Songs You May Have Missed #395

21 Apr 2013 1 Comment

by Ed Cyphers in Best of the Blog, Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

tir

Tir Na Nog: “So Freely” (1972)

Music is life. Or a reasonable facsimile thereof. It’s like a tinted piece of glass we look through to see the reality of our lives more colorfully, more richly.

We need a wide variety of music to accompany the diversity of our life experiences, and to complement all of our many moods. This is something I’ve repeated so often that I sound like a corrupted digital music file (another good metaphor sacrificed to modern technology…) And in fact I have trust issues when it comes to people who like only one type of music; they’re usually less in touch with themselves.

When my ears still ring with Saturday night’s thumpa-thumpa I usually want Sunday morning to sound like a soft sigh. Something acoustic, something organic makes for the ideal aural/attitudinal palate cleanser.

For a period of several weeks as a teenager, my Sunday morning routine began with side two of Tir Na Nog’s Strong in the Sun LP (see link below, and in particular the song “In the Morning”). The previous week washed away and I gathered myself for the one upcoming. There was an ebb and flow to my week, and to my year. And music marked every swelling and falling, and the passing of every season–literal or emotional. Because music is life.

I recommend Tir Na Nog to anyone who likes Nick Drake.

See also:  

https://edcyphers.com/2012/11/27/recommended-albums-30/

See also: 

https://edcyphers.com/2017/09/12/songs-you-may-have-missed-617/

Songs You May Have Missed #394

19 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

viento

Viento de los Andes: “Zorritos” (1999)

Viento de los Andes is effectively Jose Arciniegas, who plays indigenous music of Ecuador and the Andes regions (as well as original compositions) on bamboo flutes and harrangos, a small guitar-like instrument.

As his website puts it:

Jose began to play music at the age of ten. He sang played quitar, quena and sampona and serenaded the girls outside their windows with love songs.

In America most girls would rather be serenaded by a Chris Brown song, but it’s their loss.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2022/03/27/songs-you-may-have-missed-725/

Songs You May Have Missed #393

19 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

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Shivaree: “Goodnight Moon” (1999)

 

Ambrosia Parsley has the perfect name and bio for a fictitious singer–but only in one of those fanciful, Benny & Joon-type Hollywood films. The details seem too strange for real life.

According to Allmusic Guide:

Parsley’s first gig was singing with a 99-piece senior citizen banjo band at a local pizza place. At the age of 13, she left home, traveling the country and pursuing her love of music.

And from her Wiki bio:

In April 2004, Ambrosia Parsley embarked on a project for the liberal radio station Air America called Ambrosia Sings the News — a short song (always the same melody), usually under a minute or so long that attempted to encapsulate the contents of the previous week’s headlines. Approximately 47-50 installments of “Ambrosia Sings the News” were aired with some being live performances. The show was successful enough that a single titled “2004 (The Year In Review…For Anyone Who Can Bear the Mere Thought)” that summarized exactly what the title suggests was sold exclusively via iTunes.

The band name “Shivaree” is a Cajun term describing a drunken serenade to newlyweds (think Bert and Ernie in It’s a Wonderful Life). “Goodnight Moon” is probably their best-known song, having appeared on Dawson’s Creek and in the films Silver Linings Playbook and Kill Bill: Volume 2, where it played over the closing credits.

ambrosia parsley

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/04/26/songs-you-may-have-missed-777/

Songs You May Have Missed #392

18 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

borges

Sarah Borges: “The Day We Met” (2007)

Sarah Borges delivers Americana with an edge on her second outing, Diamonds in the Dark. The album bounces between country, blues, bubblegum and–on “The Day We Met”–some brash, straight-ahead rockabilly.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/02/26/songs-you-may-have-missed-24/

 

Songs You May Have Missed #391

17 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: , ,

true

Solange: “Losing You” (2013)

Solange Knowles, younger sister of megastar Beyoncé Knowles (although rumors have suggested she’s actually Beyoncé’s daughter) is a singer of much more modest success than her sibling. Two LPs and one EP into her career, she has yet to chart a pop single in the U.S. Perhaps recording for a label named Terrible Records is tempting the hand of fate a little too much…

solange

Still it’s not like Solange hasn’t released some interesting material. 2008’s “I Decided” topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, and follow-up single “Sandcastle Disco” was another dance floor hit, despite the lack of pop crossover success.

The most distinctive characteristic of Solange’s music is the hip infusion of throwback sounds. Her 2008 album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams was filled with  60’s and 70’s R&B cues (Motown, early Natalie Cole and Pointer Sisters) while 2013 EP True channels more of an 80’s synth-soul vibe. As for the single “Losing You”, it has the engaging sound of an early Madonna single.

Presumably we can expect a 90’s soul montage on her next outing?

Songs You May Have Missed #390

13 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

sexsmith

Ron Sexsmith: “Late Bloomer” (2011)

 

A few bullet points:

  • Until 20 seconds ago, I’d always assumed singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith was from England. He’s actually Canadian.
  • If many of our last names–such as Baker, Hunter, Shepherd, Miller–originated from our ancestors’ professions, I’d like to know a little about this guy’s great great great grandfather.
  • Ron Sexsmith’s talents have won praise from such songwriting luminaries as Paul McCartney, John Hiatt and Elvis Costello in much the same way that the Beatles once name-dropped Harry Nilsson as a lesser-known artist worthy of more attention.

Although the production on Sexsmith’s 11th LP (by Metallica/Motley Crue producer Bob Rock) brings his talents to the fore a little more than on past records, the quality of the songwriting hasn’t changed. It’s melodic tunes with catchy choruses and heart-touching sentiments delivered by a guy with a touch of melancholy in his voice–just what his fans have come to expect.

“Late Bloomer” is an anthem of resiliency for underdogs everywhere. If no one’s singing along to your song, don’t forget there’s always a side 2 to life!

It’s just a stone’s throw
From here to eternity
From the back roads
To where I long to be
The world has changed
Leaving only the truth  intact
You think it’s a game
To me it means more than that

But I’m a late bloomer
I’m a slow learner
And I’ve turned the record over
I’m a long player
My song is my saviour
I’ve got to raise it up
As far as my spirit can reach
That everyone might see

Within earshot
Of rose-coloured dreamers at best
I don’t mean to eavesdrop
It’s just part of my job I guess
At one glance
They don’t know the truth by half
How announcing your plans
Is a sure way to hear god laugh

Like a crab apple on the tree
They’ll find life more bitter than sweet

But I’m a late bloomer
I’m a slow learner
And I’ve heard the penny drop
I’m a small player
With a tall order
To come out on top
And  without selling my soul
That everyone might know
That I’m a late bloomer

From a turntable to a phone
From a revolution to a ring tone

I’m a late bloomer
I’m a slow learner
And I’ve turned the record over
I’m a long player
My song is my saviour
Got to raise it up

I’m a late bloomer
I’m a slow learner
And I’ve heard the penny drop
I’m a small player
With a tall order
To come out on top
And without selling my soul
That’s how a flower grows
And I’m a late bloomer
I’m a late bloomer

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2017/09/12/recommended-albums-74/

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