Discography Year Two - Week 12

One of my favorite old movies is the Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire classic Holiday Inn, which is simply much better than the later semi-remake, White Christmas.  If you don't know the movie (and shame on you if you don't) it's about Bing retiring from his act with Astaire and buying a farm in Connecticut, which he eventually turns into an inn that is only open on holidays.  This allows him to do what he loves, but only as much as he wants to, but it also requires him to come up with a new song for every holiday.  Some of the songs are pretty lame, but it also features lovely versions of Easter Parade and White Christmas.  The Thanksgiving song, I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For,  is certainly not a great song, but it's OK.  Lately I've been in a pretty dreadful mood, marked by the usual wretched irreconcilable mixture of self-loathing and self-pitying - which I normally deal with by making myself scarce and spending as little time with my friends as possible.  Essentially, I know what poor company I am so I just make myself disappear until I sort through my demons.  All of this got me thinking about Thanksgiving.  I know that as part of the knee jerk role that we liberals often play (and as my long-time friends know, I'm usually left of Left, often crossing into LEFT) we're supposed to be dismissive of Thanksgiving and pass our liberal litmus test by posting a snarky comment about Thanksgiving on Twitter (and you know I normally live for Twitter, and especially snarky Twitter) as part of a self-referential wink at the world.  But you know, fuck that noise.  Any holiday, no matter the origin, that urges us to stop and reflect upon our blessings is alright by me.  A while ago the esteemed Gary Beatrice posted Lucinda Williams's Blessed and I can't match his sentiments, but I do believe that the world would be a better place if occasionally reflected upon what we have instead of whining about what we don't.

Gary Beatrice

Cat Power, Manhattan

And so we plow senselessly back from George Jones to New York City.

When I become nuts about a musician one of the first things I do is track who referred him, her, or them to me. Usually that answer is Dave Wallace, but in the case of "Cat Power" I sincerely haven't a clue where or how I first heard her. Given that her sound is unlike that of anyone I listen today today or even in the past couple decades, I find that surprising. But I enjoy her music thoroughly and not just this song (although there would be no shame in just liking this song: the rhythm section alone is brilliant.)

Anyway, you don't need to tell me why I love Cat Power or Manhattan in particular. The answer is that she and this song are brilliant. The question is where I find more music in her genre.

Dave Wallace

Cracker - Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)

David Lowery kicked off the life of his second (and IMO better) band with this classic.  It's not always clear whether the lyrics reflect the viewpoint of the teen protagonist, or Lowery, or both.

What the world needs now

What the world needs now is another folk singer

Like I need a hole in my head

What the world needs now

What the world needs now is a new Frank Sinatra

So I can get you in bed

Kathy Seiler

Carbon Leaf – Life Less Ordinary 

“Live a life less ordinary. Live a life extraordinary with me.

Live a life less sedentary. Live a life evolutionary with me.”

You had me at “live a life less ordinary.”

This is my all-time favorite Carbon Leaf song. The lyrics express what many of us want to believe we can give another person – an extraordinary life, together. I had no idea how much an extraordinary life was something that I wanted – I daresay, needed, until sometime close to the end of my grad school days, although I had inklings of it before then. I have since realized, accepted, and celebrated that I’m one of those strange people that not only loves but actually needs almost constant change. I get restless and bored very easily, which drives me to live a life evolutionary.

The message of this song is that the singer is freely offering to share their life with another person (with the implication that the other person is “the one”), but they need that person to understand that a life with them isn’t going to be typical and boring. It’s an appeal to their beloved – come, be with me. We will play together in this life, but we won’t live a boring life. I’m going to confess my feelings for you and ask you to be with me, but I also won’t wait around forever for you. I’ll move on if you don’t want to join me in the adventures we could make together.

The acknowledgement that they won’t wait forever for the other person is so unusual. How many songs imply that they will love that person forever, do whatever is needed to stay with that love, at any cost, and that our love will never change? That’s a promise made in the dopamine-induced insanity of new love, and isn’t sustainable. Reality sets in and conflict arises. Love changes over time. The lyrics imply that change is going to be the norm in a life together, which I find refreshingly honest in a love song. And just plain true.

The saddest part of the song, for me, is that the implication is that the object of the singer’s love was scared away by the expression and confession of love by the singer. The lyrics say,

“By the way,

I do know why you stayed away

I will keep tongue-tied next time”

I don’t think the beloved has any idea what they are missing.

Dave Kelley

I write this as I prepare to leave for North Carolina to be with my family for Thanksgiving.  By the time we are all reading the blog, I hope you good people have enjoyed a healthy and happy holiday.  I am thankful for this small online community.

"I Am Your Tambourine"  Tift Merritt

Merritt is a singer/songwriter from North Carolina in the early 2000's.  This song comes off by far her best record, "Tambourine".  I encourage everyone to check it out.  The tune I selected is the best song off the record and is basically just about sex.  Turn it up! 

