Melancholy in the Tinsel and Lights

I've been conflicted about Christmas for a long time. Part of me enjoys all the external trappings: the tree, the lights, the wrapping paper, even the music.  I've made several Very Special K Holiday mixes over the years, constantly seeking unique musical takes on the holidays. (See the SWIK holiday classics post from December 2009.) The other part of me thinks, like Charlie Brown, that it's all a bunch of commercialism. I become cynical and annoyed but eventually sad. December finds me running from anticipation to apathy through a haze of holiday parties. I want to believe it's a magical time for reflection and gratitude, but as Charlie Brown said, "I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel." Religion is no longer a satisfactory answer. So what's a girl to do?  How to reconcile all those feelings and get through the holiday season? For now, I sit and stare at my tree listening to Tracey Thorn's new album Tinsel and Lights, attempting to draft messages for cards that I'm not sure I'll mail.

Following Rivers

Last week hurricane Irene made her way up the East Coast and most of my friends fled NYC. I decided that, rather than spending a few days alone without power, I would experience the ‘worst storm in a generation’ with a certain man. He lives in Philadelphia. I’ll call him William Penn. Saturday morning on the train down to the City of Brotherly Love, I listened to Lykke Li’s Wounded Rhymes. The album came out in March, but I’ve only recently listened closely.  The sultry “I Follow Rivers” slipped under my skin, like Mr. Penn. 

A tsunami of sound for Japan

At the end of March I attended a benefit concert for Japan hosted by Yoko Ono. It was the kind of last minute concert with big names that can only happen in a place like NYC. I’m on the email list for (Le) Poisson Rouge, a music venue in the West Village. The day after I received the email announcement for the benefit show, my new music pusher (a woman finally!), who I’ll call JD, sent me a message asking if I was planning to go to the show.  It was $100, but it was a benefit for Japan and in addition to Ono the bill included Cibo Matto and the legendary Patti Smith.  I had spent the weekend before out seeing a lot of live music. Yet, despite the lack of sleep, I bought the ticket and headed out to the show at 10:00 PM on a Tuesday. 

You Never Forget Your First

No, not your first love or first sexual encounter.  Your first album. The record you went and picked out yourself when you were old enough to have a choice.  My friend Slim, who owns Round Soap Records, providing all manner of musically inspired bath products, recently wrote a blog post of the same title.  His firsts were The Steve Miller Band’s Book of Dreams and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors.  Naturally, after reading his post, I thought about my first album.  The one that I made my mom take me to the mall to buy.  It was the B-52s.  Not Cosmic Thing, which had their hits “Love Shack” and “Roam,” but rather their first full-length album, from 1979 with the infamous tune “Rock Lobster.”

Well now, aren’t we all so special?

I’m not ashamed to admit to enjoying some pretty cheesy pop tunes. On some of these pop artists, I agree with many music critics who say that they are manufactured fluff, but others I believe are bringing a little more to the table.  Lately, I’ve had a workout/running mix that includes Lady Gaga, P!nk, Katy Perry, and Ke$ha. All of whom currently have songs out about being special or being yourself. NPR’s Soundcheck recently had a discussion about whether or not these women are the new gay icons or just pandering to a gay audience. The general consensus among guests and callers was that Gaga had earned her stripes, but Perry and Ke$ha, not so much. Pink was up for debate. I agreed and wondered, why was it that these white women felt the need to establish themselves with songs about being genuinely different, as in and P!nk’s “Raise Your Glass” or being special in Katy Perry’s “Firework” or just being yourself as in Lady Gaga’s  “Born This Way” or choosing your lifestyle as in “W R Who We R” from Ke$ha?   Were they special? And would any of them be around in ten years?

Adele’s "Lovesong”

How is it that one song can tip you back to feelings that you genuinely believed were long gone? This week it’s Adele’s cover of “Lovesong,” originally written and recorded by ‘80‘s indie icons, The Cure. The only cover tune on Adele’s latest album, “Lovesong” has struck a bit of a blow. I find myself thinking about a man, who I really should be over and done with. But those lyrics, “Whenever I’m alone with you, you make me feel like I am whole again. Whenever I’m alone with you, you make me feel like I am fun again,” are simple and telling. 

"The kids are gone but the souls remain"

Last weekend my friend Suzy was in town, one of the few hip people at my staight-laced corporate day job.  Like me, she began her career in the music industry. The last time she was in New York, we went to the Brooklyn Soul Festival and discovered The Sweet Divines (see post).  I knew live music was on the agenda for the weekend, but I didn't expect that it would be Suzanne Vega or that I would get a chance to meet her.  I also didn't expect that, like the warmth of good friendship, Vega's music would be so relevant and familiar today.  Despite knowing her first two albums by heart, the songs felt more mature than I remembered; the meanings of the lyrics clearer than ever. I connected to them more now than when I was younger.