun, upbeat, and with a toe-tapping swing sound, her songs make me want to get up and dance.  

The first three songs in the playlist are the official videos for Caro Emerald's songs, and the final three are of her live in a radio station studio, with two of those songs being covers.  I won't say what songs she covers, but trust me when I say that you will not likely want to listen to the originals again!

 

Richard Thompson - A Primer

I can't stop eating sour cream & onion chips!

 

RIchard Thompson is not just one of the premier guitarists alive today, but he is also a poet and songwriter the likes of which the world rarely sees.  And I got to see him play a 2 1/2 show tonight that was sublime in it's brillance, and electric in its energy.  For those of you who do not know who he is (and shame on you! go here), I have provided a five eight-song play list, in mostly chronological order, to get you acquainted with his music.  However, since his career covers four decades and thirty-four albums, please understand that this is hardly representative of the sheer breadth of his work.

The first song is from the first band that RT was in, Fairport Convention was the jumpstart that the British folk-rock movement was looking for, and it was powered in part by Thompson's guitar, and his songwriting, as witnessed in "Meet on the Ledge".

Second up, "Tear-stained Letter", is one RT played at tonight's show, complete with audience sign-a-long in the middle.  Perhaps you've heard this song before, but did not know who it by.  Well, now you do. 

Then we have one of my all-time favorite songs, "Keep Your Distance".  There is that one person whose very presence calls to you from across the room. Someone for whom the torch still burns, but whom you cannot be with no matter how much you may want it.

The fourth song, "Beeswing", tells the haunting story of a woman too delicate to hold.  Supposedly Thompson was inspired to write the song based off of English folk singer Anne Briggs, though to my knowledge she never had a heroin habit.

"Cooksferry Queen" is an ode to powerful men brought round by a healthy dose of LSD.  At least, that's my take-away from the song. How else are you supposed to interpret, "She gave me pill to get bigger/She gave me one pill to get small"?

SOng six is a rarity int hat it is most definitely NOT a Richard Thompson song.  However, witness as he takes the poster child of insipid pop songs, "Oops, I Did It Again", and transforms it into a profound statement on the shallowness of young love.

The seventh song, "Dad's Gonna Kill Me", is an anti-war song, plain and simple, but an anti-war song as only Richard Thompson can sing it.

Finally, there is the only anomaly in my chronological list, "1952 Vincent Black Lightning".  This song is the quintessential Richard Thompson ballad of love, death, and society.  Seeing this song played live was like looking into the face of eternity for me.  Yes, I cried.  You would too.

 

Trouble Over Me

I just learned that I have a fracture in the lateral malleolus of my ankle, which bums me out because it means that I have to go full crutch for at least a week.  It also means several friends and family members have spontaneously offered any assistance they can, which is nice.  That outpouring put me in mind of a song that came on my iPod as I was driving home from getting the x-ray, called "trouble Over Me" by Tift Merritt.

For those that don't know, which, given Ms. Merritt's lack of mainstream success, is most of you, Tift Merritt is a North Carolina native that writes and performs lovely little folk songs with a country twang.  I have been a fan of her's ever since hearing this song on 99X's Organic X program in Atlanta in 2002.  Since then, She has released three more albums, the most recent of which, See You on the Moon, was released this past June.

So, why do I love this song?  Well, apart from Tift's beautiful vocals, and the poetry of the lyrics, there is a sentiment of reluctant romantic wistfulness that makes me smile.  The naivete of the singer regarding her crush on someone tickles that part of my heart that isn't a hard, blackened lump of iron ore.  

The lyrics are a kind of subversion of the typical love song as the singer notes that she a) doesn't want a boyfriend with all the drama and circumstance that one comes with, and b) she doesn't want love.  All she wants is someone who will be there for her is small ways, and with whom she can flirt.  Yet, at the same time she yearns for an affirmation of the deeper connection that she and her crush share.

And today the song takes on added significance for me as it encapsulates how I feel about my fractured ankle.  I do not wish to rely on my friends, but I do want to know that they are will to go through a little trouble over me.

 

 

 

Video bonus!!! Tift has another great song that fits my situation today: "Broken"!

New Music Monday

In the Distant Past, during a time of Vastly Superior Wage Earning, I would go into Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, and Borders on the weekends and walk out with four or five new cd's.  The following Monday at work would then be New Music Monday for my friends in the office, wherein I would bore them with news of my latest music purchases.

I can't afford to do that anymore.  Also, I don't work in an office.  The two are related, but that isn't important.  What is important is that due an infusion of birthday cash, I was able to go on a mini-spree at B&N today.  Below is a list of the cd's I purchased.  Really, I should probably wait to post this until I have actually listened to all the cd's, but bugger that for a lark!

Conjure One - Extraordinary Ways
I really love Conjure One's eponymously titled first cd.  It is a gorgeous blend of vocals and electronica, with guest appearances by Poe, Sinead O'Connor, and couple of singers I'd never heard of before.  For the last five years I have hoped for a follow-up album from Rhys Fulber, and Extraordinary Ways is it.  Of course, EW actually came out in 2005, meaning I've unwittingly denied myself satisfaction for two extra years.
   As with the first album, Poe does vocal duties on several tracks on EW, appearing under the pseudonym "Jane".

When in Rome - When in Rome
Quintessential 80's One Hit Wonder.  Yes, I bought this album just for The Promise.