In the words of Patti Smith, "Love each other mother fuckers!"  :)

Kevin Andrews

We’re going a little off-topic this week for the holiday. It’s on Youtube and it has music but it’s 53 minutes long. For a smaller sample, here is the trailer. 

This is episode 8 from Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music, I Am My Music. Here’s a condensed list of topics:

78, 45, 33 1/3

Frank Sinatra

Bob Dylan

Marvin Gaye

Miles Davis

The Grateful Dead

The Walkman

Compact Disk

Suzanne Vega and the MP3

Maybe you’re waiting for a plane, need a break from the family, or want the kids to stop playing video games. Here’s your solution. Almost all 8 episodes and the extra content are there, search for Soundbreaking. Youtube wants you to pay for it, don’t bother most of it is there for free. Here is the full playlist.

I chose #8 because, while it follows the arc of technology over seventy years, it showcases how the artists apply it to their craft. It’s probably the most accessible episode too. If you’re interested in more, I bought the DVD just to lend it out so everyone can see it.

Alice Neiley

While I know the holiday season is stressful for many, sometimes even sad, and while I try to keep my insane joy about this time of year slightly at bay for their benefit, most of the time I can’t help myself. Though I do believe in God, said insane joy has little to do with that belief. I don’t go to church unless I’m taking Karen’s mother (who has never missed a Sunday), or attending with both Karen’s parents when we’re in Saskatchewan for a visit – going anywhere with them is completely lovely. Anyway, I digress (surprise, surprise). I’m a sucker for Christmas. I love the lights, the music, the chilly air, the hot beverages, the groups of people with red cheeks and bright colored sweaters and heavy coats. I also love the music…within reason. For example, I do NOT love that the 92.9 radio station plays Christmas carols from Halloween through New Years. I do love The Muppet Christmas Carol, and the music from that movie is welcome in my ears from Thanksgiving onward. Thus my musical choice for this week (forgive me): “Bless Us All” sung by the tiny frog Muppet, Robin, who played Tiny Tim in The Muppet Christmas Carol. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw4ZL6YByrk

The song couldn’t BE more perfect with the video and story line, but I’d argue it’s also quite heartwarming standing alone on both a musical and lyrical level. The lyrics, especially lines like “No place on earth, compares with home/And every path will bring me back from where I roam” and “Bless us all, that as we live/ We always comfort and forgive” embody the holiday spirit for me, no matter what religion or atheism to which you subscribe, and they’re only made better by that little froggy voice. The other thing is the musicality, though. First of all, it’s in the key of D major, the key of triumph, of rejoicing—“First Noel” is often in D major, as is “Joy to the World”. But the chord changes are what really bring on ‘the feels’, as our students would say. 

For example, the chord progression of my favorite line, musically and lyrically: “The sun comes up and I can feel it lift my spirit” is G-major D-major A-minor D-major. Now, I remember from a music theory class that G major chords (and key) represents satisfaction, calm, gentleness and peacefulness, while D major, as I mentioned above, is triumphant and confident. What’s interesting is the choice of A-minor – tender melancholy – which in the context of the lyrics and other chords floods the song with longing and nostalgia, as well as that blessed, beautiful happiness and gratitude. I just can’t get enough of that feeling combo, or this song. Happy season, everyone. 

Phillip Seiler

Christine Lavin

Doris& Edwin: The Movie

I learned about Christine Lavin from my father who heard her on NPR's All Things Considered one night in the late 80s/early 90s. This is significant for a couple reasons. 1) My dad was always Republican and pretty conservative but he loved NPR and the stories they told 2) He and I had some shared interests but I always felt best when we connected over music 3) This year will be my first family holiday gathering without him and I needed to be reminded of our shared sense of silly.

Christine Lavin is a folk singer with just enough talent to recognize she will never be a great talent. And that is charming. She spins most of her songs with a touch of humor and self-awareness that one does not find in most music. Doris & Edwin is nothing if not silly. But it will always hold a special place in my heart because I remember, after Dad had introduced me to her music, playing this song for him and the laugh, his infectious laugh. You will know as you listen when it happened. And that memory is etched on my brain. 

We may not have agreed on much but music and laughter with our family were sacrosanct. Happy Holidays all. 

Gary Scudder

Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!

Here's a song that everyone is familiar with, although probably not in this format (unless you're Alice, who doubtless knows it because of her love of Adderley).  The song has been covered many times, including a pretty dreadful, but popular, one by the Buckinghams. However, it started off as a great jazz performance from Cannonball Adderley, based on a song written by pianist Joe Zawinful.  It's from a wonderful live album, also entitled Mercy, Mercy Mercy!, featuring a top notch group:  Adderley (alto saxophone), Nat Adderley (cornet), Joe Zawinful (piano), Victor Gaskin (bass) and Roy McCurdy (drums).  OK, I am now no longer in a bad mood.