Currently listening to...

...the old-school House music sound of "Turn Me Out" by Russ Chimes. This is the kind of song I would have heard on the dance floor, back in my clubbing days, that would have sent me running to the DJ booth yelling, "WHAT IS THIS? I HAVE TO HAVE IT!"

http://www.russchimes.com/

R.I.P. Chrissy Amphlett

We have lost one of the great voices of rock n' roll. Chrissy Amphlett, lead singer of the Australian band Divinyls has died at the all-too-young age of 53 from a three year battle with breast cancer, and multiple sclerosis.

The band's first release in 1983, "Desperate," featuring Amphlett on the cover in her iconic schoolgirl uniform and fishnet hose, ripped into the rock world. Her reedy, gravelly growl was immediately identifiable and gave the band an edge and a quality that demanded attention. Listen to "Elsie," the chilling, epic final track from "Desperate" in which Amphlett roars and rumbles (at the 3:26 mark).

She never had an education
She uses life as her vocation
Standing on ledges, clinging to the edges
The world's a hard place to land on

She has this one way conversation
Trying to avoid a confrontation
Memories of the kind that she'd rather leave behind
The worlds' a hard place to land on

Life can be lonely
Life can be very sad
Life can be something you wish you'd never had

She never had any affection
So she relates well to rejection
No stories wait discovery
Dreams have passed recovery
Never had a chance from the beginning

She just sleeps all day
In her squalid little slum
And takes little white pills
To make her body feel all numb
And it's dark and dirty
And there's nothing left to eat
And in her heart there's a feeling of defeat
Smells of bugs and fornication
And a bottle of cheat scent
Should she stick around
If this is all that life meant

Life can be lonely
Life can be very sad
Life can be something you wish you'd never had

Open the door Wally, open the door Wally


Her New York Times obit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/arts/music/christina-amphlett-divinyls-singer-dies-at-53.html?_r=0

BEAUTY: Art--Trevor Young

Trevor Young's ode to empty urban spaces is reminiscent of other artists like Edward Hopper and Ed Ruscha who have been hypnotized by the inexplicable lure of these void-like places. His minimalist-realist approach to portraying these spots adds to the blandness of each landscape...

Top to bottom: Automated Convenience; Automatic Cut-Off; Beautiful Erection; Buttress 3; Caress; Claim Etiquette; Full Pump; Hire; Man In A Box

Watch Trevor Young explain "non-places" in this video interview... I think I have a new art crush: that hair, those sideburns, that smile, those eyes... that stubble! *swoon*

http://www.trevoryoung.net/home

Sigur Ros LIVE!

Last night, April 17, 2013, I finally got to see my beloved Sigur Ros in person! When they have rolled through Northern California in the past, the timing has never been right for me to see them, but the stars aligned this time, and their appearance at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco was, for me, a highly emotional spectacle. Seen from absolutely perfect seats, I must add...I couldn't have asked for a better vantage point.

They opened the show behind a scrim, on which was projected what looked like dark moving clouds...and a backlit Jónsi was seen intently bent over his guitar sawing away with his cello bow. But the scrim dropped during the next number to reveal a massive, panoramic projector screen which was alternately raised above the band and lowered to stage level, depending on the mood and lighting effects for each song. The film and graphics projected on the screen for each song included shots and clips from that song's accompanying video, if one was created. So, for "Sæglópur," for instance, we were presented with images of the young boy swimming underwater from the official video, seen here. In each instance though, the video was not shown in its entirety, but used as a way to evoke, and was mixed with sparks, clouds, rippling water, swirling galaxies, shooting stars, smoke, glittering dust motes, or other textural elements. Some songs that did not have an accompanying video were surprisingly even more beautiful: once, on a jagged, rocky landscape, tiny figures of people appeared, holding flashing beacons, but halfway through the song, the beacons rose up, floating over us in a moment of gentle emotional release, suggesting the possible release of the soul.

Strategically placed small golden lights on rods were scattered across the stage which, when illuminated, resembled twinkling fireflies or a sea of pulsing, glowing orbs. Special lights--sometimes emitting blinding flashes--aimed out at the audience added to the crescendos, and silhouetted the band along with the string and horn sections.

