Sunday, May 09, 2004
So, one of the Powerpuff Girls also sings old-timey music in the vein of the excellent Gillian Welch? Her name's Grey DeLisle. You can hear samples of her music at her web site. Her voice doesn't really suit my taste, but it's nice enough.
Been listening to the new album by Caetano Veloso, A Foreign Sound, a collection of English-language covers: and what a strange collection it is. He'll toss one out that seems beyond the pale, like "Feelings," and then he'll turn around and offer a sweet rendition that charms your socks off, as with Gershwin's "The Man I Love." Apparently, there have long been rumors about Veloso's sexuality, which puts this wide-ranging collection in a certain context, from Nirvana's "Come As You Are" to "Jamaica Song," more familiar in the mouth of Mr. Banana Boat himself, Harry Belafonte. I prefer the Tin Pan Alley songs, so well-written that anyone can sing them (let alone a golden throat like Veloso), but I'm surprised how well Cobain's song and David Byrne's excellent, too-little known "(Nothing But) Flowers" sound here.
Speaking of Cobain, I was in a record store the other day, near the listening stations, and a couple guys were shopping. One of them had headphones on and pointed out the Probot CD to his friend, saying WAY TOO LOUDLY, "DUDE, THAT CD is the BEST thing Grohl has done since NIRVANA." (Shoppers all over the store turning to look.) His friend must have turned beet red. So funny. Also probably true. What a fun idea for a project. I haven't listened to the CD much yet, but the idea alone--Grohl writing songs in a metal style and bringing in a different legendary metal vocalist for each cut--justifies the purchase. David Grohl is now hearby officially a Dave for good.
Borrowed a copy of Sufjan (how the hell do you pronounce that?) Stevens' new CD, Seven Swans. (Only fair as I had made the friend aware of this artist in the first place!) Too sincere and religious for my taste, but the music, if wispy, is nice. At times, very nice. I esp. like "To Be Alone With You," despite--maybe in this case because of--its religious meaning. "I've never met a man who loved me" is a poignant line, and the song reminds me of what I like about Christ and his story, as opposed to the "Christians" who dominate politics in this country.
Also borrowed OutKast's double-CD (generous friend!) and managed to get through it all, almost twice, a feat in itself since there are 39 tracks. Given all the coverage I'd read ahead of time, I was expecting to prefer The Love Below, but surprised myself by liking Speakerboxx a bit more, not least because it has more rap. If I ever have the time for the project, I'd like to go through and tease out my favorite bits into a lean 30 minutes or so. Bet my faves are the same as everyone else's. I should search the blogosphere, because I'll bet others gave done this already.
Modest Mouse's album Good News for People Who Love Bad News is a huge hit in stores here--big dents on the shelf where it should be. I love "Float On" right away, and the rest, though different from that song, sounds good. I'm connecting them to Hot Hot Heat, among other bands. IMDB connects them to French Kicks. Ooh, a free download. Love that.
Lastly, flipping channels one morning last week and caught Nellie McKay on The View singing, "I wanna Get Married," the lyrics of which struck me as nauseatingly nostalgic and anti-feminist, but apparently the song is satirical. Good to know that, as usual, I was just bein thick. Also handy, as "David" has gotten stuck in my head from the listening station at Tower and I'm going to have to have it soon!
Lastly, been hooked lately on Michael Buble's and Sinatra's versions of "Nice 'n Easy," and I'm wondering about the song. Since when does the guy have to remind the gal to slow down? Maybe he's reminding himself. Or maybe I should find a woman's rendition--I'd love to hear Peggy Lee's! Come on, iTunes. You've got a lot to add to that catalog...
