You had me at female singer songwriter

The universe heard my call for new music. Recommendations have leaked from the ceiling and dripped into my laptop. Friends, both lifelong and the FB variety, have managed to share titles, artists, suggestions, and here's a keeper from a Utah pal: Maria Taylor. Her voice is lovely. The fighting geisha mime vibe of the video is a bit trippy.

A great band name

I've always kinda wondered what the band's sound was like. With a name like TV on the Radio, you know they're thinking outside the box. Turns out I like TV on the Radio. Gives me lots of potential band name combos too.

Hey rowdies in the crowd?!!? - Zip it! Trying to listen to "Family Tree" over here.

Might as well upload the whole record now!

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is just, to use a "Thoroughly Modern Millie" phrase, terrif. The album has pulled a trick from the Spoon-in-my-life playbook, which is to nudge a previously wallflower-ish song to the forefront. This weekend, it was "Girlfriend". Now the track is pulsating in my mind.

Good news, good news. Phoenix is coming to Texas in April. I have my pick of Houston or Austin, and a confirmed date. Corinna said she's in! Now I just have to get her a copy of the album. No worries, however, cause this is one guaranteed home run of a record.

p.s. the singing here is a bit pitchy & reminds me of a joke Jonathan told, something about an old opera singer's response to the auto pitch correct features commonly used in recording. "In my day," said the curmudgeonly baritone, "we called it singing in tune."

Idealized version of moments in a marriage

I love the movie "She's Having a Baby." Oh John Hughes, I'm missing you today. The story of a man learning how to be a husband and father, a man who is also learning how to be a writer, with mentions of the woman who is teaching him, may be corny and oh so 80s, but for those reasons and many more, it stays on that shelf in my heart where I put my favorite film treasures.

I love Kate Bush's voice too. Ethereal, floaty, tinny at times. A British goddess of vocal soaring.

So we put those two together, toss in a little Kevin Bacon, and serve!

"Freeform Jazz Exploration"

There's a funny scene in "This is Spinal Tap" where the band plays a sparsely attended outdoor show, and end up trying this jazz riff song that falls apart, a freeform jazz exploration, as a last-ditch effort to please the listeners and themselves. Like everything else in that movie, the scene is understatedly spot on and hilarious. But this song is nothing like that Spinal Top moment, except for the exploration. It's nearly 9 minutes long, and Phoenix has slipped in a secret, perfect love song in the last two minutes. It's a hidden gem in this beautiful instrumental unfolding. And for once, I can recommend that you watch the clip. Someone got pretty clever with timelapse photography. Enjoy.

Anthemic

Anthems rev up my heart and hands. Here's the anthemic theme song for the 2010 World Cup. Nothing says world fanfare like the World Cup, right? I think they (the official song choosers, of course) choose right with K'Naan's song "Wavin' Flag." He's a Somali hip-hop artist, and just listen to this wonderful song. It's world music with a smart political message filled with hope.

When I get older, I will be stronger, he sings ... it's what we all want.

Negotiations & Love Songs #14: "Poison Cup" by M. Ward

Here's something I love: M. Ward's guitar.



One
One
One
One or two won't do
Cos I want it all

And a sip
A sip
A sip or a spoonful won't do
No, I want it all

And I hope
I hope
Hope you know what I'm thinking of
I want all of your love
I need all of your love

She said "If love
If Love
Is a poison cup
Then drink it up"

"Cos a sip
A sip
Or a spoonful won't do
Won't do nothing for you
Except mess you up"

And I hope
I hope
Hope you know what this means
I'm gonna give you everything
I'm gonna give you everything

Negotiations & Love Songs #13: "Cowboy Take Me Away" by the Dixie Chicks

Can't believe they made the list. Twice! But I was sitting here this morning, remembering the silly "Landslide" video, and admitted to myself that this is one of my most very super favorite love songs - the happy kind, the functional relationship kind - and I think it's pretty and hopeful. Can we just have a taste of that too?
(Now ladies, the video direction has got to be item #1 on our next meeting agenda. What is going on here?)