I must confess to a goose bump moment when I heard Jónsi start to sing the first song of the evening... I had to remind myself that I was actually hearing, in person, that voice that has the quality of a universal angel of compassion. His voice and phrasing are a brilliant counterpart to the often expansive, grand, shaking and shattering sound Sigur Ros can produce... a cosmic, transcendent sound that invokes at once creation and destruction. It was a marvel to experience these crescendos first hand, to hear them go on for five minutes or more, and just when one thinks the song is going to end, the crescendo gets ratcheted up so the crescendo gets a crescendo. Simply awe-inspiring.

They played all my favorite songs, like "Glósóli" and track one from their "( )" release. They even performed "Brennisteinn" as well as "Kveikur" (in English: "Quaker") from their forthcoming release of the same name. But most importantly, I got to hear the heart-stopping "Svefn-g-englar" or "Sleepwalkers" in English. This song was the first Sigur Ros composition I ever heard, more than a decade ago and it occupies a very special place in my heart. And for the gentle, lulling "Tjú" refrain (in Icelandic, the word "Tjú" is a comforting sound one makes to a baby), I was fascinated to watch Jónsi perform a little sonic trick: he raised his guitar and sang into it so the electric feed picked it up and brought it to the speakers sounding muffled and far away. Watch him do this in the video below (enlarge to full screen)... and notice the pulsing, glowing lights...

I bought a great tour tee of very soft grey jersey on which is printed, in highly reflective silver metallic, the name/logo of the band.

It was a lovely evening. Thanks to my friends Judy and Bianca for coming along, and thanks to my man for the tickets, an early birthday present!

http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/

With your back to the camera...

Kind of fits my mood today...

For a list of all the films, go to the Plot Point Productions Vimeo link below.
http://vimeo.com/63718300

SZA

I am thrilled to have discovered SZA (pronounced "SIZZ-ah"), a new recording artist from New Jersey. She is a phenomenal cross between Chaka Khan and Björk (whom she greatly admires) and I can't get enough of her unique sound, which she has named "Glitter Trap." I am absolutely smitten.

For days now, I have been listening to her song "Aftermath" from her most recent EP "S." Take a listen and see if you don't feel something amazingly special about her and her music...

The lyrics are tangential, stream of consciousness, a little fearless:

Aftermath

I apologize for waiting to tell you for so long I am not human
I am made of bacon,
Fairy tales, pixie dust
I don't feel
I hung myself, I didn't die
I'm omnipotent, I'm alive
Not real--I'm alive

You leave me careless, I like it
I like it

Caught up in the blast, caught up in the action
Caught up in the bursting flame, there's comfort in dying
Comfort in burning

Maybe we should burn

Doubt I'll ever be anyone's baby
Livin' as a unicorn gets so lonely
I have no answers, I have no questions, stuck in your tandem
Heat that's worth standing
I like it

Caught up in the blast, caught up in the action, caught up in the bursting flame
There's comfort in dying, comfort in burning

Maybe we should burn

I can feel the accidents happening slowly
Falling for the rapture ever so boldly
I will go willingly
You don't have to kidnap, I like to be kidnapped
You leave me careless
I like it
I like it

Maybe we should burn

Doubt I'll ever be anyone's baby

Wow.
And I must share two more songs from the same EP.

"Castles" is a lovely, shimmering slice of heaven that uses a sample from Fleetwood Mac's song "Everywhere."
"Tell me if it's easier for you... tell me it gets easier for me."
*sigh*

And "Ice Moon" is...well, it's a stunning, dreamy gem.

"S" and her previous EP "See.SZA.Run" are both available for download at her Soundcloud.
http://soundcloud.com/justsza

http://www.justsza.com/
http://seeszarun.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/justsza

BEAUTY: Art--Andy Dixon

Cute Canadian Andy Dixon is somewhat of a cross-disciplinary artist, having started in music (he has made punk music, as well as experimental electronic music under the nom de musique Secret Mommy) but then he moved into the visual arts. He says he has used naïve outsider art techniques to create outsider content but now he wants to "join the Great Conversation," by which he means a tradition of creating art in the context of art history. The following pieces utilize his marvelous naïve style and riotous color palette to explore a more traditional form of classical portraiture.

Top to bottom: Fox Hunter 1; Matador; Portrait of a Lord 1; Portrait of a Lord 3; Portrait of a Schoolteacher; Woman On Horse

But his abstract work, often featuring text, is quite compelling as well. I love the Cy Twombly-esque scribbling mixed with unexpected words and phrases.