Once - Music From the Motion Picture
I bought this one sound unheard, based simply on the recommendation of a good friend of mine.  The movie is supposed to be a very sweet love story that utilizes the songs in key plot points.  Unlike other movies, the songs are actually performed by stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

Alison Krauss - A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection
It could be Alison Krauss Reads the Phone Book, and I'd still buy it.  This cd, however, allows me to own a copy of Whiskey Lullaby without actually having to own a Brad Paisley album.  Yay!

KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza
I love KT's debut album Eye to the Telescope, so picking this one up seemed like the natural thing to do.  That it comes with a bonus dvd only sweetened the deal.  I just hope neither cd nor dvd actually suck.

Daft Punk - Homework
I've always regretted the lack of Daft Punk in my life, and with this purchase I have corrected that minor error.  If you remember the video of the guy in the dog mask walking around the city at night, then you remember Da Funk.

Afro Celt Sound System - Volume 1: Sound Magic
An incredible fusion of African and Celtic musical influences, this trip-hop group has been a favorite of mine since I purchased their Vol. 3: Further in Time album back in 2001.  Originally I had bought the cd for the Peter Gabriel-voice track When You're Falling, but I soon fell in love with the entire album.

"Thou Shalt..."

Youtube is Eating My Brain - the Music Video

From Nerf Herder (I Don't Wanna Be No) by The Younglings, to Mr. Spock by Nerf Herder.

Two from Mindy Smith: Jolene and One Moment More.

What Set the Gorillaz on the map, and my fave Gorillaz track.

Tommy Shaw had one decent song in the Eighties.  And somebody made it better by using it for a Dirty Pair AMV.  I remember seeing that DP video on a VHS tape I borrowed from a friend in college.  That would be around '93 or so.  Never thought I'd see it again.

I have the Eskobar EP this next song is from, and I can't say I much enjoy the other tracks.  Someone New however, features Heather Nova, and she is my queen.

Finally, two from the kickass Spanish band Celtas Cortos.  Tranquilo Majete, and (my favorite) Romance de Isabella y Domingo.  Almost makes me want to go back to Spain this summer.

More Music Videos That Don't Suck

Last year I posted links to some music videos made using machinima (though several of them were not technically machinima, but simply used footage from in-game cut scenes).  Well, here are some more music videos that I think don't suck*.

First up, Mr. Bright Side by The Killers.  This one is done using The SIMS 2 engine.  A little rough, but entertaining.  And now that the song isn't getting flogged by every radio station around the country, it is even tolerable!

Next up, Lily Allen's Smile - this one also uses the The SIMS 2 engine, but goes a bit further and uses Simlish as well.  Actually, this one falls under "Annoying" after the second viewing, but the first viewing is very funny!  Here is the original video which is also very entertaining, and doesn't become annoying upon a second viewing.

And since I am on a Lily Allen kick, here's one more: Knock 'Em Out, also using the SIMS 2 engine (yes, I am looking for other non-SIMS videos).

Now for a change of pace in the form of footage from the first Bloodrayne game set to a song by Finnish metal band Nightwish.  Because cheesecake and cheesy metal were made for each other.  But the Bloodrayne joy doesn't end there, oh no it does not!  Next in line is Meat Loaf's I'd Lie For You (And that's the Truth), followed up by another Nightwish song, Planet Hell!

Okay, I'm going to go to bed now.

*No pun intended on the Bloodrayne videos.

Machinima Meets Music: Music Videos That Don't Suck

I gave up on MTV years ago.  Not only were they starting to phase out music videos in favor of reruns of The Real World, but the music videos they did show invariably sucked.  I do not mean that the music sucked (though, there was that problem, too), rather that the videos themselves were starting to become drab, uninteresting affairs that did little to engage my attention and imagination.

Then, a couple years back I lucked into a show on either Fuse or MTV that showcased machinima music videos of popular songs and I was immediately entranced.  Here was a medium that combined music and video games, and I couldn't get enough.  However, as is common with us ADD types, I pretty much forgot about it by the next day.  And while those videos did pop back into mind every now and then, I never held out much hope for seeing them, or their like, ever again.  Then Youtube exploded onto the scene, and Google Video followed closely after. 

Honestly, I didn't "get" the whole Youtube phenomenon until just recently.  Head up my ass, or head in the clouds, but my few brushes with Youtube and Google Video had left me cold.  Fifteen second clips of grainy video and crappy sound of some guy getting it in the joyjumblies with a baseball bat?  I decided to take a pass.   What I didn't understand was the unique venue that Youtube and Google Video offered - a free and (more importantly) easy to use platform for amateur filmmakers to showcase their work.

I didn't appreciate that, until this.  While it is true that the Internet is for porn, it is now also for some truly creative and inventive artists to finally get notice.  Here, then, are a few of my favorite machinima music videos.

From the Sims 2 we get this tribute to Captain Picard.

Some enterprising individual took the cinematic cut scenes from FFX and put them to James Blunt's Beautiful.  It is, to use a little vulgarity, f***ing beautiful.

One of my favorite songs of the last couple years, Breaking Benjamin's So Cold is used for Still Seeing Breen, a video that uses the phenomenal Source engine from Half Life 2.  The lip-syncing of the G-Man was done using the Faceposer tool included with the Source Engine.

A really annoying song that has a really well done music video.  I'm Too Sexy as imagined by a World of Warcraft clan with way too much time on their hands.

Here's a unique one: it is an original song written specifically for a character class in World of Warcraft.  I give you...Big Blue Dress.  Funny and awesome.

And finally, we have a new twist on an Internet classic.