Move over Björk (of the Sugarcubes variety) and Kazu Makino (of the early Blonde Redhead variety). There's a new wailer in town and she means some mighty business. Meet Giovanna Cacciola and she's from Sicily. (Come to think of it why are all the good screechers from oversees?)
Tonight. I downloaded my first song. Ever. Off of the Internet. (Legally, of course. Paid for via itunes. I don't steal music.)
I've always smugly said "I don't download" when asked the types of music I get from the Internet. Or, when I read the New York Magazine "Look Book" or some such other "real person interview" where they ask "What's the last song you downloaded?" I was always just daring someone to interview me just so I could say "I don't download. I buy CDs." But, tonight I caved...
The rarest of gems was passed along to me a few years ago. A 24 track album of some of the most terribly great Christian and country demo tapes and train wreck songs to ever be recorded.
As travelers streamed on the plane I was taking from Houston to New York last Saturday, I sighed with relief as the two seats next to mine remained empty. Could I be lucky enough to get a whole row to myself for this three and a half hour flight? No.
I like rap. And there are a lot of reasons why I do. But I don't like it to be overly sexual or degrading or violent. However, I sure enjoy an inventive drop of the 'f-bomb' or one of its dirty cousins. Perhaps my favorite type of lyric is that of one of rap's essential elements: the boast. Whether it is lifting the MC or dropping the haters, a good line can put people in their place. I've assembled a small list of some notable examples from the bombastic, to the metaphorial, to the bizarre. What are some of your favorites?
Pure good times. I encourage you to go to Andrew Thompson's website and listen to the song "We're In Business".
A few weeks ago, I was riding back from the airport with a smiley happy cab driver who had a Phil Collins CD on repeat throughout the drive. He was singing along the entire time and seemed pretty blissful about it. I, on the other hand, was experiencing an extreme case of self-dislike as I sung along in my head to every single line of “Groovy Kind of Love.” I couldn’t help it, the words popped into my head as Phil (and my driver) crooned them from the front seat. Why, why, WHY must I know every word to this song, even though I haven’t heard it in years?
Our studio is the proud owner of a brand new Altec Lansing MX-5021. This fascinating stereophonic device includes:
- 2 satellites
- subwoofer
- wired controller
- wireless remote
- 2 speaker wires
- 3.5 mm stereo audio cable
- console gaming y-adapter
But no receiver, no cd player and no tape player.
Well, this could be considered a pre-review since officially the CD called With Teeth, hasn’t come out yet. My brother, who knows that I’m a huge NIN fan, turned me onto a site where you can download the whole album. So I downloaded it and proceded to burn it to a CD. I know, I know, very taboo and I can get fined and such, but I just couldn’t resist the temptation. Needless to say, the site has been shut down. I think actually it was shut down the same day I downloaded the album. Let the review begin:
gutsy.mp3 (click link to play)
Caught another great show last night at the Mercury Lounge (one of my fave NYC venues, despite the often-rude bouncers) from Denver quartet DeVotchka. Gorgeous, tragic-sounding-at-times, often-aching-beautiful music with an Eastern European flair. Each band member plays multiple instruments including an accordion, a trumpet and a tuba. I'm no music reviewer but...