Negotiations & Love Songs #12: "Till Kingdom Come" by Coldplay

Another Coldplay tune on my Valentine's playlist, but I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't include this song on the list. It's one of those over-and-over songs for me. It feels good to my ears. (Also, I think Martin's guitar is beautiful.) This is a song about waiting and waiting, but not begrudgingly. It's about holding on, and that kind of longsuffering takes courage.

Negotiations & Love Songs #11: "Purple Rain" by Prince

I've been loving this song for 23 years.

Sometimes, when I start listening to a song, I wonder if it's going to hold up under repeated listenings. Will I wear it out? I wonder.

This one doesn't wear out. Ever.

Negotiations & Love Songs #10: "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks

The Dixie Chicks' foray into goofiness got nuthin on this reigning mistress of strange, flowy dresses. Ms. Nicks is definitely her own creature (please step away from the guitarist - oh my, it's Lindsay Buckingham, didn't catch that on first viewing, well, okay, you can stand by him then), and no, Marni, I don't want to hear her sing "O Holy Night," but I love this song.

I believe her when she sings: "I've been afraid of changing cause I built my life around you." I believe her singing.

Negotiations & Love Songs #9: "Landslide" by the Dixie Chicks

Look, I like the Dixie Chicks. I like Natalie Maines' voice a bunch. I like the tight harmonies too. And I love this song - "Landslide", originally performed by Fleetwood Mac (see #10). But this video is so kookie, I just had to share it. What is going on with Natalie Maines in the living Salvador Dali painting? And Emilie and Marty (can't remember their married names) playing their instruments while rubbing bellies and strolling down Wall Street? And the outfits? Oh no, you didn't!

Oh no, you did - two doors just opened into an ocean. Ladies, ladies. Stick to making wildly controversial political statements that'll haunt you for years, not cornball videos like this.

Negotiations & Love Songs #7, #8: the Indigo Girls

"Virginia Woolf" is a love song in that I LOVE it, and it shares the love the Indigo Girls have for Virginia Woolf, and the love of each of us for each other, our human family members. Not really a Valentine's Day song, but truly, one of my favorites. I worked hard to learn that little guitar riff in college, and I managed to get the notes. I spent quite a little chunk of time one semester thinking about and hearing that song, and it touches me.

Oh, poor Virginia Woolf.  These artists and their tortured souls. My senior seminar covered the short fiction of Virginia Woolf, and my senior seminar paper analyzed her party fiction. I can't remember much, except for the pain experienced by characters (including Clarissa Dalloway) during the transitions between being alone and being with others. Life was not easy for them, or for her.

NOTE: this video clip is taken from "The Hours" and it shows Virginia Woolf's walk into the river and Julianne Moore's goodbye. Don't watch if you're not ready for that. Makes me weep.

The second song - "Ghost" - is simply one of the best love songs I've ever heard. Yearning and hurting expressed through the brilliant lyrics that all Indigo Girls fans enjoy on a regular basis. These two, oh these two, with their beautiful guitar work and sweet, pure harmonies. I love that "Ghost" alludes to Lake Itasca and the start of the Mississippi River. That's smart pop music. I go to the lake in my mind, cross the pebbly walkway, and enjoy a good cry.

Negotiations & Love Songs #6: "Footprints on My Ceiling" by Social Distortion

I asked my friend Kevin for a love song recommendation. Here's his song suggestion performed by one of his favorite bands (singers), Social Distortion: "i like this song because mike talks about frustration, vulnerability, the difficulty of being together, but then he reveals the need for communication and the denial of self-righteousness, which, in my understanding of God's design, is the real definition of love: exaltation of another person. so i really appreciate this song. it's one of the most honest, most authentic love songs this side of bill mallonee's 'love cocoon.'"