Top to bottom: Countless Things, One Of Them Burning; Everything That Has Ever Happened Up To And Including Today; 17 Things Burning; One Of Many Places To Hide; Such Events Have Led Us Here; Mt. Career; The Patron Saint Of The Hoax; The Place Next To Where I Was Born

Take a look at this charming, whimsical presentation Dixon did at an event in Vancouver called Pecha Kucha in which presenters are allowed to talk while 20 slides of their choosing are shown for 20 seconds each.

Check out his website and his shop where you can purchase music and prints!
http://www.andydixon.net/

"The Ghost"--Efterklang

So. Lovely.

http://efterklang.net/home/

Fryars

I have just stumbled upon Fryars, and wow, am I glad I did! Listen to this pop-electronic-R&B-ambient-dance... oh never mind, just listen.

http://fryars.co.uk/

"5m80"

I adore giraffes almost as much as I do bunnies.

"We Can Be Ghosts Now"--Hiatus

"Meet me in the dust cloud... Meet me in the white light."
By Hiatus featuring Shura.

The video is lovely but the song has really snuck up on me... shimmering, tender, bittersweet, powerful. The golden, glittering combination of the chimes and mandolin as a backdrop for Shura's murmurings is just...just...oh... *swoon.*

UPDATE 4/1/13:
I just can't let this song go. It is moving me to my core, and after finding out more about it, I can finally feel why. The artist Hiatus, whose real name is Cyrus Shahrad, wrote the lyrics with the tragedy of 9/11 in mind.

“I’ve been returning to the subject of September 11th in my writing and my music since the event itself,” he says. “Trying to artistically represent the scale of that day’s destruction is futile given the wealth of documentary footage, which is too powerful to allow for creative interpretation. But I do think there’s a place for exploring the human stories that unfolded in the dust cloud, especially those guided by love on a day remembered largely as an act of overwhelming hate.”

Vocalist Shura remarks, “I remember when Cyrus first played me the 20-second loop that eventually became the track,” she says. “Even then I was haunted by this hypnotic beat and the sense of something altogether more mournful at its core. It’s a song as sparse as it is rich, and the imagery of those two former lovers, now leading separate lives, finding each other again amid the chaos and collapse of everything they once knew… that’s something I find irrevocably moving.”

The lines "Meet me in the dust cloud" and "Meet me in the white light" are all the more shattering with this knowledge. Stunningly powerful and moving.

Wow.


Bury everything you own
On a hill in Peckham Rye
Say a prayer for those you’ve known
As tracer fire scars the sky

A heaven of abandoned stars
River running black and red
Fight your way through crowds and cars
As rockets flower overhead

Meet me in the dust cloud
As The Towers topple over ground
We can be ghosts now
We don’t ever have to make a sound

Meet me in the white light
As the city slowly lifts away
We can be a ghost now
With the memory of another day

Meet me in the white light,
in the white light now…


http://soundcloud.com/hiatus

"So Good To Me" by Chris Malinchak

Come on, now how cute is this...?

Record of the Day says that "So Good To Me" (featuring a sample from "If This World Were Mine" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell) by 26-year-old New York deep house producer Chris Malinchak is fast shaping up to be the soundtrack of the summer. What a warm, joyful tune for warm, joyful days.

http://soundcloud.com/chrismalinchak

How To Feel Better...

http://www.namqkang.com/

Woodkid: WOW!

French video director-turned recording artist Woodkid (Yoann Lemoine) makes robust, powerful music. These two debut videos, "Iron" and "Run Boy Run," directed by him are simply thrilling! The second one picks up where the first one leaves off...

http://www.woodkid.com/

Currently listening to...

...the arresting, desperate "The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?)" by Snow Patrol. There is an urgent, pleading current that seems to careen toward inevitable loss that rips me up and makes me put this on repeat, as if it allows one to see ahead to the end, and one finally, regrettably, gloriously understands that there is no other ending to be had. We know how it ends: as Rumi said, "Enough of these phrases/ Conceit and metaphors/ I want burning, burning, burning." Do you know what I mean? Do you know what this song means? Do you know what your song means? It's important that you do...

