Listening to She’s Got You High by Mumm-Ra. 65°, sunny, a beautiful Friday ahead.
The clothes are cleaned, the house moved in. Mykala and I are budgeted and poised for another semester ahead.
Imogen Heap’s First Train Home is a completely different song when heard through headphones. Holy cow.
I would recommend a balanced, closed, circumaural headphone. If you have the means, I highly recommend the AKG K 271 MK II. I… don’t have the means.
During dinner, a hula dancer and guitar player provided some delightful dinner entertainment. Quiet, soft, beautiful — a wonderful end to an amazing day.
Mykala choreographed a great dance to Psapp - Leaving in Coffins. I love how unique the sound of that band is. Really really fun sound. And if Mykala hasn’t won a competition award for that choreography yet, she’ll probably win one soon.
A great Minnesota poet died recently. His name was Bill Holm. Alas, I did not know of him until after his death, when I heard a wonderful tribute to him on April 19, on Minnesota Public Radio Presents. I had just jumped in the shower and (thanks to the shower radio from Kourtni) heard a beautiful poem by another Minnesota poet, Robert Bly. Mr. Bly was reading (with musical backing) some of his works, to honor the late Bill Holm. One of these pieces was particularly beautiful, so I had to give you the opportunity to listen:
Heard Tyrone Wells on the radio today. I like the song “Remain” because its lyrics describe the way I’ve been feeling:
Sometimes I get so tired
Just trying to find a place
To lay my head
I look up to the sky
I feel the warmest light comfort me
I’ve seen the great heights
Reminding me I’m alive
I don’t wanna die
I don’t wanna waste another day or night
I know there’s something more than what we’re living for
I see it in the stars
I feel it on the shore
I know there’s something, I know there’s something moreI think we’re all afraid
That we might be alone, alone down here
We all want to have some faith
At least that’s true in my case
To just believe
I’ve seen the great heights
Reminding me that I’m alive
I don’t wanna die
I don’t wanna waste another day or night
I know there’s something more than what we’re living for
I see it in the stars
I feel it on the shore
I know there’s something
This world may crumble into the ocean
It could all end tonight
I undermine you, then try to find you
My only source of life
I’m breathing
I am breathing
I am aliveI don’t wanna die
I don’t wanna waste another day or night
I know there’s something more
Than what we’re living for
I see it in the stars
I feel it on the shore
I know that I’m alive
I don’t wanna die
I don’t wanna waste another day or night
I know there’s something more than what we’re living for
I see it in the stars
I feel it on the shore
I know there’s something more
I occasionally hop on the mic here and say “disregard everything I’ve said before about listening to something, you simply have to listen to this.” Well, this “this” is the best “this” (or at least most classic) that I’ve yet come up with. It is: Liszt’s “Un Sospiro” from Trois Études de Concert, performed by Jakob Gimpel. I liked the YouTube comment from user cheries5:
Go listen to Greg Laswell’s song called The One I Love. His album, “Three Flights from Alto Nido” feels like what Joshua Radin’s sophomore attempt should have been.
Very, very good song. (And as usual, don’t watch the crap that the YouTube uploader put on the video — just enjoy the music without watching the video!)
One of my recurring themes here at tumbledry is the stunning, underutilized power of corporate/industrial money to subsidize fine works of art. Here, I continue to crystallize and extend this idea.
The GE Building (also known as the namesake of the show 30 Rock) houses, among many other things, NBC studio 8H. If you think carefully, you’re sure to recognize 8H as the studio from which Saturday Night Live goes out. If your grandparents think carefully, however, they’ll likely have a rather different memory.
Musical shivers are “go” with Bloc Party’s new album “Intimacy”. Mykala sent me an email saying the album sounded pretty good, so I picked it up 15 minutes ago and gave the track “Signs” a listen while I ate dinner.
Jimmy Eat World - Electable (Give It Up)
I came up like everyone
They taught us all the same
I said what they told me to say
And then from that they grade
Give up repeating the facts
Fact can be arranged
Here I am, I’ll take my chance
Now play the record straight.Now give it up!
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Give it up!
Oh oh oh oh oh ohTalking points from talking heads
With automated smiles
There’s no higher ground to stand
Than bottom of the pile Give up acting unaware
You can’t ignore the crime
The enemy is you as well
The enemy is I
If I had the time to record an album of music, I’d want it to sound like Peter Bradley Adams’ Leavetaking. Try out the track Los Angeles. This guy is the real deal. Hole. Ee. Crap. That’s some good music.
Dixie the Tiny Dog, by Peter Himmelman
And in the middle of the day I sit in the sun and I hear young children call me a wiener dog, perhaps that’s what I am
The Germanic term is dachshund, and I like that
I’m thin and I’m proud and no one can make fun of me
I can slip through the bars of a prison if I were ever incarcerated, but I don’t know what I would do wrong
My body yields no evil inclination, I’m a pure weiner dogMy name is Dixie, and I go dancing ‘cross the floor in the evening of the Johnsons when everyone is sleeping
Sometimes I look for a morsel of food, but they’re so clean they’re almost anal-retentive in their cleanliness habits and there’s nothing for me
But I don’t despair
The Snow Patrol song Hands Open has a little lyrical twist that always intrigued me:
Put Sufjan Stevens on, and we’ll play your favorite song,
Chicago bursts to life in your sweet smile remembers you
Sigur Rós’s song “Festival” makes a pretty darn good soundtrack for a Friday afternoon. I’ve survived my first oral anatomy assessment and there’s nothing like listening to great music to unwind on this beautiful afternoon. If you listen to the (admittedly low-fi) link to the song, I think you’ll find the male falsetto to be nearly unearthly-beautiful.
Here are some of the lyrics to Joshua Radin’s song “Everything’ll Be Alright (Will’s Lullaby).”
But I look at you
Warm in your dream
While your mobile dances above
And I think to myself
It’s a beautiful night
And I know everything is gonna be alright
Yes, now I know it’ll be alright
Hey Richard, you were right — this YouTube video of John Butler playing the song “Ocean” is pretty spectacular. It’s the sort of chord progression I enjoy when I’m sketching on the piano.
Good stuff.
Coldplay’s new album “Viva La Vida” has a song called Strawberry Swing.
People moving all the time
Inside a perfectly straight line
Don’t you wanna just curve away
When it’s such
When it’s such a perfect day
It’s such a perfect day
Listen to the song Good Intentions by DoubtingParis at Last.fm. It’s very good. You’ll enjoy it.
Let me know if you do not enjoy it. We’ll work on it.
Another good song from Death Cab for Cutie’s latest album Narrow Stairs.
You look so defeated lying there in your new twin size bed
With a single pillow underneath your single head
I guess you decided that that old queen was more space than you would need
Now it’s in the alley behind your apartment with a sign that says it’s free
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