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09.26.2003 music you missedIt's that time again. This week: Artist: Muse This'll be another tough one to describe. You may recognize the song "Sunburn" ("she burns like the sun...") from the iMac commercials a few years ago that touted their ability to burn CDs. Then again, you may not. I've heard them compared to Radiohead, but since I don't own any Radiohead albums (even though I like them), I can't comment intelligently on that. It's definitely "alternative". The songs have titles that rarely appear anywhere in the lyrics. I couldn't tell you what most of the songs are about, as the lyrics aren't literal or obvious, but you still get a strong sense of the emotions being expressed, and the words are enigmatic (like), not nonsensical (hate). The singer has impressive, Jeff Buckleyesque range and the arrangements are inventive. It's a great album to sing along to in the car, very cathartic. I do that a lot. I like it a lot. That's about all I have to say about it. Oh, and the band has a very well-designed website that's cool in both HTML and Flash formats. Now as a special bonus in honor of singer Robert Palmer's passing, a "music you missed" single slice! I always liked Robert Palmer, solo and with The Power Station. He was cool and classy and elegant...well, maybe not so much when he sold out to Pepsi, but who didn't sell out in those days (besides Neil Young)? I appreciated the tongue-in-cheek humor of his famous 80s videos, although they quickly became a parody of themselves. Anyway, my spotlight song is "Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming" from the Heavy Nova album (the one "Simply Irresistible" was on). I really like it. End of commentary! RIP, RP. special requestCan I just skip October this year? Please? It would really help me out. 09.24.2003 3 little wordsGIANT. LEAPING. BUGS. is what I dreamt about last night. Actually it was just one bug. And not quite as giant as the real-life (deep authoritative voice) MANTIS that visited my home a few weeks ago, but still horrifically big, in a 6-inch millipedal cockroach kinda way. It skittered and scrambled and stalked me throughout the dream, which was bad enough, then when it finally got out in the open to where I really couldn't avoid it (oh my god I just realized this is a huge friggin' metaphor for the feelings I've been trying to ignore), it started LEAPING. Like 4 feet up, and right towards ME. God, it was horrible, much girlie screaming and blind panic ensued. I think my stepdad was there, and I'm sure Freddie Prinze Jr. was, although I know not why. I'll tell you what, though, Freddie was no help at all, just sat there watching and laughing, so I pretty much hate that no-good bastard now. 09.21.2003 a perfectly circular cdI'm really not intending for this website to become nothing but a series of music reviews, but I must comment on the new album by A Perfect Circle, Thirteenth Step, which I bought Saturday. Damn, it's good: deep, dark, dense, complicated, a bit disturbing...just like Mer de Noms (and again, yes, not unlike me). That Maynard, he's got some issues - and with a name like Maynard how could you not? - but he sure does make some amazing music. 09.19.2003 music you missedHello and welcome to another installment of the feature no one asked for, and few read! This week: Artist: Toy Matinee This one is definitely obscure. If you've heard or heard of it before, and not from me, elsewhere, you get a gold star. If you own and like it, you may be The One!...other person who bought this album. It's another of my favorites, and I shall now lamely attempt to describe it and what it means to me. The best word I have for this album is "quirky". Musically, I guess you could call it pop. It's hummable and pleasant and has that studio-slick, richly-arranged sound I tend to like. The thing that makes it quirky, I guess, are the topics of some of the songs. "Last Plane Out" (which I love) is a jovially black-humored number about how the whole shallow, self-destructive lot of us is going to hell in a handbasket. "Turn It On Salvador", about Salvador Dali, has suitably surreal lyrics and features clarinets and Julian Lennon on background vocals. Strange, but fun. "Remember My Name" is about Czech president Vaclav Havel. I had no idea who that was before owning this album and still really don't but it's a lovely song nonetheless. Not all the songs are so esoteric, but even the more typical treatises on relationships are...atypical. "The Ballad of Jenny Ledge" is just an ode to the girl that got away, but with a chorus that begins "Tempted by half-Elvis, half man-about-town and a life of ease, she runs off with the Vegas King," it doesn't tell the story in quite the usual fashion. Despite the pop sensibilities, don't expect any ditties about how great it is to be in love here - the cynical, warped sensibilities of "Last Plane Out" prevail throughout the album, which is probably why I enjoy it so much. In short, it's a little off-kilter but rather likeable, like me, so if you like me, you may like Toy Matinee. Then again, you may just think I'm a freak and this album sucks. Eh, can't please everyone. 09.16.2003 for ben, for j-lo, for me, for youLet The Morning News comfort your aching, broken hearts, pets. 09.15.2003 it's a world gone madI'm sure you, like me, are reeling from the shocking news that Ben and J-Lo have split. Who could have seen this coming? I mean besides anyone, everyone, the blind, the stupid, the dead. Good lord, if two vapid, talentless attention whores can't make it in the crazy game of love, what hope is there for the rest of us? I weep at the thought. To take our minds off the tragedy, I offer a semi-subjective comparison of the 4 leading web browsers available for Macs, because I'm sure someone besides me gives a damn about this, and because I am a huge, huge dork.
