Spanish-born and Danish-bred Christina Rosenvinge's compositions follow in the steady, quiet paces of Aimee Mann, blending piano, guitar and rhythmic accents with a voice recalling rock vet Chrissie Hynde, bossa nova sweetheart Astrud Gilberto and Canadian indie Julie Doiron. I came across this very charming and quirky video for Liar to Love, from her 2008 album Tu Labio Superior. Check it out, and if you like it you can listen to more HERE.
All quiet on the Latin front? I think not! Are you part of the ignorant masses that think la musica latina consists solely of Shakira and Ricky Martin? Or maybe you consider yourself one of the cognoscenti when it comes to the diverse and vast universe of music available today? Well, I've got news for you gringo, nobody actually says shake your bon bon in these countries except Ricky himself. Furthermore, very few women in these countries can prove a knowledge of belly dancing as advanced as Shakira's (sorry boys), and El Guincho is not the first - or even second! - indie sensation that calls Spain home.
As a former resident of the great - and yes, very flawed - country of Mexico I can attest to having had my musical world split open like a piñata, yielding nothing less than a geyser of goodies that burst into my ears during the two amazing and unforgettable years I lived there. Since then, I have been nothing short of stupefied at the gems flying up from down south. Musically, the Latin world is brilliant and consistently giving birth to original addictive sounds. Now's your chance to hook up to this world, all you need to do is visit Carlos and company at Club Fonograma. You will not be disappointed. It is at Club Fonograma that I went from a fan of Julieta Venegas, Café Tacvba, Molotov and Control Machete (just buy some!) to loving Mr. raccoon, Natalia Lafourcade and Hello Seahorse!...You can listen HERE.
I'll start you off with a brave, lilting march introduced by way of Chopsticks tutorial. Azul is a stream of consciousness ode to all of our fears, big and small composed by the dazzling and sweet Natalia Lafourcade. Her new album Hu-Hu-Hu is out on May 29th...BUY IT!!! This girl is fantastic... Agoraphobics rejoice! Azul
Mark Charles Heidinger and Rose Guerin craft knock down drag 'em songs fit for cross country road trips, whiskey slamming bar fights, passionate kisses and the quotidian house cleaning routine of exceptional bourgeoisie like you and me. Satisfying home cooked musical stew peppered with seriously gorgeous harmonies...And listen to those lyrics.
If it hasn't become obvious to you yet, this blog isn't really a music blog. This blog began as an attempt to channel a great deal of creative energy into something personal and uniquely "mine". Sans apology. Being an intensely savage consumer (not buyer so much as listener)of music it was only natural for me to choose music as the base of any writings here. I decided from the beginning that it wouldn't matter if anyone read it, that this was purely for me to scribble and doodle away as I please, an attempt to engage myself freely in an enjoyable pastime while sharing the one thing that has continued to inspire me since I was a child. I have read several other music blogs, including the award-winning and frequently recommended, the lesser known, the picturesque, the dry and the themed.
What I've discovered is that most music blogs (okay, very nearly all)out there bore the shit out of me, including my own. And that, much like with any craft, to be any good at writing it requires the time, the drive, the energy to approach it arduously. Or, at the very least, the passion or innate ability to fuel its development. Furthermore, to experience music through writing it's a helluva thing trying to convey more than a well-written passage possibly can, much less a poorly written one (and there are thousands of those). Me? I just like writing. I'm not interested in writing for the New Yorker (haven't you heard what a bunch of zombie-prick-automatons they are?)- good thing! I've never professed to be more than a hack. When it all boils down to gravy we are all hacks in one form or another. Yes, I'm talking to you. So, I will continue to post as frequently as possible in hopes that you will join me despite being one blog amongst the throngs of so-so blogs.
Here's me with the latest...
MUSIC NEWS:
NPR is hosting an exclusive listen to Dark Night of the Soul, an album featuring artists Nina Persson(ex-Cardigans frontwoman now with A Camp), Jason Lytle (Granddaddy) and Vic Chestnutt , written by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse and featuring visuals (CD-R) by His Holiness the Charles Atlas of Cinema Wackery David Lynch. Check it out here and stay tuned below for a bit of Friday Flashback...It's a goodie I promise!
Be somebody/ Be Famous/ Be rich/ Be beautiful/ Because being 'you' is not enough. ~ Marina Diamond, on the message pervading society today
It's not simply that she's clearly a very creative producer and a fantastic vocalist wrapped in a very attractive package...Marina is sweet, natural, brainy (read: thinks)and extremely likeable. In fact, after listening to an interview on her MySpace page,I felt a lot like I'd gone to a party with a gathering of people, the likes of which I'd normally never keep company with, and left feeling that I'd made one very dear and lovely friend. Look for an EP to be released early summer '09.
In case you don't already know, Tori Amos' forthcoming album Abnormally Attracted to Sin is due out in a matter of days (May 19)...Tori did something really sweet and posted a Mother's Day gift, Maybe California a track from the record, for all the mamas out there. You can also check out the video for it.