What if this storm ends?
And I don't see you
As you are now
Ever again

The perfect halo
Of gold hair and lightning
Sets you off against
The planet's last dance

Just for a minute
The silver forked sky
Lit you up like a star
That I will follow

Now it's found us
Like I have found you
I don't want to run
Just overwhelm me

What if this storm ends?
And leaves us nothing
Except a memory
A distant echo

I want pinned down
I want unsettled
Rattle cage after cage
Until my blood boils

I want to see you
As you are now
Every single day
That I am living

Painted in flames
All peeling thunder
Be the lightning in me
That strikes relentless

http://www.snowpatrol.com/

3.17.13

I'll have a boxty and a Guiness...

Top to bottom: St. Mary's Old Parish graveyard, Cahir, Ireland; Roadside sign, Cahir, Ireland; Ben Bulben mountain from Drumcliffe, Ireland; St. Columba's Church, Drumcliffe, Ireland; grave of W.B. Yeats, St. Columba's Church, Drumcliffe, Ireland; Giant's Causeway sign, County Antrim, Northern Ireland; Giant's Causeway sign, County Antrim, Northern Ireland; Giant's Causeway, County Antrim, Northern Ireland; basalt columns at Giant's Causeway, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

All photos above by JEF


"Belfast Child" by Simple Minds
When my love said to me,
Meet me down by the gallow tree.
For it's sad news I bring,
About this old town and all that it's suffering.
Some say troubles abound,
Some day soon they're gonna pull the old town down.
One day we'll return here,
When the Belfast Child sings again.

Brothers, sisters, where are you now?
As I look for you right through the crowd.
All my life here I've spent,
With my faith in God, and Church, and the Government.
But there's sadness abound,
Some day soon they're gonna pull the old town down.

One day we'll return here,
When the Belfast Child sings again,
When the Belfast Child sings again.

So come back Billy, won't you come on home?
Come back Mary, you've been away so long.
The streets are empty, and your mother's gone.
The girls are crying, it's been oh so long.
And your father's calling, come on home.
Won't you come on home, won't you come on home?

Come back people, you've been gone a while,
And the war is raging through the Emerald Isle.
That's flesh and blood man, that's flesh and blood,
All the girls are crying but all's not lost.

The streets are empty, the streets are cold.
Won't you come on home, won't you come on home?

The streets are empty.

Life goes on.

One day we'll return here,
When the Belfast Child sings again,
When the Belfast Child sings again.

http://www.discoverireland.com/us/

http://www.simpleminds.com/sm/index.php

Happy Pi Day!

Kate Bush sings "Pi" from her 2005 release "Aerial."

Sweet and gentle sensitive man
With an obsessive nature and deep fascination for numbers
And a complete infatuation with the calculation of PI

Oh he love, he love, he love
He does love his numbers
And they run, they run, they run him
In a great big circle
In a circle of infinity

3.1415926535 897932
3846 264 338 3279

Oh he love, he love, he love
He does love his numbers
And they run, they run, they run him
In a great big circle
In a circle of infinity
But he must, he must, he must
Put a number to it

50288419 716939937510
582319749 44 59230781
6406286208 821 4808651 32

Oh he love, he love, he love
He does love his numbers
And they run, they run, they run him
In a great big circle
In a circle of infinity

82306647 0938446095 505 8223

http://www.katebush.com/

London Grammar

I have been listening to these two songs on repeat for an hour or more now... can't get enough of this young English trio, fronted by one Hannah with an absolutely swoon-worthy voice.
Gorgeous.
*sigh*

Their EP "Metal and Dust" is available on the UK iTunes only... for now. I predict big things for these three.

http://www.londongrammar.com/

The Virgin Queen by McQueen

While I do follow women's fashion, regular readers know that I only usually blog about men's fashion. But I will occasionally make an exception and the newest McQueen F/W 2013 collection is certainly one of those occasions.

Sarah Burton reached back to the final Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, as inspiration for this amazing collection.

Look at the wide net veils embellished with teardrop pearls, and those fascinating glove-less fingers! Cinched waists and hip rolls, pearl embroidery, hoop skirts, caging and corsetry... all of her choices come from an historical context. The looks come in pairs: watch how they come together after the final walk...

This bodice...

...was inspired by cathedral ceilings like these:

The detailing in this collection is simply staggering. Head over to the McQueen website to see still photos of the runway looks and zoom in to see the mind-boggling stitching and soutache and embroidery...
http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/alexandermcqueen/experience/2013-womens-aw-fashion-show/2013-womens-aw-fashion-show,en_US,pg.html