Safari (view screenshot) Internet Explorer for Mac (view screenshot) Netscape Navigator (view screenshot) Mozilla Firebird (view screenshot)
09.12.2003 music you missedWhat is this, 4 weeks in a row now? Huh, maybe I can actually stick with something. This week's feature: Artist: Jeff Buckley Let me start by saying this is one of my favorite albums of all time. I'll have a hard time describing it, but I'll try. First off, Jeff Buckley's voice is beautiful and expressive, with amazing range. The songs themselves are brimming with emotion: passionate, mournful, tortured, desperate, wistful. It's all incredibly romantic, yet not all the songs are about love. In fact, there seems to be a death theme running through, which is eerie considering that Buckley tragically drowned not long after this album was released, at the age of 30. And it's romantic in a poetic, arty way, not a cheesy Michael Bolton way. The music itself weaves together many styles, which makes it difficult to describe (Led Zeppelin meets Billie Holliday, perhaps?). It also means it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Then again, what is? I will say that if you like Coldplay (JANIS), you'll probably like this. At any rate, it's too bad that such an amazing talent died so young. He was not only a gifted singer and songwriter, but a deft guitarist, as well. He was also gorgeous and single, so I'm pretty sure he was saving himself for me, just like John Cusack still is. Other JB albums have been released posthumously, but none shine for me like this one does. I could listen to it again and again, and hey!, I think I will, right now. I suggest you do the same! 09.09.2003 just for jan
09.07.2003 music *I* missed70's guitar rock and 80's hair bands continue to elude me, but nonetheless, I remain the undefeated champion of Mike's annual music trivia contest for the 6th year running. I can't remember your name, where I parked the car, or anything I learned in high school, but I can Name That Tune and a bunch of others in a reasonable amount of notes. I may be single*, childless*, have not 1 cent of savings nor any career to speak of, but never let it be said that I haven't accomplished anything in my life. With a skill like this, the world is my oyster, which is disappointing, because I hate oysters, and they do not make good pets. But no matter. I still have my pride, and the nifty custom-printed t-shirt I won in the contest. On an unrelated, non-musical note, I'm getting the itch to redesign the site again. It's been almost six months, and lordy, they have been a L-O-N-G six months. But I really like this design, and don't want it to go away. So I think I need to learn how to "skin" the site. Although that sounds really complicated (not to mention perverted and macabre). And the control freak in me wants to force you to see the site (and things in general) MY way. But then the indecisive side of me likes the idea of options and freedom (and chaos and confusion). And the kid in me enjoys the frosting side. So there you go! I have concluded nothing. Business as usual! But I did actually make a decision about something today. But then I couldn't act on the decision due to forces beyond my control, which means now I'm totally questioning my decision again, and will soon have reached a completely new decision, or (more likely) no decision at all. This may be why my list of accomplishments is so darn impressive. Then again, it may not...I can't decide.
09.05.2003 music you missedThis week's pick... Artist: Del Amitri I'm promoting 2 albums this week because (a) they kinda go together, being by the same artist n' all, (b) they're what I've been listening to all week, and (c) I can. Del Amitri's biggest radio hit has probably been "Roll to Me", which is not on either of either of these albums, which is fine by me, because I really don't care for it much. It's pleasant enough, but personally I think they've done better, on these 2 discs. I originally bought Change Everything for "Always the Last to Know" and "I Won't Take the Blame", which were in heavy rotation on the 'alternative' radio station I listened to at the time, and are both fine pop tunes about love gone wrong. But I immediately fell madly in love with "Just Like A Man", a tale of repressed jealousy and desire that is still one of my favorite songs of all time. The rest of album is also great. Waking Hours is another I bought for one track ("Kiss This Thing Goodbye") and ended up loving another even more ("Stone Cold Sober"). Again, the rest of the CD is consistently strong. This music is just....listenable. I love singer Justin Currie's voice (and those saucy sideburns!) and he pens some great lyrics (like "You've been seeing S.O.S. when it's just your clock reading 5:05") and he seems to have an ear for how the sounds of words themselves can add to a song. Given my own love affair with words, you can imagine how that makes me swoon. So now that I'm browsing Amazon.com for the proper links and seeing these CDs are actually readily available and they even have a Greatest Hits complitation out, maybe you didn't miss this stuff after all? But just in case you did, I'm here to steer you straight. I know, I'm a giver. how tallulah got her groove backI believe I've discovered the Secret to Happiness, and it is this: Whatever brings a smile to your face, laughter to your lips, joy to your heart, no matter how small or ridiculous, run with it. Some things that are doing the trick for me:
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