New Music from North of the Border

The weekend before last life got in the way of the blog. I was in Montreal, but the trip led me to some interesting new artists. Unfortunately, over the past week, work and illness got in the way and I never found the time or energy to capture the weekend or the new sounds. So back to the weekend in Montreal. My friend Sadie was in town from San Francisco. She is a talented realist painter (see her website) and was on the East Coast to see some art. We headed to Montreal last Saturday to see the J.W. Waterhouse exhibit at its only stop scheduled in North America. Waterhouse is known for being part of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, which tended to combine nature with themes from Greek mythology and English literature. At the end of the exhibit there was a short film by Melissa Auf de Maur called Out Of Our Minds (OOOM). Auf de Maur is also a bassist and toured with alternative rock bands Hole and Smashing Pumpkins. These weren’t the only artists I discovered in Montreal. On Saturday night, we met up with Katheline, another member of the small group of hip co-workers at my day job, who lives in Montreal. She took us to some great bars and suggested some excellent music from north of the border.

Rave On with some more ‘ettes’

Yes, its another ‘ettes’ band. Even if they’re not using ‘ette’ in their name i.e. the Ting Tings, the 50’s and 60’s girl group sound seems to be everywhere. I’m not complaining, I love all the retro sounds permeating music these days. The Ting Tings combine their girl group sound with an 80’s pop sensibility, and the Noisettes with a soul inspired punk sound. The Raveonettes, on the other hand, have a late 80’s early 90’s alternative guitar band influence. It’s oddly dark and catchy. I had hoped to see them a few weeks ago when they were in town. But the show was during a completely hellish week at the day job and I didn’t even get to a SWIK post, let alone a concert. I hope to catch them the next time. Until then, I’m enjoying their latest album, In and Out of Control.

A SWIK Workout Mix

The past few weeks at work were so busy that I could barely breathe, let alone put some thoughts down about new music. Hence, no SWIK post last week. When I get this busy and feel like I’m just hanging on by a thread, the one thing that I try to do is get to the gym. Either take the dance class (see Trina and Madonna posts) or go for a run. Due to meetings that kept me at the office long after dance class and sunset, it was a hopeless week for working out. Dance class is the one place where I think about absolutely nothing else. I have to concentrate to learn the routine and keep up. We move fast so I get a good workout and the music motivates me to push myself. Running on the other hand, I don’t particularly like. I try to think of it as a chance to listen to new music, but it has to be music that keeps me motivated, to essentially imagine that I’m dancing. I tend to like fast and catchy pop tunes and hip-hop for running. Honestly, this is where my inner top 40 pop teenager comes out. Last week, I didn’t manage to get my sneakers on until Saturday. Here’s what was on my iPod as I attempted move my body after all the madness.

A List From Dad

A few weeks ago I read an article about a new album from Rosanne Cash, the daughter of country legend Johnny Cash. The album, simply titled The List, is a selection of cover tunes. They originate from a list of 100 essential country songs that her father created for her in 1973, when she was just out of high school. He was liberal with the term ‘country’ as the list includes many folk and other traditional American songs. I’ve never been a huge fan of country music, but am making an effort to expand my musical horizons. I like the album, it's full of emotion and depth. The songs are sad, but comforting. I discovered that she was performing in Brooklyn on Saturday so headed over to see the show.

Bebel Towers Again

Last weekend was one of those relax, chill out, avoid cleaning, and make no plans kind of weekends. I was looking for some mellow, but not maudlin music (see Camera Obscura). Something with a little pick me up, but still capturing my more relaxed mood. I pulled out Bebel Gilberto, a Brazilian bossa nova singer. While listening to her first album, Tanto Tempo, I went online to see what she’s been up to. Lo-and-behold, last week she released a new album, All In One. Since there are, maybe, two record stores left in NYC, getting a copy of the actual CD would prove to be a challenge. I decided to download it, liner notes and all, so that I could listen to it right away. The album still captures her smooth, sultry vocals and a range of bossa nova tunes with an electronic twist.

For all my SWIKs with Madonna as our soundtrack

Today, September 29, 2009 Madonna released her third (or fourth?) greatest hits album. Celebration is a double CD set that spans her twenty-five year career. I can’t let the moment pass without saying a few words about this SWIK Icon. A great deal has already been said about her. What can I possibly add? First, a mix of a few songs that didn’t make this new album and weren’t necessarily hits, but that you may have missed and are worth checking out. Second, a personal history. Any woman my age has grown up with Madonna. We all have some Madonna memories at this point. Whether you love her or hate her, there are probably moments where her music played a part and there’s a specific instance where you can recall hearing a song and having some sort of reaction. I’m huge fan of her music, but this post is not a tribute to her. It’s a trip down memory lane with Madonna providing the soundtrack. So even if you aren’t a Madonna fan, you may enjoy the post. It’s actually a tribute to all the woman in my life who have shared my personal Madonna soundtrack. You can start playing the SWIK Icon Madonna Mix with this new Grooveshark widget and listen while you read. Just press play.

End of Summer Noise(ttes)

The summer is officially over. According to the calendar, the season ended on Monday. I attempted to extend it as long as possible, but it really ended on Sunday when I had what will likely be my last water-ski of the season. While I was skiing, the Noisettes song “Don’t Upset the Rhythm” went through my head. I never found my rhythm navigating the extremely bumpy waters, but I did have fun. The Noisettes are great fun as well. They have that summer girl-band sound, even if they are actually two men and one woman. It’s amusing to me that with this summer sound, their newest album, Wild Young Hearts, was released in the U.S. on the first day of autumn.