Negotiations & Love Songs #5: "Rise Up with Fists" by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Jenny Lewis used to be a child star. It's the first thing every magazine profile mentions about her. Then she was the lead singer of Rilo Kiley. She has a mean head of hair, doesn't she? I like her singing - kind of throaty, very pretty. My friend Rob reminded me today of this terrific song, so here we go. It isn't about romantic love, but is still a love song, I think - the love of a second chance.
But I still believe
And I will rise up with fists
And I will take what's mine mine mine
There but for the grace of God, go I

"If you believe they call it rock and roll"

Just Britt and a guitar and a mic. This song is usually a full-band show stopper, but he does it justice with this scaled down performance in some record store. One fun detail is the way this song references out other songs ("I Summon You" and "They Never Got You") on the Gimme Fiction album; "The Beast and Dragon, Adored" is track one of that record. He said in one interview that he got the idea of a roll call like that from Prince. The title of the tune he got from a book on Medieval French tapestries that sat on his grandmother's coffee table. (Nope, didn't have to look that up. Knew it. Pick me, pick me!)

Negotiations & Love Songs #4: "Ice Cream" by Sarah McLachlan

Psst ... I'm noticing that there's a quality consistency problem on youtube. Apparently, just ANYONE can upload a video. Some people might oughta spend a bit more time in the old home studio. Oh well.

Somebody wanted to do a nice job with this Sarah McLachlan tune. I dig the image ideas, but why the misspellings? And the weird crying faces? And the strange messages to the singer?  And the random cell phone pic? Look, my recommendation is to listen, but not watch this clip.

I love this song, really love this song. I sang this song as a duet at my wedding reception, so that pretty much sums it up right there.

Negotiations & Love Songs #3: "Rome" by Phoenix

Two songs a day as my Valentine's Day gift to myself. Then I have a tidy playlist ready to go on the big holiday!

The whole album is catchy. We've established that with "1901." It's a tasty genre, synth pop. I suppose the 80s girl in me likes the keyboard flourishes. This song presses up against my heart too. I really love the way Mars sings Rome over and over. It means something, even if I can't quite put my finger on it. The chord progression during the instrumental break and during the rest of the song (building, building, building) is just right, and Mars' falsetto feels delicate, vulnerable. The voice isn't perfect, but that isn't the point.

Fall fall falls. 

Negotiations & Love Songs #2: "The Scientist" by Coldplay

First of all, you have to see this video - the real video - the way Coldplay made it. You'll have to click on this link because all of the clips I found had the embedding code disabled. The video is clever, and its reverse motion echos the backward glances of the lyrics. My kids loooooove it, of course ("Is she hurt?" "No, she's pretending!")

Here's what the Wikipedia entry for this song (yeah, now songs have their own entries?!?!!): "When asked about the development of the song, during a track-by-track reveal, Martin said: "That's just about girls. It's weird that whatever else is on your mind, whether it's the downfall of global economics or terrible environmental troubles, the thing that always gets you most is when you fancy someone."

Sounds shallow, mate, but I'll give you the point.

To go back to the start. Tempting, eh? Possible? Maybe. Part of my healing process has included this kind of backward glancing: Before now there was the home I owned, and before that, a home rented, and before that our first apartment in Bryan. Keep going back to the start ... I was a student teacher, and before that an undergrad in College Station. Idaho comes next in this journey, or came first, and then I return to Minnesota, my first home.

Negotiations & Love Songs #1: "Marching Bands of Manhattan"

Countdown to February 14th - 14 Love Songs in 7 Days

Yep, I'm okay with Cupid's holiday. There is love in my heart for my children and my life, my family and my future. And my cookie jar.

I've already shared "re: Stacks" by Bon Iver, and that's definitely my most listened to love song of 2009, and it's still holding strong in 2010. It's the most atmospheric love song on my playlist ...

... But this Death Cab for Cutie might just be the sweetest/geekiest, with cumbersome lyrics (check) and pretty vocals (check) and surprising depth ("Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole").

Please excuse this person's homemade video. At least the lyrics are visible, but come on, can't you find a better font than this one?